Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-11-13
THE FACETioUs TRAIN-RoBBER
Jim Cummings Writing Letters Pre-
fesdine 10 Give Himself Away.
lBy teie0rapb 10 the DispatcnJ

10y tefeErApn 70 Inc DUpatcnJ
ST. LOUIS, royembtr 12.-There wa
probably never more humorous and reck-
iessly daring bicbwsymsn than the in
diyidusl who recently robbed the Adams
Express car on the 81. Louis and San Fran
cisco road OF over $4,000, and who is
pleased o. be known a. " Jim Cummings"
He captured one OF the largest amounts OF
money ever lost by an express company,
md. despite the fact TINT a wealthy cOrpo-
Iaiion and the most skilled and experienced
detectives in the country are doing all that
money and brains car do n run him down,
Cummings occupies his spare time in defy
'ng bis pursuers aud In furnishing them
with false clues upon which 10 exer Use
their ingenuity. He seems to feel 30 ALSO
iutfly assured Of biz own safety that he dares
"a have little amusement with the express
company. He has written several letters
heretofore, and detectives all agree that
they were written by the now.imprlsOned
messenger (FOtberinghaml before the rob
bCry was committed ~ a measure OF safety
should be I've suspected, and an alleged tx.
pert penmsn testified before the grand jury
that the handwriting was the same as the
messengers; but the RepuJiicqH r. in re-
cript OF fresh letter. dated Topeka. which
II prints this morning, IN the same hand
writing % the others, and signed "Jim
Cummings" which goes 20 show that Foth-
eringham could not possibly have written
either Of the Others. In the letter he states
that he regrets that suspicion should rest
upon Fotheringham, and asserts that the
messenger did ali in his power 10 protect
The cOmpany's property. He requests that
he package which accompanies the letter.
and which contained property valued at
$4,000 in notes, mortgages. &C., be return
ed 10 the Adams Express Company. open
one receipt for money to the First National
Bank OF Eureka. kas., appeared the fol-
lowing signature "Jim Cummings. for
tie First National Bank OF Eureka and
on tho line below, where the fact Is 10 he
noted il the money i not received IN pro-
per shape. occurred the words: Il have
no complaint to make whatever"
A postscript 10 the letter SAYS: ~ sent
that bank. nate 10 Frank Jane, for Joke,
rot for any desire 10 get him into trouble
ON letter from ". H. Dam,el, manager OF
the company, TO an agent calling upon the
latter to procure q second bondman. the
Iobber wrote. "ln order 20 give tine
blokc' chance 10 sec il be = any good
On earth. will 20 on his bond.
JIM CUMMINGS.
"Nnlue Of property, $4,000 IN cash"
In spite OF the fact that this last letter
goc- 10 prove that FotherIngham was not
it, writer, a morning paper say: When
the messengers trunk was examined there
were number Of letters, some written IN
peculiar back-1and, which jim Cum
mings" affects, Others in hand sl4utiug in
The other direction. and most important OF
I'll. sheets OF paper with the Signature Of
". j. Barrett written upon Il q number Of
times with the manifest Intention OF making
o close copy OF the original. A. soon as
the documents were examined the dctec-
fives and Dir. Damsel agreed that these and
Jim Cummings letters were written 10y
he same person. but how they came into
T0;hcIingham's possession J. still N.Y.
cry
II is confidently stated tc-d,y TINT the off,
cislS % tie express company and the de-
ttctiycs have discovered the identity 81 the
TWO men recently indicted by the grand
jury foT grand larceny under the name, Of
jim Cummings and Richard Roe, bur they
DO not a. Vet SEE iii 10 make their plan,
public. j has been a-ccrtained that q
waitress IN O Paine street restaurant wa
Cummings mistre.., and from her his de-
scIipti0n. which tallics exactly with that
gwen by FOtheTiugham, was obtained. The
shops II :. Charles, Mo-, where the CAMP
outfit, etc. referred 10 by Cummings in
former letter were purchased Ia. been
visited ly the detectives, and from their
pfOprietOrs il was learned that one Of the
n rchaser- was the waiiress's plramOur, and
doubtless one Of the robbers. II il ASSERT
cd that both these men will be- arrested.