Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-05-18
latter as an evidence of the proof of his al |
legation that an effort was being made to
put him ont of the way.
TIE WHITAKER COURT.

The Ideas of Government Detectives.
In the Whitaker case yesterday at West
Point, Thomas Sampson, chief detective OF
the treasury department., who had been
detailed from Washington upon the
case, testified that he had found nothing
to implicate any outside parties in the act.
He was then aked What do you think of
his story? A. 1t is entirely different from
any story I ever heard it stands by itself
he-h had heard of cases of bank burglars
gagging and tying persons whom they
wished to keep quiet and placing pistols at
their heads to enforce silence in the Man
haitian bank burglary they handcuffed the
janitor and put pistol to his head to keep
his mouth shut they did not gag him !;
when they got through they tod thew
would leave man outside for an hour al d
il he made any outcry that would be the
end of him in this case there was sub
stantial ground for the man keeping still
as his life was really endangered in Whit
takers case l thought it strange ropes
should not have been used to tie his hands
and feet; never heard of mans hands
being tied in front of him it is the way
of hand cutting, but not of hand-tying
knew of a woman who pretended she
had been gagged and robbed, her OBJ
ject being to frighten her husband into
staying home with her QaughteD she
made very bungling job of it, but it
had the desired effect of making her hus-
band'spend his evenings at home (renewed
laughter): when Whitaker told me he
turned over and went to sleep when he
heard the rattling of his doorlatch l
thought it very singular. considering the
note of warning that had been sent to him.
Nhu I'D A
| a coward would keep awake from fear, and
brave man to fight.
At the close of his examination, which
was continued at great length and gave
| him an opportunity to recount good deal
of his detective experience, he said he had
| no suggestions to make in further investi-
cations in the case; he had satisfied him.
self most positively that no cadets had a
hand in it.
| Mr.. Thomas Fisher was called, and,
after stating the fact that he had been ten
years detective. recited his attempts to
find something tangible in various outside
clews. The end of it all was like Sir Charles
Coldstream's experience-there was moth
ing in them. He worked assiduously on
the Ryan crew. but it proved as empty
as the crater of Vesuvius ;he also examined
various cadets, and last and not least
Whitaker he was sure the former were
innocent and the story of the latter was tc
his mind full of strong imprObabilities
Whitaker told him that he had no sus
picion of outside parties except a bare
possibility that the outrage might have
been committed by colored persons fol
political effect, this last statement having
been made to him on Saturday last he
also said that on the 18th of last April ht
watched Phil Ryan's place, and III
mounted officer visited his salOon-thus
contradicting Mr.. Fiero's testimony OF
this point.
The recorder of the court states that thu
secret information which Assistant United
States District Attorney Frew several day.
ago had refused to give the court but
promised to give him had turned out to bt
nothing of the slightest consequence, and
he intimated that Frew, to swell his i'm
portance sought to create the public I'M
preston he was keeping vital facts in thu
background when he we'll knew he hat
nothing.