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i Wa?ter De Fimi C Smoothest Thie ?States, ttke Gu Nearly Evei PostOffic< inttihe Sc Dec (Copyright, 1913, by tte .'Now 'York Herald Co. All rights irosorved. ) ITH a record of up ward of a .hundred post oJBce 'robberies and as many banks, tho safes of which yielded In tho neigh borna* fd of $f>00, 000, "Walter," so mell mee known as (Jus De.Ford, stands pre-eminent .in, the ranks of those yeggmen ho hus. led rn h's many raids ton strong boxes in the United States and Can ada. Ever handy with .his gun, he has shot his way to freedom a score of Unios,, and such trifles nus shooting down or iunding and gagging those watchmen who surprised Hilm while at wmrk are so numerous as to have long since palled ou this JU rch-c ri mi nai. ?Resourceful, n*scrupulous, cruel tte a degree and as fearless as lie is cunning. h*? Maiads'DUt as pos sessing every attribute necessary to a successful yeggman. H.*> has fre quently served time, but in propor tion to *tho crimes committed "he'has eacrlfleed but a very small |>orcent age of his liberty. Sea mi rn g .'Walter's"' description and record as they appear on Hie in th? OfBoo Of the Chief Tost 'Office ln Bpector at Washington, we lind the following: "Walter," Cns De Ford, aliases C. M. Do Ford, (?us H. Ford. W. P. Hor ton "W. P. Thornton. C. C Carter. Lawrence Cockerell, Waller Halley, William R. Smith. Cns. lieu and Buggsey. His Description. "Thlrty-flve years, Ave feet seven inches In stockings, weight 135 pounds, hair Chestnut, eyes hazel, good teeth, one or two solid gold teeth upper right side, also gold fill ings; long nose; build medium,^ra ther * erect, except shoulders and hoad slightly stooped. Out scar on forehead, right of center, extending from hair downward., showing a deep indentation ai lower end of fore head. Cut scar, about one inch lor.g, at lower edge of left Jaw, near chin-; llcsh colored molo or wart at centre of right cheek : three large acid burn nears of left forearm. Usually dresses well, often wears diamond Ting, sometimes a diamond scarfpin and usually carries a gobi watch. "The more important post office robberies he lias b<><'ii concerned in include: Rowesville, S. C.: Kings M JU o ta In and H reva ni, M. C.; Pros perity, 3 c : Fort Mills, s. C.; Eno Tee, S. C.; Waverly, Va.; Columbia, Va.; Apex and Yonngsville, N. C.; Office near .Norfolk, Va.; Christlans burg, Va.; West Point, Va.; two offices near Hosten, Mass.; Canton function and Hopedale, Mass; Marsh field, Vt. "Some of his other robberies in clude Branscom, Canada, bank; En oree, S. C., cotton mill office; Hort Norfolk, Va., ear barn; Spring Hope, N. C., bank; McColl, S. C.*. bank; Forest City. N. C., bank; Denmark, S. C., bank; Brimson, S. C., bank; Boyd ton and Wakefield (or Wav erly), Va., bank; Amherst, Va., hank; Howling Creen, Va., County Treasurer's office: Cleveland, Tenn., cotton mill office; Rocky Mount. Va., bank; Slatersvllle, lt. I., and Amherst. Mass., banks; Quincy, Mans , iee company's office, and Mid dleton), Mass., flour mill and laun dry," From the foregoing it can bo sur mised that "Walter" has led a fairly active life, and judging from the amount of plunder he procured, first, last and all the time, lt is surprising that he ls so modest in his sartorial effects as to confino his personal adornment to two gold teeth and a diamond ring and stickpin and a sin gle watch. His Closest Call. lt was at Port Norfolk. Va., that Walter had his narrowest escaj>e. Had he been captured in the general fight that followed, chances are the infuriated posse would have swung him to a nearby lamppost, that his staring eyes could rest upon the prostrate forms of those who lay wounded unto death by bullets from 'the yeggmen'e pistols. Walter, Uko many of his ilk, had been skulking in one of the many yeggmen dives with which Norfolk Is Infestod. The owners of these dens always wel comed with open arms these rural burglars, for they realized that men * Jncle Sa haracterized as the f in the United ?ding Spirit in y Bank and i Robbery *iKth in a ade. of i this type spend their ill-gotten gains willi n lavish hand, and Wal ter .was. looked upon as a "prince of spenders." Then, too, when the yeggmen came to town after ono of their raiding expeditions they inva riably.brought a satchel full of stolen postage stamps, which these dive keei>ers disposed of for them at a 25 per cent discount. Dut fiu this occasion Walter aud his cronies, "Kentucky Hilly" aud "District of Columbia Slim," had stretches their credit at tl?" bars of the dens they frequented intll the breaking point. loomed perilously near. They needed funds desper ately, and it must be a "quick job," for a "getaway" was imperative. One of the "gay cats" working for this trio had boen ordered to "locate" a job in a hurry. Ile decided the car ham office tit Port Norfolk was a likely |K)im, inasmuch as its office safe always held a big sum of cur rency, and, furthermore, chances for interruption during the sato opening were comparatively small. A dense fog enveloped the little town when'the trio of yeggmen and their "stickups" stole into it. and made their way to the car barn. lt waa an easy matter to jimmy a rear window, and Walter was the first to climb through to the interior. "Ken tucky Killy" followed him, while "Slim" remained on tho outside to see that the "stickups," or sentinel* maintained proper vigilance against a surprise. As Walter made his waj (brough the rambling structure thc needle-like rays from his flashlight pointed to the forms of three men - the night watchman and two negroes who evidently had joined him to keel him company through the long vigil? of the night. ll was but the work of a second t( pounce upon the sleeping men, tic their arms and legs and slip gag! into their mouths. I nder threat8 0 murdering them as they lay, Waltet und Killy proceeded to the office ant went to work on the safe. One blas of "sou])." or nitroglycerine, falle? to dislodge the door and others it quick succession followed. As till door flew from its hinges and i i with a crash to the floor, Waite: forced an inner door and was rap Idly transferring the golden hoar? that lay before him when one of till captive negroes slipped his gag ant thongs, and, leaping to ;i window cried out au'alarm. As he clamberet np to the sill preparatory to leapinj to the street below a bullet cut shor hi? flight and he rolled down to tin sidewalk, shot through the chest. Emboldened by the general melei that ensued, the other ea pi .Ive wrenched their arms free and ead drew Iiis pistol and sent a volley ii the direction of Billy and Walter, thc brief outline of whose crouchin; forms was barely discernible throng] the gloom of the barn. The shots aroused the neighbor hood. Before "Slim" and his "stick ups" could sound a note of warninj a mob had gathered and a fusillade of shots was fired. First, Waite and Billy emptied their pistols at tb two men who were firing at '?hen from within the barn. After disarm ing them they crouched beneath rh< window ledge and sent ?hot afte shot, into the crowd that had gath ered In the street. These ?bots wer returned with a vim, and a hundre bullets crashed through the Windol beneath which Walter and Kill crouched. While Walter stuck tobi post and emptied his pistol at th posse "Killy" reconnoitred, an finding ti window on the opposite sid of the building which afforded a easy drop to an area or courtyar he paved tho way for flight. Their Escape? Ketti ming to Walter's side, tit two fired a parting volley Into th crowd, dropping eight or ten men I their tracks, and then adjusting rag soaked in mustard oil to the bee! of their shoes, a precaution again: pursuit of bloodhounds, they sped t tho open window and leaj>ed to til courtyard. Their last round of cartridges ha been Blipped into the chambers t their revolvers, and these they d< termined to hold in reserve and n< use unless actually trapped hy th now Infuriated posse. I As the burglars crept from the a m's m. ley way to the open street and pl ed away in the darkness a e "There they go!" arose. Like a of bloodhounds in full cry the started in pursuit, firing as they But Billy and Walter were too pressed to halt long enough in t flight to lake pop shots at their pur suers. On to the outskirts of the little town they sped, the money ab stracted from the strong box safe in Walter's "kick" (pocket), and un der cover of darkness and fog they reached ?the railroad tracks and the hand car "Slim" and his "stickups" , had in readiness. A quick run , brought them to the outskirts of Nor- j folk, and-once within the city's limits ! they were soon lost in the maze of narrow and illy lighted streets which led them to a "crib" along the waterfront, where like hunted wild beasts they lay concealed until they deemed it safe to em rye and leave Norfolk far behind f em. That night's work, although accomplished at tremendous risk, netted the yeggs upward of $1,000 each. Once more I Walter was in funds and ready to "crack" any hank his "stickups" might have found for him. Thc little town of McColl. S. C., also has reason to remember the brief presence of Walter within its corporate limits. This time Walter had as his associates "Conn. Shorty" and "Chicken Bill." The latter was later shot to death by a posse which overtook him as he was fleeing with his share of plunder stolen from a North Carolina bank, in which bur glary "Portland Ned" was the pre sidii tr genius. Walter and "Billy" Sent Sho The'bank at McColl loomed as an easy possibility. If there was a watchman employed to guard it by night the ' gay cats" had been unable to gain a clue to his hiding place. In the same building that housed tho bank the telephone exchange was located, and only one operator. a j man, remained on duty at night, lt had been arranged that a confede rate stationed in a nearby town was to call McColl at a designated hour and thus engage the operator in con versation while Walter and his con federates effected an entrance Into the bank, and. If need be, take steps to silence the operator should he be come too inquisitive. Walter and "Shorty" elected to do the actual safe blowing. "Chicken Bill" was to secrete himself at a point near the telephone exchange so that in the event of the operator at- | tempting to notify police headquart ers he could be struck down or shot. 1 While the oi>erator was engaging In mi animated conversation with the :<-.'.men's confederate who was at tho other end of the long distance wire "Bill" carno to the conclusion that "an ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure" and that If would be better io "tie up the ope rator" before tho exploding nitrogly cerine echoed through the building. Creeping up behind the unsuspecting operator, "Bill" dealt him a blow on the behind the ear with the butt of his revolver which sent him reeling from his high stool to the floor, where he lay crumpled and Insensible. A clothesline, stolen on the trip through tho little town, was used to tie up the unconsicous operator, and his handkerchief was employed as a gag. Then "Bill" leisurely rejoined his companions, told them of his en terprising and precautionary meth ods, and lent a hand at the safe door. Two blasts forced the door, and In the outer vault $600 In gold was found. The Inner barrier of the vault was a screw door affair, and three blasts of "soup" failed to dis lodge it. The roar of th? explosion aroused several dogs in a nearby stable, and their yelps brought half a dozen men armed with rifles and pistols to the street. As the trio of burglars leaped from the bank window several shots rang out, but none took effect, and they sped away, halting at each street corner to return tho fire. The leader of the little posse rolled over with a bullet in his groin, but the fugi tives made good their escapo and three days later found Walter. "Chicken Bill" and "Shorty" rein forced by the presence of "Portland Ned," all primed for a raid on the bank at Forest City. X. C. . This job netted the burglars 500, and "Chicken Bill," after re ceiving his share or the loot, volun teered to buy, at .' liberal discount, the dimes and nlckles stolon. He then started across country, leaving f After Shot Into the Crowd Tba his companions to escape by thc freight train. A posse took up his trail, followed him, mortally wound ed him and then carried Mm to a nearby hospital, where he died. For the next six months a succes sion of bank burglaries iollowed, and in each case Walter's was the guid ing hand, although he frequently (hanged partners. At this stage of ids career Walter deemed it wiser to contine his operations to banks ra ther than to post offices, for he lound the police and private detec tives employed to protect banks eas ier to elude than postal Inspectors. The bank at Rocky Mount, Va., possessed possibilities which had long attracted Walter. He had look ed tho job over carefully arid In per son. He had scrutinized every pos sible avenue of escape and contended that should he find an idle night on his hands when in that vicinity he would Improve the shining hour, lt so happened that after ripping seve ral safes in the vicinity he, "Ken tucky Billy," "De Sota Ned" and "Boston Jimmy" found themselves within easy access of Rocky Mount. Xo "locater," or "gay cat" was nec essary for this attack, for Walter had himself done the necessary work. Entrance into the bank was ef fected without Incident. Tho "soup" was distilled from dynamite stolen from a nearyby stone quarry. Three " Yeggs.' ? 1 UK'S the "soup" was applied and touched off before the stubborn vault door sprung from Its hinges and went hurtling across the room. Be fore the greedy looters, stacked In neatly assorted piles, lay $5,000 in silver, a load none calculated bur dening himself with. Hld Money in Delfry. Opposite the bank stood a negro church. Its belfry could only be reached by a tortuous and perpendic ular ladder, and the bell that hung within was rung by means of a long stout rope which led to the vestibule of the modest little frame structure. This belfry, lt was decided, should serve as a hiding place for the plun der. The removal of the silver from the outer compartments of tho vault to tho belfry consumed so much Mme that none was left in which to blow tho inner casing of the vault. The burglars then melted away into the night, determining to secrete themselves in a nearby forest until it was safe to return and raise the plunder from Its sacred hiding place. One week after the safe was blown three of the yeggnien returned to Rovy Mount and procured tho loot. Just where they went for a division of the spoils is not clear, but among those participating In the "raising" of the silver was "Boston Johnny," substituted for "Boston Jimmy." "De Sota Ned" and "Boston Johnny" were captured at Roanoke, Va., and their portion of the loot recovered. They were tried, convicted and sen tenced to from live to ten years each In the penitentiary. Walter and Billy made tracks for their old hid t Had Gathered in the Street i ! lng places in Norfolk and there re ' malned secreted until it was safe for j them to make tracks for New York, i Here they stayed until their cash was j all gone and it was again necessary to take to the "soup bag" and jimmy. IiOoting the Hank at Braiiscom. The, bank robbery that Walter is j proudest of and the one he often i boasted of to "West Philadelphia j Johnny" and other noted crooks was the looting of tho safo at Brnnscom, Canada, where $15,000 in bills of small denomination was obtained. Walter, apparently, concealed the names of his confederates In this op eration, for in tho exhaustive confes sion made by "West Philadelphi? Johnny," In which he implicated every thief he ever operated with, to j say nothing of the confidences ho vlo I lated that he might escape a long j term in a Vermont prison, he gave i no clue to Walter's associates. Walter had no trouble, he said, in j entering the bank or in blowing the j safe. One shot was sufficient to ex pose the steel guarded cash, and In less time than lt takes to tell lt he had transferred the bank notes to his ample pockets, abandoned his kit of burglar's tools, and, slipping from the bank, returned to the hotel in which he was quartered, and there remained a dav or two before cross ing the border to the "States." "It was so damned easy.," he said while ' IR * -L-j relating this exploit, "that lt was a shaine to take the money." Apparently Walter's unnamed con- *.> federates were just as "easy" aB the bank, for, he said, he slipped out of Canada without keeping an engage ment ho made with them, at which time he was to have given them their share of the spoils. His pay for his half hour's work was $15,000; not a shot was fired, nor did a soul sus pect that a robbery had be*n com mitted until the janitor 'the next morning set about cleaning up the bank preparatory to its day's busi ness. , Lee Crump, now dead, of Alexan dria, Va., was of immense value to Walter as a "gay cat." He had won derful powers of divination when sent out to "locate" a job, and whereas in some cases tho men at. work on tho safe he had selected for blowing were surprised at their task <* and compelled to battle their way to freedom, yet in every case they es caped unscathed. A Crucial .Moment. This held true in the looting of tho ellees of a laundry and a flour mill at Mlddlesboro, Mass., where Walter, "Johnny" McCarthy (West Phlladel- , phia Johnny") and "Bellefontaine, Slim" escaped after twice staring death in che face. The safe of the ' flour mill readily yielded to the ex plosive's blast and about $60 was procured. The laundry was noxt visited, and while the "cracksmen" were at work on the safe the night watchman peered in at the door. A ' shot from Walter's pistol caused him to beat a hasty retreat. He ran only far enough to take cef ugo behind a protecting angle in the wall, when his pistol began to bark out Its alarm as he sent bullet after bullet in the direction of the bur glars. Before Walter and his asosclates could make their way to the street the air was so smoke laden that even tho rays from their pocket flash lights could not penetrate lt. Seve ral persons gathered outside the laundry and as the burglars sped across the street they opened fire on them. At this juncture of the chase "Johnny" dropped the rubber i>ouch containing enough nitroglycerine to blow a dozen sar In telli perl? nee ward 'JjOhpni ' > il bo! i hie .<i Walter confid ictod blown inti eternity, and to thh' dnj neither ca ilain ..?i., mo "soup" did not explode. All got away scot free and Walter arrived at. the con clusion that the Sunny South held inducements of far greater promlso than tho "Frozen North," where watchmen and nearby citizens always jleep with ono eye open, could offer. Accordingly Walter made tracks for the South, and after visiting cro nies in New York city. Baltimore, Washington and Norfolk he made his way to Charleston, S. C., where he spent a week in wild revelry at the div? s conducted by Rudolph Ra bens, a notorious "fence" and ally to bank and post office burglars. Whenever such finished workmen as Walter, "Portland Ned," "West Philadelphia Johnny," "Kentucky Billy" and "Connecticut -Shorty" banded for a killing something far out of the ordinary might l>e expect ed. Soon after Walter's flight from the North, and at & time, when ms last dollar had been spent in one of Rabens's dance halls, ho and his four companions In crime decided to loot the bank at Brimson, S. C. Tho job looked easy from every anglo. Tho safe, although of an ancient pattern, was so well built and of such good material that it resisted the several blasts that were applied. Out done by the stubborn resistance of the strong box, Walter volunteer to procure a drill with which to make a larger opening near the combina tion disk. A Colored On ide. In scouting around ho entered a carriage house near tho bank. There he found a strapping young negro sound asleep. Walter awakened tho sleeper by pressing the muzzle of his pistol to his cheek. The negro was too frightened to cry out or to offer resistance Then In a few well chosen and terse sentences Walter com manded-lils captive to conduct him to the nearest blacksmith shop. This done he found the tools ho wanted, and, with the negro slightly in ad vance of him and urged on hy the pistol in Walter's hand, they return ed to the bank, and with the newly acquired tools the safe was forced. About $2,000 was procured. When tho hank was left far behind tho yoggmcn made the negro help them to placo a hand-car belonging to tho L roadmaeter of that division of the I railroad on the tracks, and this done they leisurely pumped themselves along the rails after tossing the ne gro a dollar, with the injunction, "Oo (Continued on Page Three.)