Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-11-18

ST.. LOUIS, Nov. 12.-rhere probably
never wRs more humorous and reck.
lessly daring hiehwaymen than the jndi,
vidual who recently robbed the Adams Ex-
press car, on the st. Louis II San Fran
cisco railroad of over $T5, 900, and who is
pleased to be known as "Jim Gum
mings" He captured one OF the
largest amounts of money ever
lost by mn express company, and
despite the fact that wealthy corpora
ton 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 pursuers and in fur
nishing them with false clues upon which
to exercise their ingenuity. He seems to
feel 80 absolutely assured Of his own
safety that he dares to have o little
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 az o measure of safety,
should he hesuspected, and an alleged ex-
pert penman testified before the
grand Jury that the handwriting was
The same Ms the messenger's. But the
RepWb,icdH is in receipt of fresh letter
dated Topeka which il prints this morn
ing in the same handwriting aa the others
and signed "Jim Cummings" which goes
to show that FotheringhRm could not
possibly have written either of the others.
In the letter he states that he regrets that
suspicious should rest upon Fother-
inPham and asserts that the mes
senger did all in his power
to protect the company's property. He
requests that the package, which accom-,
panied the letter and which contained
property valued at $4,000 in notes,
mortgages, &C., he returned to the Adams
Express Company. Upon one receipt fol
money to tue First National Bank Of
} ureka, Kansas, appeared the fol
towing signature ''Jim Cummings,
for First National Bank, Eureka, and on
the line below whore the fact is TO he
noted If the money is not received in
proper shape occurred the words: 81
have no complaint 10 make whatever" A
postscript to the letter says Il sent that
bank note to Frank James for joke MOI
for any desire 10 get him into trouhle.n
A letter from w. II. DRmsel, manager
of the company to an agent calling upoI
the latter to procure q seooud hondRtnan
the robber wrote. "Tn order to give tn
'bloke' o chance 10 ace IL be'a any good ol
earth. will 20 on his bond. jim Gum
mings, value of property, $50 600 il
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In spite of the fnct that this last lotte
goes TO prove that Fothertnghaia was no
its writer, morning paper says; WheI
the messengers trunk was examined theTt
were a number Of letters some written IL
a peculiar back hand which "JiIn Cum
mings' affects, others in band slansins
in the other direction and most import
ant OF all, sheets o. paper witt
the signature of w J. Barrett
written on it a number Of times with
manifest intention of making clos,
copy of the Original. As soon Is tn
documents were examined the detertivel
and MIR Damsel agreed that these and tn
Jim Cummings letters we've written b,
the same person. Int how they came int
q leringhmn's posatssl9u is still, q nays
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