The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-03-17

rest the supposed safe robbers in the
cars between this town and CLAYTON
on Monday night, which appeared In q
Wilmington evening paper yesterday,
SURPRISES In wondrous eKaggeIation
and puffery any OF the productions Of
"Old Sleuth" or other writer's OF detec-
tive stories.
do not In the least desire to reflect
In any way on tho newspaper which
published 1t, for believe the account
is given in the paper rs related by the
hero oil the story, One can only i'm
aglne how helpful the special Detec-
tive OF Delaware would be to Haw-
thorn in his present undertaking to
afnuse his readers with Detective lit
erature.
II Special Detective Hutchins had
lived in the days OF Shakespeare, and
been known to the immortal Bard of
Avon, that great delineator of human
nature would have furnished US with
character who for bonn bast and ludic-
rous poltroonery would have far out
shone the celebrated Sir John Falstaff.
Ever since the doughty Nath when
constable during riot caused by
some circus" men, evlnced his intre-
pidity by hiding in an empty dry
goods box, all who know Nath. have
been very much amused to hear him
self tell, and to read In certain evening
papers from time to time, the wonder
tul accounts Of his adventures as de-
tective. tramp catcher and bull-dozer
at our State and other elections. But
the narrative that has lately appeared
in the Evening Journal SURPRISES
anything heretofore in reference to
the special detective"
The account OF the attempted arrests
as given by Detective Hutchins is as
follows:
Eat 4 O'Clock yesterday news
from FELTON, that men supposed to be
the burglars who raided the town of
Milford, had been at FELTON, for break
fast and were on their way up the
railroad toward Dover. Il" also got
news from Wyoming that the same
parties had been there for supper at
9.45. "T' got the news that they were
1 etween Wyoming and Dover and
were coming up the railroad. az at
once began to lay my" plans for
their capture and got four constables
from Dover to assist me. We started
down the railroad toward Wyoming
and there met Charles W. Smith and
John Lockerman, constables from Wy
oming. These men said the burglars
were on the road from Wyoming.
Afterwards we met some parties
from Wyoming who were in pursuit
of the burglars. ''In concluded that
tho burglars were making for Dover,
and would attempt to get away on the
Norfolk Express, which is due at
Dover at 2.50 o'clock. We, myself"
and the officers, returned to Dover and
secreted ourselves in the telegraph Of
HaA AAf .Ns,tA h.
without exciting their suspicion. Two
othor two get aboard tho train with
out tickets. Three officers, myself"
G. W. Smith and John Lockerman
boarded the train and found the sus-
pected men In the smoking car.
At Cheswold, half way to Clayton,
"T' put two of the men under arrest,
and told them to go to the front OF the
car, 30 that we could have them all to-
gether. As soon rs these mon were
put all together, tine two II" put I'M
der arrest turned on us and opened
fire from the pistols, land after good
deal more stuff in which ~ and my
self predominated, a scene ensued he
says, which he shall never forget"
and which resulted In the four men es-
Gaping from Il" and myself and the
other officers. but Nath. adds, 81 am
sure these men are badly hurt. There
were q good many shots fired. think
emptied my revolver twice. 1t is
no one was "killed" and
they will all probably be captured.
II is, however, unfortunately true
that one man was certainly killed.
About 1l.30 o'clock yesterday an old
man was passing the brickyard at
Clayton and heard the groans OF man
from brick kiln. He mado
search and found young man lying
back of the kiln. Boggs at
once notified some others, and with a
stretcher they went to where the
man lay and took him to the
Delaware railroad station, and he was
afterwards brought to Dover where he
died at the Jail this morning from q
wound in the abdomen, where he had
been shot, but not by Detective
tlutchins, but supposed to be by a
pistol in his own possession
Now, the plain facts in reference to
these attempted arrests, and Hutchlns,
connection Herewith as far as your
can at present CLEAN
are these: A good while before the
arrival OF the Norfolk express at Do
yer at $50 O'Clock, one or two men,
strangers, were observed at the rail-
road depot. Detectives Hutchlns adj
Ints that he had been notified at 4
O'Clock the evening before that the
burglars were on their way
10 Dover; nay, lie was SO confident
hat they would go from Dover on the
Norfolk express train. that he, to use
his own words, 'secreted himself in
he telegraph office" aud there your
Is informed he went to
leep, and had to be awakened by the |
operator.
Had Mr., Hutchins been as vigilant
20 arrest these men as he Is to gain
lotoriety he could have arrested them |
without any trouble before they at
iempted to board the train. and If he
we're too cowardly to make tho at
.empt with the assistance no says
he had he could have called
oil the Sheriff and il the Sheriff could
lot furnish enough men, the gallant
md peerless Cooper Guards" would
nave turned out. AS to the terrible
scene In the cars, shooting, etc, which
Sath. told the newspaper reporter, he
,an never forget.
Constable Lockerman says that when
The firing of shots commenced, Hut
;hins Disappeared, and he never saw
1r heard of him after, until he rehd |
he sensational report of the affair |
given by Nath in the Evening journal. |
Smith and Lockerman appear to be |
he only men who really did anything |
owards capturing the suspected men, |
lut the whole thing was bungling |
IilIair.