CHAPTER XLVII.
CHARLES H. FOULK WANTED IN PENNSYLVANIA FOR ARSON, LARCENY AND PERJURY—HE PROVES TO BE A LEADVILLE GAMBLER, MAKING “PILES OF MONEY”—SPOTTED IN DENVER BY GEN. COOK—ARRESTED AND JAILED—A LARGE SUM OF MONEY FOUND ON THE MAN’S PERSON—THE LAWYERS INTERESTED—A SUIT FOR DAMAGES AGAINST COOK.
During the month of October, 1877, Gen. Cook received a postal card containing the following:
$500 Reward—The above reward will be paid for the arrest and detention of Charles H. Foulk, who is under indictment for arson, larceny, perjury and subornation of perjury. Description as follows: Age, forty-one years; height, six feet; weight, about one hundred and eighty pounds; has brown hair; had a light colored chin goatee about eight or nine inches long when he left here about the 20th of July, 1877, which covered the chin pretty well; long face, thin cheeks, high cheek bones; blue eyes; scar on right side of upper lip; large shot lodged in back of one of his hands—think it is the left hand; upper front teeth far apart and have conspicuous gold plugs; large feet and very long, and always wears shoes, generally fancy ones; when walking he takes long steps, and has a rolling gait; his shoulders are broad, stooped and of average breadth; gambler by profession; faro dealing is his choice game, and would be found in the association of gamblers. Arrest and notify
SAMUEL J. ANDERSON,
Detective,
Harrisburg, Pa.
The card was filed in the book devoted to such literature in the office of the Detective Association. No trace of the man was obtained, however, until in January, 1878, when another postal card from the Pennsylvania detectives stated that they had heard that the man was in Cheyenne and that $500 reward would be paid for his capture. This turned out to be a false report, but early in March Gen. Cook learned through a member of the Rocky Mountain Detective Association at Little Rock that the man had been seen there, and had only left a few days previous, on a rumor that the marshal of that place was about to arrest him, and that it was believed that he had gone to Colorado, most likely to Leadville.
The next clue bringing the game nearer home was the arrival in Denver, early in May, of a modest looking little woman, who registered at the Wentworth house, standing where now the St. James stands, as Mrs. G. M. Curtis, of Marysville, Cal. Soon afterwards Mrs. Curtis left the Wentworth and went to the Inter-Ocean, where she registered under the same name. The next day, Thursday, a man registering as G. M. Curtis put in an appearance, and claimed to be the husband of the woman. He registered from Marysville. Cal., also, and she acted as if his arrival had been anticipated. After his coming he was seen frequently in company with gamblers and sporting men. Gen. Cook, of the detective association, was then sheriff. He caught a passing glimpse of him Saturday afternoon, and at once hurried to the office to look up the description of Foulk. It answered perfectly, and having found the man, the next thing to do was to capture him. To accomplish this, the first officer retired from the field and Deputy Sheriffs Frank Smith and Arnold were detailed to work up the capture. They shadowed the man all day for two or three days and until 6 o’clock of the evening of the 26th, when, being satisfied that he was the party they were after, the two repaired to the Inter-Ocean and waited for Curtis to come in to supper. His wife happened to pass through the office, and seemed to have her suspicions aroused by seeing the two men present. She walked up to the clerk and remarked in a tone loud enough to be heard by the officers, “that she would go out and meet her husband, as he seemed to be late.”
Thinking that she was trying to mislead them, the officers followed her.
Mr. Smith then motioned to Mr. Arnold to come (meanwhile keeping an eye on Mrs. F.), and said: “Get my horse; she may be going off to get into her carriage.” Arnold did as requested, and overtook Smith several squares from the hotel. He then concluded to get back to the hotel as fast as he could, for he believed this to be a game put up on them to follow madame and allow the husband to get away. Arnold went back to the Inter-Ocean as fast as possible, it being understood that if he should find Foulk there, he should arrest him at once. Smith was to stay with the woman. Meanwhile Detective Smith closely watched Mrs. Foulk, who had entered Mr. Ballin’s store, on Larimer street.
Detective Arnold had scarcely time to go back to the hotel when Mr. Smith looked around and saw Arnold coming toward him with Foulk under arrest. He had been “nabbed” with the assistance of Officer Hudson, and the two came marching up the street with their prisoner between them—each having hold of an arm.
When Arnold entered the Inter-Ocean he saw Foulk standing in the hotel office. As soon as the officer entered, Foulk seated himself on a chair. Arnold walked up as though he intended passing Foulk, and, turning suddenly, grabbed his right arm firmly. Hudson came to his assistance, and seized the other arm, giving Foulk no chance to use his revolver.
Foulk sang out in a rage, “What do you want?”
Arnold replied: “You know something about the Bloodworth murder committed in Leadville?” [This was a ruse to throw Foulk off his guard and to get him away from the hotel quietly as possible.]
Foulk said: “I know nothing about Bloodworth.”
Mr. Arnold: “You do; and you must go with us.”
Foulk walked along quietly, thinking there was some blunder in the job, and that he could easily prove his innocence of the charge.
When Foulk was searched at the jail a large self-cocking revolver was found upon him. He was here told, in response to a question from himself as to what he had been arrested for, the facts in the case, but he denied everything, saying his name was Curtis and not Foulk, and that he was from California instead of Pennsylvania. Considerable money was found upon his person.
The prisoner was then taken to the county jail and examined. There was found in an inside vest pocket $933.55. He was searched again the same night, closely, and there were found carefully sewed up in the lining of his vest two $500 bills in one place and four $100 bills in another place, making the total amount he had on his person $2,383.55, for which amount Sheriff D. J. Cook, of Arapahoe county, gave Foulk a receipt, $5 being handed the prisoner for spending money. On the following morning Foulk’s wife visited him in prison, bringing with her W. D. Carlisle, a Denver lawyer. They held a conversation for some time, and going to the sheriff’s office demanded the money taken from the prisoner. Sheriff Cook flatly refused to hand it over until it was ascertained whether it justly belonged to Foulk. The prisoner’s wife and attorney left the office, and immediately entered suit against the sheriff for the sum taken from Foulk, adding $1,000 for damages.
Although Curtis continued to protest his innocence, there was no doubt left that he was the man wanted.
It is presumed that after leaving Little Rock the fellow came straight through and went to Leadville. It is known that he stopped at Fairplay, at the Bergh house, as the proprietor of that hotel, who was in the city just previous to the time of the arrest, seeing his name and that of his wife registered at the Inter-Ocean, sent up his card, but was told that they were not in. Curtis came to Denver evidently from Leadville. He was there through a portion of March, April and May. He was a part owner in a gambling house there, and the memorandum book showed the receipts of the house for each night in the month. The receipts aggregated $1,500 per month for the first two, and nearly that sum up to the 21st of May.
After his arrest it leaked out that his departure from Leadville was caused by the remark of his brother-in-law, a man named Creek, who was a partner in the gambling house, and who is now wanted for murder in Arkansas. It seems the two fell out over the management of the house, and Creek is said to have remarked in a crowd that he “could send Foulk back to Pennsylvania for firing a house.”
After his arrest here, a sporting man who seemed to have known him in Leadville, volunteered to go up there and settle up his business, which was still in operation.
Curtis was a very powerful built man, cool as a cucumber, and is said to have been left severely alone by the thumpers and roughs at Leadville, because of his determined manner and his threat openly expressed to kill any man who interfered with him. His wife showed great distress upon hearing of his arrest, and cried and sobbed at a great rate.
The Pennsylvania authorities being advised of the arrest, dispatched William McKeever, of Harrisburg, as a special officer to take him to that state. The officer arrived here with a requisition, and was soon on his way home with the prisoner, accompanied by Detective Smith. The officers gave it out that they expected to start on a Monday, but fearing a habeas corpus proceeding, left on Sunday, driving to a station with the prisoner a few miles out from the city.