The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1877-10-26

GEORGE II. PRICE, THE HEROIC EXPREss
BSSENGER, IN JAIL FOR STEAL
ING MONEY PACKAGES.


MESSENGER, IN JAIL FOR STEAL
ING MONEY PACKAGES.
The Pittsburg Dispatch of Thursday last
furnishes the following;
The intelligence reached the ears OF the re-
porters yesterday that Geo. ii. Price, the we'll
known express messenger, was arrested IN chi
cago on Monday on the charge of stealing mon
ey from packages in his care, between this city
and Chicago. The previous good character of
Price, together with his heroic conduct, about
named Bnkley, who attempted to rob AN ex
press car on the Pittsburg, Fl. Wayne and Chi
cago railroad made II diihcuit Tor the officers
OF the company to believe that he was other
than a strictly honest man, until the most in
dubitable evidence of his guilt had been laid
before them. 1t seems that for more than
year parties in Chicago and points west Of that
city have been complaining TO the officers of
the express conlpdny that packages OF money
received 10y thum were short of the amounts
placed therein by the senders. The sum. miss
iug were generally small, ranging from slO to
$50, and for Il whie>it was thought that the
parties inciosing the money were mistaken as
The complsints at length beca so frequent
that the agents at Chicago and this city bcce
Convinced that the thief had charge OF a run
between the two cities. The Chicago agent
suspected a messenger residing in this city,
while Agent Snively insisted that the Pitts
burg man was Innocent. Ii was finally agreed
to try TO detect the thief by means of d..cuy
packages, the same to be prepared aud shipped
from the office here. T'he dccoys were trst
tried all the ''runs'' but that of Price, so
confident were the agents of his honesty and
as they all went through safely ii was deter
mined To put the honesty of the sometime
hero to the same test as had he,n applied in
the case OF his fellow m essengers. This was
done on Sunday last in this way: money
package was prepared, and among the contents
W. re two marked sIO notes. How much money
the package contained has not been ascert aimed
hut the marked money was placed on the top
OF the pile for an obvious reason. WhcI Price
reached Chicago with his run on Monday mora
ing, the decoS Package was examined and the
had been abstracted. An officer was ON hand
and he at once took Price into his custody. A
search OF the prisoner resulted I'm the findiny of
the marked money in his possession and he was
lodged in jail Last night it was learned that
in the sum OF 1903 for his appearanct before
u magistrate for hearing. 1t. IL reported
Price has confessed stealing some small
amounts from money packages, but his
know ledgment does not cover one-tenth the
amount OF money that has oeen lost during the
$1,000
George II. Price is about thirty five years OF
age Is married, and his wife and their three
childreo reside IN Chicago. He has been in the
service OF the express company for nearly ten
years ana has always borne q good character.
His remarkable beroie exploit the Pitts
burg, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad, near
Aida, u. IN the spring OF $50 gained for him
an enviabe fame among his associates and
made him quite solid" with the company. Ac-
counts oil that ntfnir were widely published at
the time Of its Occurrences, and Price was lion
lied wherever he went. The story Is, In brief:
Price had charge OF an express car on an east
ward bound train between Chicago ard this
city, aud at point near Aida, o, he discover
ed a masked man at the end OF his car. He al
once OWNED the intention OF his visitor, and
drawing his revolver, ordered the man to sur
re nder. This order was quickly followed by a
shot from the visitors pistol, and n bullet
pierced the messengers right cheek The man
in thei shoulder, the third in his left arm and
the fourth grazing his head. Price fell TO the
floor, but, nothing daurted, he crawied SscS
to one of the safes where he kept his revolver
and SeiZinR the weapon he sent n bullet through
his assnilRnt's brain, killing him Instantly. Two
Other masked men, who had assisted the first
IN saving an aperture in. the door OF the car,
through which he had entered, were on the
n IAf fnerf fhn rfU
was approaching Forest, O., they pulled the
bell-rope. causing the engineer to sla acken the
ing the messenger and their dead comrade i'm
the car. When the train reached Crestline the
closing - those present the familiar face of
Henry BInkley, who had formerly been a con-
dnctor on the road, but had short time before
been discharged for embezzlement. Although
seriously wounded, Price recovered In a few
The express company made him present of
e1,Oo0 in gold and granted him three months'
leave of absence as II reward for his heroic con-
duct.
Notwithstanding the good reputation be bore.
and he was very unpopular with his fellow-mes,
sengers 1t is related of him that he had n mas
that he had one of the bullets which en;ered
his body and that which penetrated the brain
vi aaS D,mhiey pihced therein as trophies of his
10 every man he met. Worse than this. he had
the check to visit tho widow OF the man
whom he had killed and procure from her a
picture of the dead BinkIcy. from which he had
u MINIATURE photograph taken for his IOcket
Ihis also he would exhibit to people telling
them IL was picture of the mar he killed IL
IL stated moreover. that he acted as ..spotter"
Tor the express company. which means ht. would
watch other messengers, and if he saw them
visiting saloons and playing cards he would re-
port them at headquarters. An employees of
the company stated yesterday that Price was
tne means OF procuring the dismissal of no less
tnan sevens men from the company's service
al or whom were better men than himself
he Is native ot Kentucky, and at one time
hnd run between Louisville and Memphis
AT that time he was editor o. little pa pcr n,ib
lished at Louisville by the messengers called
Oar Erpressmdn. He was changed TO the Chi
cago and Pittsburgh run about two months
heiote his encounter with Binkley.
After suspicion came to rest upou Prica h..
was shadrwe cd 10y detectives constantly iast
evening he WAS seen in Liberty Han
accompanied by two women. From what Is
n!rcady known II is though that women and
wine accomplished his downfall Itis ssurmisad
by the officers OF the express company that
Price had one OF their seals which he used to
seal packages after he had broken them open