Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-10-23
THE cumn1ass MURDER.
A Case of circumstantial Evidence-lhe
Prisoners Interviewed.

i
iuterfered, and had struggle with hin. MIR.
| Cummings was apparently getting ths better
| of his antagonist, when the Other robber sent
the contents of 9 shotgun into MIR. Cum
mings' neck, killing him Instantly. After
robbing the remaiuing passengers the stage
was ordered to proceed, and take tins dead
body with It. As soon as the fact of the rob-
berry and murder was known IN Nevada City
the excitement became intense, AID il short
time forty citizens, under Sheriff Montgnm-
! cry, started 10 pursuit, bat the highwaymen
had made good their escape.
The detectives yesterday II formed a
| RECORD UNION representative that a c!us
was obtained within six weeks after the deed
was committed. However. not until a year
afterward WAS a complete clue obtained,
which was By detective Hume, and through a
woman at place called Niger Test 10 Yuba
county. This woman, the keeper Of low
| place. one believed to be The rendezvous for
nad characters, it is stated, told Of two
men, believed TO be Dorsey and Patterson,
| who came to her houss on the morning sue.
ceeding the robbery OF the early hour of 3
o'clock, and demanded something TO at
| Her place is eighteen miles from the poin :
where tie robbery and murder were pvrpe.
| trated. She prepared for them meal. ard
during that zine she saw them have in
their possession bar of gold bu!lioa.
| Since then the detectives have been on
| the alert. Some time since the where
sbouts Of Patterson was learned from an ex.
| California convict named Roger 0'Mare, then
confined in st. Louis prison. O'Mars saw
Patterson, one OF the men arrested, in ttir
| prison and informed the st. Louis police til ~
| he Patterson was wanted in California on a
charge Of murder. This was commune ted
to officers in California, ard on the 2Os1
of September detectives Lees and Aull
started to st. Louis. The detectives
| found Patterson at the prison ia st.
Louis, and inquired the whereabouts of
| Charles Dorsey. They were informed that
| Dorsey had died of congestive chills in Texas.
| Not satisfied, however, the detectives made a
| further investigation and learned tn It a man
named Charles II. Tnorne, of Union City,
| Indiana, was interesting himself in Patter-
sons case. Messrs. Aull and L,es started at
once to Union City. At that place they
! found Thorne in a restaurant, and Just in the
| act Of raising a cup of coffee to his lips De.
tective Aull, who was familiar with his
conntenance, tapped Detective Lees on the
shoulder and said, "That's Dorsey that's
our man," and knowing the desperation
of the man they, without any words,
Immediately handcuffed him. Thcrne
asked that the arrest be. not made
public, rs he was q respected citizen and
engaged in business, having both lumber
yard and saloon. Tns detectives, having a
reqaisiii1n On the Governor OF Missouri but
none on the Governor of Indiana, readily
consented, on condition that he would return
with them TO Missouri. This he consented TO
do, but asked for six hours time in which to
arrange his affairs, which was granted. How.
ever, the news of the arrest spread through
the town, and when the officers with their
prisoner reached the railroad depot there
| we're several thousand people assembled.
who were with difficulty prevented from
forming into a mob and releasing the
prisoner, but they managed to get away
from the town without any serious diff.
fieulty. At st. Louis Patterson, the other
prisoner, was secured, and the quartet made
their way to California.
THE prisoners were also interviewed yester-
day at the city prison. They were confined
ia separate cells, and Thorne was first Wis
tied. He was very reticent, saying that all
ne knew was that ne was arrested on charge
/ oEmurder. He stated his name to he Chas.
| q, Thorne, and his business in Union City.
Indiana, but his residence in Jackson town.
stip. DIrke county, Ohio, Union City being
divided by the State line. He said he was in
G Aifornia on September 1, 1879, the day the
murder was committed, bnt denied that his
name ia Dorsey. He said he was born in
Kentucky, but brought up in Ohio, and is
80 years of age. Further he had nothing to
say, as he knew nothing of the crime for
which he was under arrest. Patterson was
mJe talkative, but said he had no statement
to make at the present. Said he was 40 years
oil, and native of Ireland. He acknowl.
edged having bsen in California on Septem N.
ber. 4, 1879, and knew Dorsey in this State,
Is moldeF by trade, but while in California
worked as an engineer.
1,he names of Charles Dorsey and John C.
Patterson both appear in the rogues' gallery
| at the police Office 10 this city, where they
have been registered for about two years, and
as follows:
John g. Patterson, a native of New York
engineer about 80 years old; feet II
inches in hight; light complexion; hazel
eyes; prominent eyebrows; dark hair
broad features; high forehead face peck.
marked nose turned little to the right
mole on right aide of neck ; scar under right
shoulder; stout build; sent for four wear:
from San Francisco; discharged May Is
1879; served a term at Joliet, Illineis is
very bad man, and a warm friend of Charlie:
Dorsey.
Charles Dorsey, born in kentucky; sent
for two years from Nevada county, August
30, 1860; was "A years old at that time, five
feet ten inches ia stoeking-feet, fl lrid com
plexion, dark eyes. brown hair, round, full
face, scar under left breast, vaccine mark OF
left arm, scar on palm of right ha6 at has:
of little finger, stout build. Sent again ua
der the name of A. ID. Moore from Ell Do
RADIO county, for four years, for robbery
Sent again as Charles Moore from Stanislau,
county. fer ten years. for robbery; discharge Z
in April or May, 1879. Is badsman and 8
warm friend of John @. Paterson. The twr
might do suoh q ,b as the Moore Flat stage
robbery aud the murder of W. L. Cummings
Septembsr I, 1879.
Tnese description appear to be very nearly
taose OF the two prisoners. with the additio 0
mat Patterson is becoming somewhat gray
and has full beard, and excepting that d u
sey's face is not full and his eyes are suuker
into his head. Both men were quite nervous
and the conversation of Patterson was some
what broken.
The arrestirg officers state that the dispo
sition of all the bullion has been traced. 6
portion having been disposed Of in New Or
leans and coiHed at the Mint in that city
smother portion sold in Louisville, Ky, ano
, sent to the Philadelphia Mint, where it wa,
coined and returned, while small portion
amounting to SIS, was left with Chas. Bell
# this city. for the purpose of being assayed
| md for which no one hiss called since.
The case in which these two men are in
, 'plved derives its interest from the fact thai
tsne of the most terrible crimes is charged
teainss them, the taking of human life
while perpetrating q highway robbery, auG
frpm the fact thst the evidence CONNECTING
them with the crime is, so fac as yet disclosed
eatirely circumstantial. Their denial Of all
participation in the robbery, and the denial
By one OF them of the name by which it ia al
legged he was known here, raises also ths
iestion of identity, and the bare possibility
that notwithstanding the correspondence O
one with the description given of well
known criminal character may prove to be
mistake. Even more striking coincidence
hfse proven deceptive. Additional Interest
} ides in tie fact that one o
the traces" or {" clues is bi
of gold bullion left in an ASA,
office in this city by man who at the TIM
he'd conversation in the asssyer's offic
! wi b a well known physician of this city, ant
up " whose Identification of the man mucf
DEFENDS. Very largely the case will hing
| Jpn the testimony of tso residents Of thi
; cit,s. The public attention has been yer,
! str,ngly drawn to this case, also, because on
Of he prisoners was arrested in o city in tn
Ea4 where he was held in esteem as goo
and lsw-abidiug citizen, while, If he is tn
mani the officers believe him to be, he is
noted convict of this State, who has beer
often convicted of crime and imprisoned.
~
Police CouRT-Ths following bushes
was transacted in Judge Aenry's Court Sa.
urday: P. Daily, charged with battery. wa
ordered to appear tomorrow for trial Tn
: charge Of being drusk against Richard Moor
vas Dismissal. Tie case of Margaret ID
{ Prent, cbarg& with misdemeanor, was cor
( tiGued. w u. Coleman, charged with en-
hszzlsment, vas examined and held to answe
/. b fore the s 1psrior Court, with bail fixed o
$1,000.
DENooEATIt RALLF.-To-morrow eveniD
there will bs j Democratic open air rally a
Tenth and III streets. ellis Doty, r. N
Clsrkep, Hos. j. w. Armstrong and othe-
8 will address the people. The meeting wi
, be held undr the auspices of the Fourt
| Ward ID emo Iatic Club.
] LATE ARsssrs.-The following names az