The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-08-22
THREE wIHOROUGHBRHDS.
Shorts and West Effect
a Clever Capture
OF A TRIO OF YOUNG THIEVES
Who Had Stolen a Valuable Watch
aud Planted It-Thoy Claim to
be PittsbuFghers = How the
Aaair was Worked.

The police made a very clever haul Of
three Pittsburgh thieves yesterday,
About 8 o'clock Mr., Edwin H, Wilde,
bookkeeper at Neill & Ellingham's
wholesale grocery, discovered that his
gold watch and chain had been stolen
from his vest, which was hanging beside
an open window on the alley, Mr.,
Wilde reported his loss to the police at
once, and in a few minutes, Officers
Shorts and West were on the lookout
for the thieves,
They had seen three young fellows
who do not belong in town, In company
with two Wheeling boys Of shady repu'
tation, and their suspicious Werea at once
directed toward them, They were
shaaowed nearly all the afternoon and
about 9 o'clock the officers arrested them
in sHumes' billiard parlor, The two
Wheeling boys were not locked up, but
th6gthree strangers were placed in a cell
together, They gave their names as
Robert Coswell, Robert JamisOn and
Charley Martin, and stated that they
lived on the South Side in Pittsburgh
and were employed as chimney "crimp.
ers' in the glass works Of Chambers 4
Mckee. They all asserted that they
had never been arrested before, and that
they were respectable people, The old
est, Coswell, Is not more than sixteen,
and Martin, the youngest Is not yet
fourteen,
To force a confession and, II possible,
recover the watch, was the scheme Of
the officers, so Jack West was stationed
In a cell next to the n occupied by the
prisoners, when one Of the Wheeling
friends made a call. The boys in the
cell told their Wheeling friend that the
watch was hidden in the ruins Of an old
building by a blacksmith shop, aud ask.
ed that II be thrown In the river. II
seemed that West and thethieves' friend
both surmised the same location, for
they both went to the old Hubbard mill
property, on South street, West waited
patiently for the friend to find tue
watch, but he had such poor luck that
he felt Justified In arresting him. Off
Ger Shorts in the meantime had taken
Martin, the youngest OF the trio, down
10 the old mill, and there brought the
two together. The Wheeling boy broke
down and told the other boy 10 tell the
truth and get them both out Of the
scrape, which the Pittsburgher did after
being assured that a confession would
avail him much at the time OF trial.
He then led the way to the ruinsofth
Capitol rink, and going down into the
cellar soon produced the watch and
chain from under q piece OF old tin roof.
Ing. He was then taken back 10 head
quarters, where by delft questioning the
officers learned that all three OF the boys
are rather accomplished thieves, and
have all done time In Pittsburgh for
stealing. They are well up in thieves
lingo and are surprisingly brazen. Cos
well is the oldest and toughest one Of the
lot, and came to Wheeling several days
ago. The other two boys came in yes
terday, in response 10 q Setter which
Coswell sent, Informing them how easy q
town Wheeling was.
When the boys were arrested q lot oil
ribbon, new pocked knives and other
plumber were found in their pockets, but
thele is no clue as to where 1t can't
from. They remained in the lookup
last night, and will be turned over to
Justice Days to-day.