Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-11-05
THE DETECTIVES TEMPTATION,
CAUGHT RonDERs BunrING THEIR
THnEAsuRE.
Then After They Had Departed he
dug Up $4,000 and Kept II a Long
Time, Dut was Finally Caught Up
with ny Ills Chief.

Washington, Nov. 4.-"what do you
think should be done in the way Of
protecting the treasure and messen-
gers in express cars?' your CORE
spondent asked a weil-known railroad
detective.
There have been many plans put
forward since the robberies in the
West, but most Of them are too ex-
pensiye or not practical. have often
talked TO the officials OF the express
comapnies about this matter, and my
chief plea was for the protection or
the messenger. II they protect him.
he will protect the treasure. the
men selected Tor these positions are
thoroughly tested before being as
signed 10 fesponsiDie run, and an
overwhelming maJOrity are OK that
class VINO VIII tsihe care OF themselves
IL given nait q cnauce.
- nave frequency suggested that
express care We nued witu nait incn
boiler plate iron. 1 don't liean the
siaes aiune, but MAKE u compete I'M
ms anu tuiiy project the uoOr5. 9ie-
cuunlCal eNpertS can easliy devise
pans SO tnas can be done, ana tnen
pace In the hands Of the messenger
one OF those saWvu-on shptguns Iuauvd
with bucKsn0t Let TINS ueIensive pre-
paiaIlOn Uecume known, anu An sake
my reputation Oh 1t that tram Iop-
berries or ralher express car roOperles
wall go out vi fashion. SUCH car
NOutu stand II tremendous pressure
from dynamite, II run on the track
would nhewise be protected from pe-
ing crushed, ana as tort tor the
messenger could not be exceliud. II
"a ft ftstsa
betde the robDer VINO would hrst en-
ter the car should an entrance ulu-
mdtely be gained.
DO you know that this recent
holu-up over IN Vrs4nia recalls 10
my mind similar occurrence that
took place when l was a young man
in the business up near rutsuulg ut
u station named Greensbursh. she
details are very similar. me tram
was successfully mead up; the express |
car ROBBED OF good round sum, ana |
the ropDers made break for Plus |
burg after crossing the Coaemaugh |
river near which the robbery occurred. |
l received the details OF TIE ROBBERY !
In PittsDurg from my superior officer |
short time after they occurred, and
something tod me they wouid use
the Conemaugh TO cover up their
tracks.
II had an assistant at the time who
lived ON the outskirts OF Allegheny
city. at one OF those little summer
places. There was a Telegraph Office
Ut the place, and l at once teiegraphed
him 10 be ON the lookout for the men,
ana that | would see him In the norm
ing. At the time ] took another route
80 as to cover as much ground as
possible. The details Of my assistants
movements that night / gathered from
MN two years later In the Cook coun-
~ jan, Chicago,
II seems that he was In the tele-
graph Office when my message was re-
eeiNed. and In few minutes was on
hsis way toward the river. 1t was
pitch dark, but he kept on until he
reached a point In the road that LED
through considerable stretch Of
woodland. He had stopped 10 take
ms bearings when he heard a wagon
coming up the road at furious
rate or speed. He left the road and
sought refuge behind good-sized
Tree; The wagon came up and passed
~, put ohly ahout dozen yarGs. lie
MADE out the forms OF mon as
me wagon "ent by. ana ne was In
the act Of following thcm when the
wagon stopped, Again he darted hack
INTO the woods and saw the robbers
iof 60 they proved to be, lug ont n
soou-sized box and drag II INTO the
Moous' Hastily digging a holc thav
buried the box, and after martini,
several surrounding trees. hurriei
nack to the wagon and continued
lhelr rapid driving toward the city.
My assistant, after assuring him
sell mat the men were wen out Of
the way, hastily dug IN Thar NO.,
llu l9aded himself with currency. on
,.sS nome he found he had some
.nlns IKE $4,000. and the temptation
was TOO strong for him. no dcciia1
20 Keep H. lie lived in his old home
lor nsatly year and was shreyd
enough not to use any OF the monev
! t zen ne iett Tor Chicago. and shortly
u lterWard bought quite a farm In
southern Illinois. About the Same ,,r,a
t,e drEested a man for breaking into a
This fellow was far gone with co,.
sutnpuon and I took him TO tho bcs-
pital. There he confessed 10 me M,
ne was a member Of the gang that
nHu held up the express messenpsr n
year ana half before, and tho Tcsui,
Of the burying OF the treasure Il, ~
woods. went out on tho ROAD ond
found the telegraph operntor W.
TOD me of the quick delivery ~ tbo
message 1 sent I put two ana 49,
logether and decided to follow nm ~,
nssistant. After considernble trn,,,Is
located him and deceived him I,te
lhicago. There ! put him under ~
resi- anu bluned him into n confsssiH,
recovered $1,000 and tho nreside,,,
u the company John Hoev. gave mo
. h9ise"'aSe 'hat amounted to $500"