The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-03-16
LITTLE DIcKEY BIRD.
Col. Thos. E. Snelbaker Under Arrest,
Charged with BurgIariZing DR..
McCarthy,s House.

Ex-Chef OF Police, Colonel Thos. E. Snelbaker, |
was arrested about o'clock last evening, by De-
tectve Murray on warrant sworn out by DR..
d. W. Mccarthy, who alleges that Snelbakcr forci-
bly, broke into his residence on last Christmas Day
and stole the celebrated Dickey-Tytus letters and
also $1,000 in notes and securities The arrest was
made at Snebaker's Office, on Walnut street below
Fifth.
When the warrant was handed to him, he re-
marked that it was trick and device on the part
OF Colonel Ziegler to degrade him. On the way to
prison Snelbaker asked permission to see his at
torney. The request was refused, and an ex
change of ugly words ensued between him and
Murray. At the Station he was searched and at
once locked up. The news spread like wild fire
through the city and caused Intense excitement.
Soon after Chief of Police Zegler ordered the Office
OF Snelbaker to be searched, which was done by
Officers Chumley and Hart and Dr. Mccarthy The
door was found unlocked, rs also all the drawers,
containing the prisoners papers. Nothing, how
ever, was unearthed, the doctor renlarking that
Tommy was too smart to have anything there
that would give him away" The party then LETT
Dr. Mccarthy stated that he had been robbed Of
notes and securities to the amount of 81 OOO, and said
"They were taken the same time the porcupine
was know where the porcuplne Is, and am gomg
to make it hot for the men who robbed me"
Snelbaker soon after being locked up, WAS called
upon by his attorney, Mr.. Buchwalter OF Buch-
walter 4 Campbell. He stated that his arrest was
the most outrageous thing he ever heard OF. HIS
attorney advised him TO say as little as possible
about the matter. Snebaker moreover wanted
the public to suspend its judgment until his case
had been heard upon its merits. He was satisfied
that he would prove to every ones satisfaction
that the whole job had been set up TO ruin his
reputation He insisted upon being questioned,
that the charge was prepostcrous. That it was an
impOSsibiity for him, being a detective and sworn
to suppress crime, to be engaged i'll the very act
OF committing such an OlfenSe.
The warrant was founded upon the Information
furnished by three notorious characters, DAN.
Flanagan, Henry Curtis and John Carr who
claim to have been implicated in the burglary of
DR.. McCarthyS house. Carr is in the Work-houSe.
In an interview with him last Wednesday Colonel
Zieger Larry H.zen, Jim White and Notary Pub
lie Wilby learned the following from which the
| atfidavits were made:
Flanagan says that some time ago, while in
Chicago, Peggy" Ryan wrote him u letter asking
him to come to this city and do job Of work, for
which he would be paid $500 Shortly after the
reception of this letter Peggy sent him tele-
gram to come here at once, and in obedience to it
he reported in this city Here he was taken to Col.
| Snclbaker, who told him that the "job' in ques-
ton was the burglarizing of DR.. McCarthy's house
and the taking from it certain papers of value in
| the TytusD Dickey case. Snelbaker, he claims, told
| him that he could select his own assistants, and
that the money would be put behind Ryan's bar,
ready for him as soon as the work was done.
his assistants Henry Curtis, Johnny Carr and Dick
| Travis, who was brought here from indianapolis
short time since on the suspicion that he was one
of the murderers of Policeman Martin Kunkel,
who was killed on Dayton street.
They burglarizcd the house of DR.. Mccarthy in
the manner previously detailed. Snclbaker walked
along the street to prevent an interference Of the
Job. He had an umbrella over his head. When
the job completed, he is alleged to have taken
the papers and put them in his pockets telling his
"so-called" accomplices to get their money after
wards at Ryan's.
Flannigar states that he then asked snelbaker
| foI S., which he borrowed from Ryan and gave to
| the men. Flannigan few days afterwards went
to Snclbaker's office to get his money and found
llul- I'm H. l,aI
for his money (Sia5) but snelbt,Ieer told him he
would have to see him again, as he had made a
mistake and had not got the right papers. Flan-
nigan replied that he had got the papers which
Snelbakcr had described and if they were not
the right ones it was not his fault He got no
money, however and his pals soon began to
think that he had got the money and was trying to
defraud them out of their share of it. They soon
learned the true state of affairs and then, after
peatcd failures to get their money, they deter
mined to kick and give the whole thing away.
| The athdavits of Carr and Curtis are of the same
| tenor. Curtis has been anxious to give the whole
thing away for several days and told Larry Hazen
| about it over week ago
Judge Wilson, being called upon to fix the
amount of bond required for Colonel Snelbaker,
! was put i'll possession of the main features on
which the charge was based, and, after a careful
review OF the circumstances, concluded that
SIS 900 was the right figure.
In the meantime snelbaker languished in his
cell until l O'Clock this morning. when Mr..
Michael Crotty appeared ana ''ponicd up the
sum OF S),UOO lOr SnelDakerS s release.
Peggy Ryan up to day-break had not been ar
rested.
Mr. Snclbaker was on hand promptly in the Po-
lice Court this morning to hear what decision was
to be made of his case. lie was as calm us usual
and did not seem in the least concerned about the
matter. He said in joking way that he had his
first experience on the soft side OF board in cell
last night.
Mr. Campbell appeared for Mr.. Snelbaker in the
Police Court, and stated that this affhir was one OF
the most malicious kind ever heard Of. The wit
nCsscs in the case were nothing but thieves and
liars, and he was ready to prove his assertions at
the proper time. They, the officers, would not
even allow Mr.. Snelbaker 10 see his attorney, and
by brute force dragged him to the lookup
After a little more talk the Court set Col. Snel
bakers case for next Monday. His bail was fixed
at s. 900, the same as that given last night by Mr.
Crotty, and which was also accepted this morn
ing.
Mr.. Snelbakcr did not want any more said about
the case at present. He had sufficient OF it in the
papers now.
| Mr. peggy" Ryan, when he heard that warrant
had been issued for him, surrendered himself to
the Court this morning, and his bail was fixed .,