The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-11-13
THE PLOT THICKENS
IN THE EXPRESS ROBBERY,
The Mysterious "JIm Cummings" Keeps Up
His Amusing Correspondence with the
PapeFS-Ths Imprisoned NIessSn.
ger Accused Of Writing Them.

|
Papers-The Imprisoned AIesSSn.
ger Accused Of Writing Them.
ST, LOUIS, Nov, 12,-Thsrs probably
never was more humorous and reckless
ly daring highwSyman than the individ
ual who robbed the Adams Express cal
on the 1T. Louis and San Francisco rail-
road, OF over $4,000, and who is pleased
10 be known ss "Jim Cummlugs." He
captured one Of the largest amounts oI
money ever lost by an Express company,
and despite the fact thst wealthy corpo'
ration and The most skilled and experien'
Ced detectives, in this country, arc doing
all that money and brains can do, to run
him down, Cummings occupies his spare
time in deIylng his pursuers and in fur.
nishiug them with false clues upon which
to exercise their ingenuity, AS seems to
feel to hl absolutely assured Of his SAFE
| ty, that he dares to h2vo lit
tle amusement with the Express
company. HS has written asveral
lsGters heretofore, and the detectives all
agreed that they were written by the now
Imprisoned messenger Fotheringham, be-
lore the robbery was CommiLted, as a
measure OF safety should he be suspected,
and an alleged expert psnman testified
before the grand Jury that the hand
writing was the same as the messengers.
MORE LETTERS TaoH CUMMINGS,
But the Republican is In receipt Of 9 fresh
letter, dated Topeka, Kan, which It
prints this morning, in the same hand
writing as the others and signed "Jlm
Cummings" which goes to show FothOr.
lngham could not plasibly have written
other Of tho others. In the letter he
states that hs regrets that sus,
piClon should rest on FotherIng.
ham, and Ussegls that the messenger
did all in his pbwer 10 protect the COM
pany's property. lie requested that the
package which accompanied the letter
and which contained property valued at
$4,000 In notPs, mortgages etc, be re-
turned to the Adams Express Company.
Upon one receipt for money TO the First
National Bank Ut Eureka, Ks, appeared
tho following giguRture: jim Cummings,
for First National bank, Eureka, and on
the line below where the fact 10 to be
noted II the monsy Ia not received in
proper shape occurred the words, ~ have
no complaint to make whatever" A
postscript to the letter says II sent that
bank noto 10 Frank james for joke, not
Tor any desire to get him into t.ouble." A
letter from W, p. QImsel, manager OF the
company, TO al eEspt calling upon the
latter to procure lcCond bondsmau, the
robber wrote. In order to give the "bloke''
chance to eee II he's any goodon earth,
| will 90 on his bond, Jim Uummines.
Value Of property $59.OOO in cash."
FoTHERISoHAM's TRUNK.
In spite Of the fact that this last letter
goes to prove that Fotheringham was not
ita writer q morning paper says: "when
the messengers trunk was examined
there were a number OF lstters, some
written in 8 peculiar bsckhand which
Jim Cummings' affects, Others In hand
sIanting In the other direction and, most
| lLupuAbaut Va Allt puGet1 VI HhpGE WIN Iue
signature Of w. ]. Barrett written on II q
number OF limea with manifest intention
Of making close copy OF the original"
AS soon as the documents were examined
the detectives and Mr.. Damsel agreed
that these aud tho "Jim Cummingsh let
ters were written by the same person, but
how they came into Fotheringham's pos.
seeBion Ii atill u myatery,
BETRAYED by A WOMAN.
1t Is confidently stated this afternoon
that the officials Of the express company
and the detectives in their employ have
discovered the identity Of the two men re.
Gently indicted by the grand jury fol
grand larceny under the names Of "Jiln
Cummings" and "Richard Rot" but they
do not, as yet, see ilsto make their real
psmes public. 1t has been ascortained
that a waitress in PING stree. RESTAURANT
was Cummings mistress, and from her his
description, which tallies exactly with
that given by Fotheringham, was OBJ.
taintd. The shop al 1T, Charles, Mo-,
where tho camp ouia!, guns, etc., releEred
to by "Cummings" in FORMER letter, were
purchased, have been visited by the de-
tectives and from the proprietors 1t was
learned that one Of the purchasers was
the waitress psramour and doubtless. one
OF the robbers. 1t ID asserted that both oil
these men will soon he arrested.
1