The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-11-27
HARVEY BLAIR AGAIN.
CAPTURED IN MICHIGAN WHILE
POSING AS A PREA CHER.
r,der The Name of Rev. Charles Gibson He
was fuplish.ng n l'Eions song "ook
-Four Dnys Amer lilo Escaped.

J. Harvey Blair. the famous crook
whose operations in Richmond anu re-
tersburg are still fresh in the minus Vi
Timer readers, is again In the clutches
OF the law. a special to the bai'inioie
American Sunday says: ~,
Robert Il. Harvey, known IN "aiS
land as George +. Sage. the clever - Ioi a.
whose ALIASES are almost as hume 49, 80 "a
the sands OF the sea, VINO hds W 4 ~
successfully at worcester 1i@ a,yn,ra. H.
land ~ j.. Mt Vernon ana Finn a. -,
L.: Richmond, Va; Belalr, Mo, an for
merous Otner places, VINO seINeu ~ Tiara
embezzlement IN 1881 at santa S,',,'lt
cal. and Tor forgery in 1889 al W dsliin5
trn /, g. and who escaped IRON mar
ford county lall at Beidir Oh the HOlIlln5
OF October I'm, was arrested ~ 'HiSS tns
last nignt By Detective SaNlhe, VI -
rinkerton agency at Philadeiphla, dsslsu
ed by ChleI-Oi-fOiSe S""iO'N'
city.
uAsOUEHADls AS A PREACHER
Harvey had been masquerading here
since October 1th, four days dlter ms
escape from Belair jan, uhuer lnc na ny,
OF rev. Charles .. Gibson. ne ""o
gageq IN the publication OF Icib io,"
go hook the pages Of which ne IN
terspcrsed with advertisements, anu 80,
business was, apparently, leslu!ia'C 40
is not known that he mas alleHiPleI -
CIV. although ne had sought an lhtrOIuC-
uon to the cashier Of one Of The leauihs
banks. .1a a
willingness 10 return TO Belar Wl'nouI
a requisition. and Detective SaNle VIII MI
leave with hlm on the morning Tram. lnS
arrest was quietly made. harvey oi' 80
no resistance, but simply sald ne SUI
posed he would have TO 30, neither auI
uniting nor denying his Bullt. lie Mis"Vu
TO avoid newspaper reporters anu -
laboring under the delusiOn mat ms ar
rest VIII not get into the papers
HIS OFFENCE AT BtLAIn.
The offence for which he was under IN
dictment at Belair consisted OF the pass
ing of forged paper on the ltaIICiu Nd
tIOnal Bank, of Beldtr, for sou. lie was
10 have been tried for the offence az INC
November term OF the court AZ bc.ali
he perpetrated the forgery under the
mann. of George T.. Sage. At w orcesteI,
Mass. he Vctimzed the Qulhslsaniohu
National Bank under the name OF .nOui
ton. At Nineland, ~: De- Whert ne Nv 49,
ard where he Is alleged 10 nave de-
frauded the Merchants and Tradesmen 3
Bank and other parties, he was known
as Horace -. Baker He was also Wahted
an Ennira and Mt. Vernon, y. y; W heel-
inc. ". va; Providence, Il. l., and other
places.
BAKERS ESCAPE FROM JAIL.
J. Harvey Blair. alias George +. Sage
and Robert T.. Harvey, In company WIN
Thomas Kane and Samuel Kelley, escaped
from the Belair jail early on SUNDAY
morning October 18th. Their escape "do
well planned. Kelley (cOlored) VINO occ1-
pied "A cell on the first floor OF the jan
made the first move toward liberty. ne
picked the paddock on his door Win d
nail and gained the corridor.
lie then sawed large iron lock OH tne
door In which Thomas Kane was con
fined The two men then went 10 the
second floor and sawed off the TWO locks
f.yt hgl W
had fained the corridor "A lock was sa" gu
on a third cell, in which two otherfpris-
Onels were confined for petty crimes:
They covered these men with reviewers
10 make sure they gave no alarm. and
then cut their way through the ceiling OF
this cell Kelley and Kane piled up
boxes in one corner OF the cell under the
partially hole, while the desperate
Blair made the two prisoners play ON a
violin and bass viOl 10 drown the SOUND
of the saws and hammers with Whlc u
Kelley and Kane were cutting away al
the ceiling. which was at least eighteen
All three then crawlcd through the
small opening. which was not over seven
inches wide and thirteen inches lonS.
After getting through they were on the
third ilOor of the Jail, and ln the cell
formerly occupied by Eli Tucker, the
murderer. They then sawed through TWO
Of the half-inch bars of the iron that
guarded the window. This gave them an
opening large enough TO escape through
easily.
Blair then compelled the two frightened
prisoners whose cells they had just left
to hand up through the hole In the cell
ing the four sheets they had on their
beds These were torn into strips and
twisted into ropes. by which the men let
themselves down thirty feet to the ground
Ii was reported that Blair's wife was
his accomplish, and furnished the saws
and other tools. and that she was in
r,ff frarr i'm an ia "a
town I'm a buggy and helped him 20 get
away as rapidly as possible. As soon as
the two prisoners who had been left in
..,h We're sure the prisoners had gotten
away they gave the alarm, though warn
ed by Blair not 10 do so.
Sheriff Hughes Immediately started in
pursuit. the authorities i'm Baltimore and
Philadelphia were promptly notified, but
the fugitiyes could not bee found. and
Blair was not heard Of again until To-
Gated i'm Lansing, Mich, in the disguise
of clergyman.
NOTORIOUS CROOK.
Harvey IS said to have been born in
Virginia and 10 have moved wiui his
parents 10 Philadelphia, Pa, when a boy.
uis father was reputable business man
i'm Philadelphia, and died some years ago.
His mother still resides in Philadelphia.
He has two brothers in business in that
city. His criminal career commenced in
California. where. in 1881, when twenty
three years Of age, he was convicted IN
Santa Clara county Of embezzlement and
sentenced 90 the state prison at San
Quentin for two years. After serving his
sentence he went 10 Montana, and from
there to Topeka Kan, where under the
name of Robert II. Alexander, he claimed
TO be engaged by the publishing house Of
Rand. McNally & Co. Chicago, Here H.
connected himself with the order of Good
Templars. Y. NJ. G. A., and other re-
ligiOus and charitable organizations and
carried on extensive swindling operations.
IN WASHINGTON.
In 1889 he appeared at Washington, ID.
c.. where under the alias Of Robert T..
Hall. on November 18th Of this year, ne
was arrested for forging the name OF