Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-01-23
THE BOX BREAKERS.
A PROTRACTED HEARING BEFORE U. S. COM
MISSIONER CAMPBELL,
At the Custom House, Last Night-Ths Defense
as TO Ed. Taylor Make Specific and
Detailed Denial of Guilt

before U. S. Commissioner B. j. Camp
bell, at the Custom House, and was of a
most interesting nature.
1t was decided by the Commissioner
that the defendants should be examined
together, and at 500 p. N. Commissioner
Campbell called the list Of witnesses,
among them being Postmaster Cowden,
Chief of Police McNicholls, Assistant
Jailor John Lane and Officers Lukens
and West. Postoflice Inspector Naylor,
who came uU from Parkersburg last
evening, conducted the examination on
behalf of the government. After the
witnesses and VIM. Williams, one OF the
defendants, had been sworn, Postmaster
Cowden was called and testified that
on the morning OF the 18th
inst. certain box locks were
brought to the Office broken. He had
personally seen the broken box at Alley
Twelve and Chapline street. During
the day considerable amount OF mutt
lated mail matter was found in Alley
Fourteen, near Jacob street, and was
brought TO the Office. Some had been
sent away and the other was on the
| table. Among the letters, he gave the
specific address Of two or three and the
names OF the writer's, with formal evil
denCe that the matter had been mailed
on Monday evening. On Thursday morn
! ing following it was reported to him that
three other boxes had been broken open,
and produced two of the locks. Seven
| locks were broken the first night, max
| ing ten in all. He gave a detailed list
! of the location of the broken boxes. The
postmaster ran over q big pile Of mutt
! lated mail before him on the table, Civ
| ing various details regarding it. Most
of the mail found seemed TO have been
! deposited in the box at Sixteenth and
| Jacob,
e. d. Gibson, of 1922 Jacob street, de-
posed he had placed three letters in the
box at Jacob and Sixteenth streets. He
afterwards saw them at the poStOfhce,
! torn open.
William Williams, the youth who sur
rendered himself Thursday night, was
then called. He said he lived in Goose
| town." around the hill. He said Taylor
wanted to 90 TO New York aud they
made up their minds to 90. Five nights
| ago they met at Sixteenth and Wood
streets, and ran around until it was
! late. They went TO the box at Seven
teenth and Wood, and opened it. and as
/ Taylor got the last letter out Officer
| Daum came along. Taylor opened the
| box with his hands, by lifting the lock
up, turning it over, AMI pulling down
on it with twist. The witness illus
trated with lock how IT was
done. Witness took no mail out OF that
box, but did open the one at Young's
corner. He got lOt Of mail out, and
Taylor went over towards Eighteenth
street. Witness took the mail out of the
/ box at YOung's into the alley by ForS-
! ter's shoe shop, opened them, and threw
! them on the snow. There was nothing
| of value in the letters out of that box.
| He opened no more boxes that night.
| He did not see Taylor any more that
| night, but met him in the alley the
next morning. Taylor said he got S.
out of letter, and showed
it. He gave witness the money,
! and he went up to Potts, on Market
! street, and got pair Of shoes and a pair
! of trousers. Taylor went along, and
waited outside the store. Taylor did
not lust say what boxes he visited after
we parted Monday night, but he said he
was over ABOUT Eighteenth street. lie
didn't say how many boxes he had
| opened, but only that he got s., He
! did not tell me what he did with the
! letters" Witness had known Taylor
| three or four years; they worked to-
/ gether in the Central glass house for
two or three years. They generally
/ loafed in the alley, between Sixteenth
and Seventeenth streets, when not
! at work. lie had no malice or ill-wil
| towards Taylor. They were and always
| had been good friends. After the boxes
were opened, Monday night, they went
to Jacob Wilhelm'S saloon, on Market
street, and got drink Of beer. Wit.
ness opened a box in "GoOsetown,
| Wednesday night, and there was moth.
| ing in it, and the next morning Taylor
met him in the alley again, and Taylor
said he chad tackled a box on MAR
/ street" He did not say anyone had
/ helped him, when he did it, or what he
/ had got. Witness did not know where
Taylor lived; he used to live around the
I
On Sixteenth street, Thursday
night, witness talked to Taylor
about giving himself up. They wen'
and got some whisky, and Taylor sale
ne would give himself up too. Witnes:
said he thought he saw Taylor in the
| Jail when he passed, and he went in
too, and surrendered. Witness though
| ne met Taylor about o'clock Monday
evening at Wood and Sixteenth streets
He had an engagement to meet him
there, made when they had talked
about going to New York. At tina
! time the letter boxes had been frs
| mentioned by Taylor, who asked wit
ness of he thought they could do thu
/ Job. TaylOr'S object was to get none!
TO 90 of on. Taylor gave no reason FOL
/ going to New York, except that they
, would 20 there 10 work. Witness haC
been working ia a galvanizing shop
and Taylor had stood couple OF turn
in the gas works. When he first me
Taylor on Wood street, they went dowr
through the alley and over to Marke
street bridge, land mOnkeyed around To-
while. and then went out, for i,
was getting late-abOut II o'clock
We then went straight out 20 the box a
Seventeenth and Wood. We got TIT
letters, and Officer Daum came alon.
and we went down through the alley be
tween Sixteenth and Seventeenth
streets, and 1 left there and said woulC
go to Yopug's corner, and Taylor said hC
would 60 over TO Eighteenth street.
did not meet him again until the mex
day-we did not meet again that night
for got the letters and went down il
the alley and opened them. left TIT
lock lying in the gutter by
the box-just threw it down.
didn't take much notice whethe
| IL Ma ,,,n. hrnl.nn clear of or mt