Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1925-12-10
SOME THRILLS WHEN UNCLE
SAM CHASElS CROOKS

Orr Dewitt now located on the island
of Oahu, of the Hawaiian group, to
his parents, Mr.. and Mrs. Finley
Dewitt of Ong, Neb., was sent to
Mrs Wits brother. Chas. Roberts
Of tins place. The writer is also
nephew of VIM. Devitt's. He was
in the Spanish american war and
has since been in the employ of the
government in various capacities as
a reading of the letter will show:
U. S. Naval Station, Hawaii,
Pearl Harbor, I, H.
October 81. 1925.
Dear Father and Mother received
your letter today, which was pretty
quick time for letter to reach here,
but | guess it caught one of the fast
boats. You never said thing about
getting my letter. / wrote the day
sailed from San Francisco. / was
in hopes that | would have to come
east, but instead had to go to Pago
Pago, South Sea Islands almost on
the opposite side of the world from
Ong. Hawaii is not far away-only
about 5000 miles. / am writing this
letter at p. m, but ii is just mid
night at Ong, SO you see will not
see the sun rise tomorrow morning
until six hours after yaou do This
is tropical country, the thermome-
ter runs between 10 and 80 the
year around. People go swimming
here on Christmas day the same as
the fourth of July and there are all
kinds of tropical fruits. Bananas
are as common as apples are there,
only probably a little more so. as the
crop is continuous. You will find a
ripe bunch on one tree and bunch
just starting on another. IT takes
about five or six months from the
time bunch starts until they are
ready to eat
am located on tae island of
Oahu, pronounced ah-wah-hoo)
1t is about 65 miles long, and 20
railes wide. The 14th e. S. Navy
district is located here. l have
charge OF the fire protection, with
the title Of Fire CHIEF have an
assistant chief and two captains un-
der me- l have no manual work to
do but it keeps me busy looking out
for the other fellows. Have only
been on this job shot time, be-
fore that I was in the intelligence
department. In that work was
practically all over the world The
last case / was on I Travelled over
10000 miles-vas in China, Japan
Guam, South Sea Islands, (twice),
San Francisco, Seattle and the
Hawaiian Islands. My travelling ex-
penses alone were over 1000 Tn
Gle Sam never gives up, once he gets
after crook. No matter how
many men or how much money it
costs, or how long it axes to get
hi1n they never give Waon I
boarded the steamer at San Fran
cisco. after | saw Charley, l went
aboard in large bread basket, so
that the man was after would not
see me. We knew there were at
least three men that we wanted. but
we only knew one of them and | fol-
lowed him until he met the other
two. II there were ever surprised
men those three were when / walk
ed in on them at Pago Pago, and
told them that the jig was up On
a case two years ago / almost got
mine in Hongkong, China. They got
me cornered. / tried to fight my
way out but they got me down, used
h al 1t1hc fon ;,
pretty badly Scared up and will be
the rest of my life. The men L was
with finally located me and
broke the door in before they had
quite finished me, but we got the
entire bunch, and that made me feel
one too.
1t was very exciting work at
times There were weeks at a time
hat / never saw a bed, and as / am
getting along in years such strain
was starting to tell on me, SO 1 ask
lion job, so here | am. l may have
10 go back yet but if l do am going
20 try and get local instead of inter-
work.
l am known as "Scar Face" among
he crooks, but my face is getting in
pretty good shape again. You can
hardly notice it only when you are |
lose to me. / am sending you a |
snap shot of me taken by one of the |
men / was with just before left |
San Francisco, am also sending a |
picture taken where l had dinner to- (
lay. | have marked the chair that j
sat in as near as | can tell. You t
will notice the palm trees through I
he windows. Some day when am
II Honolulu / will get a tUrch Of t
pictures of the Islands his place /
$ generally known as the Paradise
# the Pacific" and il surely is-no
tornaGoes or thunder |
II lightning to sre0 K of. There has
leyer been snc . in the Island and /
10 poisonous i sects.
Well, will stop for this time as it
S Halloween night and think /
viii go down to the fire house and
ook the fire engines over, as it will
'e a good night for fire. With /
owe to you both, will say good night.
Orr.
Mr.. Clifford Miner, who for the
'ast five years, has been in the regu- /
ar U. s. army, stationed in Georgia,
las received his discharge, and
tuesday returned to his home in
dalta In about six weeks he ex-
'ects to 60 to Lantana, Fla, where /
Ie has a pOsitiOn with a truck COM