The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1926-08-20

men who had committed the robbery
and killed Nichols, and was willing to
sell this information in exchange for a
full pardon, which tile railroad people
could secure by using their influence.
This they promised to do If his story
proved true, and Plunkett then told
them of plot that had been worked
out year or so before, when he had
been grating with mob of pick
pockets at county fairs. There were
with him at that time Butch Mccoy,
James Connors (known as yellow,
hammer'O, and a man named "Jeff,"
whose surname he did not know.
These three men, Plunkett said, had
planned an express robbery on the
Rock Island road, to be executed In
precisely the same way, and at pre-
cisely the same point on the road, as
in the case in question.
The story was plausible, and won
Mr. st. Johns belief. 1t won the be-
lief, also, of the Chicago newspaper;
and forthwith the railway detectives,
working with the newspaper detec-
tives, were instructed to go ahead on
new lines, regardless of trouble or
expense. Their first endeavor was to
capture "Butch" Mccoy, the leader of
the gang. Butch" was pickpocket,
burglar, and all-around thief, whose
operations kept him travelling all over
the United States.
The police in various cities having
been communicated with to no pur-
pose, the editor finally decided to do
thing the like Gf which no newspaper
proprietor, perhaps, ever undertook be-
toTe-that is, start on personal
search for Mccoy and his associates.
With Frank Murray one of the best
detectives in Chicago, and other de-
rhrtives. he went to Galesburg, where
the gang was said to have a sort of
headquarters. The party found there
none Of the men they were after, but
they learned that "Thatch" Grady,
notorious criminal with whom Butch"
Mccoy was known to be in relations,
was in Omaha. So they hurried
to Omaha, but only to find that
st. Louis went the editor and his de-
tectives, hot on the scent, and spent
several days in that city searching
high and low.
The method Of locating criminal in
great city is as interesting as it is
to secure from the local police infor-
nation as to the favorite haunts of
criminals of the class under pursuit,
paying special regard in the prelim-
mary Inquiries to the possibility OF
love affairs; for thieves, even more
than honest men, are SWayed in their
lives by the tender passion, and are
often brought to justice through the
agency of women. With so much of
such information in their possession
as they could gather, tile editor and
his detectives spent their time in
likely resorts. picking up acquaint-
ances with frequenters, and, whenever
possible. turning the talk adroitly
upon the man they were looking for
1t is q mistake to suppose that in
work like this detectives disguise
themselves. False boards and mus
taehes. goggles and lightning changes
of clothing, are never heard of except
in the pages of badly informed story
writer's. In his experience of over
twenty-five years Nr. Murray never
wore such disguise, nor knew of
any reputable detective who did. In
this expedition the detectives simply
assumed the characters and general
style of the persons they were thrown
with, passing for men of sporting
tastes from the East; and having sat
isfied the people they met that they
meant no harm, they had no difficulty
in obtaining such news Of Mccoy and
the others as there was. Unfortu-
nately this was not much.
After g0oiag from one city to another