Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-11-10
THE GREAT ROBBERY
NJ THE ApAxsHxPREss CAR ON THE
SAN FRANCISCO ROAD.
.Is,tsr from "Jim Cummings" PurpUt-
ing to Give Full History OF tho
Affair, and an Attempt to
Clear Fotheringham.

netition Of h0btdS corpus presenteo W
iudge Tbsyr by Mrs. Lizzie Root In be-
half Of her son, David 5. Fothcringham,
ihe messenger who was in charge
Of the car ST the time OF the ROD
bcry. The lc' ton sets forth that be -
detained. confined, and restrained OF
his Hber,v \, the Southern Hotel. 10
mis- CITY. by the Adams Express Company,
William ri. pamsel and Robert Pinker-
con Of Pnkciton's Defective Agency;
,hst such detention is illegal and without
an, warrant oi law. and that he is locked
mn In a room IN the hotel at the caprice
and mere foice Of the express company
and IFS agents, who constantly watch over
him and rcs'rsIn bim against bis consent,
and 10 his gre humiliation. The Court
ordered a writ 10 be issued IeturnaOle TO-
morrow morning.
Dir. psmSCl, the superintendent OF thc
express company. could not he found by
Tho sheriff. officer until late this afternoon.
shortly before that time Mr. DamSel drove
mn To the southern Hotel and let Detective
Melay out OF the buggy. lie then drove
directly 10 the Office OF the Adams Express
Comp.ny. nj Broadway and Oliye street,
and WAS hurriedly writing cipher telegram
ySbep D,put,. Sheriff Nolan, who was on
tbr watch for him. entered the office. The
DEPUTY waited until the telegram had been
sent out and then said 81 am here 10
serve YOU with writ Of hd6edS corpus.
Here is petition for the Adams Express
Company and copy for yourself"
of YOU will come with me TO my at
torneys | will accept them,' said MIR.
Dsmsel.
The deputy wsuld not go. Mr.. Damsel
evidently had net been prepared for this
Of, ~ nj
mother. and was yiHbly disturbed. On the
deput,'s declining 10 go with him to Judge
Rrcckinridge, the attorney for the com
many. be sid: "Then l cannot accept
service"
THE writ and copy had been plsced upon
the desk in trout OF the express superin'
tend.nt. but on his refusal TO accept ser
,;ce Dcpnty Nolan picked them up and
laid them unon Mr.. Damsel's left shoulder
II. made no attempt TO detsin the papers
there and Mr.. Dsmsel, with an impatient
ooh nshsrlr shook them off. The papers
Toll 10 the floor. and The deputy departed,
ie.v,np them living where they fell. A re-
,,o-,er asked MIR. Damsel II the company
wonld resist the proceeding. lie said ::
az have positively nothing to say
Fotberinebam has really become prl-
sOnrr Of late. VII, Their voluntary or not.
At the beginning he was allowed great
deal OF liberty, and the only apparent re.
slrsint put upon INN was the continual
nrc.ence Of Detective Melay, who always
seemed 10 be doing his best to make his
charge comfortable. Mely's genial face
HISS not been seen 80 frequently about the
hotel. and Folheringhsm has only appeared
In the corridor at meal times. servants
who have seen more OF Fotheringhim
than other persons about the place
saw his. manner has not altered at all.
He seems 10 Doe cOntentcd, and has only
lost a little color 10y reason Of hl' c0ntne'
ment in the house. He does not seem to
be proud Of his position. and when obyi-
o,lslV the centre 81 all eyes in the dining
room bears il without any external evil
dence TO show that he Is aware OF 1t. IL Ii
This sfsniunifOrm calm in his dcmeanOr
snd readiness 10 do anything the express
company officials may desire Of him that Is
telling in his favor. One does not now
hear word Of the original suspicion that
he was party 10 the robbery from those
who have seen him ALMOST daily and were
originally certain that he knew more OF the
affair than he chose TO tell.
n leaked out tonight that indictments
were found to-day by the grand jury against
Foih.ringham, jim Cummings, and two
others whose names could not be learned.
Jim Cummings, II will be remembered,
WAS the name which Fotheriugham claims
the rohher used, but whether lie is the
Cummings Of Jesse James, notorious
band or some otner Cummings IL known
only to The detectives, who claim to have
located a portion Of the stolen money aud
10 have evidence of conspiracy between
Fo,heringham and others TO rob the eX-
press ear.
by telegraph to the Dispatch.l
II. Louis, November 9.-Thc Globe Dem.
Ocgi hi, morning prints letter dated u.
Joe Mo, October 3lst, and signed jim Cum
mings, which purpOrtS to give full his
tory Of the robbery Of the Adams Express
car on the san Francisco railroad on the
night Of October 10Th, when between $780,
coo and 100000 in currency was taken.
The letter was received by the editor 81
the Glolt- Democrat last Tuesday. IL en-
closed two express money-enve'opes.
from one Of which $4,000 had been
distracted, and from the other Sl2,-
coo; also, the memorandum OF the
cashier 81 the Continental Bank notifying
the American National Bank OF Kansas
City that $4,000 was enclosed. The en-
yClopcs and memorandum have been fully
identified ~ those taken in the robbery.
The writer oi the letter gives as his reason
for writing il that he wants to clear Fother-
irghsm, toe xpress.meSseDger, from the
suspicion which now attaches 10 hun. The
lfiteT gives iHll details OF the robbery, and
asserts that FotherlnSham was taken COM
pletcly by surprise and had no partcipa-
ton ir it, except rs the unwilling victim.
The writer tells 81 previous attempt TO
rob the car at Cuba junction, and details
the manner in which he and an accom-
plice secured letiCr-heads, cards, etc, and
secured signatures Of the express officials
to enable them TO forge the order per-
hitting the rObber 10 ride in the car with
the messenger. The letter stated that the
robbers bad boat which, together with Il
camping outfit, two guns. and box Of
provisions, they had Sccrcted near the
bridge a, II. Charles, No. and also pack
are containing revolver which had been
left at The cbeck-,tand at the Union depot
IN this city on the day Of the robbery. The
letter II written in round, back-hlnd,
evidently disguised, is fairly constructed
and generally well spelled, errors where
they occur evidently beng intentional. rs in
The case Of the misquotatlOn " H0ni salt Qui
hGiy peBz," with which it concludes, and
The messengers name, which appears IN
every instance as " Fartheringham." Fol-
loving directions given in the letter, the
skid, guns. and provisions were readily
found by the detectives, as was the pack
age containing the revolver at the Union
depot chcck-stgnd. Other corroborliionS
Of the letter were numerous. FOtherin2-
ham, in his nrst statement, said the robOcr
mad remarked, when he took from the mes
senger's pocket the forged letter With
which he mad gained access 10 the
oXprcss-car, that be would write
letter u the Globe Democrat vim.
dieeting the messenger. The letter is in
The same handwriting as that recently sent
with some 81 the stolen unsigned money To
Frank james. Notwithstanding all this,
tie detectives regard the letter rs a clear
blind, snd DO not IN the least abate their
Nleilsnt guard over Messenger Fotheriug-
ham. iUdted, il is stated on pretty good
authority tha, the grand jury In session in
tbs city yesterday found indictments
against fOtheringhEm, Jim Cummings"
sud two others whose nsmeS were not given
iol completely in the robbery.
The detectives think that The robbers,
when preparing for The affair, took into coz
sidcrstion the extraordinary pressure which
would be brought 10 bear on tue express
Messenger, aud that they laid their piauS
accordingly. That the guns, boat, and pro-
visions were left where found before the
robbery there Is no doubt, for people re-
siding IN tho vicinity remember having
seen mysterious strangers IN the locality,
aud the guns were purchased near II.