Police Chase Nabs Forger

On Friday night, October 24, 1902, an informer passed information to Assistant Chief of Detectives James Smith.  S. J. Schultze & Co., a St. Louis printing firm, received an order from a stranger in town to print checks for the Elgin City Banking Company of Elgin, Illinois.  The informant doubted the checks were actually destined for a real bank.

Assistant Chief Smith detailed St. Louis Detective John Keeley to stake out the company.  Keeley selected St. Louis Police Special Officer Thomas McNeil to assist him on the surveillance.  Keeley and McNeil did not have to wait long.  Around 11 a.m. on Saturday, October 25, 1902, a slight built man arrived at the printing company and claimed the package.

Keeley and McNeil began to follow the stranger, who soon realized he was being followed.  As Keeley moved closer to the man, the stranger suddenly turned and threw the package in his face.  The man began to flee down Olive Street in Downtown St. Louis.

The stranger first ran through the Jesse French Plano Company at 1116 Olive Street.  The man’s actions terrified several women shoppers as the man was trying to pull a revolver from his waist.

As they exited the store, the man freed the revolver and fired two shots at Keeley but missed with both.  Keeley and McNeil returned fire, which convinced the man to run faster.

 Scared people are capable of abnormal feats.  The fleeing suspect jumped a ten foot ditch, which briefly allowed him to create a great lead from the pursuing St. Louis Police Officers.

The man ran through a rooming house on Chestnut Street but the policemen showed great endurance by gaining on the man.  They all three ran through a second house on Chestnut terrifying three women inside.

Several bystanders including John Pearsall, the superintendent of the St. Louis Health Department horses and vehicles.  Pearsall was able to trip the unlucky crook.  Keeley and McNeil jumped on the man and took his pistol.  He tried to fight but was quickly subdued by repeated blows to the man’s head.

At first, the man refused to admit anything or identify himself.  Eventually, he confessed he was William Smith, a forger.  Smith possessed four aliases and served two prison terms in both New York and Missouri.  Smith intended to use the fake checks in a Texas forgery scheme.

At his hotel room, St. Louis Police arrested a young lady, who was typing letters to send to Texas along with the fake checks.  The police also seized a bag with two large pistols and considerable ammunition.  Smith also wore a cartridge belt around his waist.

St. Louis Police initially charged Smith with attempted murder for shooting at Keeley.  However, St. Louis Chief of Detectives William Desmond and Circuit Attorney Joseph “Holy Joe” Folk intended to charge Smith as an habitual offender, which carried a potential life sentence.

William Smith became one more criminal to match wits with St. Louis Chief of Detectives William Desmond and his men.  As usual, Desmond’s team won.  Smith would be only one of many criminals nabbed during Desmond’s long tenure as St. Louis Chief of Detectives.

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