Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-03-26
THE EXPRESS ROBBERS.

Old Mas Morris Captured in Texas.
This morning the last of the Memphis
express robbers and would-be murderers
of messenger Brady, arrived in this city
via the Little Rock road in charge
Of his csptor, detective Pat Cornell; j.
j. Mullane, Superintendent Texas Ex-
press Company; John Willis, Superin,
tendent Southern Express Company,
and 6. W. Agee, Western route agent of
the Southern Company. The prisoner,
Mat Morris, alias Pittsburg Mat, alias
Judge, on account Of his wise look, is a
heavy set old villain of fifty years, five
feet six inches in hight, grey hair ard
whiskers (his hair is just recovering from
dying, weight, about one hundred and
forty pounds, he passed up Main street
to the Express Office, and was smoking a
cigar in a free and easy manner. He was
taken to the express office and pumped,
but reporters al get nothing out of him.
1t is understood that he has given all
necessary information to the Express
Company men, and they, during the
entire affair, have been very reti-
cent, being 10th to give information
to the public through newspapers,
except just what they deemed suf.
icient. This of course would not
satisfy reporters, and especially our
reporter, who published more facts con
corning the robbery than could be OBJ.
tanned from the expressmen. Morris
formerly resided at Little Rock, and is
we'll known in Texarkana, where he was
a boss fakir." The woman, Mollie
Woods, wife of the other robber, has
been here under police surveillance for
some time, and she 'squealed" and put
the detectives upon the right track OF
the villain Morris. From her it was
found out that Morris had relatives near
Sherman, Texas, and there he expected
TO- communicate with her by letter. To
use a police phrase, she gave him
away" and it was an easy matter for the
officers of the law to bag the game.
Mollie had been the mistress of old
Morris, although the wife OF Woods.
She and her mother reside in Fort Pick
ering, near the gas-works, and near by
is the cabin which Ed Johnson and wife
inhabited, and with them old Morris
boarded. No money was recovered
from Morris when captured, his wife or
woman who was with HIM in Texas having
a portion Of the money, if not all, and
she was protected from arrest by Morris
friends, who drew pistols on detective
Connell when he effected Morris arrest
These deSperadoes probably intended to
protect the woman until Morris got out
of the way, and then they no doubt
robbed her of the ill-gotten gains, amount
ing, it is said, to fifteen hundred dollars
Morris being an inverate gambler, was
heard of several times in Arkansas and
Texas, he having played cards with other
gamblers who knew him we'll. 1t is now
known that after the robbery had been
committed, johnson and Morris crossed
the river in front Of Memphis in a skif
and walked ont the Little Rock road,
crossing several streams in a dugout,
until they arrived at a point where they
got on the train for Little Rock, where
they separated, Morris going to Texas
and johnson to Missouri. Nothing now
remains but to bring the criminals to
trial and punishment. The AMOUNT
stolen from the company is said to have
been about $4,000, $4,000 of which were
divided between Morris and Johnson, the
remainder having been given to the
negro johnson and young Woods.