True Detective Stories from the Archives of the PinkertonsMoffett, Cleveland
History
True Detective Stories from the Archives of the Pinkertons
Moffett, Cleveland
Crime -- United States; Criminals -- United States; Detective and mystery stories, American
In the excitement of other events the Pinkertons had not forgotten the
men who had escaped from the Glenwood jail. They finally traced Miles
Ogle and Albert Perkins to Indianapolis; and there Ogle was captured,
but Perkins escaped. Frank Reno was discovered a little later at
Windsor, Canada, where he was living with Charles Anderson, a
professional burglar, safe-blower, and "short-card" gambler, who had
fled to Canada to escape prosecution. Reno, operating with Anderson,
made a practice of registering as "Frank Going" if the enterprise in
which he was engaged was prospering, and as "Frank Coming" if it was
not prospering. He and Anderson were now arrested on a charge of
robbery and of assault with intent to kill, in the case of the express
messenger hurled from his car at Marshfield, Indiana. Under this form
their offense became extraditable; and after a long trial before the
stipendiary or government magistrate, Gilbert McMicken, at Windsor,
the men were ordered for extradition. Aided by the ablest lawyers,
they carried their case, however, to the highest court in Canada. But
the decision of the lower court was affirmed; and in October, 1868,
the men were surrendered into the hands of Allan Pinkerton, who was
delegated by the United States government to receive them. It was due
to the patience and persistence of Mr. Alfred Gaither, the Western
manager of the Adams Express Company, and his then assistant, Mr.
L.C. Weir, now president of the company, and to the general policy of
the company to permit no compromise with thieves, that, regardless of
cost and time, the prosecution was continued until it issued thus
successfully.
Michael Rogers was also discovered to be in Windsor at this time, and
he was known to have had a hand in the Marshfield robbery; but he
escaped arrest, and remained securely in Windsor for a year or two.
Later, though, he reached the penitentiary, being brought to grief by
a burglary done at Tolono, Illinois. On coming out, he joined the
notorious McCartney gang of counterfeiters, and had many narrow
escapes. The last known of him, grown an old man, he was living
quietly on a farm in Texas.
Made at last secure of Reno and Anderson, Allan Pinkerton chartered a
tug to carry them to Cleveland, and thus avoid the friends who, as he
had reason to know, were waiting across the river in Detroit to
effect a rescue. When the tug had gone about twenty miles, it was run
down by a large steamer and sunk, the passengers, including the
prisoners, being saved from drowning with the greatest difficulty. The
prisoners were carried on to Cleveland by another boat, and from there
were hurried on by rail to New Albany, where they were placed in jail
along with "Sim" and William Reno.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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