The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-02
ACAR-BREAKER IN LIMBO
a Systematic STEAL BROUGHT
TO LIGHT.

/
Conducted-The Thief Arrested.
A negro thief, Morris johnson, was ar
rested by Detective Wetherhorn yesterday
morning. The arrest is the initial step in
the breaking up Of a systematic plan Of car
breaking which has been going on out at
the Southover Junction, on the Savannah
| Florida and Western road, about four miles
from the city, for over three months, and
perhaps six.
The pile Of socks. blankets shoes, cloth,
cigars, medicines and other articles Of
various kinds and descriptions brought into
Justice Naughrin's Office yesterday morn
ing told its own story, and the negro thief
! whom Detective Wetherhorn brought in a
little later in buggy, completed the chap
ter in one OF the biggest steals that has been
| brought 70 light 10 this section for some
time
HOW THE CAPTURE WAS MADE.
| Having been informed day before yester-
| day that some negroes were selling shoes at
| Southover. Detective Wetherhorn went out
TO investigate. He discovered parties who
had obtained goods from the negro, and
traced him back to the city.
Yesterday morning he learned that his man
| bad started out the Savannah, Florida and
| Western tracks to the scene of his plumber,
and securing buggy he drove out TO the
| junction, determined TO anticipate and
capture the thief. In few minutes johnson
| showed up and his actions marked him as a
suspect. The negro was pointed out as the
J party who had been selling the goods and
| Detective Wetherhorn soon bad the cuffs
on him and was on his way back to the city.
FULL CONFESSION.
When carried into Justice Naughtins
Office johnson confessed his crime. He said
he had been conducting that business for
three months The first steal, according to
! his statement, was made from a Savannah
| Florida and Western car at the junction
| about month before Christmas, and he
has continued his operations steadily, hav-
! ing broken eight or ten cars in all between
that time and Friday night last, when the
! last steal was made.
The articles were, Of course, missed, and
| the road probably had to make good the
losses, concerning which it has on file a
large correspondence. The officials knew
| that there was a systematic steal going on,
| but up to this time they had not been able
to locate it,
HOW THE WORK WAS DONE
When a freight train pulled up at the
| Southover Junction, and for some reason
had to stop there for a while, johnson
would climb to che top of a car with a
| crow bar, and just as the train was starting
would pry off the top iron which held the
| door In place. This threw the door out OF
| place, leaving quite q large opening
| through which be would throw several
| boxes which we're handy, and would then
climb out hurriedly and carry them away
! in the darkness.
In this way he conducted a systematic
robbery of the cars, the extent of which is
\ not yet known, but which may run up
above 1900. Some of these goods he dis
posed of at about Is cents on the dollar
while Others he gave away.
THE GOODS STOLEN.
The stolen goods are OF all varieties. kinda
aud classes. About $3.50 worth were OBJ
tanned from some Of the parties the negro
had sold them to, and were brought into
Justice Naughtia's court
They include about 100 pairs of socks
| half dozen blankets, about fifty pairs of
shoes, Of all sizes aud kinds, several boxes
| or cigars, bolt or two Of cloth, and about
| twenty bottles OF drugs and chemicals, in
GLIDING a number Of poisons These are
but few of the articles stolen at the vari-
Gus hauls. There are various other COM
modities still to be obtained at the places
where the negro disposed OF them.
OTHER PARTIES IMPLICATED.
In his confession johnson implicated more
than dozen other parties, most Of whom
are negroes. He said he had sold lot of
socks, shoes and other articles to MIR.
Fountain on the Ogeechee road. The goods
were found at Fountains place and were
brought in.
Fountain states that the negro first
| brought him q bag OF shoes, whioh he tried
TO buy on credit, 80 the negro would return
and be could have him arrested. johnson
refused to sell on credit. Later he brought
other articles, which Fountain SAYS be
bought, intending to keep the private mark
which he found on them, so that he could
find out to whom they belonged return
them and have the thief arrested. This, he
would have done, he says, but 1t slipped bis
memory.
Isaac Jones, Miller Baker and woman
named Fabian were also found, and in
their possession a number Of articles OF
various descriptions, as johnson had de-
scribed. Rufus Carson, q negro who lives
on Wheaton street, had twenty pairs of
shoes and several boxes of cigars These
he claimed his son bought from johnson
while be was at work. He also said he
bought the shoes he had on at Lambert's
Mr.. Lambert testified that such was not
the case, and they were shown to
be a part Of the stolen property.
All of the negroes were taken into
custody, Carson being released on bond, and
Burk another of the receivers Of the stolen
goods, being set free, as he was a consump-
tive.
THIEF WITHOUT PROFIT.
johnson is thick set black negro, and in
spite of all the property he had stolen and
disposed Of, had hardly enough clothes on
to keep him warm. He has stolen, perhaps,
100 pairs Of shoes, yet those he wore were
in their last stages, and he even had no shirt
on ais back. He is a hard looking GUS
toner, and did not hesitate about going into
details and stating just what he had taken
as far as he could remember and how he had
disposed of his plumber.
He was taken to Jail yesterday, where be
will remain until committed and tried for
car-breaking, which may give him good
term in the mines.
johnson implicated number of other
negroes ana white men among those who
had received the stolen property and they
will be taken in charge as soon as Detective
w etherhorn can get at them.
THR WRIT DIaNTraszD