Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-12-31
A LONG CHASE ENDED.
DETAILS OF THE PURSUIT AND CAP
TIRE OF THE EXPRESS ROBBERS.
five Men Implicated Fotheringham In
nocent-A Discharged Employe Was
the Leader-Only IA Small Portion
of the Money Recovered.

CHICAGO, Dec 21-Complete details of
the chase after the Adams express rob
bers who robbed the safe on the st. Louis
and san Francisco road on the night of
October % of $4,000 to 100000, were re.
lated by the Pinkerton officials tonight.
The agency has succeeded in arresting
five men, Frederick Witrock who il
the author OF the "Jim Cummings"
letters and who is claimed to be
the man who perpetrated the robbery w.
w. Haght, an eX-employe of the express
company who is supposed to have aided in
planning the robbery from his knowledge
of the run; Thomas Weaver, a Chicago
laundryman who was with Witrock be-
fore and after the robbery Edward Kin
ney, brother.in-law of Witrock, upon
whose person was found a considerable
portion Of the express money and Oscar
Cook, who hid Wtrock after the robbery,
and divided the money and mailed the
"Iim Cummings letters. The detectives
have found about $4,000 of the stolen
booty and estimate that from $4,000 to
$40 600 is still unaccounted for. After the
express car had been rlned the express
messenger. Fotheringham, was found
DOuDu ana RdBRttl Ill lIlt CIR. lie tx
planned he had admitted II man who pre-
sented letter from John b. Barrett, the
route agent of the company, the letter eX-
planning that the man was to be employed
and was to be given an oppor
iunity to learn the business Fother-
tngham related that while on the run
a stranger presented a revolver, bound
and gagged him and rifled the safe. The
robbery occurred SO miles from st. Louis
Pinkerton sent operatives in all directions
and the wagon roads running toward
the Missouri river were traVerSed, but
only meagre traces were found and the olli-
Gals were at sea. In the meantime Il let
ter was addressed by Jim Cummings" to
the Globe Democrat of St. Louis, based on
which the Pinkertous claim to have com
passed the arrest and fixed the crime of all
the participants. In the meantime detec-
tives had obtained the names of all per-
sons discharged or who had voluntarily
left the employ of the express company
during the preceding year and found
among the former W. w. Haight, who had
been discharged nine months previous for
the suspected theft of Il package, This
man had been messenger ON the road
from st. Louis to knita, Indian Territory,
covering I he same run which was made
by FOtheringham. Haight was traced to
Kansas City and from there to Leaven-
worth, where his father was an inmate of
the Home tor Disabled Soldiers. From
Leavenworth 1t was found that Haight
had come to Chicago where he had been
employed as an express driver and also
worked for Fred Wtrock. Haght left
the city two days after the robbery, stat
ing that he was going to Florida, and his
wife followed him some days later. They
had been very poor but showed evidence
of sudden atlluency Immediately after the
robbery. Investigation 10y detectives in
Chicago showed that WitrUck had also
come from I.eavenworth, and as he
he was absent from the city
he could not he questioned con
corning Taught When inquiry was
that he corrtepOnGed very closely to Il de
scriptlun given OF the mysterious "Jim
Cummings Flu Their cautious inquiries
showed that Witrock had left the city
Oct. II with Tom Weaver, the laundry
man, whose place of business is near Wit
rock coal yard. 1t was also learned that
the men had taken with them two valses,
a shotgun and musket and explained
that they gong to Arkansas to hunt.
Weaver, it was ascert4ned, had returned
to Chicago on October ~ Some of Wit
rocks handwriting was obtained and com
pared with the letter addressed to the
Globe Democrat. Detectives state that
this letter which WAS written to eXculpate
Fothellngham plotessed to tell facts lead
ing up to the robbery and what mad OC-
CURED after the robbery. In this "Jim
Cummings" explained that he had
left package in the Union
depot at st. Louis which would
show that he had a number
of the letterheads of the express company.
In this letter the writer said he had gone
to the Missouri river to point opposite
Labadie and taken skf below st.
Charles aud tlOated down the river. De
tectives were sent toS Charles and found
that two men answering the description
of Witrock and Weaver had bought a
skill and provisions and had gone up the
river Oct. ii, instead of down the river.
The skin was atterWard found in gully
partially covered with sand. In the bun
die left AT the Union depot, in addition to
other articles were some printed ballads,
and on one of these was found the address,
2lOS Chestnut street, which was only dis
cernlble under microscope. AT this
number was found to be living "A woman
named Berry, who related that she had
two roomers who correspondent to Wit.
rock 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. Wtrock
left on the evening of October %, explain
ing that he also intended to 90 to Kansas
City. Mrs. Berry was able to give very
close description of both men and search
ing the rooms they had occupied two red
stamps were found which corresponded
to the labels placed on the two valses
shipped to st. Louis
After constant shadowing by the detec
tives WitrOck and Kinney were seen tC
come from the formers house Friday
morning and enter a saloon. Robert a
Pnkerton and two operatives Swallowed
the place until Kinney went out, wheI
they entered and arrested Witrock after 1
short struggle. The latter attempted tC
draw IA revolver, two being found on hi:
person. He protested against the indigni
ty but was searched and SIT
was taken from pocket book
When Kinney reappeared he wa,
searched and $1,000 was found, and in
belt around his waist $1,000 additional.
search Of Wtrock's house resulted il
finding skirt on Mrs. Witrock into which
$1,000 IN 500 notes was sewn. \ bunch o
money, S45O in all was also found on hel
person with valuable diamond. Weaver
WAS arrested in the coal yard about the
same time, and in the basement OF hi,
house was found $1,000 in some fruit Jars
Then the arrest of Cook and IIaight wa.
ordered by telegraph. The detective,
state that Cook distributed the money
after he robbery and WAS the 90 bet yepn