The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1878-11-26
BAGGED BULLION.
Two Men Charged with Robbing
Freight Cars.

+. and of the Missouri Pacific at this
point became painfully aware OF the
fact that their freight cars were
being systematically robbed, and that
measures for capturing the thieves and
putting an end TO their losses must he
speedily adopted. Accordingly the N. X.
& T. management began to look around for
SHARP sHEEwD NAN,
whom they found in the person OF Mr..
Mack Franklin who was employed about
the first of September to ferret out the
guilty parties. Some time afierwsrd. in
order to give him additional facilities, he
was employed ~ night Waterman for that
road.
He entered upon his duties with the de
termination 70 succeed and vent carefully to
work. One night, when near the Missouri
Pacific freight Office. he heard two men talk
ing in low tone about cans Of fish. The
men were Joe Tcoihman, the night.watch-
man of the Missouri Pacific, and Jno. Comfy.
franklin heard enough to know that they
we're talking about stolen property. and
when they stopped talking he casually
strolled toward and entered into conversa-
ton With them. While with them Frank.
lin said he would like to get some
CANNED FISH,
"A his wife was an invalid and could eat
but little else. These men the next night
gave him can Of salmon and told him to
take it Lome and nee it, which he did.
The next night Franklin met Tooth
man and Comfy and told them the fab
vas excellent, and that he would like to
get some more. They said they could get
lots of it, and furnish him with all he
wanted. He agreed TO give them a nickel
q can Or it. Finally they let the secret
out and confessed they stole it from the
freight cau, to which Too,hman had
A PRIVATE KEY.
They offered to take franklin in With
them, and of couree he jumped At the op-
portunity.
He told them there railroads we're grind
ing monopoliea, and he Vas right In for
raising the black Gag and making them
divide their good ihIngs. especially when
they consisted Of canned fish. HIS confed.
crates applauded his zeal, and then conf
dentially informed him that they had
something that would knock the scales of
of 6sh-in fact they had valuable property
and if he would help them TO convert il
into cash, he should have . handsome
share of it.
One night Comfy took him out on q
back track, leading from the freight houst
to the round house of the Missouri Pacific
Abou. half way out he went down to the
foot of the road bed, and there was . cul'
vert. The opening was rather small, but ,
little ways in it enlarged to . respectable
sized cavity, in which were snugly hit
away
THREE BARS OF SILVER BULLION,
each weighing ninety-oue pounds.
Franklin told Comfy that he voult
take the bullion, o. he knew of . goo<
place where he could convert il into cash
It was agreed to let him have it aDs
franklin took two bars of it to his owl
house for safe keeping. There were thre'
bars there at the time. but franklin sav
but the two he took, and did not then kDov
that there Was more. He was then told
that they Comfy and Toothman) hat
helpers, and that there we're more in tn
gang than themselves. After Franklin
had converted the bullion into cash the,
would let him know Who they were.
Just after this an employe discovere,
that Toothman had . private car key, ant
be watched him. The result Of his sur
veillance vas that one night he discovered
Toothman
CARRYING OFF A SACK OF FLOUR
from the cars. Toothman saw that he W.
discovered, or thought be Was discovered
and dropped the sack. The employe re
ported the fact to Mr.. Bullard ard to Mr.
Wrong, the freight agent. and they, no
knowing that Franklin was working thi
job up, Immediately discharged Tooth~a'
and foiled Franklin's plans for the arres
Of the whole gang.
The latter then went to Mr.. Wrong an
told him Of the whole affair, and adylses
him to reinstate Toothman in order tina
the arrest of all the parties might be &C
complished. Accordingly Toothmsn -
re-employed. but not in his old portion
He was given work on the platform.
After the discharge Of Toothman,
The GANG BECAME FRIGHTENED,
and suspended operation. After Tooshma
went to. work on the platform he ken
pretty straight, and refused to do any NOR
stealing until he had reGained the conf
dence of the officers and his old position
Comfy, who had stolen irkin, Of butter
had been seen BY the watchmsn, and con
sequently be suspended operations.
The officers Of the read had been posted
and Messrs. T. J. Portiss. attorney Of III
Missouri Pacific in St. Louis, and Mr.. An
drevs Of Kansas City, came to Sedalia
make the necessary preparations for thei
arrest. On Thursday
/, ToUTHNAN AND COMFY
we're arrested and taken before Justic
Clark, who committed Toothn,an to Jail j
default of 500. Comfy succeeded j
inducing Mr.. Faulhaber to 90 his bail, d.
clsring bis innocence and expressing hi
horror At being compelled to leave hi
family and 30 to Jail.
On Friday morning Comfy said that b
. had received . dispatch that his father b.
died At Chamois. end wanted to 30 there
attend the funeral ceremony. Mr.. Faulh,
Der was informed that