The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-11-13
THE LATE EXPRESS ROBBERY.
NJ. Cummings Continues to Have Fun with
the Detectives and the Company.

ST. LOUIS, Nov 12.-There probably never
was humorous and recklessly daring
highwayman than the individual who recently
robbed the Adams express car on the ST. Louis
& San Francisco railroad of over $75, 600, and
who is pleased to be known to fame as Jim
Cummings" He captured one of the largest
amounts of money ever lost by an express com
pany and despite the fact that wealthy cor
poration and the most skilled and experienced
detectives in the country are doing all that
money and brains can do to run him down, Mr..
Cummings occupies his spare time in defying his
Dursuers and in furnishing them with false
elews upon which to exercise their ingenuity.
BE seems to feel so absolutely assured
Of his own safety that he dares to have
little amusement with the express company. He
has written several letters heretofore, and the
detectives al agreed that they were written by
4he now imprisoned messenger, Fotheringham,
before the robbery was committed, as a meas
are of safety should he be suspected, and al
eyed expert penman testified before the grand
Jury that the handwriting was the same as the
messengers. But the Republican is in receipt
sf a fresh letter. dated Topeka Kan, which it
prints this morning, in the same handwritinga
The others and signed 'Jim Cummings" which
goes to show that Fotherin CHAM could not posi-
he states that ne regrets that suspicion should
'est upon Fotherngham, and asserts that the
messenger did all IN his power to protect the COM
Danys property. He requests that the package
which accompanied the letter, and which con-
tained property valued at $40, 600 in notes. mort
HSges etc, be returned to the Adams Express
Company Upon one receipt Cor money to the
First National Bank of Eureka, Kan. appeared
:he following signature: Jim Cummings, for
First National Bank Eureka" and on the line
" her fha fact ic To hn tho
10 not received In proper shape, occurred the
words Il have no complaint to make what
aver" postscript to the letter says: II sent
that bank note to Frank James for a joke, not
for any desire TO get him into trouble" Upon a
letter from W. H. Damsel, manager of the COM
pany, to an agent calling upon the latter to pro-
cure second bondsnap, the robber wrote: "ln
order To give the bloke' n chance to see if he's
any good on earth, will go on his bond jim
Cummings Value of property 500, 600 in cash."
In spite of the fact that this last letter goes
to prove that Fotheringham was not its writer,
morning paper says: when the messengers
trunk was examined there were a number of
letters, some written in peculiar back hand,
which Jim Cummings affects others in hand
slanting il the other direction, and, most i'm
portant OF all, sheets of paper with the sigma
tEre OF w. j. Barrett written upon it number
OF times, with a manifest intention to make a
close copy of the original. AS soon as the docu
ments were examined, the detectives ard Mr..
Damsel agreed that the said Jim Cummings
letters were written by the same person. but
how they came into Fotheringhams possession
is still mystery"
1t is confidently stated to-day that the officials
of the express company and the detectives in
their employ have discovered the identity of
the two men recently indicted by the grand jury
Tor grand larceny under the names of Jim
Cummings" and Richard Roe" but thew do not
as yet. SEQ fit to make their real names public
1t has been ascertained that waitress in Pine
street restaurant was Cummings's mistress. and
from her, his description, which tallies exactly
with that given by Fotheringham, was obtained
The shops at St. Charles. Mo-, where the camp
outfit. guns, etc, referred to by Cummings"
In a former letter, were purchased have been
visited by the detectives, and from their propr-
etors it was learned that one of the purchasers
was the waitress's paramour, and doubtless one
of the robbers 1t is asserted that both of these
men will soon be arrested.