Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-03-24

HALF An HOUR WITH THE DETECTIVE Police
The RECENT BURGLARIEs, AND THE CAPTURE
OF THE BURGLARs.-Since the first of Janu-
airy last an unusual number of burglaries
have been committed in this city, and it was
belieyed that they were the work of an or
ganized band, which turned out to have been
the case. W. F. MEACHAM, E-q.. chief of the
Detective Police, has had the matter in hand
for several weeks past, and his labor resulted.
few days since, in the arrest of ten persons,
white and black, and the recovery of six or
eight hundred dollars worth of stolen goods.
Our Reporter obtained from Mr.. MEACHAM
yesterday, the following account of the af-
fair:
The first of these burglaries reported to
me-" said Mr.. MEACHAN, "was committed on
the night of the 26th of January, at the dry
Nashville. His house was robbed about two
weeks after that of Mr.. Iser, each of whom
lost some $500 or 500 worth of goods. The
next week Leiger's store was robbed, and
soon after the grocery house of Banniza was
robbed of large amount of groceries,
About the same lime attempts were made to
enter the store of w. ". Parks and Parks i
Brothers in South Nashville. After an ex-
animation Of all the premises, 1 was satisfied
that these robbeIies had been committed by
a regularly organized band of thieves, white
persons and negroes. Immediately went to
work to ferret them out, and soon got on the
track; but they were so well organized and
their plans so skillfully arranged that it re-
quired some five or six weeks to get them
fairly entrapped. On the night of March the
18th notified Marshal Brown and Deputy
Mar-hals Ciumley, Brantly and Wilkinson
of my purpose to make a descent upon the
rendezvous Of the band, and these officers
promptly joined me 10 the work. We pro-
ceeded to the place, on Browns creek, some
three miles from the city, and found it in
possession Of James Denhart. On searching
the house we discovered. secreted IN different
rooms, large quantities of stolen goods,
which we easily recognized as those stolen
from FL IsoroOk and Iser. Several articles
taken from the smoke-house of Thos. Hayden
were also found. We took the goods in pos
session and brought Denhart to town and
lodged him in Jail.
ave then proceeded to the grocery of Mrs.
Halle, on North College street, where we al
so found large quantities OF stolen goods,
which HasbroOk and Iser identified as theirs.
Knowing that part of Hasbrook's goods
were at the store of James Pendergsst in the
same street, sent the former down to pur-
chase some article bearing his mark. He ac-
cordingIy went down and returned with two
pairs of shoes, which were identified as his.
dergast's, and succeeded in recovering az
other lot of goods, and in taking him into
custody and lodging him in Jail.
We went next to the plantation of I. r.
Rains, some two miles from the city, where,
with the aid of that gentleman, We arrested
four of his negroes. Having satisfied him
that they were implicated in the robberies,
he very readily gave rs his assistance, and
was anxious to have the matter investigated.
Having placed the negroes in the Work
House, we went to the house of Lewis Doxey,
free negro, about mile and half from
town, whom we found concealed under some
hay in the stable-toft. Deputy Marshal Brant-
ley found him thus ibid away" and "un-
earthed him." Here we also found lot of
stolen goods, which we secured, aRd consign-
ed Doxey to the Jail. The plantation of Thos.
Harding was the next scene of our opera
tons. With the assistance of Mr.. Harding,
we arrested one of his negroes, making the
fifth We had taken.
"The negroes were examined separately,
and their guilt was fully established. Not
wishing to put their owners to unnecessary
expense, their case was submitted to them.
(the owners.) who sentenced them to the
lash, and they received seyerer punishment
than the law could have inflicted, and were
discharged.
"Denhart, Pendergast and Doxey are to be
tried before Recorder Glenn az 10 o'clock
Tuesday morning"