The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-03-24
A BIG STE.tE.
Ihe ia i>oner Pretenti> That lie
Took Poison. isat S,rGu.s
Emetic Reveals the


count Of Il young man who Went by the
name of W. B. Tasco,t while in Plli,ka
and who II seems was the thief who got
away with the Florida Southern Railway
tickets just after their offices were burn-
ed here. The facts We're kept cut Of tie
newspapers here in the hope that the
young man might be caught Mr.. \. e.,
Cowan, the travelling agent Of the Flor
ida Southern, is in Louisville looking af
the case. and will probably bring Ia,,o,t
alias Scott, buck with him;
Tho most importan, event in police
circles since the arrest Of Kennedy. the
diamond thief, and his pal. was the cap.
turs yesterday Of Il. y. Scott, a hand
sODso fellow, nineteen years old, with
several thousand dollars worth of bona.
tide railroad tickets in his possession.
At 3o'clock yesterday afternoon Nj.
4. c. Meader, the ticket broker on
Fourth street near Main. telel,honed
Chief Of Police Whallen 10 call on him
at once. The Chief responded promptly
in person. when Mr.. Meaicr related that
no had reason to believe that a ticket
thief, with large amount Of swag. was
to b captured.
He said that in the morning a man
had como to him with eighteen tickets.
reading from lala.ka. Fla, to Chicago.
lie only desired to sell nine ii them. as
hS was in charge of party from the
South, ami half If them would return.
The others would not and wished 10 sell
their tickets. Mr. Meader purchased the
nine tickets. Mr.. Meadcr purchased the
nine tickets for $ll,. AID the man dc.
parted. Later VI. Meader learned that he
had attempted to dispose Of more tickets
to various parties and his suspicious were
aroused. lie then telephoned the Chief
oe Police.
Att O'Clock hack, which was Icing
driven rapidly along Magazine street,
was stopped 10y the two officers At the
corner of Thl,tcnth and its occupant
put under arrest. Capt. Bligh and Coz.
Whall,n entered the hack and were
driven 10 the Seventeenth.street Police
6saftOn, where Scott was placed in "A pri.
vate room and searched. Strapped
xr0und his person. in tourist fashion.
was n small leather sa,chel. When open.
ed it was found t. be completely filled
with coupon railroad ticket There was
also ticket punch. On his person
was an elegant gold ladys watch, $3ll.-
6ta money, small whiskey illsi and
come small articles Of j welry. Scott
would say but little.
he was on his way TO the Fourteenth.
Styeet depot when arrested, and did not
6nso to talk. Col. Whallen and Capt
n(gh left him to get their suppers. and
3o(tosi him what h. would have, He or
01gosl some swccthread,. lamb chops.
ucotc,a chips, coffee and quart bottle
- champagne The supper was sent
0 Rulers.
fs' Nile eating he remarked that hc be.
- much affected by wine aud was
~ afraid to drink the champagne. He
" drank part of the contents ~ the
+. When Col. Whalen and capt.
returned to their find they were
r. ised to SEE Scott sitting in a chair
~ limp and apparently quite drunk.
~ Ordinary methods of arousng per
~ from drunken stupUIs were tired,
~ with no avail. Heroic measures
Wu1o then adopted, and everything that
coud be thought Of was put IN pri.rt.Cr.
Ccl Whallen looked at the mans eyes
ond decided that he was suffering from
oroom poisoning, and Capt. Blgh hav-
ing felt his pulse and made other inves'
tlgations, gave it as his opinion that
some deadly drug wa, at work. The
prisoner wa5 but nlHct teen year, old, with
handsome boyish face, light hair and
blue eyes. He was abous the medium
buill and was richly dressed. As he lay
there on the floor he ap cared anything
but . thief, and many admrng remarks
weee passed by the select corcrle of po.
licemen.
The little party became seated, and re-
newed exertiDns were put in force. but
without effect. lie was drunched with
ice-vater and wet rag was slapped vio-
lenuy in his face. The tcnderest por.
ti00e Of his body were rinched until the
blood came. bat the young fellow never
moved. He was dragged around the
door, the bottoms Of his feet were beaten
with club. his hands were slapped AMI
every mears under the sun adopted. but
to no end; the man was hnp and appa.
rently inssnsib,e. DIR. Cary Blackburn
had been sent foI and arrived in hack.
He Immediately dispatched messenger
fR On electric battery and a strong emot-
ic. The battery was applied for half an
hoor, and meanwhile running convcr.
eation was kept up by the watchers.
6oUc though. he should be taken to the
hoopital, but Col. "! allen said no. Fl.
nslly DR.. Blackburn prepared the fear
fol emetic, a dozen willing hands held
up 6cott's head ana the glass was
hrD0ght near the mouth. The ccctfic
batoory was still sending a heavy current
q electrlcity through his nerve. Ju.t
- the fumes of the sulphuric acid, with
which the emetc was made. reached hi.
uoGtrils. he opened his eyes, and as
bcood smile broke over his face. he saii:
10, turn that d II thing off, referring
70 the electric battery. He then became
communicative aud owned up t. every.
ihtug. He said he had been employed
u the office Of O. W. Bromwel. general
ticGet office of the Florida Southern
r4llgpad, at Palatka. Florida. He was in
0Dclaim department and great num-
befOf tickets were stored in his office hy
fooDOn of a recent fire. II" was ois
chaRged. but before leaving had stoien
l27 tickets and stamped them all prop
erIy. Their value was $1,000 and he
had disposed Of some Of them a. follows:
At chattanooga, four tickets for Sl4: az