davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1922-06-01
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MAR9 ss..s 9s|RSA s!I;!.As ~ 0NNER
REDWOOD TREES

Happy New Year" said the Red.
wood Tree TO the little Redwood trees
"hich were growing up round about
Happy New Year." said the little
Redwood trees.
You will live 10 wish each other
many of these nice Wishes" said the
redwood tree. I'm almost thousand
years old myself"
I'VE have cousins who live To be
twice as old as We are, or almost twice
as old at any rate. They live In the
mountains while we live along this
Western coast.
Yes. We are strong. We live often
times through fires, and send out new
branches even though the fire has
burnt great deal OF us away.
You are all growing around me and
you will become fine trees. There are
whole forests of us and we are very
tall and handsome.
When you grow up to be tall ms |
am you will often be visited by Nurse
Fog.
Nurse Fog will tell so many stories
tn your top branches that 1t will almost
seem as though the King Of the Clouds
and the Army of Raindrops had come
to visit you
I'VE, and also our cousins who live
further away from the coast In forest
homes too belong to great family.
We are taller than any other trees
on earth, they've said. And the ones
who have said this have known all
about trees.
"Yes, people who really know have
said this. And they've said that we
lived to a greater age than other trees
way.
sour trunks are so big and such a
distance around.
We've been used to help build rail-
reads too. Oh. We have led useful az
well as ornamental lives.
But perhaps, children trees, you do
not know what ornamental means so
I will explain the word to you. To be
ornamental means that one Is beauti-
full and handsome and an ornament or
a decoration.
Nov New Year Is about to begin,
and when 1 wish you a happy New
Year know you wish me one too.
Happiness to tree means that the
tree wants to be saved from forest fires
and TO do good work when II is cut and
have none Of 1t wasted.
And when 1t Is not cut 1t finds hap.
piness in standing straight and tall
not even minding the wind or the rain
but blowing about and laughing at the
winds jokes and drinking in the de.
licious Mist Water Nurse Fog gives
u.s."
I'VE wish you happy New Year
too" said the young trees.
"And may you live to be as old as
| am" said the Redwood tree.
'We would love to be that old" said
the young Redwood trees.
"You are so wonderful" they con-
tinued, FOR though you stand so ma
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-17

dress. They had hundreds of good
stories on tap and seemed typical men
about town with plenty of Jack and a
knowledge of the good things of life.
''Ten or twelve persons sometimes
made up their parties. The women
seemed unaware Of the other side OF
their lives. The Count could order a
meal with the discrimination of u
French dandy"
After his discovery that the three
staggering highwaymen were responsi =
bic for the mail truck hOld-up. Nc.
Carthy got in touch with the New York
detective bureau.
The time was coming for the grand
crash" the springing of the trap.
Three detective sergeants. O'Brien,
Stepat and Kiley, were assigned to CO.
operate secretly with Mccarthy.
The young special agent had dropped
hints to his three ''subjects,' as men
under surveillance are termed, that he
could easily dispose Of securities. They
took the bait.
After some parleying, "the Count"
agreed to turn over $21 900 of the
bonds obtained In the mail robbery. He
offered 20 per cent commission, which
Mccarthy suid he would split with q
pal in Toledo who would actually place
the engraved paper.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-17
Obtains a "Lucky Break;
Meets Bryce, "The Count

Mccarthy ignored question meant
to bring cut details Of that quest. II
was left to the imagination to picture
his careful stalking of criminals in thu
vice districts and the white Light
belts of various cities.
But the "shadowing" did not yield
a hint regarding the express company
, robbery. AS the trail swung in q circle
batfied for the moment but still plug
ging away.
Then came what Mccarthy modestly
describes AZ a lucky break" In the
underworld the young special agent be-
came known as Jimmy" yegg OF
safe cracker who was ready for any
desperate job that promised rich loot
IL got an introduction to Count
Chapman" continued Mccarthy.
That was the lucky break" he men
toned. lie was referring to Gerald
Chapman, alias Colwell. alias Edward
Bryce, alias 1.-The Count
Chapman, George Anderson and
Charles Lambert. the three men trapped
by Mccarthy, are now in the Tombs In
New York under S125, 900 bail each for
the Federal Grand Jury.
II guess looked good to Chapman. "
Mccarthy went on. Soon afterward
was introduced to Anderson. known
as The Professor, and Lambert, known
as THE Doctor.
''They were wary of me for several
days. The underworld has its tests,
and | was tested for several days be-
fore gained the confidence of the three
men,
Mccarthy did not say SO, but he thus
began what is known in detective par.
lance as "roping.' the most difficult
task Of the secret agent. The detective,
posing as a criminal or n friend, must
worm himself into the confidence Of the
men he STALKS.
y false step. n careless word, a sus-
picious action. would shatter in n mo-
mcnt tho confidence built up carefully
over Il period of many weeks. There is
always the chance that suspected agent
will be shot or stabbed, paying with his
life for HIS daring.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-17
Rest of Mail Truck Loot
Is Yet to BE RecOrered

The rest of the mail truck loot
is yet TO he recovered. Postal In
Spcclors believe one Of the impri~onrd
gang will break" and tell what was
done with il.
But that search is now NO part Of
McCarthy's task. He merely smiled
when questioned about It and said the
postottice inspectors We're fine men an,.
knew their business
Almost the entire narrative had been
dragged pierrmenl from the Young de.
tcctive. There was not even the him
of boast in his remarks. lie did not
mention that rewards totulng Sl5,OUO
had been offered for th" three high
waymcn and that he was entitled to
all of it.
Mccarthy was born in Buffalo and
lives there with his parents. lie has
n girl--a sweethcart-itS his mother,
as he smilingly remarked. He at.
tended Canisius College at Buffalo, but
did not complete the entire course.
lie got a job as clerk with the ey-
press company and showed such apti.
tude and intelligence that he was made
II claim agent. Then came the war.
and Mccarthy was one Of the first
eighty five men to leave Buffalo for
Camp Dix.
Mccarthy was with one Of the first
detachments to reach France. He be.
came proficient In handling grenades
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-17

trn"ed to twenty f1ve years in the Fed :.
eral p"nitcntiary at McNcils Island
Wash. He confessed that he had buried
the loot in n canyon near Del Mar. II
, was recovered.
In still another case n robbcr i'm
personated policeman and got aboard
n mall wagon in Atlanta on the night
of June IS. 1920. 4 driver and A
transfer clerk were on the vehicle.
After the wagon had gone a short
distance the bogus policemen drew two
revolvcrs and ordered the driver to pro.
cced to the outskirts of the city. There
both postal employees were bound and
gagged. The tSbber fed with all tbo
registered mail.
Ih" helpless mailmcn were found an
hour later. Inspectors placed blood.
h"und" on the robbers trail. but he got
away.
y clue developed in New York Crv
n l"w weeks later. and man known
MS Thomas Donahuc was arrested. The
driver and the transfer clerk identified
MIN as the supposed policeman who
had hoodwinked them.
On August IS, 1920. Missouri pocific
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-17
Three Highuaymen Trapped
After a Similar Robbery

A few weeks later. when inspector.
still were working on the Missouri Pn.
cific robbery. II Chicago. Burlington
and Quincy train was boarded by two
robbers as it moved between Uniop.
Pacific Transfer and the station N
Council Bluffs, Ia.
The robbers forced their way into
one of the mail cars and waited until
the train made its regular stop at
crossing. Ten pouches then were tossed
off. \ confederate was waiting there
with n motorcar. This confederate
seized and drove off with five Of the
! sacks, while the two hold-up men
escaped with four others. The tenth
pouch was recovered
Later the inspectors arrested Keith
j.. Collins. the driver of the motorcsr.
VINO was sentenced to fifteen years in
Leavenworth Prison Fred T.. Poffen.
barser and Orville Phillips were ar.
rested as the hold-up men and also got
long terms in prison.
In another instance where the In
sp"ctors speedily captured the robbers
SlS?,OOO in cash and securities were
taken from mail messenger at Mount
vernon. III. All the booty except a
lew dollars was recovered.
Tn IN" same day as the Mount Yer.
non robbery masked men held nm the
Jackson street postoficr Mt Dallas.
ieN' III" robbers mOr'al,y wounded a
clerk and Shot two othor nnv,.L ala,
PloE"S. They escaped with two regis.
tered pouches.
1t was into this atmosphere Of crim-
lnaI rerklessnr>S that Mccarthy
plunged when he took up the trail Of
IN" Niagara Falls hold-up men. The
record he made in that case brought him
to tn" front rank Of the courageous men
VINO match their wits with criminals in
game of desperate hazards.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-17
GORDON T. MCCARTHY

the sophisticated glance of the head
waiter, the four were we'll to. do brok
ers. or possibly rich clubmen. They
got private dining room and ordered
first. class meal.
Then the S21 900 in securities were
passed over to Mccarthy. Among them
were Packard Motor and Mexican Pc.
troleum stock. About $4,000 worth OF
the securities had been stolen at Nj.
agara Falls.
Ihs transaction in itself is an in
teresting sidclight on the confidenc,
Jimmy had created. Men of tho
underworld are notoriously afraid of III.
"double cross"
AcIarthys announced purpose was
to send the securities to Toledo. Tb.re
according to the story he told CHAPMAN
they would be placed with nm estate.
where no reckoning would be made for
ten years at least.
Instead, the secret agent turned tbe
securities over to one of the detec.
tive sergeants. The three dress suit
bandits were shadowcd constantly. A
week passed, and the ready funds OF
the gang We're running low. 1.-THE
count became uneasy and wanted re.
suits from Jimmy"
On Sunday night, July ., N[cCartbv
net the three men by appointment and
told them his pal had cashed the So.
curities and would have the money on
hand the following day.
1T was welcome news to the Count
and the Others" resumed Mccarthy.
They had about decided to take to the
road again. They planned to stick up'
Jewelry store in Scranton, Pa.
But when ! told them the cash was
coming for the paper they gave me
they agreed to meet the following after
noon on 1O2d street near Amsterdam
avenue.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-17

train No. 4 left st. Louis and soon
afterward halted at Tower Grove sta
)tion. Four masked men boarded the
train there and menaccd the crew and
passengers.
When the train got under way
again two of the robbers stood guard
while their comrades walked through
10 the mail car. One held revolvers
at the heads of the clerks and the other
took five registered pouches to the door.
The bandit then pulled the signal
cord, and as the train slackened speed
he threw the pouches off. The "go-
ahead signal then was given. after
which the robbcr cut the cord. All
four masked men then leapcd from the
train.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-17
HighlUayn,en Trapped
at Their Rendezvous

Il sent a tip to the detectives an(
the pOstoftice inspectors, and everything
was set for the pinch. Anderson. tn.
Professor, left the party to get a cur
Of coffee. He was met, later learned
by OBrien, Stepat and Kicy, who
nabbed him and hustled him TO the Tooth
street station.
"Then the detectives hurried to the
rendezvous. Chapman and Lambert
were waiting for me when the New
York detectives walked up and had
then. handcuffcd before they realized
what had happened.
'Moanwhile had gone TO an apart
ment house to nab friend of the gang
who was wanted ms material witness.
l wanted to be on hand when the three
were arrested. The witness tried to
escape. however, and that delayed me.
"Whcn Chapman, in prison. saw me
for the first time after his arrest he
said.
" Jimmie, you're lucky you weren't
pumped OH.
" Don't be sore at Jimmie O'Brien
told him.
II never get sore at a copper and |
don't hold any grudge against Jimmie, ="
Chapman replied.
n little later Mccarthy was alone
with Lambert, the doctor"
Come clean, Charlie. and it will
help you. told him." said Mccarthy.
Lambert came clean with a fu,l
confession. He told where the stuff
was buried. A big tree was the marker
for the treasure"
Mccarthy and the three detective
ssrgeants hurried out to Long Island
and easily located the spot. II was
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-17
Scores of Detectives
Fail to Get Results

This Broadway hold-up, the first
robbery of a mail truck in New York
lor many years, brought shoals of
police and postofiice inspectors on
me trail. But clues were scant and
there were no results.
The incident that brought Nc
Carthy into the case occurred in
Niagara Falls on December Il, when
motor bandits held up three express
company employees and escaped with
'"ooo III securities and travellers
checks.
i was detailed to that job" cx.
p'a'ned Mccarthy as he sat on the
veranda of his home in Buffalo.
Ihe usual preliminaries were gone
through. The company employees
..re questioned. Descriptions were
00'alned Of the crooks.
They had made clean getaway md
seemed almost impossible to trace
''e'n through the ear they used. One
N0pe remained, That was in the an
pe"rance of some of the travellers
'ANSs the bandits obtained. It was
N'a'h they Or their confcderatcs would
" ~ cash them somewhere.
had information of certain gangs
W.. S.' were operating out of New York
.,"' ."' 1t was merely matter of rou-
""e 10 go there and start the hunt, One
ruary. "
Traced check to Charlie Fisher.
,, "' ,S said to have IN international
.s ssora as forgcr, although he is about
'Neh'y years old. had TO work
,au''ously with Fisher, and ] was soon
0a''hced he knew nothing of the gang
'''"hg the paper out.
'h"n on March Al think that was
0 oate-~a Mrs. Martha Fuller. who
Foomlng house, tried to use one
| 'he stolcn checks IN Il department
~ IN" was arrested and | began
"H INTO the case from that angie.
n"l again became convinced that
me woman wits only small party in
a veal The police Of Niagara Falls
aa'.a her, however. and they took her
there' Later she was discharged.
"ahwhilc I kept tabs on several
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-17
114R HERO SHADONVy' W1AY TO FAME OVERN7GH7:W
Trails A1VD TRAPS $2,5OQOOO SUPER-BANDI7

the clerks but one to lie on the floor.
The clerk left standing. with his hands
upraised. then was ordered to tie the
hands of his comrades.
When this was done the robber made
the clerk lie down beside the others
and bound his hands and feet. Then
the bandit took knife from his pocket
and began Sitting the registered mail
sncks. removing what he wanted.
He jumped from the train as it drew
into Kansas City, Mo.
About month later Horace T. Wal
ton. former mail clerk, was shot and
killed by a Chicago policeman after the
robbery Of an Illinois Central train be-
tween Kankakee and Chicago. The
body was identified as that Of the "lone
wolf who robbed the Santa Fe train.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-17
Other Notorious Bandits
Pygniies Besides Mail Gang
THE old stage coach robbers Of

THE old stage coach robbers Of
the Western plains and Eng
lands eighteenth century gentle
men of the road" shrink to py0-'
mics in achievement compared
acith the highwaymen vho looted
mail truck in NeV York City
last October.
The truck contained registered
parcels mailed By numerous brok-
erage houses in Wall Street. The
mail pouches held S5O.O in cash
and $4,000, 900 in je,celry, stocks
and bonds.
On the night of October FL a.
the autotruck moved along Broad
aOay it Was halted By three ban
dts in green tourning car. The
hold up occurred at Leonard
street.
In less than minute the
bandits had taken fve registered
pouches containing $4,000 in
cash and s1,5OO,OOO in jewelry,
bonds and stocks. After the rob-
bers dashed aaDay IN their car a
curtain of mystery dropped on
the big theft.
But behind the curtain Uorked
Gordon T. McCdrthy, a special
agent Of the American Railway
Express Company. Mccarthy, a
young former seruice man, ,0as
,corking on another case When he
came across the mail truck
looters.
The special agents account of
his experiences on that case is a
brilliant chapter in the history Of
crime detection.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-17

Gordon T. Mccarthy. a special
AGENT of the American Railway EX-
oress Company, is the young de-
t.etive who proves that the thrills
AZ fiction are not foreign to everyday
life.
Az his home in Buffalo this mod
.rn Lecoq modestly related his great
xploit. He did not talk freely.
His attitude was that Of man who
had tackled a hard job, who had
done it well, and was ready for the
next case.
Mccarthy got his first taste Of
detective work as an army secret
aren't, serving at General Pershing's
headquarters, and later going to
London. He worked for time with
.ondon's famous Scotland Yard.
To give background to McCarthy's
achievement it is necessary to 20
back to the night Of October "a,
last year, when a mail truck rolled
along Broadway with $4,000 in
cash and several million dollars
worth of securities.
As the truck passed under an arc
light at Leonard street a green tour
ing car containing three men drove
alongside it. Two of the men leaped
out and covered the mail driver with
revolvers. In less than a minute
they had taken five pouches of reg
Stered mail from the truck, tossed
them into their automobile and sped
away.
The robbers paid no attention to
the ordinary mail and did not take
other registered pouches, which later
were found to contain non-negotiable
securities. But by chance or fore
knowledge, they took the sacks with
the cash, the jewelry and the bonds
which could be turned into currency.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-17
Mail Robbery Losses
$1,000, 900 in 1920

The three highwaymcn at one stroke
In the broadway hold-up had carricC
of loot almost totaling in value thr
entire losses from robberies for thc
fostoffice Department preceding fiscal
year.
In that period the chief postoffice
inspector at Washington estimated thar
the total losses by theft equaled Sc. 900. :
600. Early in 1921. however. postal
robbcries became more frequent.
Among the most notable of those rob-
berries were at Toledo, o., when Il truck
was rifrd of 81 600, 900 of securities,
and at Minneapolis, when n lone bandi;
robbed mail car Of 5000, 900 worth IF
valuablc&.
Another robbery, even moro scn>a- e
tional, occurred a few days after the
Minneapolis hold-up, when four bandits
with rifles held up the "IIummcr," Il
fast express on the Chicago and Alton
Railway, near Quincy, Ill.
The engineer, threatened with death,
was forced to uncOuple the baggage and
mail cars and run them up the track
for two miles. The robbers escnped
with registered letters and packages
valued AT Sl25,O00.
A $4,000 robbery occurred on tho
night Of April 8, 1920, when train
No. 8 on the Snnte Fe Railroad. run.
ming between Fort Madison and Kansas
City, was held up by clone wolf"
as the inspectors later called him.
As the train was leaving Henrietta,
Mo-, the bandit boarded II and flourishcd
an automatic revolver. He forced NIL
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-17
Three Men big Spenders";;
All Had "Plenty of Jack"

1T was after l had known The
Count and the others for q while that
| discovered they were the men who
looted the mail truck on Broadway last
October Mccarthy said
Il had been working on the express
company angle, but this was a new and
unexpected complication. I showed no
astonishment over the mail robbery.
took it as n matter of course.
'Fhe three men were big sprndcrs.
Life for them was an almost continuous
round Of wild parties in hotels, road
houses and cabarets. spent money
freely with them. There were no half
way measures with that gang.
Occasionally when they held q party
in some big hotel all Of us wore evening
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-17
Learns Much of the Loot
Is Buried on Long Island

During the many chats that the sup
posed Jimmy" had with the men they
mentioned that much OF their loot was
buried near Lake Ronkonkoma. Long
Island. He dared not ask them for the
exact location of the stolen treasure.
On Sunday. June %, the Count"
the Professor, the "Doctor" and
Mccarthy met in New York hotel.
Chapman. "The Count" drove up In
his $500 motorcar.
To the casual eye of the doorman and
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-17

.NId lh">" companions and desk mates
pecam" chief clerks on Supcrintrndcnrs
or managers, or passed ont INTO other
llar"H that gave lnrg"r opportunities.
- I" be regretted that the ma aiorirv
OF m"n~-lab"r"r> and office work,rs
ana professional mon arc law and
ms very lnzincss is the oppoltunity of
the Industrious.
f""pI" rise continually from the low.
'>t po'!iionS [" tn" highest. and will
con lhu" 50 - riS" til the rnd of time,
some promotions are due to pull. II
Il trn". som" ar" due to relationship.
iUt the vast majority of thcm-yOD
cases out Of lOOO---ar" due 10 tur finer
mat the men who rise are willing 70
PUT IN tn" extra effort and 10 do the
extra thinking that means qualifying
for the job higher up.
Mo BRIGHT. intelligent, industriou,
4 man will have to keep one iob all
ms Ilf" II he doesn't want 70.
II, ar fifty. he is bent over tho en- me
desk that he was at twenty five /,
VIII be hrcaus" he lacked the brains ANA
fhe ambition to 60 any higher.
"pp't0ht 1872, by Pub'ic Ledger Com parv
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-17
PLAYING q Lone Hand and in NAomeu-
tary Danger Of Death, Gordon Me-
Carthy Wins Confidence of Robbers,
Solving 7hefts That BatJzed Experts
POSING is JIANINY,' Il YEGG,
HE WORNAS SECRETS FROM
3 SROADW Y HOLD-UP GANG
Learns of $500, 900 Loot Buried ON Long
Island, Offers to Sell Stolen Securities,
Then NotifIeS Police and gentlemen
Baudits' Are Caught at Rendezvous

modrama except the wholesale shedding Of blood
m young
-,o ecane detective celebrity overnight
Va solved totang $25O00O included in which the
|ro o cash. ewey and bonds from mail truck
Broadway daring that set hgh-water mark for
Automobile banditry in this country.
pang Of bullet the brain
knife back he posed yegg from the West and gained
three whom the police class as
was trails This keen cool manhunter
who stole $4,000 from American Railway
Company trail broadened bigger game
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-17

and was promoted TO sergeant. He
went through the Argonne offensive
and was she'll shocked.
The young soldiers record was so
good that he was recommended for n
commission. Then he was transferred
from the 3O0th Infantry TO the army's
Bureau Of Criminal Investigation.
It was in that service that he learned
to meet emergencies. His work brought
him into many cities and towns in
Northern and Southern France, and
carried him across the Channel to Eng
land.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-17
Another Mail ROBBERS
Buried Loot Recovered

Another instance where the proceeds
Of mail robbery were buried by the
thief occurred in April. 1920. when a
mail messenger in San Diego, Calf.
was held UP and robbed of $50 900
worth of registered mail.
In forty Eight hours the postal IN
spectors had arrested II. G.. Garner,
who less than a month later was sen.