"When taken before the court, Bell made a hard fight for freedom,
but he was held to the Criminal Court on five charges of obtaining
money under false pretenses. Bonds were placed at $300 in each case by
Justice Prindiville.
"He was unable to do the work he was requiring the girls to do, so
when the grand jury saw through his scheme the five indictments were
promptly returned.
"J. H. Bell jumped his bail, fled to Minneapolis, where he conducted
the same business. Here he was again arrested, fined and given so many
hours to leave the city."
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was the next place Bell opened his Show-Card
College. On the 28th of September, 1906, he was again arrested for
operating a confidence game and fined $80.
He then went to St. Louis, Mo., and opened an office in the Century
Building, under the name of the Clark Institute. Charges of swindling
women who applied to learn card-writing were made against him and he
was arrested, but later released through some technicalities set up
in the warrant of his arrest; also lack of evidence to support the
charges made in the warrant.
The newspapers published his swindling operations and on this account
Bell threatened to sue both the publishers and the police officials.
Detective Wooldridge located him through an article which appeared
in the St. Louis paper, which gave a description of his Show-Card
College, which was being carried on there.
John M. Collins, General Superintendent of Police, sent Bell's picture
and his Bertillon system of measurements to the Chief of Police in St.
Louis, and requested him to make the arrest. On the following day John
M. Collins. Superintendent of Police, Chicago. Illinois, received the
following letter from E. P. Creecy, Chief of Police, St. Louis, Mo.:
St. Louis, Mo.,
Dec. 22, 1906.
JOHN M. COLLINS, ESQ.
Superintendent of Police,
Chicago, Ill.
Dear Sir:
Replying to your letter of Dec. 21, relative to J. H.
Bell, wanted in your city for obtaining money by means of
a confidence game, will say that W. H. Clark, office 354
Century Building, this city, was in the Court of Criminal
Correction this morning charged with larceny by trick, and
a _nolle prosequi_ was entered by the prosecuting attorney.
He answers the description of Bell and is undoubtedly the
same person, but I would suggest that you send someone to
identify him before the arrest is made, as he is making a
fight here on his case. Clark is carrying on the same kind
of business here as he did in your city.
Very respectfully,
E. P. CREECY,
Chief of Police.
Detective Harry Harris of Chicago was sent to St. Louis to identify
Bell, and swore that in his belief Clark was Bell. The detective
department wanted the case continued until Friday, but Clark insisted
upon immediate trial. Judge Sale held that the detective had not been
positive enough in his identification.
Detective Wooldridge arrived on the scene as Bell was leaving the
court room after being discharged the second time by the court.
Detective Wooldridge seized Bell and turned him over to a St. Louis
police officer and filed a new affidavit of positive identification
that Clark was Bell.
His lawyer demanded an immediate trial, but Detective Wooldridge
secured a two-day continuance to bring witnesses from Chicago to prove
the identity of Bell. This so enraged the attorney that he turned upon
Wooldridge and informed him that he would again free Bell and even
offered to bet $200.
He further stated that he had asked Governor Folk not to grant
requisition papers for his client. Detective Wooldridge replied, "Do
you remember Admiral George Dewey at Manila Bay who told Captain
Gridley to fire when he got ready?"
Wooldridge further told him he didn't care any more for him than the
dew that dropped on the jackass' mane. Wooldridge told the attorney
that Bell had defrauded over two hundred working girls in Chicago,
Illinois, and that the Cook County grand jury had investigated the
matter, and returned five indictments against Bell, and the Honorable
Charles S. Deneen, Governor of the State of Illinois, had caused to
be issued requisition papers for the arrest and apprehension of J. H.
Bell, and he had made Detective Wooldridge a special messenger to go
to St. Louis, Mo., and bring Bell to Chicago where he could be placed
on trial to answer to the indictments that had been brought against
him.
Detective Wooldridge stated that he had come three hundred miles
to perform that mission and he intended that Bell should return to
Chicago with him.
The attorney replied "he hardly thought the Honorable Governor Folk of
Missouri would grant requisition papers on Bell."
Detective Wooldridge told the attorney that he came for J. H. Bell
and was fully determined to take him back to Illinois to stand trial
and that he would cross the bridges as he came to them and burn them
behind him. He told Bell's attorney if the Honorable Governor Folk
refused to grant the first requisition papers, he would try on each of
the other indictments asking for requisition papers.
If this failed there was five forfeited bonds by which Bell could be
brought back to the State of Illinois on extradition papers.
If all this failed he had made arrangements to have him brought
back by the strong arm of the United States Government, through an
Inspector of Mails and United States Deputy Marshal for using the
mails for fraudulent purposes.
Wooldridge called up John M. Collins, General Superintendent of
Police, Chicago, Ill., by the long distance telephone and requested
the second set of requisition papers, certified copies of the five
forfeited bonds, and that the bondsman be sent to St. Louis at once,
which was done.
Thirty minutes after he left Bell's angry attorney, Wooldridge was
aboard a Missouri Pacific fast train, bound for Jefferson City,
Mo., to see Honorable Jos. Folk and lay before him the reason why
requisition papers should be granted. Arriving at Jefferson City at
10 P. M., the following morning (which was Sunday morning) he made a
demand upon Jailer Dawson for the body of Bell. Jailer Dawson referred
him to Judge Sale. Wooldridge found Judge Sale at his home, who, after
examining his papers, found them all right and ordered the jailer to
turn over Bell to Detective Clifton R. Wooldridge.
Bell was again brought to the office of the Chief of Police and
confronted by Wooldridge and Harris who arrested him.
When J. H. Bell was arrested in Chicago December 5, 1905, Mr. Turner
defended him and afterwards went on Bell's bond for $1,500. Bell was
turned over to Wooldridge who slipped a pair of handcuffs on him as he
was boarding a street car, landed him in East St. Louis, Ill., none
too soon, as Bell's attorney had sent out a writ of _habeas corpus_
and would watch all trains and stop the detective from taking Bell
from the State of Missouri.
Wooldridge requested the Chief of Detectives to inform Bell's lawyer
that both he and Bell were now in the State of Illinois and their
address would be in Chicago, Ill., if he wished to see either of them.
One of the police officers at East St. Louis overheard Bell tell his
cell-mate he would make his escape before he reached Chicago, and told
him to watch the newspapers the next day.
This information was given to Wooldridge.
Detective Wooldridge had tickets over the Chicago and Eastern Illinois
Railroad.
This train left at 11 P. M. at night and the first stop it made was
twenty miles north on the Missouri side of the river.
Wooldridge could not take his prisoner and board the train there on
account of _habeas corpus_ writs for Bell. Officers were watching all
trains expecting him to leave St. Louis. Wooldridge outwitted them
by taking interurban street car, traveling some twenty-five miles in
company with two officers whom the Chief of Police had sent along with
him. Upon arriving at the station in a heavy rainstorm he found the
agent had deserted his post and gone home.
The headlight on the Eastern Illinois fast express train showed up
in the distance. What was to be done to bring the train to a stop so
that they could board it? At this important moment Wooldridge's eye
rested upon a switch lamp under a switch only a few yards from him;
with one leap across the track he secured the lamp and began to swing
it across the track to and fro with a red light pointed towards the
approaching train. This was a signal for the engineer to stop. But
would the engineer see the signal in time, or would the rain which was
beating down in torrents prevent the engineer from seeing the signal?
It was an exciting few seconds to pass through. But the engineer
did see the signal to stop, he blew one long blast of his whistle,
reversed his engine, applied the air-brakes which brought the train to
a stand-still right at the station door.
A conductor and brakeman had alighted and run forward on the sudden
stop of the train as they thought some accident had happened, inquired
of Wooldridge what was the trouble. He replied, "Nothing but two
passengers for Chicago." At this time he and Bell were aboard the
train. The conductor told Wooldridge that he had no right to flag
the train. Wooldridge told him that he had purchased two tickets
to Chicago with the understanding that the train stopped there to
let on and off passengers, furthermore the card stated that this
train stopped there, and arriving there he found that the agent had
abandoned his post and gone home, and he had taken it upon himself
to act as station agent for the time being and stopping a train. He
told the conductor that he had to be in Chicago the following morning
as his business was urgent, furthermore he could not afford to stand
there all night in the rain without shelter because the station agent
had neglected to do his duty.
On gaining admission to the car Bell was made comfortable: By turning
two seats together he had two big pillows on which he might rest his
head.
Wooldridge then stooped down and unlaced Bell's shoes so he could rest
his tired feet, he then called the porter and gave Bell's shoes to him
with orders to shine them up and keep them until the detective called
for them next morning.
Wooldridge then reached down into his traveling bag, took out a pair
of leg-irons which he placed around Bell's legs, and locked them
securely. Bell made a protest and assured the detective that he would
not give him any trouble or make any attempt to get away. Wooldridge
told him the first law of human nature was self-protection and he was
exercising that precaution in this case.
Only a few weeks prior to this time an officer was returning from New
York with a prisoner and neglected to take these precautions, dosed
off into a little sleep, the train had just then stopped to take on
coal, the prisoner only had handcuffs on, and in the twinkling of an
eye passed the officer who was asleep and succeeded in getting off the
train just as it started. His escape was not noticed by the officer
until they had gone several miles; it was then too late, the bird
had flown, and having money in his pocket found a man who filed the
shackles off his hands. He made good his escape and the officer lost
his job.
After Bell had been securely shackled and made as comfortable as
possible, Wooldridge turned two seats together on the opposite side
of the car, never closed his eyes until they reached Chicago the
following morning, taking Bell to the Bureau of Identification, had
his measure and picture taken. He was then turned over to Cook County
Sheriff.
A few months later J. H. Bell was arraigned for trial and confronted
by over thirty angry women, whom he had robbed, as witnesses. After a
long trial he was found guilty of obtaining money under the confidence
game. He asked for a new trial which was denied and on March the 9th,
1907, he was sentenced to Joliet Penitentiary for an indefinite time
by Judge Brentano. His counsel asked for the arrest of judgment so he
might have time to write up the record and present it to the
Then the Bell luck, which could beat even detectives, broke Bell's
way. Also the Bell honesty suffered a recrudescence. It so happened
that while Bell was in the County Jail a plot was set on foot to make
a big jail delivery.
It was planned, and the plans seemed to have been well arranged, to
smuggle enough dynamite into the jail to wreck even that formidable
building. The plot was hatched by George Smith, Eugene Sullivan,
Morris Fitzgerald and Alfred Thompson.
On March 2, 1907, this precious crew had been arrested for robbing a
mail wagon. They were apprehended and taken to the County Jail. There
they hatched the plot for the introduction of the dynamite. Many other
prisoners were admitted to their secret, among them Bell.
Smith, who was as big and powerful as Bell was little and
insignificant, threatened to choke Bell to death in his cell if he
told of the dynamite plot.
Bell's spirit appeared to be as big as the other man's body. This
may have been due to the fact that he saw that "peaching" on his
confederates was the only method of escape. Anyway Bell "peached."
He told of the dynamite plot and the dynamite was seized. Dr. J.
A. Wesener afterward declared that there was enough of it to have
destroyed the whole building.
It was so undoubtedly true that Bell had been of service to the state
in revealing this plot that a plea for clemency was made for him and
so he escaped the penalty for his crimes.
But the experiences of Bell, and the fear of Detective Clifton R.
Wooldridge had the salutary effect of putting a stop to the "Show-Card
Writing" fraud in Chicago.