The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-12-31
Clever Detective Work BY the Pinkertens and
the 81. Louis Police, Assisted BY officers
at San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Traced to California, Arrested and Part
of the Stolen Money Recovered.
Express Messengers Watch Found in Posses
sion Of Albert d. Sly, Notorious Ex- Con-
yict-AFemale AccOmplice Also Captured.
NOTORIOUS RoBRER CAPTURED.

Albert ID. Sly, Leader of the Glendale, NO.,
Train Bandits Arrested in California.
ST. LOUIS. Dec. S0.-The leader of the
gang which robbed Adams Express Mes
senger Muirennan on the Frisco road at
Glendale, suburb of ST. Louis. on the
night of Nov. 80. is under arrest. A female
accompiice is also in custody. and the capt
ure of the remainder of the gang seems
only matter of time.
The leader turns out to be Albert ID. Sly,
q noted ex-convict from the Missouri peni-
tentiary. The latest series of exploits by
Sly and his fellow-bandits began with the
robbery of the street-car barns at Omaha
in October. in which they used dynamite,
and secured O large amount OF money.
They committed robbery on the Metro
politan street-car barns in Kansas
City in the same month, and then came
the robbery of the Pacific Express Com
pany. on the Missouri Pacific railroad, near
Omaha. on the night of Nov. 4, and the
American express robbery. near Western
Union Junction. Wis. on the night of Nov.
IL. In all of these robberies Sly figured as
o leader. and his engine of war almost in
variably was dynamite.
After the robbery at Western Union juno
ticn William A. Pinkerton found out that
Sly, in 1883. while acting % driver for the
American Express Company at st. Joseph.
Mo-. defaulted with q package containing
100000. At that time. after a long search,
Sly was apprehended in California by the
Pinkertons. He was returned to Missouri
and sentenced to four years in the Mis-
souri, psnitentiary at jefferson City. On
coming out 1t was learned Sly became as
sociated with q gang of burglars who made
their headquarters around Kansas City and
Omaha.
On the theory that Sly was possibly con-
cerned in the robbery at Western Union
junction. the PInkertons quietly began in
vestigation toward locating Sly, and sue
ceeded in tracing him to st. LOUIS few
days previous to the Glendale robbery on
the Frisco road. Pinkerton's force and the
force of Chief of Police Harrigan, OF st.
Louis. soon joined hands and some days
after the Glendale affair Chiet Harrigan
ceiyed valuable information from o furni-
ture-dealer, who furnished houses on the
lnstallment plan, concerning woman and
four men renting q house on Swan avenne,
in st. Louis. on the outskirts Of the city.
This furniture man had fitted up the house
on Swan avenue. and tho people occupying
the same bad mysteriously disappeared
after the robbery, leaving the furniture
and everything behind them.
SHE WAS BLONDE.
This Chief HarriRan investigated very
carefully, and it was found that the house
had been occupied by blonde woman,
supposed to be the wife or mistress of one
of the gang of four men. They disappeared
from the house three days after the Glen
dale robbery. Their baggage was traced
to the depot, and the check numbers
showed that they were ell bound West.
Chief HarrigAn's men traced them to
Omaha, where the party split up, taking
different routes West. Chief Harrigans
men managed to get accurate descriptions
of the fugitives, and Sly's identity was
fixed beyond q question. as also the iden-
tfty OF the woman connected with the
gang.
Robert A. Pinkerton at this time was in
California and on the eve of departure for
the East, but renamed and assisted the
San Francisco police, who had been COM
municated with. Sly, it was ascertained,
California. With this information r. A.
PlDkerton went at once to san Diego and
searched that place thoroughly. He then
went to Los Angeles arriving there a week
ago, For several days he kept up q search
OF the saloons. gambling houses and places
of that kind, without success. Through q
breaksge in the railroad there had been no
mail delivered for three days at Los Ange-
les and on SATURDAY tS DAY. lst Mr. Pnkerton
Francisco detective force and an officer of
Los Angeles, took MP a watch In the post
Office and express offices at that point All
three were furnished with photographs and
accurate descriptions of Sly.
On the afternoon of Saturday Mr.. Pink
erton observed a lnan In the postofice at
Los Angeles who answered the description
of Sly, and resembisd the old photograph
which he had very closely. Tapping him
on the shoulder. and stepping up and TAX
ing his hand so the man could not attempt
to use q gun, as Sly Is a desperate char
acter. Mr.. Pirkerton addressed him by the
name of Sly. Sly denied his identity and
tied it in PInkerton's mind at once for Sly
right name is Adelber Den ton Sly. He was
ct Once taken into custody and searched.
In his possession vas found 8. 600 and q lot
found the gold watch taken from the per-
son of messenger Mulrennan. of the
Adams Express Company. after he
had been injured by the explosion
Sc, at Glendaie. Mo. Sly tried I" throw the
watch away. but it was recovered by Pink
erton. Sly's arrest was kept very quiet
until to-day, with view of getting the re-
mainder of the gang. Sly refused to make
any statement whatever. knowing full we'll
that being an ex-convict in the Missouri
penitentiary. his next imprisonment. if
convicted. means for life. The search of
the house on Swan avenue gave Chief Har-
rigan positive evidence against the thieves,
as in this house was found parts of paper
and other evidence taken from the express
car which had not been thoroughly de-
stroyed. The finding of the messenger 8
watch In Sly's pocket fixes the crime o.
HIM very strongly. Chief of Police Harci-
gan, of st. Louis. and the Pinkertons here
feel confident that il is noT a compare
lively easy task 10 succeed In learning the
identity of the other men m d taking them
into custody.
RECORDS OF THE ROBBERS.
Adelbert ID. Sly is better known in the
crooked fraternity as Bert Sly. He is a na-
tive of Wisconsin and was born and raised
near Oshkosh. After committing the OK press
robbery in st. Joseph. for which he was
sent to the penitentiary In 1884, his family
moved to st. Joseph, where they now re-
| side. Since his release from tho peniten-
tiary in Missouri he has been twice In Gus
| tody in st. Joseph, once for highway rob-
| berry and once for burglarly. and he Is at
| the present time fugitive from Justice