Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1888-01-14
THE MARTINSBURG HERALD SATURDAY, JANUARY IA, 1888
THE cHABLEsToWN P. O. ROBBERY.


Commissioner Rogers, of Baltimore,
Saturday. discharged the three men,
Harry White, Harry B. Elweli and
Samuel H. Adams, charged with rob-
bling the postoffice at Charlestown,
w. Va, finding them not in town,
but in Baltimore, at the time, and m
nocent of the charge. The alibi proved
was complete and undeniable in each
case, and the men were heartily con-
graduated by their friends at the
hearing. The following testimony
was offered from Charlestown, but a
dozen witnesses in Baltimore swore
that the parties under arrest were in
Baltimore at the time of the robbery
The first witness offered by the gov
eminent was George ii. Flagg, post
master at Charlestown, West Virginia,
who testified that the office was rob
bed on the night in question before
2:40 A. NJ, when he got there. He
left about nine the night before. The
safe was blown open, and there was
found the cotton string of canvas
bag, partly burned, on the floor. There
was smell of powder in the building.
The front door, on Washington street,
was forced open. S330.9l in stamps,
funds aud registered letters, WAS
taken. 1t was a moonlight night,
with drifting clouds. The town is lit
with gas, but the lights are put out at
IL p. NJ. The George door WAS
fastened inside by four fastenings,
and pair of scissors was taken from
the clasp of this door to fasten the
Washington-street door by the bur
glars.
Mary Augusta Moore, colored, of
Charlestown, who has lived there nine
years, testified that she saw White in
December, at Charlestown, at her
house. He was selling needles, and
asked her if she wanted some. She
told him she had no money then, and
he said he would be back in a about
two weeks. He then asked if that
was the place where John Brown was
hung, and she said it was. He then
asked about the bank and postoffice.
how many men were in there, and il
they slept there. White told her he
had been married about six months,
but did not live in Baltimore. She
thought she was almost sure, that she
saw him on the morning of the 18th
of December, coming from the post
office; she was not sure he came out
of there. The man spoke to her, call
ed her a, and asked her what in
she was doing there. The man came
across George street, from the side
door of the postotfice. About fifteen
or twenty minutes before she saw the
man on the corner, she thought she
heard noise in the postoffice. The
man kept his head down, and spoke to
her that way. She was near him,
about three or four feet away, and just
then the moon came out in a bright
place, and she was quite sure it was
White. She first spoke of the matter
that night, to a Mr., Locks. When
asked where she was just before the
robbery, she declined to answer, but
would not deny that she was in the
photograph car with Spelman.
Clement Henry Spelman, photo.
grapher, CharlestoWn, w. Va, testi.
fed that he has lived in that place
thirteen months. His car, in which
he carries on business, is about TWEEN
ty-seven steps or ninety feet from the
postOffice. He first met White, Ell.
well and Adams at Mrs. Potts board.
ing-house, on the 18th of December
They left on the morning of the 18th
He got to know them and conversed
with them at the table. On the morn
ing of the 29th, he heard the town
clock and got up and looked at his
watch and found it was two O'Clock
In minute he heard an explosion, a
dull jar. which shook the car. He
opened the door of the car and saw a
man standing on the corner. He saw
the man go to the George street door
and put his head down, and then come
back to the corner. Thinking he rec.
ogniZed the man on the corner as one
Of the men who had been boarding
with him, and endeavoring to get a
nearer view of him, he having a pis-
tel with him, crossed to the other cor
ner. He then took three steps to cross
the street, and as he did so, three men
came out of the George street of the
postoffice and the four huddled to-
gether. AT the same time voice sang
out, p" YOU! get back; get back, u
and then there were three shots fred
at him. He was positive that the man
on the corner was White. ! fred a
shot in return, and the men then ran
away down toward the railroad track
and 1 followed them and fired three
more shots. A fifth man afterwards
came out of the George street door
and ran away. At no time was the
face of the man on the corner turned
full toward me, but / would swear
that, to the best of my knowledge, the
man was White. He was about forty
feet distant. 1t was a moonlight night,
with floating clouds.