THE MOST INTERESTING STORIES OF ALL NATIONS(全人类的故事)

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THE MOST INTERESTING STORIES OF ALL NATIONS

THE MOST

INTERESTING STORIES

OF ALL NATIONS

Julian Hawthorne

THE MOST INTERESTING STORIES OF ALL NATIONS

PART I--DETECTIVE STORIES

FROM REAL LIFE

A Flight into Texas

The flight and extradition of Charles F. Dodge unquestionably

involved one of the most extraordinary battles with justice in the history of

the criminal law. The funds at the disposal of those who were interested

in procuring the prisoner's escape were unlimited in extent, and the arch

conspirator for whose safety Dodge was spirited away was so influential

in political and criminal circles that he was all but successful in defying

the prosecutor of New York County, even supported as the latter was by

the military and judicial arm of the United States Government. For, at the

time that Dodge made his escape, a whisper from Hummel was enough to

make the dry bones of many a powerful and ostensibly respectable official

rattle and the tongue cleave to the roof of his mouth in terror.

(The District Attorney's office in New York City is undoubtedly one

of the best watch-towers known from which to observe "Real Life

Detective Stories."

Arthur Train, sometime member of this prosecuting staff, has

opportunity to record several of these curious and exciting "True Stories of

Crime" (copyright, 1908, by Charles Scribners Sons). None yields less to

fiction save in the fact that it is true, and not at all in quality of dramatic

interest, than "A Flight into Texas," here given.

Readers of the newspapers a few years ago will remember the names

of Abraham Hummel and Charles F. Dodge. The latter, a railroad

conductor, was alleged to have committed perjury at the dictate of the

former, known as one of the brightest, least scrupulous lawyers in this city.

It was one of District Attorney Jerome's great ambitions to bring Hummel

to justice. Here was an opportunity. If Dodge could only be forced to

testify to this perjury before a court, Hummel could undoubtedly be

THE MOST INTERESTING STORIES OF ALL NATIONS

convicted of a crime that would not only disbar him from the legal

profession, but would put him in jail.

Dodge had run away and disappeared as the storm seemed about to

burst. Where was he? Who could find and bring him back--against Abe

Hummel's wish?--EDITOR.)

Who could accomplish that in which the law was powerless?--

Hummel. Who could drive to the uttermost ends of the earth persons

against whom not a shadow of suspicion had previously rested?--Hummel.

Who dictated to the chiefs of police of foreign cities what they should or

should not do in certain cases; and who could, at the beckoning of his little

finger, summon to his dungeon-like offices in the New York Life Building,

whither his firm had removed from Centre Street, the most prominent of

lawyers, the most eminent of citizens?--Surely none but Hummel. And

now Hummel was fighting for his own life. The only man that stood

between him and the iron bars of Blackwell's Island was Charles F.

Dodge--the man whom he had patted on the knee in his office and called a

"Mascot," when quite in the nature of business he needed a little perjury to

assist a wealthy client.

Hummel in terror called into play every resource upon which, during

forty years of practice, his tiny tentacles had fastened. Who shall say that

while he made a show of enjoying himself nightly with his accustomed

lightheartedness in the Tenderloin, he did not feel confident that in the end

this peril would disappear like the others which had from time to time

threatened him during his criminal career? But Hummel was fully aware

of the tenacity of the man who had resolved to rid New York of his malign

influence. His Nemesis was following him. In his dreams, if he ever

dreamed, it probably took the shape of the square-shouldered District

Attorney in the shadow of whose office building the little shyster practiced

his profession. Had he been told that this Nemesis was in reality a jovial

little man with a round, ruddy face and twinkling blue eyes he would have

laughed as heartily as it was in his power to laugh. Yet such was the fact.

A little man who looked less like a detective than a commercial traveler

selling St. Peter's Oil or some other cheerful concoction, with manners as

gentle and a voice as soft as a spring zephyr, who always took off his hat

THE MOST INTERESTING STORIES OF ALL NATIONS

when he came into a business office, seemingly bashful to the point of

self-effacement, was the one who snatched Charles F. Dodge from the

borders of Mexico and held him in an iron grip when every influence upon

which Hummel could call for aid, from crooked police officials, corrupt

judges, and a gang of cutthroats under the guise of a sheriff's posse, were

fighting for his release.

Jesse Blocher is not employed in New York County, and for business

reasons he does not wish his present address known. When he comes to

New York he occasionally drops into the writer's office for a cigar and a

friendly chat about old times. And as he sits there and talks so modestly

and with such quiet humor about his adventures with the Texas Rangers

among the cactus-studded plains of the Lone Star State, it is hard, even for

one who knows the truth, to realize that this man is one of the greatest of

detectives, or rather one of the most capable, resourceful, adroit, and

quick-witted knights of adventure who ever set forth upon a seemingly

impossible errand.

It is unnecessary to state just how the District Attorney discovered the

existence of "Jesse," as we knew him. It is enough to say that on

Saturday morning, July 23, 1904, he was furnished with the proper

credentials and given instructions to proceed at once to New Orleans,

Louisiana, and "locate," if it were humanly possible to do so, Charles F.

Dodge, under indictment for perjury, and potentially the chief witness

against Abraham H. Hummel, on a charge of conspiracy. He was told

briefly and to the point that, in spite of the official reports from the police

headquarters of both New York City and New Orleans to the contrary,

there was reason to believe that Dodge was living, although not registered,

as a guest at the St. Charles Hotel in the latter city. A partial and

inaccurate description of Dodge was given him and he was warned to use

extreme caution to prevent any knowledge of his mission from being made

known. Once Dodge had been discovered, he was to keep him under

surveillance and wire New York immediately.

Accordingly, Jesse left the city upon the same day at 4.45 P. M. and

arrived two days later, at 9.15 on Monday morning, at New Orleans,

where he went directly to the St. Charles Hotel, registered, and was

THE MOST INTERESTING STORIES OF ALL NATIONS

assigned to room Number 547 on the fifth floor. Somewhere in the hotel

Dodge was secreted. The question was how to find him. For an hour

Jesse sat in the hotel foyer and meditatively watched the visitors come and

go, but saw no sign of his quarry. Then he arose, put on his hat, and

hunted out a stationery store where for two cents he bought a bright-red

envelope. He then visited a ticket-scalper's office, secured the owner's

business card, and wrote a note on its back to Dodge, offering him cheap

transportation to any point that he might desire. Armed with this he

returned to the hotel, walked to the desk, glanced casually over a number

of telegrams exposed in a rack and, when the clerk turned his back, placed

the note, addressed to Charles F. Dodge, unobserved, upon the counter.

The office was a busy one, guests were constantly depositing their keys

and receiving their mail, and, even as Jesse stood there watching

developments, the clerk turned round, found the note, and promptly placed

it in box Number 420. The very simple scheme had worked, and quite

unconsciously the clerk had indicated the number of the room occupied by

Dodge.

Jesse lost no time in ascending to the fourth floor, viewed room

Number 420, returned to the desk, told the clerk that he was dissatisfied

with the room assigned him, and requested that he be given either room

Number 421, 423, or 425, one of which he stated that he had occupied on

a previous visit. After some discussion the clerk allotted him room

Number 423, which was almost directly opposite that occupied by Dodge,

and the detective at once took up his task of watching for the fugitive to

appear.

Within the hour the door opened and Dodge and a companion, who

subsequently proved to be E. M. Bracken, alias "Bradley," an agent

employed by Howe and Hummel, left the room, went to the elevator, and

descended to the dining-room upon the second floor. Jesse watched until

they were safely ensconced at breakfast and then returned to the fourth

floor where he tipped the chambermaid, told her that he had left his key at

the office, and induced her to unlock the door of room Number 420, which

she did under the supposition that Jesse was the person who had left the

chamber in Dodge's company. The contents of the room convinced Jesse

THE MOST INTERESTING STORIES OF ALL NATIONS

that he had found Dodge, for he discovered there two grips bearing

Dodge's name as well as several letters on the table addressed to him.

The detective returned to the hall and had a little talk with the maid.

"The old gentleman with you has been quite sick," she said. "How is

he to-day?"

"He is some better," answered Jesse.

"Yes, he does look better to-day," she added, "but he sho'ly was

powerful sick yesterday. Why, he hasn't been out of his room befo' fo'

five or six days."

This statement was corroborated by Dodge's physical appearance, for

he looked haggard and worn.

Jesse was now confident that he had found Dodge, in spite of the

reports of the New Orleans police to the contrary, and he was also

reasonably sure that the fugitive was too sick to leave the hotel

immediately. He therefore telegraphed his superiors that he had

discovered Dodge and that the latter was ill at the St. Charles Hotel.

At three o'clock in the afternoon Jesse received a wire from New York

as follows:

"New Orleans police department claims party not there. Left for

Mexico three weeks ago. Ascertain correct destination and wire at once."

Jesse at once replied:

"No question as to identity and presence here at this time."

He now took up the task of keeping his quarry under absolute

surveillance day and night, which duty from that moment he continued for

a period of nearly ten months.

During the remainder of the afternoon and throughout the night Dodge

and Bracken remained in room Number 420, and during the evening were

visited by several strangers, including a plain- clothes officer from the

New Orleans Police Headquarters. Little Hummel, dining in Long Acre

Square in the glare of Broadway, was pressing some invisible button that

transmitted the power of his influence even to the police government of a

city two thousand miles away.

The following day, January 26th, at about 8.40 in the morning, Dodge

and Bracken descended to the lobby. Bracken departed from the hotel,

THE MOST INTERESTING STORIES OF ALL NATIONS

leaving Dodge to pay the bill at the cashier's window and Jesse heard him

order a cab for the 11.30 A. M. Sunset Limited on the Southern Pacific

Railroad and direct that his baggage be removed from his room. Jesse

did the same.

In the meantime Bracken returned and promptly at 11 A. M. left for

the railroad station in a cab with Dodge. Jesse followed in another. As

the two passed through the gates the detective caught a glimpse of Dodge's

ticket and saw that it had been issued by the Mexican National Railway.

Retiring to the telegraph office in the station he wired New York as

follows:

"Bird flying.--Sunset Limited. Destination not known. I am with

him."

He then hastily purchased a ticket to Houston, Texas, and boarded the

train. Dodge's companion had bidden him good-by as the engine started,

and Jesse's task now became that of ferreting out Dodge's destination.

After some difficulty he managed to get a glimpse of the whole of the

fugitive's ticket and thus discovered that he was on his way to the City of

Mexico, via Eagle Pass, Texas, while from the Pullman conductor he

learned that Dodge had secured sleeping- car accommodation as far as San

Antonio, Texas, only.

So far all was well. He knew Dodge but Dodge did not know him,

and later on in the afternoon he had the satisfaction of a long talk with his

quarry in the observation car where they amiably discussed together

current events and argued politics with the same vehemence as if they had

been commercial travellers thrown fortuitously into each other's company.

Dodge, however, cleverly evaded any reference to his destination.

When the train reached Morgan City, Louisiana, at 3 P. M., which

was the first stop, Jesse wired New York as follows:

"On Sunset Limited with friend. He has transportation to the City

of Mexico, via Eagle Pass, where I am now journeying with him. Answer

to Beaumont, Texas."

Later in the afternoon he sent an additional message from Lafayette,

Louisiana:

"Have seen transportation of friend and am positive of destination."

THE MOST INTERESTING STORIES OF ALL NATIONS

Dodge was occupying Section 3 of the sleeping car "Capitola," and,

as became an invalid, retired early.

At Beaumont Jesse failed to receive any reply to his various messages,

and when the train arrived at Houston no word came from New York until

it was almost the time of departure. Waiting until practically the last

moment Jesse hurried through the gates of the Union Station at Houston

and bought a ticket to San Antonio. As he was leaving the ticket window

Night Chief of Police John Howard and two officers came hurrying up

inquiring anxiously for "Mr. Jesse." The reenforcements had arrived.

Outside on the track "The Sunset Limited" was just getting under way.

The first frantic puffs were being vomited from the funnel. Inside Dodge

was sleeping peacefully in his berth. Jesse, accompanied by Chief

Howard, hurried up to the conductor who was about to swing on to the

steps of the sleeper, and ordered him to hold the train till the fugitive could

be removed. After some argument the conductor grumblingly complied

and Dodge was aroused from pleasant dreams of the "Creole Quarter" to

the cold reality of being dragged out of bed by a policeman. He was

unceremoniously hustled out of the sleeping car into a carriage and taken

to Headquarters where he admitted his identity and remarked:

"I know what I am wanted for, but I will never return to New York."

In his grip was found the sum of $1,563.15, as well as numerous

letters from the law firm of Howe and Hummel, and a quantity of

newspaper clippings relative to his case.

Dodge pleaded with Chief Howard not to lock him up, urging that he

was a sick man and offering a goodly sum if he might be taken to a hotel

and guarded for the remainder of the night. But what "went" in New

Orleans did not "go" in Houston, and the best that Dodge could get for

himself was a cot in the "Ladies' Detention Room" on the second floor of

the jail.

Early the following morning Jesse visited Police Headquarters and for

the first time met George Ellis, Chief of Police of Houston, for whom he

will always have a feeling of deep gratitude for his enthusiastic

cooperation and loyalty in the many stirring events that followed. Dodge

now received a telegram from New York, which was submitted to Jesse

THE MOST INTERESTING STORIES OF ALL NATIONS

before reaching the prisoner, to the effect that Howe and Hummel were

sending on an attorney to aid the fugitive in resisting extradition, and

informing him that they had employed Messrs. Hunt and Meyers as

attorneys to look out for his welfare. These last immediately jumped in

medias res and on the afternoon of the same day secured a writ of habeas

corpus from Norman J. Kitrell, District Judge of Harris County, Texas,

returnable the following morning.

The next day, January 28th, Kitrell released Dodge from custody.

Jesse had anticipated this and immediately swore out another warrant

with the result that the prisoner was rearrested before he left the

courtroom.

Meantime the Dodge interests retained another firm of lawyers,

Messrs. Andrews and Ball, who, on the following day, secured a second

writ of habeas corpus from Judge Ashe.

The result of the first engagement thus being a draw, counsel on both

sides agreed that this writ should not be returnable for six days. During

this period District Attorney Jerome employed Messrs. Baker, Botts,

Parker and Garwood to represent him and secured from Governor Odell at

Albany a requisition on Governor Lanham of Texas for the extradition of

the prisoner, which he entrusted to Detective Sergeant Herlihy of the New

York Police. Herlihy reached Houston with the papers on the evening of

January 30th, and on the same train with him came Abraham Kaffenburgh,

a member of the law firm of Howe and Hummel and a nephew of the latter.

Likewise also came Bracken, still styling himself "E. M. Bradley," and

from now on Bracken was the inseparable companion, guide, philosopher,

and friend (?) of the unfortunate Dodge, whose continued existence upon

this earth had become such a menace to the little lawyer in New York.

Herlihy, accompanied by Judge Garwood, proceeded direct to Austin

where they found Dodge already represented by Messrs. Andrews and Ball

who, at the hearing before Governor Lanham, made a strong effort to

induce that executive to refuse to honor the requisition of the Governor of

New York. This effort failed and Governor Lanham issued his warrant,

but Herlihy had no sooner returned to Houston for the purpose of taking

possession of the prisoner than he was served with an injunction enjoining

THE MOST INTERESTING STORIES OF ALL NATIONS

him, together with Chief of Police Ellis, from taking Dodge into custody,

pending a hearing upon a new habeas corpus which had been issued by

Judge Waller T. Burns of the United States District Court for the Southern

District of Texas. This new writ was returnable February 9th.

After exhaustive but futile argument by the counsel for Dodge, Judge

Burns remanded the prisoner to Herlihy's custody to be returned to the

State of New York, but this decision had no sooner been rendered than an

appeal was taken therefrom by Dodge's lawyers, and the prisoner released

upon bail fixed at twenty thousand dollars.

During this period Dodge was quartered under guard at the Rice Hotel

in Houston, and the day following the argument the twenty- thousand-

dollars bail was put up in cash and Dodge released from custody.

In the meantime, however, Jesse, knowing that no sum, however large,

would deter Hummel from spiriting Dodge out of the country, had made

his arrangements to secure a new extradition warrant from the Governor of

Texas, so that if the prisoner did succeed in getting beyond the Southern

District of the Federal Court of Texas, he could be seized and conveyed to

New York.

Of course someone had to keep watch over Dodge while Jesse hurried

to Austin to see the Governor, and it was decided to leave Sergeant

Herlihy, re-enforced by a number of local detectives for that purpose.

But while the watchful Jesse was away, Bracken proceeded to get busy in

the good old Howe and Hummel fashion. Lots of people that Herlihy

had never seen before turned up and protested that he was the finest fellow

they had ever met. And as Herlihy was, in fact, a good fellow, he made

them welcome and dined and wined at their expense until he woke up in

the Menger Hotel in San Antonio and inquired where he was.

Jesse meantime had returned from Austin to discover that Dodge with

his companions, Kaffenburgh and Bracken, had slipped out of Houston

early in the morning of February 11th, after disposing of Herlihy and

eluding the watchfulness of Herlihy's assistants. Hummel was leading

and by ten o'clock the next morning Dodge and his comrades were on

board an English merchantman lying in the harbor of Galveston. Later in

the same day the Hummel interests chartered from the Southern Pacific

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THEMOSTINTERESTINGSTORIESOFALLNATIONS1THEMOSTINTERESTINGSTORIESOFALLNATIONSJulianHawthorneTHEMOSTINTERESTINGSTORIESOFALLNATIONS2PARTI--DETECTIVESTORIESFROMREALLIFEAFlightintoTexasTheflightandextraditionofCharlesF.Dodgeunquestionablyinvolvedoneofthemostextraordinarybattleswithjusticeinthehistoryofthe...

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