The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-08-27
THE EXPRESS ROBBERS.
TWO OF THEM IN JAIL IN MACON
AND ONE IN FORSYTH.

Ben Thornton, News Agent; Josl
Brazil, a Carpenter, and Dave Hor
ton, a Central Railroad Fireman. tn,
Men Who Held Up Messenger Byne
Anofthe Money Except $3.50 Recov
ersd-The Story of the Capture.
The capture OF the Golfers station OK
press robbers was announced in the MORN
ING News yesterday. Two Of them are il
Jail in Macon, and one in Forsyth. OF tn
$2.474 which they secured, all except Sl5
has bsen recovered.
The three robbers are Josh Brazil. a car
penter, Dave Horton, Central railroad
fireman, and Ben Thornton. a news agent
Brazil was arrested in Macon Tuesday,
Thornton at his home at Smarrs, and Hor-
ton was arrested on his engine at Barlow,
between Macon and Wadley, aud was
lodged in jail in Macon at l O'Clock yester-
day morning.
The confession OF Thornton implicated
the other two men, and the detectives had
them arrested before there was any chance
of their getting warning aud getting OUT Oh
the way. Thornton made fun confession
and $500 was found in the woods near where
the arrest was made
THE MONEY IN MATTRESS.
Horton, when arrested, also confessed.
and when taken 10 Macon carried
the detectives TO his room, where be
and his wife lodged, and sewn in mattress
were found 81 ,3l4 in two packages. Brazil,
when arrested, disclaimed any connection
with the affair, but acknowledged his &C
ouaintance with the other parties. The con-
fessions of the others. however. made Brazil
one of the principals, and his guilt,
according to statements Of the detectives is
beyond question. the arrests were made
by J. w. jackson and c. A. Worcester,
Southern express detectives. jackson is
the man who captured the noted outlaw,
Rube Burrows. Horton told Thornton and
Brazil that he wanted only 500. and the
other money came to him in sharing out the
spoils. He said he had to have 500 or leave
his boarding house
The story of the capture is an interesting
one. The day after the robbery occsrred
the detectives went TO Golfers station.
What they did is best told in Detective
Jackson's own words:
THE DETECTIVES STORY.
"We found, first of all, that the guilty
parties must have been railroad men. The
man who had carried the lantern had been
seen swinging it up and down in a peculiar
way that railroad men have of putting out
a light. He threw il down on the ground,
however, before it would 60 out. Fortu-
ustely, the lantern, which the robbers
left behind them. proved a valuable
clew. Lime was found sticking to the
bottom and, Of course, the next thing
was 70 discover how it got there. While
securing the region Of the robbery for more
signs, we discovered a worn place in the
grass, about 400 yards from the railroad
track, where three men had spent at least
one day in hiding. They had cut lot OF
bushes and made a sort of bulwark TO hide
themselves from observation. From this
discovery, we calculated that the men had
gone there on Wednesday night and lain in
their hiding place all day Thursday.
TRACKED THE FIRST ONE.
''Going to Macon, we learned that Con-
ductor Moore had put eight men off at
Bolingbroke on Wednesday night. They
had boarded a freight train, Of which he
was conductor, and were riding in box
car, in which lime had been carried, when
he found them, and ordered them to get off
Two of the men told Conductor Moore that
they were railroad men themselves
and that he ought to let them ride He
Insisted that they leave the car, and
said he would not give his own brother a
free ride. They got off. 1t is believed, how.
ever, that the three robbers crept on board
again uunoticei, and RIDE on t0Cllliers
where they waited for the express to come
along. In one way and another the signs
pointed 20 Ben Thornton as one of
the guilty parties. There were indi-
cations, also, that the other men were in
Macon, or in that direction.
THE NEWS AGENTS ARREST.
Marshal Harris of Forsyth was let into
the secret Monday, and the next morning
tue detectives went to Sinarr's, and the
marshal and Detective jackson went to
Thornton's house.
The marshal, who knew Thornton we'll.
went in aud told him 20 get his big pistol
AMI help him catch white man and a negro
Just outside of town VINO had attacked q
gentlemen (referring to Detective jackson.
Thorntons Inspected nothing, but seemed
proud that his assistance was needed by the
marshal. He carried along pistol of 49,
caliber. and the three walked out to where
Mr.. jackson and the negro sat.
After some parleying Thornton made a
full confession duplicating Brazil and Hor.
ton. The former, he said, was in Macon
and the latter at Wadley.
ALL OF THEM CAUGHT.
The detectives lodged Thornton in Jail
In Forsyth and went to Macon,
Brazil was arrested at his board
ing house. He denied all knowledge of the
r0Dcery, but admitted he knew Horton
and Thornton. His trunk was searched
and two Colts pistols and S45 we're found
Having learned Horizons whereabouts, a
special train, with Supt Glasscock,
Mays and Detective jackson started out tc
capture Horton before he got wind OF the
lookout that was being kept for him. Hor-
ton was taken from his engine and carried
to Macon and to his boarding house,
where he saw his wife, to
whom he had been married two
months, and the two packages
of money were got out OF a mattress. He
was then taken to jail
There is believed to be no doubt
Of the guilt of the other man
Brazil, who is also in jail. One of the
packages Of money hidden in the mattress
was his, and the stories told by Thornton
and Horton both implicate him as having
been with them AID on the car when the
robbery took place.
Horton it was who entered the car and
spoke to Byne, the messenger, first. Horton
took one roll of bills from the safe and
Thornton she other.
ROBBED HIS EMPLOYER.