Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-20
CAR THIEVES CAUGHT.
Three West Penn Railroad Robbers
Landed in Jail.
ONE OF THEM MAKES A CONFESSION
How the Company Waited and Watched
for the Thieves
STARTLING DISCLOSURES EXPECTED

Andrew Patterson was arrested yesterday
morning charged with William Briggs and
James Meshullam, who have been in Jail
some time, with Wholesale robberies COM
mitted on the West Penn Railroad The
arrests it is claimed will uncover some
startling robberies, and many other arrests
may follow
The West Penn road has been annoyed
recently by wholesale robberies of freight
from their cars which stand in their freight
| yards above Bennett Station. It seemed
| impossible for the railroad officers to get q
clew to enable them to locate the guilty
parties.
| About the first of August the freight
agent received report of car which had
gone over their lines which was 5000
| pounds of pig zinc short. An investigation
was commenced and resulted in nothing
that could be of any assistance in detecting
the thieves Some time after, a man
walking near the yard noticed some
thing bright sticking out of pile
of dirt short distance from the
side of the track. He went over and found
the missing zinc. 1t had been thrown there
by the robbers and had been covered with
earth and cinders, but the first heavy rain
washed the dirt away and revealed the
plunder.
They Waited and Watched.
When the railroad officials we're no titled
of the find they did not attempt to move the
metal. They thought it would be the means
of finding the thieves, whom, they claimed,
would be sure to come after it some
time. Accordingly they set a watch,
and the first night small
fatboat, with two men on it, was seen to
come up the river and land at place near
the pile of metal. The men got off the boat
and started in the direction of the hidden
treasure, but were evidently frightened off,
for they turned quickly aud ran away. The
next day a boy came up the river and
claimed the flatboat, claiming that it had
been stolen from him the night before. Two
nights after, the watchman espied two men
in skiff coming up the river, making for
the same landing. He Immediately ran to
the signal station, and notified the company's
yardmaster, j. b. Hazlett, who came up
and got Officer Davis, who was on the
Forty-third street bridge, to assist him.
Just as Mr.. Hazlett got upon the bridge the
sklf with the two men went gliding under
it. Mr.. Hazlett and Officer Davis followed
the skif on the river bank and overlook
the men just as they were unloading their
booty The two men were placed under
arrest and had hearing before
Justice of Peace j. E. Rheam, who
committed them to Jail for court. They
gave their names as William Briggs
and James Martin, but the latter name was
found to be fictitious, the true name being
James Meshullam. The examination of the
place where the boat landed revealed
large bank of tanbark with hole dug in it,
where they proposed to put the stolen
metal.
Confessed tho Whole Story
As soon as Meshullam was put in Jail he
confessed the whole story, claiming that |
Andrew Patterson, who is known to the |
police, had stolen the zinc. He said he |
wasn't going to suffer for another mans |
crime, for it was Patterson who, stole the |
metal out of the car. Meshullam claimed |
he was only guilty insomuch as he received |
the stolen goods. He gave Patterson quite
a bad name, saying he had stolen SO from |
him at one time, this evidently being the |
cause of the fall out between the two men. |
He said Patterson had place where he |
could conceal anything that he would steal. |
"Why," Meshullam continued, eff he |
would steal a steam engine tonight he |
could have it safely out OF the road before |
morning came"
A warrant was Issued by Alderman |
Rheam for Patterson's arrest. This was
about August 4, and the police have been
diligently searching for him until he was
found Yesterday morning working In Jones'
foundry, on the Valley road. The officer |
went up to Patterson and clapped the
handouts on him before he knew what was
going on. Having a commitment with the
warrant, he took Patterson directly to Jail,
where he now is, awaiting hearing.
Patterson has served two terms in the
penitentiary, the last time being seven
years for the burglarizing of D. R.
Maeder's store on Fifth avenue.
One OF His Tricks.
He has been in Jail three times since his
release from the penitentiary, but the
charges were Insignificant. With Lynch
and Mcconnell he attempted to escape from
the officers who were taking them to River
side by throwing red pepper in their eyes
at the Red Lion Hotel some years ago.
Patterson claims he has been trying to live
an honest life since his discharge, working
very hard for his living.
Wholesale arrests are likely to occur
within the next few days. A house be-
low the Forty-third street bridge which was
formerly hotel is being watched closely
by the officers. This is considered the
headquarters of the gang who have been
the robberies