Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1886-11-13

He Writes Another Letter to the Public
Witticism-He Regrets That Suspicion
Rests ON Fotheringham-What Was
Found in the Messengers Trunk
ST. LOUIS, Nov, 13.-There probably never
was more humorous and recklessly daring
highwayman than the individual who re
Gently robbed the Adams express car on the
st. Louis & San Francisco railroad of over
S75,0 900, and who is pleased to be known as
Jim Cummings" He captured one of the
largest amounts of money ever lost by an
express company, and despite the fact that a
wealthy corporation and the most skilled and
experienced detectives in the country are do
ing all that money and brains can do to run
HIM down, MIR. Cummings occupies his spare
time in defymg his pursuers and in furnish
ing them with false clews upon which TO ex,
,rcise their ingenuity.
He seems to feel so absolutely assured Of
his own safety that he dares to have Il tile
amusement with the Express company He
has written several letters heretofore and
the detectives all agree that they were writ
ten by the now imprisoned messenger,
Fotheringham before the robbery was COM
mitted, as a MEASURE of safety, should he be
suspected, and an alleged expert penman
testified before the grand jury that the hand
writing was the same as the messengers
But The Republican is in receipt Of fresh
letter, dated Topeka, Kas. which it printed
Friday morning, in the same handwriting US
the Others and signed Jim Cummings, =
which goes to show that Fotheringham
could not possibly have written either ot the
others.
In the letter he states that he regrets that
suspicion should rest upon Fotheriugham,
and asserts that the messenger did all in
his power to protect the company S
property. He requests that the
package which accompanied the letter. ami
which contained property valued at $40, 900
IN notes mortgages, etc.. be returned TO
the Adams Express company. Upon one re
ceipt for money to the First National bank
OF Eureka Kan, appears the following sig
nature: Jim Cummings, for First Ma
tional bank, Eureka, and on the line below
where the fact is to he noted if the money is
not received in proper shape occurred the
words: Il have no complaint TO make what
ever
A postscript to the letter says: II sent
that bank note to Frank James for joke.
not for any desire to get him into trouble >
On letter from W. H. Damsel. manager
OF the company, ~ an agent calling upon the
latter to procure a second bondsman the
robber wrote: ''In order to give the 'bloke
a chance to see if he's any good on earth |
will go on his bond. Jim Cummings. value
of property, S53 e09 in cash
In spite of the fact that this last letter gee,
to prove that Fotheringham was not its
writer, morning paper says: "When the
messenger trunk was examined there were
number of letters, some written in a pecr-
liar back hand which Jim Cummings affects,
Others in a hand slanting in the other direc-
ton, and, most important of all, shsets of
paper with the signature of W j. Barrett
written upon it number Of times with a
manifest intention of making a close copy of
the original As soon as the documents were
examined the detectives and Mr. Damsel
agreed that these and the Jim Cummings
letters were written by the same person. but
how they came into Fothering hams pos
session Is still a mystery