The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1883-05-15
A Neat Piece of Detective
Work in Ferreting Out
Criminals.
Two Railroad Men Arrested
for Robbing the Baggage
of Passengers.
A Bazoo Reporters Interview
With w. p. Andrews, General
BaHga9emaster Of the
Gould System.

"Blly Andrews, general baggagemaster
of the Could Southwestern system, is in the
city," remarked w. HI. Kerns, of the St.
Louis Great Southwest, yesterday, to a
BAzoo reporter "and by little pumping, -
he continued, "you can get an item out OF
him as large as an elephant in regard to
robberies on the roads he has charge OF"
Acting on the suggestion Of Mr. kerns,
the reporter started in search of Mr.. An
drews and soon ran him down, wien it was
learned that he arrived in Sedaiia Friday
night, on his way 20 his home in st. Louis
from Texas.
"What's new in the baggage department
of the Gould Southwestern system, Mr.. An
drews?" asked the reporter.
''Not much worthy of note," / believe.
We are keeping pretty close lookout for
excess of baggage, in compliance with the
order which went into effect May 1st."
81 understand, Mr.. Andrews, you have
been down the X. & T. endeavoring to un-
earth q series of robberies which have re-
Gently been committed on your road.
What is there in it?"
Eyes, that was partly my business, but
the robberies did not occur ON the K. e. T.,
as you have intimated."
"Have you any objection to giving the
readers of The BAzo0 the particulars OF the
steals?"
Certainly not; tits long story, though"
Being assured that it could not prove
otherwise than interesting, Mr.. Andrews
related the following:
For the past year complaints innum-
merable have been made by passengers
over the southern division of the South
western system as to losses they have sus-
tanned while travelling between San Anto-
Mo, Texas, and St. Louis, causing
the matter to be placed
i n the hands of several detective agencies,
but in spite of the vigilance of the de-
tectives assigned to watch property, the
thefls continued and the robbers escaped
arrest. Finally the management of the
Gould road orga mixed a detective depart
ment of its own and placed Thomas Fur
long at its head. The complaints of the
passengers were referred to that gentleman
and he determined to ferret out the per-
petrators of the robberies. Already ST.
600, or $1,000 have been paid to passengers
to coyer losses sustained and the manage
ment of the road, heartily co-operated with
Mr.. Fur.ong in his und. aking. A short
time ago V. B. Conkling, a prominent
New York attorney, arrived from the south
and upon opening his trunk found ali the
articles of value missing. His best clothes
were also gone and upon examination he
found that the LOCKS Of his trunk had been
sprung, snd opened by force. He COM
planned to the railway officials and as
many complaints of similar nature had
come in, especially from passengers who
passed through Texas, Mr.. Furlong con-
cluded that the business was done on one
of the Texas roads. 1t was also discov-
cred that local baggage was in rowise
molested, but that a heavy contribution
was levied upon st. Louis, Chicago and
New York baggage.
"Something like two weeks ago Jos.
Harris, circuit attorney of st. Louis, ac-
companied by his wife, returned from San
Antonio and stopped at the Planters house.
"When The trunks were opened Mr.. Har-
ris was surprised to find nearly every arti
Gle of value missing. Among them were
q dress-suit, fine pair of opera glasses, a
pair of diamond earrings, a diamond
stud, large collection of Central and
South America coin, valued at $50, bot
tie containing sew eral nuggets of pure gold.
q revolver, a set of sleeve buttons, the
whole approximating $500 In value. Mr..
Harris examined the locks of his trunks
and found that they had been forced. At
first he thought that the robbery was per-
petrated while he was at the hotel, but
upon investigation he found that the bag
gage had been received from the transfer in
the same condition that he saw it.
"A farther investigation showed that the
transfer had received it in like condition
from the baggage car. Nh. Harris informed
the railroad authorities of the matter, and
with the other cases, it was placed in the
tween the Harris robbery and the Conkling
robbery were remarkable, and turlong i'm
mediately detailed two men with instruc
tions to 60 over the Iron Mountain and
Texas and Pacific railroads and endeayor
to apprehend the robbers.
The detectives left St. Louis on Satur-
day, April 18th, and after some hard work
they came to the conclusion that they had
spotted their men. They Swallowed the
robbers. who were employees of the Texas |
& Pacific railroad, TO . hotel In Long |
view, Texas.
their regular run, the detectives appeared |
at the hotel, and upon showing their au-
therity were conducted to the room re-
Gently vacated by the treacherous train
men. There they discovered trunk, made |
to order for special purpose and nearly as
large as three ordinary trunks, with heavy
iron bands binding it, and three Yale locks |
to insure protection against intrusion by |
inquisitive people. The detectives felt
confident that they were on the right |
track and had at last attained the object |
that other agencies had spent months in
striving for. They tried to open the gi-
gantic strong box, but found that they |
could not do it. No one could be found |
in Iongview who could do the job; SO
one of the detectives was suddenly sick
they have to be taken that way in their
business-and. as the house was full, he /
was put in the room with the big trunk,
while his companion went up the road to