The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-09-10
TOM WHITAKER.
IMPORTANT ARREST IN WHEELING
YESTERDAY.
A "sailinr Cum spIked-A Pittsburgh
EDITOR, an Alleged BI"eLmaiier
and Publisher Of seurriious
Articles, Found Aftera
Long Search.

oil Inc GlttbUuIBu mhgOE VLhGe' " tAS'S
came down TO this city from Pittsburgh
Wednesday night and began to look out
for his man. Going into Adams Express
Office on Main street, he sat down to wait.
After awhile Jack Merriman, the agent
Of the company, said, "o'Mara there's
your man." o'Mara got up, saw his man
walking across the street toward Eleventh
street, and followed him. In the base
ment Of a building used by Friend & Son,
on Eleventh street, he came up with him
and Immediately took him to the Express
office where he handcuffed him. He then
telegraphed TO Police Headquarters for an
officer and Lieutenant McCully responded
and Whitaker was removed to the lookup.
Marshal Patton, OF the United States Dis.
trict Court was slightly interested in the
case, in the matter OF fees, but Detective
O'Mara soon settled this bubble and the
prisoner left with his captor on the P.
N. train for Pittsburgh.
Whitaker has been. In the city for the
last fortnight and more and got out at least
one issue OF his Calling Gun here, although
| It is dated Toronto, Ontario. This paper
he has been sending away by express Tor
distribution In Pittsburgh and other towns
adjacent. He has been living with his
wife at 1904 Market street.
Whitaker, whose arrest Is thus herald
ed, has been wanted by the police for
some weeks. The charge upon which the
detectives were following him was an old
one, which had been held over his head
as an indictment for him to change the
style Of his publication or go out OF the
business. But itseems that Whitaker has
such q strong desire to use the pen on oil
occasions and In using 1t TO attack some Of
those whose high positions made them the
better mark, that he cannot refrain from
doing that which has already caused him
la great deal OF trouble: About
two years ago his Calling Gun,
which had come out second beat
| in a legal contest once, before, made liz
appearance, and began an attack on prom
linent citizens and officials. The articles
were SO libellous and abusive In theii
character that 1t was not long before some
of the parties he had attacked entered
snit before the courts and succeeded In
having Whitaker landed in Jail. On the
Sth Of May, 1878, DIR. Kirker, oil Alleghe
Inv. made two informations before U. 5
Commissioner MCCandless, one charging
with sending libellous and obscene mattel
through the mails, and the otheryery sim
liar in character. An indictment wa
. found on both charges, but only the frs
} mentioned came to trial. The jury tount
the defendent guilty and on the 18th o
NAV Of the same year he was sentenced u
a fine OF $500 and imprisonment oil on,
wear in the Penitentiary at Allegheny
Al the trial Mayor Liddell and Detective
Geary and Phillip Demmell, OF Pittsburgh
gave testimony for the prosecution. Whit
taket's term in the Penitentiary expiret
. bn the 18th day OF May, in the presen
-. wear. and he was discharged without pay
ment OF the fine which had been imposed
= under the provisions OF the act permitting
the discharged OF INDECENT conyicts.
Soon alter his release he returned to hi
former bad habit Of writing too many let
ters, and sent Mayor Liddel d threatening
communication asking for three thousand
. dollars. In 1t he said that II his reques
was not complied with, he would publiSI
some articles rejecting very severely no
D only on the Mayor bu. on his family also
The amoint, he considered, would Jus
about cover the loss he had snstaine,
from the suppression OF the Calling Gu
and the confscation Of hissmanuscript;
2 As may be supposed, the Mayor did no
return very favorable answer to the lei
ter. He first decided not to answer atal
but after thinking over the matter sen
Mr.. Whitaker note, in which lie sal
It that he was compelled TO declin
T he request for 5000, and would b
much more pleased to spend $1,000 in Sc
: curing his arrest. That ended one Q
!. Whittaker's attempts to secure money
' and another made upon DIR. kirker, G
. Allegheny, met with the same success
2 During the summer DR.. Kirker received
= note stating that certain libellious publ
: cations, in which his name would fgur
4 largely, were about to be issued from tn
press, but that II he would ham
$50 to certain safe party who would cal
: upon him on an evening not mentione'
the articles would not be printed. Th
fact OF having received the letter had al
most vanished from the doctors mini
when he was called on by man VIII
stated that, in accordance to the terms o
. the letter, he had called for that $50 which
would be sufficient to keep matters quiet
The doctor did not take time to make an!
, reply but hustled his visitor out to th,
pavement, where he punished him sc
verely.
twas then understood that prepare
tious we're made TO again start the Gatlin!
Gun, and the police were kept on the look
out to suppress the FIRST issue, but It wa
published and distributed in spite o
them. The place OF publication, as proud
" stated in Its columns, 10 be in the vicin
ity OF Niagara Falls, but 1t was soon found
TO come from place nearer this city. In
quiries at the express office revealed tht
fact that suspicious bundles Of papers hat
been forwarded from Wheeling to Pitts
burgh, directed to Mr.. McAnliff on Rosl
street near High and It was soon fount
that the "Gatling Guns" were being dis
tributed from that place. The detectives
were all instructed TO keep their eyes oper
for Whitaker and 1t was found out tina
he had been In Pittsburgh about ten day.
ago, probably to collect some oil the
funds resulting from the sale Of his papers
While the detectives were engaged in &
still hunt here It was thought better Il
make a search through Wheeling and tue
smaller towns In the vicinity Of Pitt.burg
and for that purpose Chief Of Police Pen
der left Pittsburg on Tuesday night last
On arriving, ut Wheeling he found that 8
man who answered the description oil
Whitaker had called at the express office
and asked for package addressed to W.
]. Davis. He was accompanied by a wo-
man whom the clerk described to be such
a woman that the Chief felt certain that II
was Mrs. Whitaker. He accordingly tele.
graphed to this city, and finding that she
was not here was confirmed in the belief
that lie had his man. Whitaker
evidently knew he was watched
and kept shady. After day OF
fruitless search the Chief, hearing a
rumor that the fugitive had gone to Pitts
burgh, sent for Roger 0'MaFa to take his
place in Wheeling, and came back TO this
city, arriving last evening. Detectives
II. a