Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-15
NO CLUE AS YET
Detectives at Sea Over the Quantico
Train Robbery.
MANY THEORIES ADVANCED
Officials Cut Down Estimates of
the Money Loss.
NJ R. HERRING HERE

Police, express and railroad officers are
| as much in the dark now regarding the
identity and whereabouts Of the men who
held up and robbed the Jacksonville ex-
press near Aqua creek on Friday night as
they were when they. first received news OF
the affair. Theories innumerable have been
advanced regarding the crime, and the peo-
PIE who planned and perpetrated 1t and
n any bad characters who have lived OF
visited In the vicinity of the robbery at
various times in the past, either remote or
immediate, have been credited with partici-
patton in It, bit despite. the exhaustive in
vestigatiCn Of scores of detectives and the
alert attention Of the police officials Of all
the cities and towns within 200 miles of
Whitewater. there has not yet been found
a clue Of any tangibility whatever.
Two Blind Clues.
The Washington policemen have been on
the alert since the robbery. On Saturday
night the officers at the first precinct were
excited by the information that young
man in the municipal lodging house. who
gave the name of George Turner, had an
nounced that he was a member of the train
robbing gang. Turner was quickly trans
ferred to the station house, and Lieut..
Amiss and Detectives Weldon, Lacy and
Proctor took him in hand to ascertain what
he knew. Turner was too drunk to tell
more than that he was from Liberty. Mo-,
and had been tramping near Fredericks burg
when he fell in with the thieves and Joined
them.
Previous to this he had told Superinten-
dent Dunn of the lodging house, in a maud
lin way, that he wanted to tell everything
he knew. because the gang had refused to
divide the money with him after they had
gotten II. He also Dragged of having
known the James brothers at Liberty, Mo-,
where those desperadoes lived and of hay-
ing accompanied them on train robbing
expeditions
Yesterday morning Turner was sober. and
he was sadder and also scared He denied
having had anything to do with the rob
berry and swore he did not know what he
was saying on Saturday night Express
messenger Crutchfeld could not identify
MIN as member Of the gang, so the
charge of suspicion against Turner was re-
placed by one of vagrancy.
Inc local officers were also stirred up into
.aking trip down the river yesterday.
inspector Hoiiinberger. Lieut.. Amiss and
Detectives Weldon, Horn, Lacy Boyd and
Heian, armed to the teeth with long -bar-
relied Colts revoivers in addition to their
usual pistols, boarded the harbor police boat
and went down the river below Alexandria
TO capture a mysterious schooner which
was said to have been recently manned by
suspicious lot of men who were constant
~ going to and from the shore When the
martial party arrived and the schooner was
boarded nothing alive was found aboa rd
nor was anything suspicious discovered
The crew of another schooner, anchored n
mort iista ice below, said the suspected
vessel belonged to a man named Peyton,
who had gone off that morning. to take his
SICK son to doctor. The officers were in
formed that the boat had not left its
mornings fer some weeks, but that Peyton
who was an ex-railroad conductor had had
several men stopping with him recently.
- fhp oft
disappointed at the result of their voyage.
The Chosen Spot.
1t is now known that the first inrorrs
ton given out regarding the robbery was
Incorrect in stating the locality The train
had crossed the drawbridge over Aqua
creek, and vas pulling Up the steep grade
in the cut on this side OF the stream when
two masked men entered the engine and
held up the engineer and fireman 1t is
now believed that the men boarded the
train when II stopped before crossing the
draWbridge, and that the rest of the rob-
bers were waiting at the spot where the
train was brought to a standstill That the
thieves crossed the Potomac into Maryland
Is confidently believed by all parties inter
ested In the search for them
The money secured by the gang is the
largest amount ever gotten by a similar
crime in this country. The manifests of
the Adams Express Company proved the
IN
senger Crutchfield made immediately after
the occurrence, that there had been Sls0 Ogu
In the looted safe. Securities amounting to
$4,000 were saved by being thrown aside,
leaving the amount of the robbers booty
somewhere In the neighborhood of Sl6l 900.
The Adams Express CJmparys Philadel-
phia branch has taken charge of the mat
ter or running the robbers down, and has
employed Pinkerton detectives TO assist in
the work. The railroad officials are work
ing In concert with the express people and
a large number Of Independent detectives
are working on the case, inspired by the
rewards that have been offered
Express Messenger CrutchfieI Is in the
city for the purpose of assisting in the
search for the criminals. He describes the
man who entered the car as being about
hve feet nine inches tall, and weighing
probably 10 pounds. His hands were small
and he spoke distinctly and rapidly in a
deep voice. He told Crutchheid that ne
wanted no packages. and the former took
advantage of this to toss two bundles of
bonds. containing $1,000 and $4,000 re-
spectively, to one side. He said ne wanted
no jewelry or watches. but only the money
OF the express company. and advised
Crutchfield to quit the express messenger
business and get into his, as there was
more money in II.
Clothes and Carter.
1t was rumored at Quantico yesterday
that detectives had dragged the river and
discovered a bundle of clothes containing
two old coats and several pair of old
trousers. These garments were supposed
to have been used by the gang as disguises.
Confirm alton of the statement could not be
secured, on account of the reticence of the
express and railroad authorities.
The theory Is advanced in some quarters
that George Carter, a criminal, who was
| formerly a esident of Stafford county, and
| who escaped last year from Sing Sing
prison. where he was serving a seven-year
sentence fer burglary. was concerned in
| the robbery either as a leader or a member
OF the gang. Carter was at one time a
locomotive engineer. He Is desperate
Character. and his familiarity with the
country around Aqua creek would have
led him to select just such a spot for the
commission of crime like that Of Friday
night. Carter, no viewer, has not been seen
In Stafford since his escape from the peni-
tertiary, and there are. so far as can be
ascertained, no persons in the vicinity who
would run the risk Of corresponding with
or hartoring him. Detectives are looking
for Carter. however, as they are for ali
susr ected parties. That there are a number
OF such persons is known. and several OF
them are now under surveillance hut tho