Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1892-01-22
tine Little Discrepancy Pointed to HIM
Instantly.
THE FALL OF A RESPECTABLE COLOREI


Mayor Fultz held last Friday the pre-.
liminary examination Of Eugene Reyes,
the U. S. Express Co.'S colored driver, who
stole package containing $40, and COM
mitted him to jail without bail for the ac-
ton Of the grand jury. Reyes was repre-
sented by U. S. District Attorney W. E.
Craig. and the State by Commonwealth S
Attorney A. G. Gordon. 1t is rather
noticeable in this case that a slight omls-
sion in his theft fixed on him the suspicion
that will at last land him in the Stateprfs-
on. He had been a driver for the company
for ten years and there had been nothing
against his honesty in that time. On the
night of January 4th, he went as usual with
the agent, MI. G. Z. Hammond, to the
Valley depot. There MI. Hammond re-
ceived and receipted for a package Of Ss40
and thought he put it safely in his pouch.
1t is very clear now that he did not put it
there but dropped it on the platform. 1t
was instantly spied and picked up by Keyes
and Oh the drive up to the express Office it
was in his pocket and not in the pouch.
AlltI III hdo llllOCCu. MY Cd w do pCaU UuCh
to look for it, but of course did not find it.
When Chief of Police Waters was sent for
he inquired directly how long Keyes was
absent when he was sent back for the pack
age. He was told and found it was too
short time to go all the way to the depot
still less to search the street as lie went
along. Capt. Waters at once settled on
Reyes as the thief and never changed his
conviction, nor his position that Reyes
should he arrest ed and his house searched.
But the detectives sent here from abroad
would not consent to adopt that theory. In
three our four days Reyes was discharged
from his situation, watch being kept on
him. 1t was found that he was drinking,
spending $40 at one place, S. at another
and S. at another, and setting them up
for his colored friends generally. A color
ed man, Percy Wayland, claimed to have
heard him say that he was discharged but
had $40 to fall back on. He told this Dor
sey johnson, another cOlOred man. MI.
Hammond in the meantime had offered a
reward of $3.50. johnson asked if he would
pay that to him if he found it for him, and
being told he would, reported what Keyes
had said. The detectives again sent for
Chief Waters who said he had nothing to
give them except the old advice he had been
giving all the time-tO arrest Reyes at once
and search his house. Detective Bishop
swore out out the warrants and keyes was
arrested. Capt. Waters at once went to
his house and Keyes wife told where the
money was hid under a floor. There was
S7O5 found, all of the issue of 1882 Of the
N ational Valley Bank of Staunton, the
same issue and notes the U. S. Treasurer
at w ashington had expressed to the bank
here. The other $135 was not found, though
it is believed Reyes had deposited with
some friend that part Of it which he had
not spent.
The lower class of negroes are quite in
trayed Reyes, whom they look on as some
thing Of hero, the sum he took being the
largest any colored man had ever gotten
away with in Staunton. They got some
queer ideas mixed up with the status of the
trial, one being that the United States Elk
press was national government institu-
ton, and that Mr.. Craig's defending Keyes
was obligatory on him as an Attorney OF
the United States, Reyes being in some
sort in government employ. They are not
clear yet that State court can do anything
with him. Reyes arrest created an unusu-
al interest among the colored people as he
was quite prominent, after a fashion,
among them.