The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-06-20
WHO is THIS JOHN ROE?
a Mysterious Prisoner In tho
Hands oil U. s. Officers.
no DEFINITE CHARGE PREFERRED
But ho is Held oa Suspicion of Being
"a Postoilico liohOcr-uc has SuS-
pIcIoua Artio,cs In his Possession
and Positively Rciuscs to tell hlS
Name or Anythln. about Himself.

Yesterday u worry interesting prisoner
was brought to this city by unitcd
States officers. Recently number OF
postoliccs aud stores have been robbed
in wostcrn Pennsylvania aud West Viz
giuia, and 1t will be remembered that
eight Of gang who robbed the poet
Office at B'istOria. Greene county, Pa,
were captured a. Wollsburs, and several
OF them Afterwards escaped. Descrip-
tons were sent out over this part OF the
country, and oil tho officers asked 10 ba
on tho alert TO catch bold and SUCCESS
fol gang OF thieves.
Constable J, II. Francis, Of Now Mar.
tinsvillo. arrested q man there ou euspi-
cion. lie was trying 10 sell postage
s.aups, D Guspicious circumstance in
,itecif. Squire Sslby held him, and tcle.
graphod 10 Postmaster O'Kans here,
who turned the telegram over 10 Post
Office Inspector S. +. Hooten. lTo and
Deputy Marshal Garden went down and
brought the prisoner to Wheeling, and
Commissioner Campbell held hi N ior s
bearing on the 2Sth inst.
The charge Is that atilaut believes
and has reason 10 bolicvc" that John
Roo broke into and robbed a postoli;ce
or tried to break into and rob post
Office
John Roe !s not .ho prisoners name.
10 resolu;eiy refuses to toll auybody
what his nanO is or anything about him
self. He say. he is between lorty aud
Ni,,, ,,oora ,,lJ tbo4 h N !. f-p,,, 49,, -. -.
state, and has worked at many ernpIoy-
ments. ilo has full beard aud mus.
tsche. aparse hair, aud thin, Intelligent
looking face. His hands are covered
with scRbs, which he Gays he got by
washing Them in poisonous water. His
talk is that Of an intelligent gentleman.
lie had in silver match box num-
Der OF postage stanpo. He had go five or
six pairs OF eye glasses, come plain ard
some coloyed, and q number OF collar
buttons. All these were new. Among
his other possessions were an old silver
huuting.caso repeater. OF Swiss make, a
thin piece OF wood soaked iu paruline,
apparently, 60 that when split OF the
width oi a match it burns like a wax
| taper; brown fuse. ouch as used often
"a cigar lighter. an elegant new gold
pen and several silver and gold pencils.
lio had also two fine pen drawincs.
| and he said he had worked on neHs-
pspers as IN artist. There was no. n
scrap ofany:hiug about him 70 identify
him. Something in his manner sug-
gcstod scaiasipg man, and an ISrELLT-
GESCER reporter asked hin II he ever fol-
lowed the sea. de answered promptly:
Il have been q seafarins man."
Then, after a moments thought, he
added: always before the mast, OF
course" His manner, however, ia not
that OF d common sa,ior.
Eo said ho had been guilty Of no
wrong, and did not think ha could be
charged with auy. When asked ghv
he refused to tell bis name, he said be-
had good reasons. 4 remark was made
to him. "You LOOK "a ii you vere sick."
No." said he; II am in very good
health; bu: q man hgs his troubles
sometimes"
He said fow OF his family were Loft,
and they were scattered, and he really
| did no. know where ihose we're who
worc still living. There was something
! pathetic in his courteous manner. com
bined with his firmness in refusing 10
gay anything about himself. farther
,hsn that he had gone through Wheel
ing on bis way 10 New Martingyil.e,
and that ne was hunting work. He
said he had been secretary OF large
works. book keeper and cierk, groom
and coachEuan, and artist on news-
papers. When asked how he travelled
about the country. he said: ~ have
| not done Q small amount OF walking"
Although poorly dressed thore is an
air OF distinction about him and about
bis speech which makes hia case inter-
esting beyond the average. and it is
sincerely TO be hoped that his identity
will be discovered.