The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1891-02-14
OILY CROOKS TAKEN IN.
Post Office Inspectors Succeed in Run
ming to Earth a Big Gang
of Burglars.
TWO OF JAILOR WADE'S MEN IN IT
A Long Chase After the Scoundrels, but
= Big Game in the End--Somc
Interesting Details.

The following is clipped from the st.
Louis Republic of the Sth inst. 1t shows
what became of two of Tailor Wade's
boarders, who strayed away on the night
of January 18th, last. 1t is presumed that
Davis and Morey made their way TO Texas
as soon rs they could, for they were in
Roanoke, Texas, on the 2Sth, seventeen
days after their escape from the Jail here:
"One of the boldest and most desperate
gang of thieves and burglars which has
ever operated in the west has been practi-
placed behind the bars by the postofiice
inspectors. The field of the gangs opera
lions covered an area of territory extend
ing from Missouri to New Mexico, and
from Kansas to Texas. In almost every
state in that section they have made their
presence known and their power felt by
acts of lawlessness rivalling in audacity
the career of the James brothers. Chief
Postal Inspector George A. Dice, In speak
ing of the matter to n Republic reporter
yesterday, said:
sit Is the biggest thing that hus hap
pened in my district for many u day, and
my inspector, Mr.. Sullivan, has done ex-
oellent work on the case. The four men
who are now under arrest are w. II. Davis,
also called kid Davis, and II. 8. Morey,
in Jail at Denton, Texas; Ed McIntire, in
jail at Paola, Kan, and Thomas Downey,
In Jail at Fort Worth, Tex. Mrs. Nellie
Davis, wife of w. r. Davis, was also ar
rested by Inspector Sullivan, at Sedalia, Mo.
"On the night of December 9, 1890, L ro-
ceived word that the postoffice at Mont
gomery City, Mo-, has been burglarized
and about $500 in stamps taken. Three
suspicious looking men had been seen
lurking around the town previously, and
1t was supposed that they had done the
deed. They could not be found after the
robbery, and it afterwards developed that
they had drifted down to Green Ridge,
about twelve miles distant from Sedalia,
Mo-, where they met by appointment Mrs.
Nellie Davis, the wife of one of them. 1t
was at that place we got word of them. 1t
occurred In this way: Mrs. Davis, the step
mother of w. r. Davis, is n very respect
able old lady, and when she found con-
cealed in her garnet a lot of dynamite,
fuses, powder, knives and other stuff she
notified the sheriff of Green Ridge. at
once went on there with Mr.. Sullivan and
found that the stuff had been secreted by
Mrs. Nellie Davis, wife of w. II. Davis,
who, by the way, is a sister of Morey. 1t
consisted of fuses; powder, dynamite,
butcher knives, gold watches and mer-
chandise of various kinds. The gang had
l lfornunl ~ N. ~ tla $780,. - C.---
Ridge, and after remaining about four days
they left town.
"Shortly afterwards / heard of the burg
larry of the postoffice at H~igginsviile, Mo-,
and obtaining Il description of the men, ]
sent Mr.. Sullivan to look into the matter
and returned to st. Louis. Some of the
men were caught at Higginsvllle and con
fined In the Jail at Lexington, Mo. On the
night of Sunday, January IL, 1891, foul
men broke jail ut Lexington, and among
them were Davis and Morey. Just about
the same time the stamps were found a,
Green Ridge, where they had been con.
oealed by Mrs. Nellie Davis.
"Mr. Sullivan then got information that
Davis and Morey had gone 10 Texas ana
started in pursuit of them. lie a~scertaInet
that Davis was going under the name o
Thomas Carlisle, and that there was q let.
ter In the postoffice at Fort Worth for q
man of that name. The description o
Davis was that of a man who had lost his
right forefnger, and had his left foreflngei
badly crushed. Mr.. Sullivan waited at the
postoffice In Fort Worth for the man t.
call for the letter addressed to Carlisle, anG
when he appeared, arrested him. And Just
here O singular coincidence occurred. Thf
man whom Sullivan arrested had lost his
right forefinger and had had his left fore.
finger crushed, but he denied that his namt
was Davis, insisting that his proper name
was Mike Phelan. He looked like Davis
though, and Mr.. Sullivan held on to him
He turned ont to be Tom Downey another
of the gang, and, singularly enough, hi
resembled Davis strikingly, not only In
regard to the forefingers, but also in face
and form. He had been one Of three who
robbed the postoffice ut Montgomery City
Immediately after Downey's arrest the in.
spector found out that Davis, alias Carlisle
and Morey, alias Frank Carson alias Coun
try, were in Jail ut Denton, Tex, for hay
ing robbed u store ut Roanoke, Tex, unt
shooting at the proprietor On January %
They, together with Downey, had done
that, but Downey had escaped. There |!
another member of the same gang in iai
at Paola, Kas., and he admits that he wa
concerned with Davis and his wife ant
Morey when they robbed the hardwar,
store of George Beach at Olathe, Kansas
When Mrs. Nellie Davis was arrested sh'
was working as q servant In Sedalia, Mo
"This Is the same gang that robbed tn
postoffice at Albuquerque, N. NJ, carrying
away 5000 In stamps. Phelan was iden
|, titled as Downey recently ut the hearing
before the United States commissioner a
Montgomery City. They are all railroad
men, and Morey was at n time a conduc
tor in Colorado"