The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-05-08

Tho following story, OF peculiar inter
est in Wheeling and out the b. 4 O.
road, is from the Pittsburgh Dipatch;
Fred Brost, who carries a half'dozen
aliases with him, and who is considered
desperate in West Virginia, was ar
rested by Detective Sol Coulson last
night at 1928 Penn avenue, The arrest
was made just in time to save DeRoy's
iewelry store from q robbery, as Brost
had planned to break in there last
night,
Brost came to Pittsburg several weeks
ago from Wheeling, and, though he is
only eighteen years OF ago, he has one
Of the worst names OF any criminal in
West Virginia. He has committed sew
eral burglariea here, and last night he
boosted Of it, Previous to his coming
here he stole Il horse nea Wheeling
and committed other crimes. The
Wheeling officers got after him and he
had to leave. Friday last he wrote @
letter to one OF his pals at Wheeling and
the police intercepted the letter, and
thereby learned OF his being in this
city. In it the young man said he was
boarding ut 1928 Penn avenue, where he
was known rs Jesse Phillips. The
name was an alias. Detective w. Is.
Lukins, OF Wheeling, came hero last
evening with the letter and turned 1t
over TO Detective Coulson with the re-
quest that he be arrested.
THIS LETTER GAVE HIM AWAY.
Tho letter was fairly well written, but
Brost was too free in putting his secrets
in writing. This is what he wrote:
DEAR AMpRosE--I made a haul last
night Of $40 and they never found out
who it was. Ono of the boarders left
hero yesterday and the crime is on his
shoulders. l forgot to mention that l
was staying at a boarding house. My
address is 1898 Penn avenue, Pittsburgh.
There is another fellow here from
Wheeling who claims to be a detective
who is looking for Fred Brost. l 80 by
tho name OF Jesse Phillips. | am going
to lay the detective out tonight. All is
excitement aC Il house to-day.
When | went into the fellows room
last night he was awake and | pulled
out a blackjack and tapped him oil the
head with it. He will DO laid up for ut
least ak weeks, l wear a muatache
while / am here, for l don't want to be
recognized as myself, that Is as Fred
Brost.
expect to be with you on Sunday. l
might have nine or ten pistols and may
be moro. have not any yet, but | am
going to break in n place tonight, |
think | can get eight or ten 50 calibre
center fro shell extractors without any
trouble, and five or ak boxes Of cart
ridges. l wrote a letter to Will Klein
on Wednesday. II he got it tell him to
answer it right away. In tho letter l
told him not to answer 1t, but | expect
ed to DO with you on Friday, but l eau
not get oil. l will be- with you on Sum
day. Don't forget my address, Jesse
Phillips, 1928 Penn avenue. Good.by.
TOOK HIS ARREST CALMLY.
From the tone Of the letter and the
information it contained, Detective
Coulson imagined he would have a des-
perado to deal with, but no never ran
across q milder hammered man. Brost
was found at the boarding house and
quietly submitted to arrest. lie ad.
mittod he told a lie when he wrote OF
stealing $40 from n boarder or Of hitting
him on the head with a blackjack. Ho
also lied when he wrote OF a Wheeling
detective being in the house, Us there
WINS none there. He maintained, how
ever, that he had intended to break into
store last night, and said it WAS De
Roy's on Penn venue he meant, and
with the coolest bravado boosted OF how
he could do it and escape arrest.
He confessed to his name being Fred
Brost, but said he also travelled under
the aliases OF Jesse Phillips and Fred
Bullock, by which names he was known
to his pals in Wheeling. He was one
OF q gang OF thieves there, he said, and
practically admitted to stealing tho
horse ut that place and committing
moro than ono burglary there. He was
turned over to Detective Lukins last
night, who returned with him to
Wheeling,
Yesterday a constable came from
Littloton to Wheeling and young Brost
was turned over to him. 1t was at
Littleton that he stole the horse, which
had been hitched in the street while
the owner was in a store. He rode it to
Cameron, whore he sold 1t to u man
named Griffith for $40 and a silver
watch, receiving the watch and $40 and
n promise of the payment of the other
$50. Lieut.. Tqrrill had written to tho
Pittsburgh authorities, telling them the
facts and asking that young Brost be
arrested, but he had not been Until
Lieut.. Lukins went up, although the
letter was followed up by a telegram to
tho same effect. Tho only ofonso for
which the boy could have been held
here was the theft OF 50 80 from a South
Side woman. Brost is but sixteen years
old.