Evening journal., 1892-04-19
HORSE THIEF BAGGED.
Charles Thompson Surrenders to the
state Detectives.

The Man who Was Allowed to Escape
Bv City HAN OmciaIs Caught I'm the
Forests of PennsyIvania-rbe Door
Burst In aud Thompson Covered With
RevoIvers.
Early this m ,rning Detectives Witsil
and McVey drove up to New Castle jail
and placed Charles Thompson, colored
man, 25 years old, in the custody of
Night Warden Alexander Burleigh. he
Is charged with stealing a horse and
wagon belonging TO William Brackin.
New Castle county farmer. They ar
rested their man last night in hut In
forest near the Welsh Mountains. Penn
sylvania.
Thompson is the negro who was al
lowed to escape from the City Hall last
September after he was lodged there by
the two detectives. The Police Commis-
sion fined House Sergeant Mari aud Turn
key Bird $40 each for lax discharge of
duty In allowiog the man to escape.
Thompson lived near Newark. he
came to this city. and going to Charles
Cole, com mission merchant at Third
and King streets, told him his mother
had some chickens she wanted TO self
he would bring It back with
the chickens. He took the coop
to point near his home, and stole
twenty eight chickens belonging to
Jonas Klair, farmer. he put them in
the coop ano left them in the middle of
a corn-feld. Klair's little daughter saw
the chickens there and reported the
matter TO her father. He informed
Constable Chambers and posse of
farmers was formed The posse sur
rounded the corn.6 field and with shot
guns trained on the coop awaited the
arrival of the thief.
About 10 o'clock at night Thompson
drove up to the fence with Brackin's
horse and wagon, hitched, and went
among the corn to get the chickens. Con
stable Chambers called upon him to sur
render. He "drapped de chicks" and
took leg bail. The posse fired upon him
but every shot missed BE lost his hat
in his mad flight. The coop was identi-
fed by Mr.. Cole, as was also the hat,
which was shown to him by Detective
McVey.
The detective go. a description Of the
man, and kept a lookout for him One
day last September the detective was
standing on the steps Of the attorney
generals Office talking to Attorney Gen
eral Biggs, when be saw negro passing
on the other side OF Seventh street. The
detective excused himself and walking
across the street accosted the negro
CAUGHT IN THE TRAP.
'Is your name Bill DavisT'
"No, sab; my name is Charlie Thomp-
son."
.'Well, you are the cove want for
stealing Brackin's team"
He took Thompson before Magistrate
Smith who held him in $500 bail for the
Court Of General Sessions.
The detectives placed the negro in the
City Hall, bill against him was pre-
pared, presented to the grand jury at
the September term and returned as
true The case was called aud Sheriff
Simmons went to the City Hall to get
the prisoner They said they did not
know anything about such a prisoner In
short, they had allowed the horse thief
to escape The affair created quite a stii
and the escape was attributed to City
Hall jealousy against the SUCCESS Of the
state detectives. The action of the
Police Commission shows that II regarded
it as gross carelessness, to say the least
DETERMINED TO HAVE THEIR MAN.
Detectives witsil and McVey deter.
mined to capture the man. They
watched for him, and at last heard thai
he was in Pennsylvania. Yesterday
afternoon they cine from Dover ant
prepared to hunt Thompson down. They
hired team and drove up into Pennsyi
vania They ascertained that he wa
living In a hut In the forest, abou
twenty-nine miles northwest of Whining
ton.
When they reached the forest las
night it was very dark. They hitche,
their team and crawled carefully to tn
hut. The window was open and a ligh
was burning within. Peering through
the window they saw Thompson seatei
beside his eolored mistress.
REvoLvERs CAUSE SURRENDER.
They located the door, and backing Of
for some distance drew their reYolvers
simultaneously they made a rush; tn
door gave way before them, the woma
screamed, and Thompson cowere
beneath the glittering muzzles Of tw
self-cocking revolvers
He told the detectives that he sur
rendered. He was glad he was capture
as now he could serve his sentence an
be free man.
He bade his mistress good bye, an
took seat in the carriage with the tw
officers of the law. The driv
was long and weary one
but both detectives we're happ
when New Castle was reached, abou
9 80 o'clock this morning, and thei
quarry was delivered into hands that wi
prove more careful of their charge tha
the City Hall officials.
The case will probably come up fc
trial at the May term Of court.
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