Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1922-02-22
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Detective Stories
|: ALLAN PINKERTON'S.
RECORD CASE

Copyright by The Wheeler Syndicate. Il


Copyright by The wneeieN syndicate. Inc.
THERE was no response to the
impatient knocking on the heavy
doors Of the Adams Express COM
pany's building near. the end Of the
Columbus CO., Union station, one
night in the middle Of winter. There
stood the train, with the usual hustle
and clamor preparatory to departure,
but the express clerk and his assist
ant had not made their appearance.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
This time John Grossman, the ex-
press messenger, Knocked harder than
ever, for it was beginning to dawn
upon him that something must be
wrong. A moment later he tried the
knob of the door. To his amazement
it turned easily and he stepped for
ward into utter darkness, stumbling
over boxes and packages until he
reached the gas jet in the center Of
the room. Papers and parcels lay
in wild confusion all over the
floor, the door Of the safe stood open
lying in one corner, in a sort of stupor.
1t was evident that the two men
had been chloroformed-the sickening
odor of the drug still pervaded the
room-and that the company had been
robbed, in spite of the fact that hum
dreds Of people had been just outside
the building all during the evening.
These circumstances, coupled with the
fact that $4,000 was missing from the
safe, were all that, Allan Pinkerton
had to work upon when he reached
Columbus the following morning.
The details Of the robbery were OBJ
tanned directly from John Barker, the
express clerk.
According to Barker, he and his as
sistant were stretched out on two cots,
as usual about ten o'clock in the eve
ming, taking nap before going on
duty On the train which was due to
leave Columbus shortly after mid
night.
II was awakened by what appeared
to be mufAed pounding or pushing
at the door, Barker continued.
"Was the door locked?" inquired
Pinkerton.
ut was-and bolted. I didn't pay
any attention to the matter because,
while we did have $4,000 in the safe
-S32 900 Of it in revenue stamps
we had often guarded good deal
more. and I thought the noise had
been made by some one who had
stumbled against the door in the dark
ness. Then, before I got really awake,
I heard the bolt give, and the next
thing I knew some one had pinioned
my arms, and I caught Whit of
something which recognized as chic
reform. 1 struggled, but it was no
use. When came to, Grossman, the
messenger, was bending over me, and
the whole place looked like a cyclone
had struck it. The" $4,000 in cash
was gone, but they had overlooked
or deliberately left: the $4,000 in
stamps
Pnkerton made no comment at the
time, but continued his examination
Of the room where the robbery had
taken place. A careful scrutiny of
the door revealed two interesting
facts: The bolt had been bent, as if
it had been in place when the door
| was forced, but it was bent far more
than was necessary to secure an en-
trance to the room, and there were no
scratches or other signs of violence
on the outside Of the door.
All the evidence appeared to point
to the fact that the job: had been
handled from the inside, and .Pinker-
! ton immediately ordered the arrest Of
| Barker and his assistant. The two
/ men protested their innocence, . ].
| Upon looking into Barker's ante.
! cedents, PinkertOn found that the ex-
press clerk had brother living in
Chicago, a man who was reputed to be
quite wealthy and whom Barker stat
ed would willingly go on his bail if
permitted to do 50. But the Chicago
branch Of the Pinkertonz agency re.
ported that the other Barker was not
only not wealthy, but was. prominent
in the life of the underworld.
"Where was this man on the night
of the Columbus robbery?" Allan Pink
erton inquired by wire.
"Unable to obtain definite informa-
tion,' came back the reply; "but he
was not in Chicago"
"Trail him closely, and arrest him
the instant he attempts to leave the
city," were the telegraphic directions
which followed.
Early the following morning, less
than SO hours after the crime in Co
lumbus, Henry Barker was arrested
en- route to Canada, and $4,000 was
found in the lining of his valise. Later
after having been given taste of the
famous Pinkerton silence cure" he
revealed the hiding place Of the other
$4,000 and the details of the whole
/ affair, which he had claimed his broth
err had planned The scheme was
simplicity itself. John Barker had
administered chloroform to his sleep
ing assistant. Then he opened the out
side door, admitted his brother, and
opened the safe. After strewing pa
! pers all over the floor. Henry Barker