The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-08-10
THIEVES IN CLOSE QUARTERS.
THE POLICE on TRACK OF A GANG
OF CAR ROBBERS.


Railroad. a CoIored brakeman and
an ex-Train Hand Under Arrest.
The RObberies Have Been Going
on for some Tfme-The stolen
Goods PeddIed by AccOmDIfces Of
the Thieves.
Chief McDermott and the city detec-
lives are helping Trainmaster Williams CT
the Florida Central and Peninsular rail-
road break up the gang of thieves which
has been preying upon that road.
The car thieves have been having a
picnic with the Florida Central and PENN
sular for some time. The yards are just
west Of the city limits. surrounded by a
rough stretch Of country which is set
tied mostly by negroes. Appearances in
dictate that there is an organized gang OF
thieves in that section which make a
business Of breaking open and robbing
cars. Its operations have extended all the
way from the Central railroad yards TO
the Four-mile hill.
All the roads have suffered. but the
Florida Central and Peninsular has suf-
fered most, owing to the exposed situation
>
has no police force to protect its prop
erty, as is the case with the Central and
Savannah, Florida and Western roads.
The detectives in the employ of the road
have been unable to put stop to the
depredations.
Trainmaster Williams has been on the
alert for some time, and within the last
few days he came into possession of sew
eral clews which convinced him that they
would lead 70 something if properly fol-
lowed up. A few days ago he recovered
a lot of goods at one of the small sta
lions on the road not far from the city
which had evidently been stolen from the
cars here. There was a quantity of dress
goods and a lot of ready-made clothing
including thirty-nine pairs Of trousers
A day or two later a broken box of plug
tobacco was found concealed under the
Office of the road In the rear of the Cen
trail freight shed Some OF the same to-
bacco was found in the office of the as
sistant yard MASTER +. o. Blocker. This
looked very suspicious, Mr.. Williams
thought, and he questioned Blocker very
closely. The latter acknowledged that
he had ten plugs of the tobacco, but said
that it had been given MIN by Arthur
Reese a colored brakeman on the road.
Blocker reported the robbery of car on
the night of Aug. 4. and according to his
own statement the tobacco was given
him by Reese the next morning.
Mr. Williams called upon Chief McDer-
mott and held a consultation with him.
The chief agreed to take a hand in the
matter and in company with Detectives
Wetherhorn, Kiley and Sculy. spent some
time in the yards of the road yesterday.
By his instruction Reese was arrested by
Detective Scully. He vehemently denied
any knowledge Of the robbery, and appar-
entity told "a very straight story. Detec-
tive Scully had previously had a CONVEX
sation with Blocker. He did not like the
latter's story and meeting him while on
the way to the barracks with Reese took
him along also.
Blocker first said that Reese told him
he had found the box of tobacco between
the switches in the yard, but a little later
contradicted himself by saying that Reese
had told him that he had found the to-
bacco out on the road He was told that
1t was very strange that knowing that
these robberies had been committed and
that a car had been broken open the night
before he did not report the fact of Reese
having so much tobacco in his posses
sion to the trainmaster. but failed to
make any satisfactory statement Reese
was confronted with Blocker and denied
his story in toto. His denial was very
dramatic.
"You are a white man. Mr. Blocker. and
you may send me to the penitentiary,"
said Reese, but before my God 1 swear
that l never gave you any tobacco. If you
stole that tobacco, Mr.. Blocker. for God S
sake don't try to put 1t on me-"
Reese's manner made an impression on
the officers, and inclined them to believe
in his innocence. He referred them to
Mr.. j. It. Lubs, whose books, he said
would show that he had made regular
| purchases of tobacco there, and he argued
that had he stolen a box of tobacco he
would not need to have purchased any.
Both Reese and Blocker were turned over
to Justice Naughtin, on warrants sworn
out by Mr.. Williams.
Andy Delkin, who had formerly been
! employed as a brakeman on the Florida
Central and Peninsular railway, was ar
rested by Policeman Connolly of the Sa-
vannah, Florida and Western force. Del
kin had a sack filled with a miscellaneous
assortment of dress goods and toilet ar
ticles, which he was trying to dispose OF
to negroes on the outskirts of the city. He
claimed that they had been given him by
| another negro, whose name he did moi
i know This is the usual story
when a thief is found IL
| possession of goods for which he
! found that a considerable business has
been done by negroes in peddling goods
! through the city in valises. He is satisfied
that their stock was plumber taken from
! the railway cars and expects to run across
a fence which the thieves made use of t
! dispose of their plumber.
Frank Kelly, colored, was arrested by
Detectives Wetherhorn and Kiley early
| yesterday morning with a lot of whisky
| in his possession, which had been stoler
from a Savannah, Florida and Western
car night before last. The whisky was OF
the Lewis &c brand, and was consigned
to the Savannah Grocery Company. Two
| cases were taken.
Kelly acknowledged that he had stoler
| the whisky. One case was found in hi!
| house in Yamacraw, where he was arrest
ed, but the other case was missing, anC
he refused to tell where it was He alsC
refused to state who assisted him in tn,
robbery. The same car from which thu
whisky had been stolen was broken ope1
again on the night that Kelly was arrest
ed, but the car was loaded with salt thi:
| time, and the thieves were disappointed
Kelly is an oldyoffender He showed sign,
of weakening last night. and the detec
| tives expect to obtain some valuable in
formation from him in a day or two.