The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-01-05
OPEN CASE AGAIN
William D. KerfoOt Once More
Under Arrest.
Is Charged With RObbing
Mails of $500.

A fugitive from justice and trailed
for more than ten years, once appre-
hended while member of the Port
land, Ore, police department. only to
be released because the case had been
dropped by the federal authorities,
on a second Indictment charging him
with stealing from the United States
mails, is again under arrest at Sacra-
mento. Cal, according to message
received in Topeka today by AL F.
Williams, United States district attor-
ney. Williams at once directed that
proceedings be instituted to return the
prisoner to this jurisdiction of the
United States district court for trial.
Thru the charges against him, Ker-
foot is the man who gained the rep
utation of working one day for the
government and making way with
$500 in cash. It all happened, so it
is charged, on October 80. 1911. when
Kerfoot worked as a substitute mail
clerk on the L. K. & W. branch of the
Union Pacific railroad between Leav-
cnworth and Miltonvale, Kan, and
return. He disappeared that night
and the following day 1t was found
that two packages of registered mail.
containing $1,000 in currency, which
had been handled by Kerfoot, were
also missing.
Charged With Theft From Mails.
The following April, with Kerfoot
still at large, federal grand jury re-
turned an Indictment against him
charging him with stealing from the
mail on two counts. For the next few
years, postoffice detectives and other
government agents camped on Ker-
foot's trail. Several times the chase
was hot but the fugitive always man
aged to keep a few inches ahead of
the detectives and escaped. Finally
on May 81, 1921, after interest in the
case had become lost and the author
tiles had apparently given up the
search, the United States district at
torney at Portland. Ore. announced
that Kerfoot was under arrest at that
place, having been found on the po-
lice force.
Case Dropped by Robertson.
But something else had happened
before that time. When the federal
authorities began looking up the case
they found that with the consent of
the department of justice at Wash
ington, Fred Robertson, at that time
dered the case dismissed on March
u, 1921. Robertson had written the
department on March asking for
permission to take such action, stating
that no progress on the case had been
made during his term of office and
SAial case was hopeless.
-Four days later such permission was
given. which causes a doubt to arise
as to whether the postoffice depart
ment was advised as to the status of
the case. Anyway the case was dis
missed, and as the grand jury was not
in session. notices were sent to Port
land that kerfoot be released.
Having been presented with addi-
tfonal evidence, Al +. Williams, as soon
as he became district attorney, re-
opened the case with the result that
snort time ago the grand jury sitting
at Ieavenworth returned a second in
dictment against Kerfoot, which start
ed a new search, and this morning the
United States district attorney at Port
land, again announced Kerfoot's ar
rest, this time at Sacramento. Despite
the fact that more than ten years have
elapsed and that indictments must be
returned within from two to six years
after an offense has been committed,
members of the district attorneys Of
flee declare they have an alright case
against Kerfoot. They admit that GER
tain records came up missing with the
dismissal of the case last March but
say they have sufficient evidence to
secure a conviction.
Got Job at Ieavenworth.
Much OF this evidence consists of
records kept by William II. Franks.
assistant postmaster at Leavenworth,
and that of the banks which lost the
missing currency. Franks was super
intendent of mails at Leavenworth in
October, 1911, when Kerfoot approach
ed him and asked to be permitted to
take the mail car run from that city
to Miltonville in the place of the reg
ular mail clerk who was sick. Kerr
foot represented to Franks that he
had been employed as d mail clerk
before and was given the job.
II, fha hot 1oFf T sfNT-ft1
in Kerfoots car in the morning was
a. registered package containing $500
sent by the First National bank. of
Atchison, to a bank at Arlington. a
small town northwest of Valley Fails.
On the return trip in the afternoon