The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-06-02
THAT TRAIN ROBBERY.
Wilson Pawned His Watch in This City Last
Month Under Certain Suspicious Conditions.


Month Under Certain Suspicious Conditions.
Samuel A. Wilson, telegraph operator,
is supposed to have been the lone robbsr
who on last Wednesday night, single
handed. held up and robbed the Pacific
express car attached to the west bound
Missouri Pacific train near Pacific. He is
being searched for, but no trace of his
whereabouts as yet can be found, although
detectives are hunting everywhere. both
IN the city and state, for him. wilson
answers the description as now given OF
the lone robber. The clew that links him
with the robbery is this: James Walters
IS Missouri Pacific switch engineer
that runs his steam horse III
curreh. At an early hour yesterday
morning he espied well-worn vallse
lying III gully alongside Of the railroad
tracks and near by where the robber took
the road that led him toward the river.
lie brought his engine to a standstlil, and,
upon picking up the valise, found that IL
was weighted down with something. On
examination, the valse was found to con-
tain clothes. He at once made his find
ings known to the express officials who
were on the scene, and the yallse aud It's
contents were brought to the police head
quarters in this city for inspection. In
the Satchel We're found lot Of cartridges
used in IA 3S-caliber revolver, box OF
uhirty-two blank cartridges, several sticks
of dynamite with fuse, new white shirt
and one slightly soiled, coat and vest
and red plush cushion t0a chair. There
were also some papers, slgued ,. A.
Wilson
The name of Wilson was familiar one
to both the CITY and railroad detectives,
and all began scratching their heads 70 try
and place or couple that name onto some
III
in st. Louis or its vicinity III recent years.
One of the wise heads of the group had 1t,
and he at once said Dink Wilson, as he is
known TO have taken part in one success
full and one unsuccessful robbery. The
unsuccessful one was at Glendale a year
ago, his confederates being Hedgepeth.'
Slye and Francis. Slye is now serving Il
twenty-year term in the penitentiary for
the part he took III the robbery. Hedge.
peth is now in the St Louis jail awaiting
trial. Francis was shot and killed while
attempting to hold up and rob "a Missouri
Pacific train with others at Lamar Mo-,
and Wilson is the only one now at large,
and, as train robbing is his business, cou
sequently he is the man who did
the last job He did not, however
answer the description Of the robber, and
for time bis name did not figure IN
1T. One IF the Older detectives recalled "A
plot that had been made by one Wilson
and four others about a year ago to hold
up and rob St. Louis and San Francisco
train within IA few miles of last Wednes-
day nights robbery. In some way the
officers received an inkling OF what was
going 10 happen, and the result was the
robbers got out of the way. Detectives
who were working on the case at the time
secured information that Sam Wilson,
who answers the description of the lone
robber, but then a telegraph operator on
the Frisco road, was one of the gang.
Wilson disappeared, and nothing more
was ever traced to him until the finding
of the yalse near the robbery which con-
tanned papers bearing his name. 1t Is
supposed that he has been at work III
some telegraph office under an alias, and
had given up his work to take part IN the
robbery, which later he did ugle-hauded.
Globe Democrat.
On the 9th day of April, Wilson arrived
in Wichita from Paris, Texas, ana was
broke. He went into "A well known jewel
cry store on Douglas avenue and secured
loan of SIG on his watch. He gave his
note for the money which was made pay
able on May LIST. He told the jeweler that
he was IA telegraph operator and had
secured job at St. Louis with the Frisco
company. On the Goth of April he wrote
IA letter to the ieweler, in which ne said
that he had met with disappointments and
asked whether he would renew the note till
June |. He stated that he would have
plenty money by that time and that he
would pay him a handsome reward for his
accommodation in the line of interest.
The jeweler wrote back to him saying he
would, and this letter came very near
causing the capture of Wilson. 1t was in
the valise referred to in the above article
from the Globe Democrat. When the let
ter was found three detectives were
dispatched to Wichita, and they were here
till last Monday waiting for Wilson to
turn up or else in hopes that he would
write to the jeweler in question. One of
the detectives belonged to the Furlong
agency of the Missouri Pacific and
the others belonged to Harrigan's detect
i've agency in St Louis. There was con-
siderable rivalry between the men here
and they almost bored the jeweler to death
calling on him on the arrival of every
mail. When the Globe. Democrat of Sun
day last arrived, containing the above ar
ticle, the turlong man blamed the Harri-
gan agency for giving the information TO
the Globe Democrat and all retired from
the field as mad as hornets for they had
no hope o. catching Wilson in any trap
they could set after the publication of the
fact that the yalise WAS found for
Wilson knew the letter of the Wich-
tia jeweler was in the valise and he is
too shrewd to have overlooked the proba
bility that the detectives were watching
Wichita like hawks When the detectives
went away they were so mad at each other
that the EAGLE thought 1t would have
duel to write up. The matter was kept
quiet. however, till now for as yesterday
was the date of the expiration Of the note
given by Wilson remote hope that some
thing would be heard from him was en-
tertained. The watch is sacrificed, Wilson
is evidently dead on TO the danger of show
ing up here and the publication q the
facts will not injure the cause of Justice.
The detectives were bright active fellows
and had their plans well laid, but the arti-
Gle of the Globe Democrat upset every
thing.