Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1865-10-02
IMPORTANT ARRESTS.
A General Caught I'm the Act of Stealth;
$50. ono.

General l.. G. Baker, Chief OF the Detective
force of the War Department having received
information that an attempt would be made 10
rob the safe of Col. Alberger, Depot Quarter
master at Lynchburg, Va, which contained a
large amount Of gold silver, and Treasury
notes, belonging to the Government two de-
tectives were dispatched from this city by Gen
Baker to keep sharp lookout on the premises
in which the safe was located.
At a certain hour on Friday last Gen Bris.
coe, late Colonel of the 199th Pennsylvania
regiment, who commands the Lynchburg mill
tary district, was seen by the detectives to en-.
ter the office of the depot quartermaster,
which is In the Courthouse building At
Lyhchburg, unlock the safe, take out the
money, amounting to about $4,000, place il
under his coat, retire from the room and enter
his own office, near by there. After reaching
his own headquarters Gen. Briscoe locked the
door of his office, and laid the money upon a
table, but was speedily followed by the detec-
tves, who broke the door open, and caught
him in the act of firing the building to hide his
guilt by means of pieces of cloth sewed to-
gether, and saturated with some combustibIe
material Gen. Briscoe was Immediately taken
in custody, when he stated in defence that he
had taken the money to prevent it falling into
the hands ola man named Lackey, post suit
Ter, who, it appears from information IN the
hands of the authorities, was associated with
Briscoe in plot to rob the safe of the funds
mentioned above.
Some time ago this man Lackey approached
Colonel Alberger, the post quartermaster in
whose charge the funds Were, and made a
proposition to him to enter into the Mot ~
steal the money, urging an inducement that
they could blow open the safe, divide the
spells between BrIscoe, Alberger, and bimse,f
and circulate the report that the act had been
committed by robbers. Alberger declined this
proposition; when Lackey further urged that
IL was all right with General Briscoe, who
would simply convene a court.martiay. of
which he (Brfscoe) would be president, and
that Alberger would be acquitted of all blame
in the matter, while the crime would he
charged to late rebel officer, the owner of the
safe in which the money was kent
Lackey, failing to get Col AIberrer IN epter
into the plan, he managed to get an impression
of the lock of the safe, with which he went tn
Philadelphia to get key made, at the instance
OF Briscoe. In the meantime, however and
before the return of Lackey from Philadel
phia, Briscoe on some pretext or other, man.
aged to obtain loan of the original kew of the
safe from Col. AlbergeH from which he took
an impression on piece of wax This &C.
complshed. he manufactured an awkward
looking and rough iron key, which answered
the purpose however for which it was de-
signed as is shown above
Lackey, in accordance with a plan between
himself and Briscoe, was to return from PhiIa.
delphia to Lynchburg on the very night Of the
day FRIDAY LAST that Briscoe robbed the safe
This information being within the KNOWLEDGE
of Gen. Bakers detectives, one of them was
despatched on horseback to station on the
Lynchburg railroad, with description of
Lackey, who was taken in custody upon the
arrival of the train.
Briscoe and Lackey were both immediately
brought to Washington, and they are now con
fined in the Old Ii.ri.~h I--isvn.
me key used by Briscoe in unlocking the
safe, the wax upon which the impression was
taken, and the charred cloth with which he AT.
tempted to fire the buildings are now i'm the
possession Of Gen. Baker at his office in this
city.
Gen. Briscoe will be brought ont to-day no.
fore Gen. Burnhams military commission To
plead to the charges which will be broug ht
against him.
The working up Of this detective operat,on
is one Of the best managed of Gen Bakers
many successful achievements in the detective