Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-02-02
The City Money Delivery Messenger Of
the Southern Express Company
Robbed Of Eight Thousand
Dollars.
A Well-Laid Plan Daringly Executed
Is # Another Lesson By the Gad's
Hill Robbers Escape and
Pursuit.
Statement OF the Messenger-His Mar.
row Escape from Death-Exclts-
meHt In the City Over the Bold
est Crime in her History.

"Jim Brady, the money messenger {
the express company, is killed, and te
thousand dollars stolen, - were the word
that spread all over the city yesterda,
morning, and in few minutes the peO
pie became very much excited over
bold and daring robbery. J. T. Brady
OF the Southern express company, hat
been chOked almost to death and robbet
Of several thousand dollars, in Office No
Is Madison street, and this, too, abOu
nine o'clock yesterday morning. Tn
following facts show
HOW THE ROBBERY WAS COMMITTED
Mr.. J. T. Brady, the money delivery
clerk, yesterday morning Started on hi
rounds with his sack, containing pack,
ages OF money for different persons il
the city. Among these wss a packag,
marked for Robert Bleckley, No. Is
Madison street, basement - the same
having been sent from CollierviIle last
Saturday night. Mr.. Brady went down
the steps, and, going in the Office, saw
two negroes engaged in putting down 8
floor mating, a white man standing by
as IL directing the work, while at the
desk behind counter in the rear end Oi
the room was another white man. Ap.
preaching the man in the center of the
room, Mr.. Brady asked: "Is Robert
Bleckley here?' "Yes, sir, / am the
man." he replied, and Mr.. Brady said
"Are you expecting money package?'
ayes, sir, from COllierville," responded
the man supposed to be Bleckley.
"Well, have il here. Come to the
desk and will deliver it," said Brady,
who started to the counter so as to get
out his book, Bleckley following him,
aid remarking: 81 am very glad to
hear it, as / have been expecting it
several days" Mr.. Brady then placed
his book on the counter, and while
in the act Of tuning over the leaves
Bleckley approached from behind, and
selling him by the throat jerked him
backward. The other white man, wao
was behind the counter, struck him in
the face, and then a third white man,
who came out Of recess in the room,
dealt Brady q powerful blow on the
head with heavy hickory club, which
is about fourteen inches long, and
weighs over four pounds. Brady, stag
gering under the blows, tried to resist,
and succeeded in drawing his pistol, but
by this time the five men had beset him,
and Bleckley jerked the weapon from
his hands, and then battered him in
the face with it. The men continued
their blows and knocked him down,
two Of them choking him all the while
to prevent an alarm being made. They
next dragged Brady across the room to
a recess, again choked him, tied a rope
around his neck and feet, and stamped
him almost to death.
THE HELPLESS MAN
became insensible, his last recollection
being that his head was placed in bag
and his throat was being choked by the
rope around it. All else was dark, and
fifteen or twenty minutes, at least,
elapsed before consciousness returned to
Brady, who first cut the string from
around his throat, pulled the bag half off
his head, and severing the rope that
bound his feet and legs, attempted to
rise. He gained his feet, but not until
he had made several attempts, as he was
too weak 10 stand alone. He realized
his situation, and, what was strange,
his gold watch was untouched, although
the money express receipt-book and his
pistol had been carried off by the five
men. With great difficulty Brady
reached the front door, and finding it
locked from within, managed to turn
the key. He then crawled up the iron
steps upon the pavement, and instantly
bis bloody face and strange appearance
attracted attention. He managed to
give the alarm as best he could in his
weak condition. Then the news of the
robbery spread, and in few minutes
HUNDREDs OF EXCITED CITIZENS
around Brady, and no little
Indignation was expressed. The excite
ment was so great that the robbers
would have been mobbed without the
benefit of clergy had they been caught.
People gathered from every direction,
and no event save the greSt financial
panic Of 1873 has caused such an in
alarm and intense excite
ment in this city, for in the broad open
daylight q bold, fearless robbery had
been committed, and that, too, in an
office on the principal banking street
1f the city. Mr.. Brady was conducted
TO the express Office on North Court
street. and there the people also 1ocked
10 hear all about it.
WHO is WILLIAM K. PARKER?
On the eighteenth Of ofJanusry a young
man, giving his name as Hall, applied
10 Mr.. /. d. Conawsy, rental agent, for
he basement, No. Is Madison street, to
be used as an office by Mr.. William r.
Parker, of Springfield, Illinois, who in-
tended to commence stock insurance
agency. The young man paid Mr.. Con-
away fifty dollars as rent for one month,
and signed receipt for Parker. The Of
dee is centrally located and quite con-
genient in every respect, as it has good
Iront and runs back to an alley. II was
used by Mr.. William Gay, OF
his city, and contained an old desk,
with several articles OF furniture left
there. Although the young man had
the key, and had contracted for the Of
.ice for one year, provided he desired to
keep it so long, no preparation in the
way Of fitting 1t was noticed until last
when the glass windows and
door were screened by green window
curtains. This is all that is known about
he man William r. Parker, who yes
.erday hung up his name on paste
eOaTd card across the door to the Office.
The name was stenciled in black cap
tai letters, and was simply "William
r. Parker" During the early part Of
he forenoon a msn entered Prescott's
store, at the corner of Madison and Main
streets, to purchase lamp.
ALL ABOUT TIE LAMP.
The following account Of the mans
visit to PrescOtt's store is given by Mr..
D. Z. Prescott; "About half-past eight
o'clock this (Mondsy) morning. s rough
lv-dressed man, medium size, came in
our store, approached the counter, and
INQUIRED Of our clerk, Henry Newsom,
the price Of q small brass hand-lamp.
he was told it was forty cents. He then
asked if we had any twenty-five cent
lamps, and was answered in the mega
tive, Next he inquired the price OF
small glass hand lamps, and was an
swered fifty eents.' He sail he would
buy the lamp if it was filed with oil.
While waiting for the lamp TO be filled
with oil he observed some one weighing
himself on a platform-scale, near by.
Remarking that he wished to be weighed,
he stepped upon the scales, the pes was
on the beam by Z. NJ. Prescott
{ who had just stepped off the seales), and
reported his weight to be one hundred
and thirty-one pounds. The man re-
marked that that was more than he ever
weighed before in his life. His lamp
was now ready, when he said that he
wanted g bill. Our other clerk, Charles
p. Prescott, had just come in, when
walking to the desk he made out the