The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1872-03-30
ADDITIONAL LOCAL.
The Burke-Coste||o Affair,
An Unfortunate Mistake

lish a paper yesterday, because OF th'
necessity OF removing to our new quar-
ters, makes us a day late in giving the
particulars OF the unfortunate mistake
by which Gen. Thomas Francis Burke
and Capt Augustine E. Costello wer'
arrested at Cumberland, Nd, on sus-
picion Of being Dunlap aid johnson
the confidence men who swindled Jacot
Archer out of $2250; but we trust oul
account will be none the less interesting
because OF that delay. We shall en-
deavor to give a full, fair and impartia
account OF the matter, ,aas We obtained
the facts from Gen. Burke, Capt. Cos
tello, Capt. Conant, Mr.. Goodwin and
the report published in the Cumberland
Ne,os. We shall commence our account
with an abstract Of the history given by
us of the confidence game played on
Jacob Archer, Of Enoch, Noble county
Ohio. published in the REGISTER or
Thursday.
On last Wednesday at noon, Mr.
Archer, who had been to Baltimore to
sell tobacco, reached this city, in com
pany with two men. One OF them he
described as being a portly man with a
heavy black beard, who answered to
the name of Dunlap. The other was a
smaller, thinner man with saudy hair
and mustache, who called himself John
son. He made the acquaintance Of the
two in Baltimore, and with them trav-
eled to Wheeling, they representing
themselves as drovers, and offering
drovers' passes to the conductor OF the
train on which they rode. Archer had
in his pocket, when he arrived here,
drafts on one of our city banks for
$225O. The man calling himself Dun
lap took rooms at the Mcclure House,
while Archer and the one using the
name OF johnson found quarters at the
Grant House. These two, by means Of
a bogus check and three unsigned
bands, managed to swindle Mr.. Archer
out OF the money he drew from the
bank on his drafts.
On Saturday night, General Thomas
Francis Burke, a portly, fine looking
man, and Capt. A. f. Costello, a slim
man with a small mustache, though
not sandy one. spoke in the Court
House, in this city. They came here
in company with James Nolan, Esq.,
and left here on Wednesday afternoon
at five o'clock. Mr.. Nolan told us and
others they were going to Cincinnati
Louisville and Chicago. Instead ofthis,
they started direct for New York,
Wednesday evening, on the same train
on which it was thought the two swind-
lers returned TO Baltimore.
Shortly after they started Capt. Co
nant, our Chief OF Police, was called on
by Mr.. Archer, and the circumstances
of the swindle and the description Of the
men given.
Captain Conant at once set about
d" working up the case" Going to the
depot OF the Baltimore and Ohio rail
road, he was informed by the porter
there, Thomas Dixon, that two men
answering the description had gone of
on the train and that they had acted
very singularly while at the depot
They lett their overcoats and satchels
for a few minutes and went away; they
came back hurriedly and apparently
Hurried; then they went down to the
lower end OF the depot with another
man (supposed to be James Nolan),
standing by the locomotive until the
train started, when, without m ore ado,
they jumped on board and were carried
off.
After receiving this information,
Captain Conant went to the ticket
office, where he was Informed that a
man answering the description Of Dun
Lap and one with a light" mustache
had purchased tickets for New York.
Satisfied that he WAS on the track OF
the men he wanted, he went to the tele-
graph office and dispatched telegram
10 the conductor Of the train, asking il
the men were with him. This reached
the conductor at Grafton, and he at
once replied that the men were there on
their way East. They were pointed out
at Grafton to the conductor of the train
from Parkersburg. who was directed by
the other conductor to see that they did
not Jump the train" before reaching
Cumberland. 4 dispatch was also sent to
Cumberland, to the Chief Of Police
there, describing the men, asking their
arrest and stating that Captain Conant
would follow them on the next train.
At Grafton they took the sleeping car
and on reaching Cum berland they were
rudely awakened by the police, as Gen.
Burke informed US, and in great haste,
almost without time to dress themselves
compelled TO get up and 60 with their
captors. At this, they were naturally
indignant, nor was their indignation al
all allayed by being compelled to pass