The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-02-03
TIE s. 4 c. STATION BURGLARS CAPTURED.
The Famous Shenandoah Red y and His Pals 10
the Somerset Jail.

3 The Famous " Shenandoah Red and His Pals !
the Somerset jail.
In our last issue we made brief mention
of the fact that the BALTIC. and Ohio station
house at this place had been broken into
Monday night, the safe blown open, mum
Der of trunks broken into, and their content.
taken. Since that time the perpetrators ol
the crime have been apprehended, and are
now in Jail awaiting trial at the coming
term of court. The particulars of the cap
ture and arrest are as follows: The party
numbered four, and as soon as they had I'm
ished up the last trunk they placed hand
car, used by the repairmen, that was lying
along the road on the track, and started in
the direction OF Johnstown. Just beyond
Bethel station they dispensed with the ser
vices of the car, throwing it from the track
and starting across the country.
As soon as the morning train on the ). &
/ C. road arrived at Johpstown the police au-
thorities were notified of the burglary and
| Constable Waters and Officer Warner OF that
place. started out to work up the case. They
went out the road leading TO Somerset,
through Dayidsyille. They had proceeded
as far as Tyre Hill, about four miles from
Johnstown, when they met a farmer, Mr.
Jerome Bowman, and his wife, in sled go
ing toward town. They had as passengers
three men, who occupied the rear part OF
the sled These men at once attracted Mr..
Warmers attention, and, stopping the sled,
he inquired of the farmer the distance to
Dayidsville. One of the three men instant-
ly sprang from the sled, and, placing re-
| volver at Mr.. Warmers breast, said By
G., I'll show you how far il IS to Davids-
Vile" The officer had his revolver out al
most rs quickly as his assailant and was
about to make use of it. when one of the
other men in the sled discharged pistol at
Mr.. Warner, the ball taking effect IN his
arm, and causing him TO drop his weapon
The man that fired the shot and his COM
panion in the sled hastily took their de-
parture across field and towards the woods,
while Officer Warner and the constable crap
pied with the man who had pointed the
pistol to Mr. Warmers breast and, after
desperate struggle, during which the fellow
cursed his companions for running off and
leaving him, they succeeded in putting the
irons on him. He was at once put III the
sleigh and taken to Johnstown, where he
was identified as the notorious 4" Shenando-
ah Red" well known rs burglar, robber
and outlaw in police circles in all the large
cities
As soon as Red" had been safely locked
up, the officers again started out in search OF
his companions. On their way out OF town
they met Mr.. Bowman and his wife on their
sled. Mr.. Bowman told them that the men
who had escaped, In their excitement or
their fright, lett some packages, tied up IN
red handkerchieis, on the bed of the sled.
The officers took possession OF the packages,
and made hasty inspection of their con-
tents. They were found TO consist OF Jewell
ry. burglars tools. aud trinkets of various
kinds, some bearing the name "Shoema-
kerr thus furnishing incontestible eviderce
that the man arrested and the three fugiiives
were the parties guilty of the Somerset
burglary.
This knowledge gave tie officers increased
zeal. and they proceeded on their journey
with redoubled determination. After leav-
ing the Red Bridge the party returned to the
nike. where it was learned that the escaped
men had taken the back track. aiming for
tl la limo nf tho SODlprSpf ~
Cambria Railroad The officers returned
to Nose Yoders, not far from Davidsyille,
where they left the horse and sleigh, and
where they obtained the services of a young
man to pilot them to the point where the
tramps had last been seen. They had no
trouble in getting on then trail, leading
through meadow. They had gone sin
gle file" through the snow, making but one
set of footsteps, evidently to elude pursuit,
until they reached very steep and thickly
wooded hillside. Here they had trampied
about at will among the laurel, underbrush,
and rocks. The officers finally traced them
down the hillside TO the bed of the Stony
creek, about four miles above the Red
Bridge. and found that they had gone down
the river a short distance. then returned
and crossed the stream. By this time the
day was closing and it was becoming very
difficult to see the footprints in some places.
By the use of matches the officers follow
ed the trail to Ingleside Station. There the
footprints in the snow indicated that the
fugitives had left the railroad and started
across the country toward Geistown. Dark
ness prevented further pu rsuit, and the Off
GERS with the plunder they had recovered
through Mr.. Bowman returned to Johns
town.
After depositing the packages of plunder
at the Burgess office. Chief Harris and party
this time including Detective Shepherd,
drove to Geistown. There it was learned
tnat the tramps had been at Mr.. Jack Wat
kins' hotel drinking about o'clock in the
evening, and had inquired the read TO South.
Fork. The policemen then returned to the
city and searched Rosie Semple's place on
Prospect, and also the resorts kept by Mary
Fox and Pat Nugent, the latter the tramp
who was shot on Christmas day, be having
since his recovery opened a den on the hill.
Nothing resulted from the search of these
places. and the policemen returned to the
Burgess office. There they met Jack Wat
kfns, who had come in from Geistown and
wanted officers to accompany him on a
search for the tramps. Officer Stern was de-
tailed to go with him.
II was then agreed that Watkins and
Stern should proceed to Geistown and
thence to South Fork by a country road,
while Chief Harris and his party should go
up the Pennsylvania Railroad to South !
Fork, both parties to meet there in case
neither of them in the meantime encoun- !
tered the tramps.
Chief Harris and party were furnished an 1
engine by the Cambria Iron Company and |
on it went as far as East Conemaugh. /
There they found nine tramps, whom they
examined carefully but without finding the
ones wanted. Thence they proceeded to
South Fork on freig Int train arriving there
at twenty minutes after three o'clock this
They remained there until the
arrival of the Accommodation, when they
boarded it and returned to JohnstowD, with
out having succeeded in their mission.
Officer Stern and Jack Watkins had arriv-
ed in the city before the chief and his party
and had brought with them the three fugi