St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-12-27
DONE BY DETECTIVES.
The Sharp Work of Pinkerton's Men in
Their Search for the Notorious
Jim Cummings"
Williams, Supposed to Be in Custody ii
Chicago, Thought to Be Cum
mings Himself.
Oscar Cook Arrested in Kansas City
When the Detectives Heard
From Chicago.
Sam Sixkiller, Chief of the In dian
Territory Police, Brutaily Shot
to Death.

to Death.
ST. LOUIS, Mo-, Dec 26.=The following
story of the hunt made by Pinkerton detec
tives from the time of the Adams express
robbery to the date of the capture in Chi
cago Friday last is derived from sources
which render its correctness unQuestionable:
Shortly after the robbery was committed
the detectives went to work on the case,
but they were practically at sea as to the
identity of the robbers. There was not
clue, and everything would have appeared
perfectly in accord with Fotheringham's
story had it not been that there were mac
curacies in his statements. When the
Globe Democrat received its first letter from
Jim Cummings" dated ST. Joseph Mo-.
Oct. 81. there was a clue. very substantial
one it proved when the detectives got down
to work on it systematically. In that letter
he said there was a package to
be found at the check room
of the union depot, and marked
on the books. They went and got that
package and opened it. finding several
shirts. billy, and several written songs,
not at all in the handwriting of the letter.
There was also found printed ballad of
the kind sold on the streets by newsboys.
That was examined and upon it was found
the number of house on Chestnut street.
The words
'CHESTNUT STREET.
were exactly the same as the Handwriting
of the Globe Democrats letter. A visit was
paid to the house Immediately by the Pink
erton operatives. two of the very best.
They were met at the door by lady who
was very sharp. and Immediately recog-
nized who the men were. Il know who
You are" said she. you've come here to
see about the two men who were rooming
here" They told her they had Next she
went on to describe the two men,
answering exactly to the descriptions of
the parties wanted. The operatives
went into the room and examined it at great
pains. The first thing they ran against
was bottle of medicine. which was found
to have on it the label of a druggist Of the
vicinity and also the name of a well known
doctor. The druggist and doctor were both
visited, and there they learned again the
description of the men. who were the same
who had stopped at the house in QUESTION.
The 81 thing found along the track was ex-
amined. and it was found that it bore evil
dences of the contagious disease for which
and filled by the druggist. This was estab-
lished. and then the operatives seemed to
be little more at sea than ever. The
landlady said that on the Friday before
October %,
THE TIME OF THE ROBBERY,
one of the men, the smallest one, had
gone to Kansas City on the st. Louis &
San Francisco train and left the other man
behind. Saturday the man left behind
came to her and said that if letter should
come to the place for man named Will
Jams she was to hold it for him. as he was
the man. The letter came, and he said it
called him away unexpectedly to Kansas
City. too. He went away from the house
the night of the robbery with a valise. She
described the valise. 1t was the same one
which Engineer Hefferman declared he saw
in the hands of the man who threw it into
FOtheringham's car before Fotheringham
helped him in. Next the carpet was taken
up and under the floor covering was found
an express tag. On the tag there was
a little green waxen seal resem-
bling the seals0 on the packages
which were sent with letters to the Globe
Democrat. This seal was examined and it
was found that the articles to which it had
been attached had been shipped some time
before from Pacific to st. Louis. The
books of the company were overhauled at
considerable pains. and there it was found
that the articles which had been shipped
were
TWO vALIsEs.
The valises were those of the men who
had stopped at this house. The landlady
said she had never seen the smaller man
from that day to the time she was ques-
toned The clew was followed, and it
was learned almost as positively as any
thing can be learned that on the Friday
night upon which the smaller left man
went over the route in Fotheringham's ex-
press car. The men were then traced
to Kansas and then again into
Missouri until through little over
a week ago it was learned
the men wanted were in Kansas City, or
near there. They were located about In
dependence, where Williams who is Cum
mings. had talked great deal. The res
taurant where the men had taken meals was
found. and the saloon at which they drank
was also visited. Also clues were picked
up here and there. The detectives, follow
ing closely upon the tracks of the two men,
caught up with some people with whom
Williams had been talking. In fact they
found one man who had mailed one of the
Cummings letters, who told them that Will
Jams had told him that Fotheringham was
chump in telling his story. He had, he
said.
PRESENTED BUT ONE LETTER
to him. and that was the letter which had
been forged and purported to come from
Route Agent Barrett of the Adams Ex-
press company. They had met together
and had put up scheme wereby FotheriDg-
ham was to say that he had received two
letters. one from Barrett and one from
Mr.. Damsel. In his hurry he had not pre-
sented the letter of Damsel. and therefore
Fotheringham had mixed himself up on the
story. The Damsel letter. it was under
stood, had been given to completely turn
away any suspicion that Fotheringham was
connected with the robbery. When it was
learned that the men were in Kansas City
or Whereabouts tickets were applied for and
they were issued. Pinkerton's man, who is
dubbed in the indictment Richard Roe, had
a photo of the druggist, the doctor, Engin-
Ger Hefferman,
THE LANDLADY
and several others were in Kansas City, and
Sunday morning Roe was to turn up. He
didn't turn. He was again to appear In
Kansas City on Wednesday, but he did not
appear and it was evident the game had
been temporarily flushed. The detectives
thought there had been a mismanagement
somewhere and the matter was dropped till
the news Of the Chicago arrest was re
ceved, when the detectives went out and
caught the man known as Oscar Cook. The
real name of Cook is not known. He was
surprised at his capture. The man Williams,
who is supposed to be in custody in Chi
cago. is well known in Kansas. He
answered the description of Cummings in
every respect except that he is dark and
Williams 1iphf