Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-07-19
Skulking Around Sag Harbor and
Rowing Toward Connecticut.
A VERY UBIQUITOUS TERROR.
Prstty Nearly Everybody On Long Island
Imagiues Be or She Hss 0sught Sight
Of Hin. Bus That's ALI They Oaa
Catch Of Him, Il Seems.

Island the nervy and mysterious outlaw
has simply eclipsed all previous per
formances by appearing simultaneously
at four or FIVE widely separated points
of the country.
One eminently respectable man claims
to have met the fearful Tom late last
night stealing through the streets OF
Sag Harbor, fifty miles away from his
lair in Saxton Swamp.
At about the same hour house at
Brentwood, three miles north OF Bay
Shore, was entered and its larder
stripped of eatables by man whom the
frightened tenants claim TO have recog-
nized as the invincible Tom.
Strange as it may seem, farmer
walking along the north shore OF Long
Island at o point near Smithtown, 1uli
ten miles away from the scene OF the
Brentwood burglary, and at about the
same time, saw the outlaw emerge from
the woods, nimbly pick his way over the
rocky beach and put out upon the
waters of the Sound in an open boat,
heading directly for the Connecticut
shore.
Thompson's Station, little hamlet
two miles north of Islip, also received
visit from the awful Tom just about the
same time at which he was robbing the
house at Brentwood, lurking in Sag
Harbor and pulling for the Connecticut
shore.
The result Of all this conflicting evil
dence is that the authorities from lsllp
to Bay Shore pledged to the capture or
the outlaw have reached state OF mind
which may best be characterized as rat
tied. The whole matter of the hunt for
the terrible Tom is in charge OF
Citizens Committee composed OF Joseph
Marvin, William Jones, Winfield Scott
Velsor and few other pillars OF south
ern Long Island society.
When the sensational reports OF the
daring outlaws numerous appearances
came in this morning 1t was q spirited
sight, full of business-like suggestive
ness, to see the buckboards OF the hunt
ing committee tear through the streets
OF the town TO ihe rendezvous OF pro-
found and official conference at the
Arawoc House. After g long consul
tation the committee emerged silent and
on their guard against the intrusive
questionings of newspaper men. There
was another wild dispensing OF buck
boards in all directions, indicating that
new plans of Importance had been
matured for execution later In the day.
EXTENDING THE TERRITORY.
1t became apparent that the search in
Saxten's Swamp had boen declared off,
and that the hunt had been extended to
take in all the localities where the awful
man of crime and mystery was alleged
to have been seen. This is to include
practically the whole of Long Island
westward from Babylon.
Another outcome of the past twenty
four hours has been the release of
young Jim Richardson. The boy walked
into the village late last night from
Marvin's farmhouse, where he has been
In custody since Wednesday OF last
week.
At o'clock this morning Jim and l
sat together on the porch OF his home,
while out among the cabbages in the
adjacent garden could be distinctly seen
the crouched form of watcher, whose
evident duty it was to closely follow the
boys movements. Jim's story was a
puzzler, and was evidently made up
carefully fer the occasion.
"Why," said Jim, 81 have not been
under arrest, but have remained out at
Marvin's farmhouse just because
wanted to. 1t wasn't pleasant, you
know, for me to stay in town under the
circumstances.
GALL A MIsTAKE.'
"You see, it was all mistake. They
seized me In the woods last week, think
ing l was my brother, but they at once
released me. l have made none OF the
confessions which have been reported.
81 never heard OF my brothers caves
and didn't know that he was In the
neighborhood until after the discovery
OF cave No. /. Then l went out TO see
II I could find him and was nabbed.
81 have not seen my brother since be
was sick here some months ago. The
poor fellow I believe Is crazy. When he
was home last he learned things about
his wife which greatly depressed him
and he left us in gloomy, despondent
frame OF mind"
jim Is a bright boy, keen faced, brown
eyed and long headed, and be told his
story with a cleverly assumed frankness
which was especially well done when he
came to the point In which he denied
the fact OF his arrest. lt Is hard TO
understand why the boy should make a
statement so palpably absurd, unless 1t
Is that the town authorities fearing
that they have done something Illegal
In arresting the lad and keeping him
for days in solitary confinement have
instructed him 70 talk as he does. So
this IS the interesting condition OF
things which weeks hunt for the
outlaw Tom Richardson has developed.
SCATTERED sEARcHERs.
Scarchers are scattered pretty much
all over Long Island on chase which
even they themselves are beginning to
regard as Of the wild goose variety.
A pronounced reaction is taking place
in the temper of the people, and the
Tom Richardson hunt is fast developing
into huge joke. No one doubts that
Tom Is somewhere safely hid away In
the neighboring swamps, but as he has
offered violence to no one and as ne has
so signally bef0oled and terrorized the
wise men of the township, who are
planning and managing the hunt, the
prevailing disposition is to laugh and
make merry over the intense discom-
fiture of the local detective talent.
HOTELS DESERTED.
There Is one class Of men, however,
who see no humor in the sitnasson.
Thsssraxe the hotel prOprietors Of the