Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-11-13
.THEEXPRESSMYSTERY
DEEPENING As THE INVESTIGATION PRO
CEEDS
Another Lsttsr From jim Cummings the Alleged EI-
press RObbsr-Ths Detectives Secure Soma
Valuable Information Concerning the
RObbsry-Bsraysd BY = Woman.

ST. LOUIS, November l2.-There proba-
bly, never was more humorous and reck
lessly daring bighwayman than the
individual who recently robbed the Ad-
ans Express car on the st. Louis and San
Francisco railroad of over SO, ,000, and who
is pleased to be known as Jim Cum
mings." He captured one of the largest
amounts of money ever lost by an express
company, and despite the fact that a
wealthy corporation 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 occu-
pics his spare time in defying his pursuers
and in furnishing them with false clews
upon which to exercise their ingenuity.
He seems to feel so absolutely assured OF
his own safety that he dares to have lit
tie amusement with the Express Company.
He has written several letters heretofore,
and the detectives all agreed that they
were written by the now imprisoned mes
senger, Fotheringham, before the robbery
was committed, rs measure OF safety,
should he be suspected, and an alleged
expert penman testified before the grand
Jury that the handwriting was the same
as the messengers. But the Republican, is
in receipt of fresh letter, dated Topeka,
Kan, which it prints this morning, in the
same handwriting as the Others, and
signed Jim Cummings" which goes TO
show that Fotheringham could not posi-
blv have written either of the others.
In the letter he states that he regrets
that suspicion should rest upon FOther-
ingham, and asserts that the messenger
did all in his power to protect the COM
pany's property. He requests that the
package which accompanied the letter,
and which contained property valued at
$1,000 in notes, mortgages, etc, be re-
turned to the Adams Express Company.
Upon the receipt for money tO the First
National Bank of Eureka Kan; appeared
the following signature: Jim Cummings,
for first National Bank, Eureka and on
the line below, where the fact is TO be
noted if the money is not received in
proper shape, occurred the words: Il
have no complaint to make whatever
4 postscript to the letter says: Il sent
that note to Frank James for joke, not
for any desire to get him into trouble"
On letter from W. II. Damsel, manager
of the company, to an agent calling upon
the latter 10 procure second bOndsman,
the rubber wrote: In order TO give the
'bloke' q chance TO see if he's any good on
earth, / will 90 on his bond. Jim Cum
ming, value of property Sj3, 900 in cash. y
In spite of the fact that this last letter
goes to prove that rockingham was not
its writer, a morning paper says: when
the messengers trunk was examined,
there were a number of letters some writ
ten in a peculiar back hand which 'Jim
Cummings affects, Others in hand
slanting in the other direction, and most
important of all, sheets of writing paper
with the signature of w. J. Barrett writ
ten ON ii number of times with a mani |
fest intention of making close copy Of
the original. As soon rs the documents
were examined the detectives and Mr..
DamSel agreed that these and the Jim
Cummings" letters were written by the
same person, but how they came into
FOtheringham's possession is still a mys-
terry.
BETRAYED BY WOMAN