Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1878-11-28
The rscKinnmIe Gang of ROBBERS.

once more into the field of public notice.
This gentleman needs no further intro
duction. His we'll remembered pc
from the Hillsborojail gave him sufficient
notoriety to preclude all possibility of his
being soon forgotten, which will be furth-
er increased by his latest exploits, of
which we herewith give the history, in as
concise, but detailed manner as possible.
The Neacs of last week contained a full
account of the robbery on the 31st of Oc-
tober, of the Eubanks sisters, ,at their home
on the Bainbridge and Cynthiana pike,
near the junction of the Ross, Pike and
Highland county lines, and it was this
deed which brought about i the denoue-
ment and led to the arrest of the McKim-
mie gang, as it can now he called. The
robberies of the Messrs. Redkey and
Rhoades, and the Eubanks sisters, seemed
to point to the conclusion that they were
all done by the same gang. This caused
the determination amongst the Misses Eu-
banks friends to engage professional"
detective who might be able to sift the
matter to the bottom, and if possible de-
tect and arrest the guilty parties.
Detective John 7. Norris, of Spring
field, was therefore Immediately engaged
and on the Tuesday after the robbery
reached the neighbOrhoOd and went to
work. On the following Thursday he ar
rested Frank Mesmer, his brother John,
and Allen Grandstaf, (the last being only
at that time taken along as a witness) took
them to Jail at Waverly, and locked them
up.
The grand jury of Pike county were
fortunately then in session; they had
about an hours interview with Grand
staff, but this was long enough to cause
them to indict him for robbery. Against
Frank Mesmer a true bill for grand lar
ceny was found.
Norris, after hearing what Grandstaff
had to say, went to his home and intro
duced himself to Mrs. G. as friend Of
her husband. He told her of his arrest,
which he seemed greatly to deplore, and
in fact evinced such an unbounded interest
and sympathy for him thut he finally
wound up by weeping most bitterly. She
was completely taken in, and brought out
the iewelry and other goods, which Nor
ris asked to see, and then confessed all she
knew, which was considerable.
Norris took the jewelry back with him
to the jail at WaverIy, where he confront
ed Grandstaff with these evidences of his
guilt, told him what his wife had said,
and then advised him that about the best
thing he could do, would be to confess.
Thereupon Grandstaff weakened and gave
his confession, which is in substance as
follows: He says that McKimmie has
, been in the adjacent counties, and in the
neigh borhood Of Rainsboro, for over two
months past. That after he made his es-
cape from the Hillsboro jail last spring,
he went almost direct to Parkersburg, W.
/ Va. It will be remembered that it was
reported at the time that McKimmie had
! been discovered by the officers of that city,
. who telegraphed to the officials at Hills
| boro that they thought they had the man
| wanted so badly by Sheriff Newell. But
when the officer reached that place, Nc
Kimmie had skipped out for Key West
Florida. There he was concerned in a
bank robbery and the officers got so close
J on his scent that he was forced to leave
He then came back to his old haunts
! and friends near Rainsboro, where he or
} ganized a band, whose sole object was
robbery and theiving of all kinds and
grades. This gang was composed of Nc
Kimmie as the leader, Frank and John
Mesmer, Grandsta1, and others, whose
names our informant could not remem-
Der, as given him by Grandsta1f. Grand
, staff further says that it was this gang
who committed all the robberies above
mentioned, together with host of small
t er ones which he could not remember.
The arrest of Henry Cleggett was
| prompted by the fact that some of the
! stolen goods were found in his house
| But that Clcggeit had an active part il
: any of these robberies Grandstaff did no
t say.
In regard to the contemplated robbery
of the Highland County Bank at Green
p field, and the Bainbridge Bank, he said
that soon after he (AIcKimmie) had or
f ganized his band, he formed 4 plan tC
make bold daylight raid on these banks
He sent East for a former ''pal'' of his il
= New York, who came, the plans were dis
cussed, and everything in readiness fol
, the raid, when McGimmie and the New
;. Yorker had a misunderstanding, as t.
: the division of the anticipated spoils
which caused complete rupture, ant
\ about the 23d of October NfcKimmie told
n him he could "get,' and on the 31st h
4 borrowed a horse of Cleggett, brought hi
n 'pal' to this place, put him on the train
, and took the horse back. On that yer!
I night the Eubanks sisters were robbed.
Grandstaff says that McKimmie and tn
4 New York man robbed Pepple's store a
Bainbridge about a month since. H
says he does not want to be liberated iron
=, custody, as he fears he would be killed b,
,, McKimmie.
On Saturday evening last Cleggett ais
confessed, the substance of his story be
ing almost identically the same as Grand
o staff's.
d There are now six of the gang under
a arrest, namely: John and Frank Mess
l, mer, Henry Cleggett, Grandstaff and hi
:, wife. Spence Penn was also arrested, bu
e soon after set free. John Jones was ais
d arrested with Penn, and released wit
is him, but on Saturday he was re-arrested
# after Cleggett's con fession.
q The officers are now in pursuit of Nj
il Kimmie, but as he has given them tn
IN slip more than once before, he may sue
II ceed in doing so again.
I'd There is a report that after getting OF
ii of the Hillsboro jail he went to Brazi
" South America, but this is no doubt false
While he might have started for there
te he never got farther than Florida, frol
mt which place he wrote a letter to one ofh
re wife's relatives in Chillicothe, o., to tn
is effect that he would be back in Ohio insiC
a OF six weeks, with the avowed object
D. getting even with Uric Sloane, of Hill
w boro, who he claims has all his propert!