The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-17


FROM the Philadelphia Press.
New York Nov. lL-The arrest of
James s CEaTey in Boston last week
and the subsequent discovery OF thous-
ands Of dollars worth of stolen treasure
az his home form the sequel Of a romance
in real life whose scenes were laid i'm
This city as wen as al the Hub. and the
incidents Of which are more sensational
than those Of the drama Of Jim, the
Penman." Chafey appears to have play
cd a minor role, the chief character be-
ing one William Barrett and the most
affected victim BarretCs wife.
For nearly three years Mrs. William
Barrett lived I'm a luxuriously furnished
fiat al $50 West Flfty-elght street. this
city. Her husband was seldom seen by
the neighbors, but was said to be a
wealthy business man Of Boston. He
provided literally FOR his wife and minor
son. and the latter. who was fine
horseman, cantered daily through the
park on one Of the two thoroughbreds
she always kept.
When on May ~ 1891, the papers an
nouncod that William Barrett had been
arrested in Weston, Mass, for the muir
der of James Farrar while attempting to
avoid arrest for burglary, nobody dream
ed that there was any connection be
tween the criminal and the wealthy Mrs.
Barrett. She did not know herself until
later. Thousands OF dollars worth of
property had been stolen in and around
Boston before Barrett's capture. The
people of Weston, alarmed by the deprc-
datiOns elsewhere, arranged an electrical
signal system and when, on the night
Of May % James Farrar was aroused he
gave the alarm. The town was aroused
and the rObber was traced to Cherry
Brook Station. When he found himself
surrounded he shot at the nearest pur-
suer, Farrar, ana killed him. lie was
speedily disarmed and taken TO Waltham
jail.
The Waltham police We're mystihed
Jarrett would say nothing, and 1t was not
until a few days later, when visitor
called, that they could get clue to his
past life. This man was Chaffey and as
tine officers were present, very little was
said by either he or Barrett II afterward
developed that Charley secured the secret
o. me computation OF barretts safe IN
Boston. When the interview ended, the
police learned from Chaffey that Barrett
had lived on Eliot street Boston, the
number of the house he professed not TO
know. Police canvassed the street in
vain. Photographs of Barrett were
recognized hy none. and the police de-
SPARED OF solving the mystery of their
A few days later Chaney called upon
Mrs. Barrett I'm this city, and in a Few
words shattered the Illusion she cher
ished. He said that Barrett, instead of
being a wealthy merchant, was a profess
sional burglar and for nineteen years had
lived alone in rooms al p Eliot street,
Boston. Being systematic in crime, he
had not only concealed the fact of his
dual existence from his wife. but had also
stored stolen goods valued at nearly $780,,
After the shock Of this revelation had
passed Mrs. Barrett hastily sold her
horses. furniture and jewels and called
upon lawyers to defend her husband. She
hurried to Waltham, and from her hus-
bands own lips learned that all Chaffey
had said was true. Heartbroken she ac-
cepted Chaffey's offer of hospitality and
Roxbury Mass.
retts rooms in Boston. All the articles
of furniture, the paintings and the bric-a-
brac found in the place had been stolen
by Barrett around Boston, ana the entire
furnishings We're worth several thousands
of dollars. But I'm the workshop, when
the police found the place there We're
other things of more interest to them.
They found all the tools necessary for
melting silver and doing other work,
which made them think they had a find.
Chamey looked after Barretts affairs,
and would say very little about himself
or Barrett He claimed that he had only
known the latter four or five years, and
The police watched Chaffey closely. The
rooms at Eliot street had been cleared
out much of the stuff being put in stor-
age, and the greater part Of it sold Chat
fey engaged counsel for Barrett and
claimed that Barrett had given him some
of the goods in the Eliot street rooms for
his home in West RoXbury. There were
pictures, china, bronzes and paintings,
and, among other things, the safe.
one Sunday, while the Chaffeys were
away, State Inspector Whitney and sew
eral policemen arrived to search the Chat
ley house. Their search was futile.
While this search was going on Chaffey
was in New York. Barrett had stored
other thousands of dollars worth of plum
der here, and Chaffey had secured from
Mrs. Barrett the warehouse receipts for
goods stored by her husband in this city
She supposed he had done this in the
regular course of his business, Some Of
the property was at the Lincoln Safe De-
post vaults, IS East Forty-second street
Still more was in Christopher O'Reilly's
storage warehouse, at lS East Forty
fourth street. Chaffey sent all this prop
erty to his Massachusetts home He
made no accounting to Mrs Barrett who
was ignorant of the value of the goods
for which she gave up the receipts
In the meantime Barrett was tried for
the murder OF James Farrar and in No
Vember 1891. was convicted and sentenced
+ TO prison for life. Mrs. Barrett had spent
all the money she possessed in securing
legal advice for her husband and after
she was penniless she was assisted for a
\ time by Chaftey For a time he kept her
in his home in West RoXbury, Mass. Then
he sent her to Montreal, and finally to
London, where she visited the family of
her husband. At present she is il this
city, though at her request, her address
is not given.
\ strange accident revealed the con-
tents of the trunks and boxes which
Chaffey secured in this city. In 1891 the
Boston home of MIR. Kidder, senior MEM
Der of the banking house of kidder Pea
body * Co, was robbed. Among the
booty taken was a collection of stamps
valued at 81 900. These stamps had been
mounted by Mr.. Trifet of 90 Broomfeld
street, Boston. No trace of the stolen
goods could ever be found.
one day last week a man walked into
Mr.. Trfets store in Broomfield street
and said he had a few specimens Of
stamps he would like to sell. He pulled
out two or three sheets to display Mr.
Trifet almost dropped in a faint when he
saw them. They We're the sheets he had
mounted for Mr.. Kidder, and for which
he had been long waiting to appear. He
secured the mans promise TO call again
and when he reappeared q few days later
police were on hand and arrested him. The
man was Chaffey.
In explaining how he came 10 be in pos
session of the stolen stamps. Chaffey said
they had been turned over to him by Bar
rett, who said that the goods in the stOr-
( age warehouse would compensate him for
the trouble he had taken. He did not know
what the property consisted of. This he
/ says was the first Of the property he tried
| to dispose Of