THE LETTERS THAT BETRAYED.
They Show That Barnes Turned
Informer for $60 Reward
Here is the correspondence through which William January, once a prisoner, afterwards Charles W. Anderson, model citizen, was apprehended, later arrested and taken back to the federal prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kas., and on account of which, as William January, he is again wearing stripes while the wife and little daughter are left helpless at home:
"Kansas City, Mo., March 21, '07
To the Warden.
Dear Sirs: -- I understand that you have a man that escaped from the old prison in 1898 by the name of January. His number was 892 or 292 or some such number. If you will send me his picture I will loket him for the reward and expenses. Let me know by return mail or telephone me."
The informer signed his name with a rubber stamp. His name is Barnes and he is a harness maker. In a few days another letter was forwarded to Warden R. W. McClaughry. It bore no date and read:
"As I have not heard from you in regard to the prisoner by the name of Bill January. I have still got him located easy to get. You send a man down and I will tell him or show him where he is at. I would arrest him but I don't want anyone to know it. I found it out on the quiet and may find out more. Write me about what to do. I will show him up for the reward of $60."
Again Barnes, who possibly can't write plain enough to be read, signed his name with the rubber stamp. He was trafficking in a human being for which he was to get $60 -- but he did not want to be known. On March 22 Warden R. W. McClaughry wrote to Barnes as follows:
"Your letter of March 21 came to hand. In reply I have to say that a prisoner named William January, No. 308 (clothes 272) did make his escape from the United States penitentiary at Fort Leavenworth, Kas., on the night of December 9, 1898, and is still at large.
His present whereabouts are unknown to us. He is still wanted by the United States government on the charge of being a fugitive from the penitentiary.
I will pay the reward of sixty dollars ($60) for his arrest and detention until delivered to an officer from this penitentiary, or I will pay in addition to the reward the actual and reasonably incurred expenses between the place of arrest and this penitentiary on condition that the right man is delivered here. Will be pleased to hear from you at an early date. We have plenty of means to positively identify the man if he is delivered here. "
I seems that no more letters passed between Warden McClaughry and the informer, Barnes. Instead, however, the warden wrote to Chief of Police John Hayes on April 18 as follows, sending Barnes' letter:
"Inclosed find copies of correspondence which I have had with a man in your city a Mr. -----Barnes of No. -----. I do not know anything about this man Barnes, but rather suspect that he is a former prisoner from this penitentiary and that he is well acquainted with the escaped prisoner, William January, No. 272, whom we want back here to serve the unexpired part of his term which he owes here. I will pay $60 (sixty dollars) for the arrest and detention of January until he is safely delivered to an officer from this penitentiary. I will be very much obliged if you will kindly detail a couple of officers to go and see this man Barnes and see if they can get this man January. If your officers learn that January is out of Kansas City please call me up on the telephone and I will decide what to do about it. Thank you in advance for anything you may do for me in this matter, I remain, Very respectfully, R. W. MCCLAUGHRY, Warden."
The correspondence was given into the hands of Detectives Oldham and Ghent, with instructions to see Barnes. They did so on strict instructions from Chief Hayes to arrest January on view and bring him in. It has not been so stated, but it seems rather odd that January should have been arrested on the same street where Barnes has a small business., but it looks as if the escaped man may have been called down there for some purpose or other by the man who sought only the $60 reward. The detectives carried a photograph of the man wanted. Barnes identified it as that of Charles W. Anderson.
"When the man was pointed out to us on the street," the detectives said yesterday, "we arrested him, just as we would have arrested any other man for whom we had been sent out. The first thing Barnes mentioned to us was the reward. We told him that was a matter purely between him and the warden, as we expected no reward and were only sent to arrest January on orders from the chief.
"If it is true that Barnes cannot receive the reward after all, on account of some technicality, we want to state right now that not one penny will be touched by us. We knew nothing of Anderson's life here and never knew he was married and had a little baby until after the arrest. Even had we known that, however, acting under orders as we were, we still would have been compelled to arrest him."
Mrs. Charles W. Anderson, leading her little girl by the hand, went to police headquarters yesterday afternoon to ask only one question.
"What is the name of the man who caused my husband's arrest and where does he live?"
She was given all the information and told just how the arrest was brought about. "That man may have a wife, perhaps children, too," she said, as big tears trickled down her pale cheeks. "If he has I hope that they may never be caused to suffer as I am suffering now on account of the greed of a despicable informer." She made no note of the man's name, saying that she could never forget it as long as she lived. Then she and the little girl left the station hand in hand.
