The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-10-03
A Bad GANG CAPTURED
They Had Intended to Hold Up a
y Railroad Train.
A DETECTIVE LET INTO THE PLOT.
He Was to Have Taken Part in the Hold
Up, but Put ofcers on Their Track,

Up, but Put oficers Their Track,
Prison.
ST. JOSEPH. Mo-, Oct. 3.-Lee Jones and
"Sear Faced Charley Frizzell were ar
rested here. charged with conspiracy to
rob the Chicago, Rock Island and Pa
cific train, The conspirators were be-
trayed by one Of their own band. A week
ago it was planned to rob west bound
Rock Island train and to blow It up if
necessary. This was postponed and finally
abandoned, the would be robbers learning
that the police were after them. The ar
rests followed, and Others are expected.
Since the attempt made about a month
ago to rob the Denver express the officers
of the road have been looking for the men
concerned In the enterprise Suspicion
pointed to "a long haired crook from the
Indian Territory as the prime mover.
Chief Special Agent Martin H. Flynn, of
the Rock Island, went to st. Joseph and
was not long in identifying the long
haired crook" with Jones, who had re-
Gently arrived from the Indian Territory
and carried his character in his face He
was n clustering bully with no visible
means of support and with a habit of fire.
quenting saloons and associating with
desperate characters, Among his asso-
ciates was Lee Frizzell and man named
Callahan, who u few days after the ar
rival of the railroad officer was arrested
by the local officials on the charge of
burglary and WAS lodged in jail 1t was
learned that the trio had instigated the
former attempt, aud that Jones and Friz-
zell had not abandoned hopes of ulti-
mately gaining possession of the treasure
in the express and mail cars.
Special Agent Flynn returned to Chi
cago, and on Sept a meeting OF railroad
officials was held in the office of General
Manager w. l. Allen. AS result of the
meeting Detective c. G. BarShard took a
train for St. Joseph, and in the guise of
Chicago crook went to the Buffalo Head
saloon, a resort much frequented by
Jones, Frzzcll and similar characters.
Barshard found 1t an easy matter to gain
access to the society circle in which Jones
was a shining light, and when on Sept. II
Flynn in the guise of Chicago gambler
out of luck, arrivedat the Buffalo Head
Barshard was in position to introduce
him Speaking of the episode Flynn said;
Jones was a character He drank
freely and talked openly of crime. He
was a hideous looking object, six feet tall,
broad shouldered and powerful physique.
HIS lung mar, from De-
meath broad brimmed sombrero. did not
conceal any part of the most repulsive hui
man face | ever saw. While in a fit Jones
fell into camp fire, and his entire face
was burned almost out of human SEM
blance.
"He was one whose criminal proclivi-
ties could not have been concealed. He
was 35 years old and possessed of liberal
education. An accomplished artist, he
would not work, and openly boasted that
he would yet out do the exploits of Jesse
James. Jones had served two terms in
the penitertiary for counterfeiting, but
had escaped all punishment for long
list of violations of the state laws This
was the leader of the gang with whom
Barshard was on friendly terms. Jones
was always heavily armed, and would not
hesitate to shoot on the slightest provoca-
ton. But he was not really a dangerous
man, lacking mental force and depending
for his reputation on brute courage and
Bluff
A most dangerous man was Lee Friz-
Zell, also an ex-convict. He was quiet and
watchful, aud some times appeared to sus-
pect that Barshard was not all right 1t
required much tact to dissipate the fell
lows suspicious, but the detective finally
succeeded and was taken fully into the
confidence Of Frizzel and his friend and
associate, Franklinburg. Barshard was
admitted into all the plans of the raid ON
the train. The party was 10 consist OF
Jones, Branklinburg, Frizzall, Burshard
and two good people" who were to be on
hand in time.
Tuesday evening, Sept 25 was the time
set for the attempt. The Denver express,
due in St. Joseph at 7:40 o'clock, was to
be intercepted at the water tank seven
miles east of town. As the locomotive
stopped at the water tank one of the ban
dts was to break the couplings behind
the mail and express cars, while the others
commanded the engineer to go ahead into
deep cut, half mile up the track, leav-
ing the passenger coaches behind. In the
cut the work of robbing the car was to be
completed, four men going through the
express and mail cars, while one, armed
with rifle, kept watch on the engineer
and fireman