Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-05-08
SEARCEY TALKSBACK
HE COMPLETES THE HISTORY OF
MS CONVICTED rAl.
says That lie Prevented MorganneId
from Robbins a National HANK
Trey Had Planned TO Hold Up n
Southern Train.

FREDERICKSBURG. VA. May T.
me having reached Searcey, his self-con-
fessed sccomplioe. this evening he be-
came snraged at the charge made against
him. and Immediately sent for me. agree
ing IL the commemorative Attorney, Mr.
White. had no objections he would give
a complete history Of Morganhcld. No
objection to the interview being made j
saw Searcey and obtained from him the
following:
"Morgsnficld's right name is Charles
Spwer. He was born near Glasgow n.y.
in 1851 His father Is a Campoelhte
preacher. and by his first wife there are
according to wha; he told me just before
the Aauia-creek robbery. four other chill
dren living. all sons. one is farmer Nv
ins In Grayson county. Tex; one schoo'-
teacher in Austin. Tex: one a teacher III
Hin county, Tex. and the other a noteo
safc-biowor.
when about seventeen years OF age
Morganheld was sent TO the bowling
Green ,Ky) College. where. after gradu-
The first time met him was In Arkansas
where he was selling liquor without
license Here he went by the name OF
Harding. next met him ia AipuGuei-
Que. n NJ Here he was running
gambling house and becoming inNoiN'p
in n shooting scrape had TO leave. IN i'''
/ met him al Brownswood. where ne Wa
also running gambling den. FROM tn''
I went to Texas. and In a town which
A. \ i'm
was in the gambling business Win a iei-
low by the name OF Bob Davis, ana ~
was in this place he told you ! had c"uS.
him 10 lose $500. This Is not SO, bu' 10
give tho devil his due believe that paws
did rob him. In 1881 met him IN NeldS0o'
rex. where ne was following his probes
sion that Of gambling.
To ROB \ BANK.
"Here MorgIniield or HARDING a. nc "a
known then tried to organize "a gang W
rob the National Bank. OF which d ~
Irving was president Having leaih'u %
IL posted the authorities ana as 'ol'-
sequence II never occurred. iHt'e
letters In the possession of the authorizes
IN .ubstantiaie this. He also endeaVored
10 organize n train-robbery gang, but
failed lie and l had become quite h"-
mate here and he asked me 10 JON IT.
which 1 refused. and this IS the irst l''iio
that | have told, except TO some auIhu,F
ties that II was me who prevented "le
bank from being robbed. Up 10 inns UNIV
and. In fact. up to the Aquid-cteeh 10"
berry / had never been ehSastu III any
thing Of the kind before.
From VelasCo / went 10 New orleans
and from there TO Lake Charles, la.
Here | again met Morganfleld. lie was
keepinc bar Several months Afterwards
| met him and friend in Monroe La
but only saw him for few hours. Also
saw him for few days in the spring ol
1853 I'm Greensville. Miss. The next un'e
We met was in Memphis where ne wac
running a gambling house. 1 dld not s'dy
mere long. and when next saw him IL
was in Humboldt. From there he ana an
othar party and myself went 10 hiuhs-
wick. Ga There they went 10 Eainblhg
and I went TO work "a carpenter iof MI
Monteomery the County Treasurer. N
ter working there | went TO NeiiI7NIle'
Mo. Before leaving. however, ne toIl III
hat he was going 10 hold up Udlh on
the Mobile and Ohio. near Cairo. H. WhiCn
ho did. and wanted me TO join H. whlch
~efused At this time | was working III
Neillsville for BoytOn a Nyman, sa"-nl.H
men.
BY THE NAME or MORGAN.
II saw him again at the Coroet ana
went by the name OF Morgan. While here
he wanted me TO aid him in robbins
train on the +. and w. road. Shortly
afterwards | learned that a train was
held IN on that road. but do not know Tor
certain he WAS I'm the hold-up i dld not
see him again until | met MIN IN bo'
Springs, Ark, which was some time al
forwards. He had then changed his name
back TO Harding. | left there Tor the
knights of Pythias encampment IN WASH
ington. but before leaving he asked me 10
observe whether any ,ime-lock sales were
on the roads running out from Washing
Ton. on arriving in that city j DID So
and wrote him TO the contrary. From
,are I went TO Baltimore. and thence 10
Harper's Ferry. where | again wrote him.
md several weeks afterwards he and a
nan named Martin met me there
ANOTHER ROBBERY PROPOSED.
eve then proposed to rob the Southern
railroad. which was prevented by shoot
ing scrape which Martin was involved IN.
From, there we came to Washington,
where the Aquia-crcek robbery was
Manned and consummatcd. During his con-
hnement In jail l received several notes
IRON him. In which he offered 10 sue the
express people for $4,000 and divide up
with me II / would deny that he was the
man connected with the robbery y copy
OF these notes are now In possession OF
the authorities.
He also held out four one hundred-dol-
lar bills from the robbery when we d.
yided up. l would not have said what
had II he had not lied on me. lie Is the
man and ne knows II. AS to his nerve he
Is coward in an open night. but ne
would take any advantage he could obtain
on the sly