The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-20
MONON EXPRESS ROBBERY.
The Career of Chesley Chambers, Now
Under Arrest for the Crime.
The Completion of Very Neat Detective Work
Strong Array Of Circumstances Against
Him-AntecedentS of the Accused.
From a staff Correspondent of The Journal.

tHo aiHu u ScCur0 popularity. OEe DFancn Ol
the family, of which Joseph See was the head,
had particularly the i'll will of neighbors, and
when anything occurred calling for unfavorable
criticism, the many always inclined to the
belief that Joseph See or some of his family
had something to do with it. Little by
little this feeling against the Sees increased
until it amounted to popular indignation. One
! day, in 184S, a mob one hundred strong, led by
Capt James Kelly, visited the family and
ordered them to leave the country. They
obeyed the command, and went hurriedly.
Great political excitement followed this neigh
borhood event. 1t was looked upon as very
beneficial to the community, and the rangers or
vigilantes, or whatever they were called, re-
ceived unstintcd praise. The Wings nominated
the leader, Kelly, for sheriff that year, and
solely on the strength of his participation in
driving out the Sees he received a very deci-
sive majority, although the county bad always
been Democratic anywhere from 400 to
600 votes over their opponents. Kelly made a
good sheriff, and in 1861 enlisted in the Union
army. He received his death wound in battle a
| year or two later.
Monday afternoon, May Is, a grandson Of
Joseph See was released on $40, 900 bail to
answer at the September term Of the Monroe
Circuit Court the charge of assault and battery
with intent to commit murder. The accused is
Chesley Chambers, a native of Monroe county,
and the the parties assaulted George X. Davis,
the express messenger, and Peter I. Weber.
baggageman on the L., N. A. 81 c. train the
night of April 20.
When the daring of one man led him to the
express car of this train to shoot Davis and Web
Der, and rob the express safe, was graphically
described at the time there was no Ishmaelite
within a hundred miles of the scene next day
who did not become an object of close scrutiny
from volunteer detectives, semi professional
thief-takers and officers of the town, village or
city where the outcast might be. Several ar
rests were made here and there. but as usual the
ordinary detective mind jumped at conclusions
and release quickly followed. In only an instance
was there anything approaching a near descrip-
ton of the robber, and he a very bad specimen
of tramp, who had his liberty restrained for
a while because in a drunken sleep he
muttered something about killing two
men. But the able-bodied detective Of aver
age caliber continued to study and keep in view
the long, the short the thick, the thin that came
in his way. All this while an important clew
had been obtained by the railroad authorities,
the States prosecution for Monroe county, and
the town officers of Bloomington. They worked
it secretly; with what success the narrative of
facts here given sufficiently expresses.
Because he lacked completeness of moral char
acter, and had a tendency to take the world easy
with the odds and ends he might pick up, VIM.
Wright, of Bloomington, early fell under sus-
picion. He left that place the day before the
robbery, yet it was given out that probably
| Wright had something to do with the affair. He
went to Terre Haute, and there learning of his
supposed relation to the robbery, gave himself
up. The local authorities at Bloomington had but
little faith in Wright as the man. However, his
surrender contributed to the plan the railroad
and States attorneys were then perfecting, and
it was thought best to bring Wright to Bloom
ington. The usual tendency of popular opinion
to fix upon the first probable perpetrator of the
deed as the man did not fail to show itself in
this case. Wright, Notwithstanding the unwar-
ranted belief of the people, remained cool under
suspicion, and readily answered questions put to
him. On Tuesday, the 18th inst, his examina-
ton was continued until the following Friday,
at the request of the prosecutors. In the mean
time, a plan that led to dramatic developments
was being perfected. Friday came, and with it
a great crowd of townsmen and co untrymen,
nothing of the prosecutors intention being
known beyond the limited circle Immediately in
terested. Into the mayors Office the throng
went, expecting only to see Wright committed
to Jail to answer at a higher court. But early in
the proceedings a careful observer
could have noticed something out of
the usual order of preliminary examinations.
Wright had the bearing of one confident of
safety. His attorney evinced no particular in
t~erest, and the prosecutions representatives
looked upon the affair with apparently calm in
difference. A few minutes later Prosecuting-at-
torney Henly asked in court for a short time in
which to consult upon an ordinary matter. This
tho defense followed by a similar request.
Wright was then taken to Colonel Findly's room
at the National Hotel, when he unexpectedly
came into the presence Of Peter I. Weber, the
assaulted baggageman. He did not lose his
composure. Weber ne did not know, and the
Identification failed as was expected from a pre-
vious statement of the baggageman when shown
a photograph of Wright. He then said, as he
did in his presence, ''He is not the man."
Everybody knew Wright. or could tell more
or less concerning his habits, work, haunts and
associates Subpenas for witnesses were ex-
te%nsively Issued, covering nearly every neigh
borhood in the county where he had acquaint-
ances. One of these subpenas called upon
Chesley Chambers to appear on the Friday
named and testify in the case, State versus
Wright. This Chambers subpoena Deputy-mar-
shall Frank Dobson had to serve. Or the
Thursday before, tho 14th inst, he rode out to
the Chambers farm and told Chesley that he
was wanted in the Wright case. Chesley did not
want to come, and he made one or two excuses
of a trivial character. "But you have to COME
said Dobson; 'if not, we will bring YOU By
1890 o'clock in the morning of Friday, 18th inst,