Evening star., 1937-01-17

grabbed both MS nanQS. he JeTkeu
two Colt .45-caliber revolvers from
him, tossed them away. In a flash,
Boatwright turned and covered the
other man. Jackson stepped through
the door and pounced on the first
man, who tried to recover his own
guns.
The radio car came and hauled these
two men to Jail. They were indignant,
put up a front. Demanded to know
why they were arrested. When photo
graphed and fingerprinted they ad-
mitted being escaped convicts from
, the Idaho State Penitentiary.
One man turned out to be John
Knight Giles, alias John Douglas, alias
Basil Haig and also known as John
K. Laird. He had been serving a life
time for murder. His companion was
Brady Durrell Morris, alias James M.
Ford, who had done three years at
the Chillicothe lOhio) Reformatory
before going to Idaho. Since their es-
cape they were wanted in Salt Lake
City for train robbery and for killing
a deputy marshal, also for robbing
q bank.
When the Secret Service men looked
up Giles record they found he was
wanted also for a robbery in Denver.
On his person he carried a utility
bond of a Colorado company. That
was the bond he wanted reproduced in
the st. Louis print shop.
THE Secret Service also learned that
two men escaped at the same time
from the Idaho State Penitentiary
with Giles and Morris. These men
Franzeen.
Now the Secret Service operatives
were getting somewhere. Things were
beginning to add up. Tell-tale tokens
in various parts Of the Western coun-
try were checked.
For instance, a month before the ar
rest Of Giles and Morris and the final
buzz of activities in and around the
Twin Cities. Secret Service men
cracked down on q house in Ala
media. Calf. 1t was a counterfeiter's
den-but the occupants had flown.
However. q stolen printing press was
recovered, and it happened to be a
press taken from Minneapoli along
with a lot Of counterfeiting material.
Agents got 100 incomplete IS United
States notes.
The recovered press, an imported
machine valued highly, bore one dis
tinguishable thumb mark So did a
proof print, left in the hurry to get
away
That thumb mark presented posi-
bilities. 1t did more. 1t presented In
the Secret Service getting their men
Michener and Franzeen. Fingerprint
experts narrowed that thumb mark
down to one man-Richard Franzeen.
The Secret Service now knew posi-
lively who they wanted-but the two
men were on the loose and travelling
fast. Their trail led through q vast
territory. They scattered spurious
notes as they went.
In q liquor store one night in Mon
tana the proprietor questioned the
genuineness of $40 bill. Michener
pulled a pistol on the man and made
his escape, but the note remained
behind as an indication of the direc-
tion these two men followed. 1t was
in another liquor store that Michener
came face to face with Secret Service
agents, who knew his habits, but this
time his pistol was of no use. They
knocked 1t out of his hands before
he fired q shot.
FranDeen,. his partner, went to work
on a farm in Northf1eld, MINI. After
all the excitement he decided to 70
straight. Once he had studied to be
q military man. Even had an appoint.
ment to West Point. Six months on
the farm, leading quiet regular life,
started him thinking. He might still
get back to be a useful member Of
society If some judge would only be
lenient. Because the farmer, Floyd
Jones, had been good to his hired
man, Franzeen decided to let the old
fellow collect the reward offered for
the arrest and conviction of q coun-
terfeiter. The farmer called the Min
neSota State authorities. They knew
nothing Of the case, they said. 1t was
more difficult for Richard Franzeen
to surrender than it was for him to
avoid arrest in the past.
FINALLY, when the Secret Service
got the welcome news, they went
out to the old farm house in North
field and brought in the man.
From Michener and Franzeen, in an
effort to piece together a rambling
story and check their records, the
Secret Service learned many interest,"
ing things.
These were the two men who were
responsible for q daring daylight pay
roll robbery that had the merchants
in an entire city agog one Saturday
afternoon.
Michener and Franzeen went into Q
factory near Minneapolis one Satur-
day afternoon just after all the work.
hands had gone for the day. The
desperadoes blew the safe and got out
the treasurer's check book. They spent
an hour or 50 forging checks. Then
one of them went into the business
district and presented these for cash.
while the other remained In the fac.
tory to answer phone calls.
Whenever any merchant expressed