r. . ■.. —-- -
| SHAPING of A. CAREER
I By GEORGE T. PA R D Y I
John Wilson Murray in an Unusual Achievement
|HEN the Chevalier
WH Dupin, the unequaled
■ solver of weird mys
■ teries, made his first
H bow to the public,
introduced by the
skillful hand of Ed
gar Allan Poe, he be
came at once the ac
cepted type of the
detective of fiction.
Nor has this type
changed to any
great extent since it
was set forth in the person of the heroof
th«-"Murders in the Rue Morgue.” Still
doth Sherlock Holmes lurk in the
darkened precincts of his superheated
rooms, consuming tobacco and dally
ing with the insidious delights of
opium, at times taking refuge in the
“'profound silence” for which Poe’s
astute analyst was noted, and emerg
ing from his reveries master of a new
set of brilliant deductions warranted
to furnish a key to the secrets of any
criminal case presented for his consid
eration. And even as Holmes followed
in the footsteps of Dupin, countless
hordes of imitators camp upon the
trail of Holmes, and we are forced to
the conclusion that the type Is pretty
sure to be utilized by authors for the
next 50 years.
The question naturally suggests it
self: Is the real simon-pure detective
like unto the member of his profession
who works wonders in the* world of
fiction? Put this proposition up to
Wilson Murray, chief inspector of
criminal investigation of the depart
ment of justice of the province of
Ontario, Canada, and he will answer
emphatically in the negative. The
solving of these seemingly inexplicable
problems is a capital exercise for the
intellect, but has mighty little to do
with practical police work. For crim
inals are not drawn into the meshes
of the official net by virtue of fine
drawn deductions and opium-bred in
spirations.
Murray served through the civil war
in the navy. He was in the Missis
sippi, or Gulf, squadron a part of the
time, under Commander Jewett, and
he fought under Farragut and was in
a number of engagements including
the fight at Mobile. From service in
the Mississippi and gulf Murray was
ordered to the great lakes aboard the
Michigan. He continued aboard her
until after the close of the war, and
in December, 1866, he left the Mich
igan and the service.
The war left its indelible imprint
on Murray's life, as it did on the life
of many another man. It tended to
mold his ambitions and direct them
along the line of what later became
his occupation. His career was not
cast ashoi« by any dread of hardship
afloat or any dislike of service at sea.
it was influenced by an event that is
one of the important, yet little known,
episodes of the civil war: The attempt
of the confederates, in 1864, to cap
ture the U. S. S. Michigan, to take
Johnson island, in Sandusky bay in
Lake Erie, release 4,000 confederates
imprisoned there, burn the island, and,
if possible, destroy Detroit, Cleveland
and Buffalo by fire, and strike terror
to the heart of the north. The man
who discovered the plot was Murray,
and it was he who unearthed the iden
tity of the picturesque leader and was
instrumental in frustrating the
schemes so cunningly devised.
The war was at its zenith in the
year 1864, when Commander J. C. Car
ter of the United States navy sent for
Murray and detailed him to special
duty. There had been some vague
rumors floating around of a confed
erate plot to blow up Johnson island,
liberate all confederate prisoners and
land them safely in Canada across
Lake Erie.
"Try to get to the bottom of the
conspiracy, if there is one," said Com
mander Carter. "Go to any place and
every place where your judgment leads
you. You have an unlimited commis
sion- Report to me from time to
time.”
Murray went first to Detroit and
conferred with Co!. Hill, who gave him
what information he had. It was very
meager. At that time Vallandingham,
a member of congress from Ohio, was
in exile in Windsor, Ont., across the
river from Detroit. Vallandingham
was a southern sympathizer. Murray,
garbed as a civilian, crossed to Windsor
and settled down to learn, first of all, the
ways of Vallandingham and any other
confederate sympathizers gathered
there. He observed closely all who
called on Vallandingham. Among them
he noted a dapper, energetic little fel
low who came and went at Valland
Ingham’s headquarters. M urray learned
that his name was L. C. Cole, and that
he was reputed to be a confederate
agent. Cole was about 38 years old,
five feet seven inches tall, weighed
135 pounds, with red hair ami long
mustache, and gray eyes so small and
sharp and bright that they were the
first feature to draw Murray’s atten
tion to the suspect. Murray finally
overheard a scrap of conversation be
tween Cole and Vallandingham that
convinced him the former was an im
portant and dangerous person. He
communicated with Commander Car
ter'and prepared to follow Cole's trail
if it led to the end of the earth.
When Cole alighted from the train
in Montreal Murray was a car length
behind him. Cole went to the St. Law
rence Hall hots! and Murray followed
suit. There the southern agent was
joined by a woman. The latter was a
big, stately blonde, magnificently
dressed, a stranger to Murray at the
time, although later he identified her
as the celebrated “Irish Lize.” From
Montreal Cole and his female partner
went to Albany. The impulse was
strong on Murray to seize them and
notify Commander Carter. He thought
the matter over carefully. He pos
sessed evidence that they were con
federate sympathizers, but lacked evi
dence as to a plot, or their plans. He
decided to follow them, half suspect
ing that they would go far south be
fore returning to execute any des
perate plans in the north.
They stopped over one night in Al
bany, then went to New York, took the
train to Philadelphia, and thence to
Washington. They met one. and
sometimes two or three strangers in
each city, evidently by previous ap
pointment, while Murray trailed them
patiently from place to place. From
Washington Cole and Irish Lize went
"GAPrAin Carter., This is
mcoLE.ARebel Spy.”
to Harrisburg, Pa., and from liar
burg to Buffalo, and thence to CleVv
land. In the latter city they were
joined by a young man with whom
they had conferred in Philadelphia.
He was Charles Robinson, son of a
former judge. They stayed in Cleve
land two days and then went to San
dusky, O., where Cole and his partner
stopped at the West house and Rob
inson at a private boarding house.
Cole posed at Sandusky as an
oil king, while Irish Lize passed
as his wife. Soon after their ar
rival an assistant joined Cole, who be
came known as G. C. Beal. One week
after Cole arrived at the West house
a young man registered there as John
U. Wilson of New Orleans. He was
none other than Murray, who had
taken this means of scraping an ac
quaintance with his quarry. In the
course of a few days Wilson met Cole
casually, as guests staying at the
same hotel are apt to meet, and they
drank together and became quite in
timate. Cole bought fast horses, and
finally chartered a yacht. Incidentally
he made the acquaintance of the offi
cers of the U. S. S. Michigan, then
lying off Sandusky, and also of Col.
Hill (not the Col. Hill wdth whom Mur
la.v had conferred in Detroit), and the
United States army officers In charge
of Johnson island.
Murray meanwhile had reported to
Commander Carter. About the middle
of July, 1864, Cole arranged a party to
the Seven-Mile house, seven miles out
of Sandusky. He invited all the offi
cers of the island and the ship. . A
number of them were making prepara
tions to go. Young Wilson of New
Orleans was Cole's assistant in plan
ning the Outing. Early that morn
I
ing Cole received a telegram from De
troit which read: "I send you 16
shares per two messengers—D. B."
On this particular morning the
steamer Philo Parsons, plying between
Sandusky and Detroit on daily trips,
with a stop at Windsor, Ont., received
ten men as passengers at. Windsor and
eight, more at Amherstburg, in Can
ada, at 1he mouth of the Detroit river.
They were the ''shares” sent by two
messengers to the convivial Mr. Cole
at Sandusky. After the steamer Par
sons got well out into Lake Erie these
18 men opened their baggage, took
therefrom braces of revolvers and
captured the vessel, making her cap
tain a prisoner. Then they steamed on
to Kelly's island, off Sandusky, where
the steamer Island Queen was lying.
Several of them boarded the Queen,
caught the crew unawares, gave or
ders to Engineer Richardson, and
when he refused to obey shot him
dead. They took the Island Queen
out into the lake and ran her on To
Gull island, where she was abandoned.
then headed for Sandusky in the
.sons, which was due there at six
o clock in the evening.
While all this was occurring on Lake
Erie, Cole was in Sandusky with his
plans designed for the party that
would call practically all the officers
on the Michigan and on Johnson is
land well away from their posts of
duty. They were supposed to start
on the merry-making jaunt from San
dusky in the afternoon. Cole and
young Wilson waited for the tardy
guests, and finally Cole, becoming im
patient, said to his companion:
"It's strange that these officers
haven't conte ashore before this. You
go off and see what's keeping them.”
Wilson shook his head, dubiously.
"They wouldn’t be likely to come for
me,” he said. "You had better take a
boat and go yourself.”
Cole, who usually dressed in dark
attire, was wearing a suit of gray. He
discussed the matter of going over for
the officers with Wilson, who walked
down to the dock with him, and said:
"Here's a boat belonging to the
Michigan, now. Go-off in her and get
your men, and I'll go with you.”
Cole, following out his usual extrav
agant methods, handed a ten-dnllar
bill to the coxswain of the crew and
told him to take the boys to the near
est bar for a drink. All went except
the boat-keeper, who waited with Cole
and Wilson, and James Hunter, an of
ficer of the Michigan, who was ashore.
When the cr.ew returned they -willing
ly pulled off to the Michigan, lying
three miles off Sandusky. About half
way out, Cole, who seemed to have a
presentiment of trouble, changed his
mind about going to the ship and re
quested the crew to turn back.
“The pennant of the ship is flying,”
remarked Wilson, carelessly, to the
coxswain.
“Yes, that means that we'll have to
go on now, but I’ll bring you back
just as soon as I've reported,” said the
coxswain.
Cole could not advance any reason
able objection to this offer, so the
boat went forward to the Michigan.
The officers aboard greeted their
would-be host cordially, and invited
him to have a glass of wine, telling
him they were sorry to disarrange his
plans or delay his party. Young Wil
son hastened to the commander's
cabin and smiled triumphantly as he
saluted that august individual.
“1 have the man,” he declared, upon
entering.
“You are certain he is the right
man?” queried the commander.
"Not a shadow of a doubt about it,”
was Wilson’s response.
“Then have him brought here,” or
dered Carter.
The psuedo Wilson turned to the or
derly.
"Tell Mr. Cole that Capt. Carter
wishes to see him,” he said.
Cole made his appearance, debo
naire, smiling and merry as of yore.
Wilson met him before he reached the
cabin.
“The captain is anxious to have a
little talk with you. Cole,” he re
marked. pleasantly.
At the tone of his voice Cole
stopped short and regarded him sharp
ly with curious eyes. Then he laughed
and stepped into the presence of the
X \
commander, with Wilson behind him.
“Capt. Carter, this is Mr. Cole, a
rebel spy," said Wilson's calm voice.
“Murray, arrest him!” came the
captain's mandate.
Cole's figure straightened into sud
den dignity, and a proud flash came
from his eyes.
"1 am not a spy; I am a confederate
officer,” he said, truculently.
Carter smiled in incredulous fash
ion. Cole thrust a hand in the bosom
of his gray coat and drew forth a pa
per. It was his commission signed
by Jefferson Davis, showing him to be
a major in the confederate army. Mur
ray perused the paper and handed it
to the captain.
“Take him away and search him,
Murray,” said Carter.
Cole, accompanied by his former
friend Wilson of New Orleans, now
Murray of the Michigan, went to a
cabin and a sentry was placed at the
door. Murray searched him and found
in currency, some letters and pa
pers. and ten certified cheques for
$5,000 each on the Bank of Montreal,
payable to bearer. He laid them all
out while Cole eyed him and laughed.
“You served me well, Murray Wil
son, or Wilson Murray, or whatever
the deuce your name may be,” said
Cole.
“I served the best I could,” respond
ed Murray, dryly.
“Sit down for a moment," requested
Cole, and Murray complied.
“Now, see here,” said the southern
er, “you're a pretty smart young fel
low to have worked things out the
way you did. You and I got along
very well together, didn't we? You
wouldn't like to see me hanged, would
you?”
“No” replied Murray, “I '"'ouldn’t.
1 have no fancy for seeing anyone
hanged.”
"Well, that's just what you’re trying
to do with me." remarked the pris
oner, in an injured tone.
“It's a very unfortunate tning,” re
turned Murray, “and t hope I won't be
responsible for your death.”
Cole was game to the core, and his
nerve never deserted nun for an in
stant. Despite the terrible predica
ment in which he found himself placed
his face did not lose its ruddy color
or jolly, care-free expression.
"It’s like this," he said, coolly. "I
suppose I ought to shoot you, and if I
had a gun handy I'd do it, for busi
ness is business, and war is hellish
business, Wilson. But maybe there's
another way out of the tangle. There
is $50,000 in gold represented by those
cheques. They are as gtiod this min
ute as the gold in the Bank of Mon
treal. You can keep them. No one
on board here knows I have them.
You may cash them whenever you
wish. All 1 ask is that you won't know
enough to get the rope around my
neck, and that if the chance conies
you'll do me a friendly turn to help
me escape. Once I'm out you can give
me $500. or enough to get south, or
you needn't give me five cents. It's
a fair bargain, isn't it, Wilson? My
young friend, you’ll never get such a
golden chance again in your life.”
Murray merely smiled, glanced at
the tempting bait Fortune was dan
gling before his eyes—and shook his
head.
"You may be telling the truth, Mr.
Cole," he said, quietly. "1 may never
get such a chance again. I'll do what
1 can for you in as far as it may be
consistent with my duty, but 1 can*
! not make you any promises."
For the first time since his arrest
a frown darkened the prisoner's brow.
“Wilson, you're a fool," he said,
, sharply.
Murray turned upon him swiftly.
"That may be your view of the mat
ter," he said, grimly, “so we won’t
argue. Dm let me ask you one ques
tion. Would you be willing to sell
! out the confederacy?”
Cole's imperious manner changed, he
put out his hand and grasped Mur
ray's, shaking it warmly.
“No, I wouldn't,” he said, frankly;
“and I respect your patriotism. Wil
son. We understand each other bet
ter now.”
Captor and prisoner, now imbued
with a mutual admiration, sat and
chatted in friendly tones. Cole asked
Murray where he had first seen him,
and the youthful detective narrated
the story of the chase, giving him full
details even to the numbers of the
rooms in the hotels the southerner
had stopped at. When he had fin
ished Cole laughed.
“It's a straight yarn,” he acknowl
edged, "and you've got everything
right. But I could swear on a stack
of Bibles as high as this ship that I
never saw you before we met in San
dusky.”
Capt. Carter alone had been in the
secret of Murray’s masquerade as
Wilson. He had arranged for the
boat's crew to be waiting at the land
ing to take Cole to the ship, and Mur
ray intercepted telegrams to Cole and
thus learned of the message concerning
the “16 shares.” His quick intui
tion enabled him to read between
the lines and transform the “shares"
into men to arrive aboard the steamer
- Parsons. With Cole safely in durance
vile, Capt. Carter now made ready to
' capture the raiders who had seized the
Parsons. Neither he nor Murray was
; aware at the time that Cole had ar
ranged for the Parsons to stay outside
j until he should venture out of the har
' bor with his yacht and signal them tc
come in. He was to slip away from
his guests at the Seven-Mile house,
drive swiftly to Sandusky, and go out
to meet the Parsons, v hile the Union
officers were enjoying themselves
miles away.
It was agreed that the confederates
in possession of the Parsons, upon
meeting Cole, were to go in small
boats to the Michigan, capture the
ship, and then run over to Johnson's
island and release the 4,000 southern
prisoners, chiefly officers, imprisoned
there. They intended to land them at
Point Pelee, in Canada, across the
lake. Not much difficulty was antici
pated in capturing the Michigan, as
when the approaching boats were chal
lenged Cole, who was known to all
on board her. would answer and dis
arm all suspicion.
Once aboard the confederates bs
lieved they could easily carry the
hatches with a rush. The Michigan
had 14 cannon aboard her, six parrot
rifles, six 24-pound howitzers, two
light howitzers, and over 100 tons ot
ammunition. They had no other heav
ily armed craft to fear on the lake,
and believed they could not only lib
erate their 4,000 comrades on Johnson
island and land them in Canada, but
could also sail the lake safely until
they bombarded and burned Detroit,
Cleveland and Buffalo.
But the Parsons did not go in at
Sandusky. Her confederate crew wait
ed in vain for the promised signal
from Cole. They became alarmed,
scented disaster, went back to the De
troit river under cover of darkness,
scuttled the Parsons, and landed in
Amherstburg, Canada. That night
Murray, accompanied by another offi
cer. went ashore and arrested the man
Robinson at his boarding house in
Sandusky. Irish Lize and several
other southern sympathizers con
cerned in Cole’s plot were also taken
care of. Cole was transferred from
the Michigan to Johnson island, and
thence to Fort La Fayette, at New York,
arftl from there to Fort Warren, at
Boston, where he was held until after
Lincoln’s proclamation, and then re
leased without being brought to trial.
(Copyright, by W. G. Chapman.)
' (Copyright in Groat Britain ’
COOPERS GET TWENTY YEARS
JURY GIVES SLAYERS OF CAR
MACK A LONG PRISON TERM.
CASE APPEALED.
Duncan B. and Robin Cooper File
Bond Totaling Nearly a Million
Dollars—New Trial Soon.
Nashville, Tenn.—After filing a
bond totaling nearly a million and a
bait' dollars, Col. D. B. Cooper and
Robin J. Cooper, convicted of mur
der in the second degree and sen
tenced to 20 years in the penitentiary
for the killing of former United States
Senator E. W. Carmack, retired to the
home of Judge J. J. Bradford Satur
day and discussed the next move in
the case.
Although Judge Hart announced the
bond at $25,000 for each defendant,
there was a rush to sign it on the
part of the wealthy citizens of Nash
ville which fairly swamped the clerk
of the criminal court. In vain he pro
tested over and over again that more
than enough securities had been sign
ed, but the invariable answer was
“we want to put our name on that
bond, too.” It seemed as though
every friend of the Coopers consid
ered it incumbent upon him to sign
the bond. When there was no more
room for names at the foot of the
document, the new bondsmen endors
ed it across the face until it was dif
ficult to decipher the signatures.
The Coopers returned to the jail and
and removed their personal effects.
For the present Colonel Cooper will
make his home with Mrs. Burch and
Robin will return to his old quarters
with his uncle, J. C. Bradford.
Various and insistent rumors that
the jury had agreed were responsible
for a crowded court room and for the
presence of attorneys on both sides
long before the usual hour for con
vening. As soon as Judge Hart enter
ed court, and even before he removed"
his coat, he ordered the jury and the
defendants brought into court.
The verdict was: “We, the jury,
find the defendants. Duncan B. Coop
er and Robin J. Cooper, guilty of
murder in the second degree and as
sess their punishment, at confinement
in the state penitentiary for a period
of 20 ears.”
“So say you all, gentlemen?”
“So say we all,” in chorus.
“I thank you, gentlemen,” said the
court, “for your patience and devo
tion to the state, and dismiss you to
your homes and to your personal
avocations.”
Immediately a motion was made
asking for a new trial and this ques
tion is to be argued as early as pos
sible.
AMERICANS WIN BIG RACE.
German Crown Prince Sees American
Win Berlin Race.
Berlin.—In the presence of the
crown prince and an immense throng
of spectators the American team, com
posed of Floyd MacFarland and James
Moran, finished winners of the six
day bicycle race and received a mag
nificent ovation, the cheers of the
crowd mingling with the strains of
“The tar Spangled Banner.”
The Americans won by a full lap,
the track measuring 14 laps to the
mile. Stol of Holland and Beerthel
of France finished second. The total
distance was 2,425 miles, 312 less than
MacFarland and Moran made when
they won the six-day race in New
York in 1908.
The Americans said they finished
fresher than in the New York race
and were never pushed to win. The
crown prince will receive the men at
the races tomorrow.
A MIRED ASSASSIN.
Negro Convicted of Murder Claims to
Have Been Paid to Kill.
Barnwell, S. C.—As the result of
a startling confession made by Quit
man Johnson, a negro, who was con
victed of the murder of Perry Ussery
last November, Chester Kennedy,
white, was arrested at the home of
his father near here. The negro ad
mitted killing Ussery and said Ken
nedy had hired him and Fredinand
Grubbs, another negro, who was con
victed with Johnson, to kill a man
named Holland, and that he had in
tended to kill Holland, but had shot
Ussery instead.
Johnson said he and Grubbs were
to receive $200 for the killing.
Rheumatism Disables Pianist.
New York.—Ignace Jan Paderews
ki, the piano virtuoso, arrived here
from Minneapolis after canceling three
engagements in the West to place
himself in the hands of a specialist
on rheumatism. Mr. Paderewski was
suddenly stricken with rheumatism in
his right hand and arm on Friday. He
is confident his ailment is temporary.
Alabama Has Tornado.
Fort Deposit, Ala.—Shortly before
7 o’clock Sunday morning a tornado
did considerable damage in this vi
cinity and one person is dead and
several injured as a result. The en
tire negro quarter on the Norwood
Johnson place was destroyed and a
number of occupants of the houses
injured.
On the Buchanan place the cottage
of Miles Henderson, a negro, was
blown to splinters, he and his wife
suffering painful injuries.