Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-06
To Having Robbed the Company
Store, but He Denies
THE RAILWAY STATION ROBBERY.
His Pathetic Story of His Own and His
Wifes Distress.
LOVE FOR OUTLAWS LED HIM ASTRAY


March T. He was taken to Washington,
Pa, yesterday, where he was committed to
jail The capture of O'Niel was made by
Charles Camp, of Gilkinson's Detective
Agency.
Floesheim's store, a coal company con-
Germ, was robbed just before daylight on
the morning of March Z, and the B. s. o.
Railroad station, just adjoining, was robbed
the following morning. The telegraph op-
orator, the night watchman and freight
conductor, who were in the station at the
time, were bucked and gagged and their
watches and money were taken. The station
safe was blown open, and while no money
was secured. number of important pa
pers were taken. The burglary was at the
time pronounced the most daring ever at
tempted in Western Pennsylvania, and the
Gilkinson Agency was at once employed
on the case. The story of the investigation,
trailing of the criminal, his arrest and
finally his full confession reads like bit of
romance.
To Get Clothing for His Wife.
O'Niel is a shiftless, reckless fellow. He
is married, and, while he tramped about
from place to place dodging work and beg
ging what he ate, his wife became dis
tressed. lie kept deceiving her with the
belief that he was working, and when she
wrote him that she had no clothes TO wear
he became desperate and planned the rob-
berry that after long and exciting chase
has landed him in Jail.
To get a story out of a detective is like
getting beauty out of a rough stone. 1t
must be chipped out. The story Of the
chase and capture of O'Niel came to THE
DISPATCH Yesterday from Ohio. 1t was
last night fully but reluctantly confirmed
bv Charles Camp, who made the arrest and
secured the confession, and had just re-
turned from placing his prisoner in Jail
when DISPATCH reporter visited him.
When Camp was sent by the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad officials to Finleyville
he locked carefully over the ground and
concluded from information gathered that
at least one of the party that robbed the
station was a telegraph operator He then
for the first time heard of Ted O'Niel. He
found that the suspected man had been at
Finleyville for several weeks and had dis
appeared the Saturday night before the
robbery, which occurred on Monday morn
ing. The detective went from Finleyville
TO Washington, Pa, but was unable to find
anv trace of his man.
Chasing o'Niel and His Bundle.
From Washington he went to Elizabeth.
where he learned that a man answering
O'Niel's description had the day before
checked a bundle to Pittsburg. The detec-
tive hurried to Pittsburg only to find that
the bundle had been claimed an hour before
to New Castle Junction, where
he again heard of O'Niel carrying
the bundle. He traced the man
and the bundle to Kensington, O.. where he
learned that O'Niel had checked the bundle
to Alliance. When the officer arrived at
Alliance O'Niel had been there and had
got his bundle several hours before.
The officer returned to Kensington and
found that O'Niel had been there and had
checked the bundle to Mansfield, but was
again ahead of the officer at that point.
Camp next heard of the man and the
bundle at Newark, O., where the bundle
instructions to send il on a shifter to O'Niel
at Hanoverton, o. O'Niel had travelled on
freight trains from place to place, and he
had checked and carried the bundle alter
nately to throw the officers off his trail.
Detective Camp arrived at Newark, how
ever, before the bundle was forwarded.
o'Niel Again Foils His Pursuers. .
In company with railroad officer Detec-
tive Camp examined the bundle which he
had been chasing for three weeks. In the
bundle were found shirts, collars, cuffs and
underwear, with the price marks and tabs
still on them. Another detective was
called to the scene to shadow O'Niel, while
Camp returned to Finleyville, had the
goods positively identified, swore out
warrant for O'Niel's arrest, secured requisi-
tion papers from Harrisburg and returned
to Newark, to find that O'Niel had lodged
his shadow, and had escaped.
Another search was instituted and after a
weeks trailing the much hunted man was
found at his home in Hanover, O., sick with
fever His physician was fearful that he
would not recover and no arrest was made.
Two DAYS later, when O'Niel was told that
his chances for recovery were very slight, he
dictated and signed the following statement:
HANOVER, O., March "a
am "a years of age, am telegraph opera
tor by occupation and my home is at Han
overton, Colunbiana county, o. On or about
the time the robbery occurred 1 was at Fin
leyville, Pa, and had been out of work for
nearly year, and was in what might be
narI was gd in need Of
desperate, 1 decided to rob Floesheim's
store.
Stole Some Cheese and Cigarettes.
i waited until about o'clock in the morn
ing of the 9TH of March. l found piece of
iron on the railroad track sharp at one end
This took and going around to the rear of
the store, forced open the shutter on the
window and entered the store, and at once
set about to gather up things. The first
thing i did was to take cheese and cakes,
which ate, as was hungry. 1then smoked
some cigarettes (the butts of which threw
on the foor)- i then took two red flannel
shirts and one pair of drawers for myself
and two suits of underwear for my wife, and
three white shirts, two OF them such as are
marked "H- +. Exhibit No. @"
took five linen collars and five pairs of
cuffs, same as those marked Exhibit
ii. F. No. 4" and Exhibit II. F. No. 81 also
took pair of low-quartered patent leather
shoes for myself and a pair OF shoes for my
wife. l think the patent leather shoes !
took for myself belonged to Mr.. Seasman,
l went into the office part of the building
and lit lamp and looked over what l was
getting. l then took n valise and put all the |
things in il, and left the storeroom by the
side door and started toward Glenwood. |
walked down the track 60 point below |
Snowden. BY this time daylight came on
me, and then decided it WAS dangerous to |
follow the track and took across the field
70: Elizabeth. l reached the West Eliza
beth depot at about OF l:30 o'clock March
T. 1852. took the stolen goods into the
depot and had the telegraph operator check
them for me to Pittsburg. intended to go
in on 4 freight train that day, but
Got Drunk and Didn't Go
until the next day. was at Elizabeth all
night the 9TH of March, as was with two
miners, and we were drunk all night left
for Pittsburg about LAO p. NJ,
the sth of March lit was a freight
train went down on). 1 stayed in the