The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1879-09-18
AN OLD CRIME.
The Robbery and Murder Fourteen Years
Age--A Lawyer Thinks He Has Found One
of the Gang Who Committed the Deed

The Robbery and Murder Fourteen Years
Age--A Lawyer Thinks He Has Found One
Of the Gang Who Committed the Deed.
Philadelphia Times.
On the morning of October 7, 1865,
James Needs, the colored porter en-
ploycd at S. S. Whites dental depot, 526
Arch street, was found dead, gagged and
bound, in the Office, on the second floor
of the building, and the safe robbed of
81, 1000 worth of gold, silver and platina,
used as material in the manufacture OF
artificial teeth. One arrest was made,
but the evidence was not positive enough,
and since then the case has slumbered IN
police pigeon-holes, bidding fair to re-
main a mystery. Yesterday the tragedy
was revived in a very strange manner.
Mayor Stokeiy received a letter from
John P. Vincent, attorney -at-law at Erie,
Penn, under date of August 9th, to this
effect: "Was a private or public watch
man murdered at the corner Of Arch
and Ninth streets, in your city,
about twenty or twenty-four years ago2
II so was any one punished for the crime
or suspected oft? lfthe murder alludc
to was the one committed it was in a den
fists Office on Sunday morning. A man
in this county, when under fear of death
from severe illness, confessed the commits
sion of such crime. 1t may be a mere
falsehood If true it must be in your
power to verify the fact as to whether Or
not the crime was committen. The man
said that $1,000 was offered for the detec
ton of the murderer" Vincent refers to
Honorable Henry Rawle, the Judges Of
the Supreme court and many other gentle
men of Philadelphia, as vouchers for his
own reputation. The police folks are not
inclined to place much reliance in this
story on account Of the discrepancy in
time, the White affair having been
fourteen years ago instead of twenty, was
on Saturday, not on Sunday, and the
scene on Fifth and Arch streets instead
of Ninth. It is, however, possible that
these are incidental to the lapse of time
in effaclng circumstances from the mem
orv. There is no intimation conveyed
on the letter as to how the lawyer
came IN possession of his information OF
the name of the relator. The murder of
Needs created great excitement at the
time of its commission. He was colored
man, residing on Pearl street near Elcv-
enth, and was engaged to be married the
subsequent week. The safe in which the
material was kept was upon platform
at the back portion of the second story
room, Mr.. White also occupying the up
per floors. At night watchman was in
charge, who had to register his visits
on each floor every hour. Every morn
ing at six o'clock Needs wentto him, got
the keys from the engineer, opened the
place, took the trays of precious natal
out of the safe and deposited them under
the counter ready for the foreman. The
men who planned the robbery had doubt
less reckoned upon the regularity of the
porter's habits to accomplish their de-
! signs. When he assembled the stairs they
are supposed to have followed him noise
lessly, and, having removed their shoes,
crept upon him. He was then felled by
a sudden blow with a hammer or club
presumably the latter, as a blood-stained
hickory stick was picked up. He was then
gagged and bound to prevent noise and
carried, insensible as he was, to the back
part of the room. Then the thieves
opened the safe with his keys. They tori
open the ends of envelopes, probably il
the search for bonds. Finding nothing
in that line they took the gold, silver ane
plat. nun, valued at $4,000. One Of tht
workmen raised window about thi
time and the villains fed. leaving thel
victim tightly bound. They locked tn
front door after them to prevent pursuit
When the door was forced afterwart
Needs was found dead, the testimony Q
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