The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-01-15

laughed, he Strengthened up their
faces with the wave of a gun. The
terrified women shed forth money
and valuables in a large sum.
In 1889, after a number of jobs of
this sort, he worked this plan on the
noted resort Of Carrie Watson in Chi
cagO. He was apprehended in a
pawn shop where he was attempt
ing to dispose of his $4,000 diamond
loot, we. convicted and sentenced to
serve six years at Joliet ~penitentiary.
After II months in prison he was
parOled.
Tries to "GO Straight
1t is said that Grove then made an
effort to Ego straight. He went back
to Omaha and tried the packing house
again, but lost his job when his boss
learned his identity. For two years
he tried one kind of work after an
other, but everywhere his criminal
record pursued him. Finally in 1893,
he gave up the struggle, and commit
ted another robbery, this time a safe
job; and for a later Offense of the
same nature he was arrested and
lodged in a jail at DennisOn, Iowa. A
few weeks after his Incarceration
there, he escaped and set out again
on his criminal rec
"Flies High" in Denver
Grove was a fairly we'll read man
and a good mimic, so it was natural
that he should try to leash in" on
these qualifications. Going to Den
yer he took a new name. He attired
himself in the latest of apparel and
/ called himeslf a college student,
making the rounds Of the summer
and winter resorts. It is said that
here he made it a point to dance with
women well adorned with diamonds
and fine jewelry. Quite often these
gems of his new found acquaintance
would disappear, but the loss was al
ways attributed to some f~ly-by-night,
for Grove always stood his ground
when such a discovery had been
made. In two years Of this work, he
is said to have stolen diamonds ag-
gregating $780, 600 in value, and hav-
ing learned in Chicago, the art Of
dealing with Fences" was able to
gracefully dispose Of his loot.
It is said that Grove next went to
London where he was able to pull
off one or two deals before Scotland
Yard pressed his heels too close and
he was forced to return across the
pond. From New York he went
south to New Orleans in the role of
a wealthy mining man from the west.
Here he proceeded to enter the bust
ness of playing the ponies," but
his losses both at the track and at
wine parties soon exhausted his
capital.
Gets $4,000 in Diamonds
That winter found him back in
, Denver and stranded. He had lost
the habit Of honest work, and, lack
= ing good clothes for a society stunt
he was forced upon a bold play. One
= day Just as the whistles announced
the noon hour, he sauntered up to a
big jewelry store on one Of the main
streets, quickly damned a stick Ov3l
( the door in a manner that prevented
e those on the inside from getting out
I drew a large stone tied in a grain
= sack from under his coat, broke
. big plate glass with n swing Of hi'
arm, grabbed a tray Of diamond
e and made off down an alley. In this
tray were gems valued at $1,000
and, although he was caught some
o time afterward, il was not until h'
had carefully cached his loot. Five
q thousand dollars bail obtained hi
release, and when the case wa
lcalled he wasn't there.
n, ct made $1,000 on that deal,
Grove is stated to have remarked II
It later years. That's what I got 70
h telling somebody where to dig 70
O diamonds"
u Train RObbing.
It was a few months after this cpl
sode that Grove started for the frs
h time in. his life to work with an OF
ie ganized gang, consisting of himsel
1t and two experienced safe crackers
II Here it is that he turned train rob
" Der. One of his most notorious job
Of in this direction was the famOu
a Tower w hOld-up, one Of the bOlC
est robberies in the annals Of Amel
Id lean crime. On an October night {
t. 1899 Grove and his little band SUI
prised the man in the tower so mile
west Of Chicago, bound and gage
In him and reversed the signals so 9
ct to stop the fast mail. Boarding til
ut train as it came to a halt, two Of Ii
ed robbers started to work on the sal
u while their companions kept Il
st trainmen, mail clerks and expires
II messenger covered with the
i'd guns. The safe crackers used {
rs, much dynamite that the strong bC
lis was blown outside OF the car. TT
20 safe was rifled of $125,O
SIS The gang at an earlier date w
In operating in the middle west WhC
80 four young rustics, inflamed
as stories Of Jesse James and his co.
ID. ~federates, attempted q train hOld-u
They had been talking too freely az
ed word Of their plans had got 70 Il