St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-12-28
Pinkerton's Detectives Work Out the
Problem of the Recent Missouri
Express Robbery.
Five Men Now Under Arrest Charged
With Completely in the Orimi-
nal Conspiracy.
Graphic Description OF the Wa.
in Which They Were Run
to Earth.
The Alleged Principals Two Well
Known Residents on the West
Side in Chicago.


25 of $50, 600 to $50. 900 were related for
the first time by the officials of the Pinker-
ton National Detective agency tonight to
a reporter of the Associated Press. The
agency has succeeded in arresting five men.
Frederick WitrOck. who is the author of
the Jim Cummings" letters, and who is
claimed to be the man who perpetrated the
robbery; \. W. Haight, an eX-employe of
the express company. who Is supposed to
have aided in planning the robbery from his
knowledge of the railroad ''run;" Thomas
Weaver. a Chicago laundryman who was
with Witrock before and after the robbery;
Edward Kingg, brother-in of Wit
rock, upon whose person was found a con-
siderable portion of the express money,
and Oscar Cook, who was with Witrock
after the robbery and afterward divided the
money and mailed the Jim Cummings"
letters. The detectives Rave turned in
about SIS, 900 and estimate that from S40,-
600 to S45. 900 is still unaccOunted for. The
STORY OF THE CHASE
has all the depth of a romance in it, and
certain features of it would be regarded as
improbable in fiction. The express car
on the ST. Louis & San Francisco railroad
was rifled on the night of Oct. 25, and the
express messenger, David s. Fothering-
ham, when discovered by the train hands,
was found bound and gagged in the car.
He explained that he had admitted man
into the car who presented a letter from
John s. Barrett, route agent, the letter eX-
planning that the man was to be employed
by the company and was to be given an op-
portunity to learn the business. Fother-
ingham related that while on the run the
stranger presented revolver, bound and
gagged him and then carried off all the
money in the safe. The robbery occurred
at Pacific Junction. about thirty-six miles
from st. Louis. The PinkertOn agency
sent operatives in all directions and the
wagon roads running from Pacinc Junction
toward the Missouri river were traverSed
but only meager trace was found of any
one, and the officers, when they returned
to St. Louis were completely at sea. In
the meantime a letter was addressed by
Jim Cummings to the Globe-DemOcrat
of st. Louis. based on which the Pinker-
toms claim to have compaSSed the arrest
and fixed the crime of all the participants
In the meantime the detectives had obtained
the names of all persons discharged or who
voluntarily left the employ of the express
company during the preceding year, and
found among the former n. W. Haight
who had been discharged nine months since
for suspected theft of packages. This man
HAD BEEN A MESSENGER
On the road from St. Louis to Vinita.
Indian Territory, covering the same run
which was made by Fotheringham. The
detectives found that he and Fotheringham
had known each other in Kansas City. but
there had been no intimacy. Haight was
traced to Kansas City, and from there to
LeaTenworth where his father was an in
mate Of the home for disabled soldiers.
From Leavenworth it was found that
Haight had come to Chicago, where he had
been employed as an express driver, and
also worked for Fred Witrock. the mysteri-
Gus Jim Cummings" who was operating
a coal yard at the corner of Lincoln and
West Lake streets. Haight left the city on
Oct. II. two days after the robbery, stating
that he was going to Florida, and his wife
followed him some days later. They had
been very poor, but showed evidence of
sudden aff1uence Immediately after the rob-
berry. The investigation by the detectives
in Chicago showed that Witrock had also
come from LeavenwOrth, and as he was
absent from the city he could not be ques-
toned concerning Haight. When inquiry
was pursued respecting WitrOck, it was
the description given Of the mysterious
Jim Cummings. Further
CAUTIOUS INQUIRIES
showed that Witrock had left the city on
Oct. u with Tom Weaver, the laundryman.
whose place of business is at No. 733 West
Lake street, and within few doors of
Witrock's cCal yard. 1t was also learned
that the men had taken with them two
valises a shotgun and a musket, and eX-
planned that they were going to Arkansas
to hunt. Weaver. it was aScertained. had
returned to Chicago on Oct. %. Some of
the handwriting of Witrock was obtained
and submitted to the man who was passing
Judgment on the letter addressed to the
Globe Democrat. The detectives state that
this letter, which was written to eXculpate
Fotheringham. professed to tell the facts
leading up to the robbery and what had
occurred after the robbery. In this "Jim
Cummings" explained that he had left a
package in the union depot at st. Louis,
which would show that he had number of
the letter heads Of the express company.
and in this letter the writer said he had
gone to the Missouri river to point Oppo-
site Labodie, and took a skiff below ST.
Charles and floated down the river. De-
tectiveS were sent to st. Charles and found
that two men answering the description of
Witrock and Weaver had bought a skiff
and provisions, and had gone up the river
On Oct. IA, instead of down the river.
-......- THE SKIFF
vas afterwards found in gully, partially
covered with sand. In the bundle Jim
Cummings spoke of as having been left at
the union depot in addition to other articles
were some printed ballads, and on one of
these was found the address, 210S Chestnut
street, bnt which was only discernible un-
der miscroscOpe. At the number was
found to be living woman named Mrs.
Berry, who related that she had two
rOonlers who corresponded to Witrock and
Weaver. They had come to her house on
Oct. Is. and Weaver departed on the night
of Oct. %, saying he was going to Kansas
City. Witrock left Oh the evening Of Oct
%. explaining that he intended to go to
Kansas City. Mrs. Berry was able to give
a very close description of both the men.
Searching the rooms they had occupied two
red stamps were found which corresponded
TO the labels placed on the valises shipped
10 st. Louis from St. Charles. as was ex-
planned by a study of the books of the
Pacific Express company, showing that
they were the baggage of the two men who
had been at that place bargaining for the
skiff and provisions. When these facts had
all been gathered
A CLOSE WATCH
was placed upon the coal yard of Witrock,
which was being managed by Kinney.
Operatives were also sent to Leavenworth.
where Witrock's mother and sister, both
very respectable, were residing 1t was
found that Haight's wife and child were
with Haights mother in Leavenworth and
that Haight's wife was in correspondence
with her husband, who was located at
Nashville. He had gone into the roofing
business and he was always kept under
close watch. About five weeks ago