Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-29
ALEXANDRIA AFFAIRS
a Bold Attempt At Highway Rob-
berry.
A Gang of Young Men WnyIay Pedes-
TRANS and Get Themselves
Put in Chancery.


one Of the boldest highway robberies or Sc
RES of robberies ever known in this section
| of the country. Five tough looking char
acters were seen at the corner of Pitt and
| Cameron streets by several people examin-
| ing revolvers and raZors. Mr.. John Smith
was one of these who saw the men, and,
suspectins that some desperate deed was
| about to be attempted, he hurried to police
headquarters and notified Lieut. Smith and
Officer Atkinson, who at once started out
| to look for the men. In the meantime they
| had gone to the corner of ST. Asaph and
| Queen streets, where Mr.. Robert Gronan
who was In his cellar, saw them through
| the window hold up q colored man and re-
| lieve him Of some money. Mr.. Gronan
started out to find an officer. The men had
| gone TO the corner of Washington and
Queen streets, where they met Mr.. Joseph
| Petit, clerk for Mr.. I. NJ. Kell the King
| street commission merchant. One of the
men covered Mr.. Petit with his pistol and
ordered him to throw up his hands. which
he did. while the others searched him.
About the only thing they got was the key
to Mr.. Kell's store.
Messrs. Ernest J. Shrieve and Frank Bell,
two young men from Del Ray, wer4 pass
men turned on them and made them hold
up their hands at the points of their re-
volVers.
Bold Work.
One of them very quietly explained that
one OF the party was a convict, and they
| needed money. Mr. Bell asked the fellow
who held him at bay why he didn't search
him. He said: "Oh. no; my business is
simply to make you hold up your hands
My friends here will search you" The
| man whose pistol covered Mr. Shrieve said
| to him: Young man, do you realize how
| near death you are?"
| At this stage Of the game Officer Atkin-
son and the lieutenant appeared, and the
men started to run. The lieutenant cor
hered one, who turned on him and tried TO
shoot at him. The lieutenant caught the
fellows arm and held 1t in the air, and
when he tried to grab the pistol with his
left hand. dealt him a heavy blow in the
face, Telling him, Mr.. John Smith, who had
come to the lieutenant's assistance, at the
same time wrenching the pistol from his
grasp.
Two of them got away in the excitement,
and Officer Atkinson gave chase to the
other three. At the corner of Princess and
Colun. bus streets he called to Mr.. Wilmer
Kemp, who standing in the door of
Smiths drug store, to head that fellow
off," Mr.. Kemp started for. one of the
men, who turned and snapped his revolver
at him twice, but, fortunately, the hammer
was too weak to explode the cartridges.
The officer then emptied his revolver at
the fellow, the last shot taking effect in
his left ankle and bringing him to the
ground.
Ran Him Down.
One of the men secreted himself in a
house occupied by colored man in the
northwestern section of the city, where he
was soon located. Officers Lyles and Fer
guson arrived on the scene and watched the
house while the lieutenant and Atkinson
searched the place. They found the man
on the second floor in a corner with piece
of carpet spread over him ana MS pistol,
with three cartridges in 1t, lying on trunk
near him.
At the station house they gave their
names as Jacob Cronin of Richmond, va.
Printer by trade, and formerly empioyed IN
tie government printing office; John MUIR
ray, bridge builder, from Pittsburg ana
Thomas Sullivan, no occupation, from Eng
land. book in the pocket OF the one VINO
gave his name as Sullivan had written on
one page MY name in case Of accident.
Thomas Linney, Norton Cottage, Walsall
Wood, Staffordshire, England. Please in
fern the address below" which Is the
name given is Joseph Linney, probably the
mans father. Murray claimed this morn
Ing THAT he was from Richmond and not
PittSburg. ti'-
morning, who sent them to Jail to await
the action of the grand jury. The men are
hard-looking citizens, their ages ranging
from about twenty-five to thirty-five years.
Their boldness has created widespread eX-
citement through this city, and the police
are inclined to think they are regular high
Waymen and not ordinary tramps from
their GOODNESS and nerve The colored man,
who was the only one they took money
from, could not be found this morning. 1t
Is understood that his name Is johnson,
and the police are looking for him to use
as witness against the thieves
Cases I'm the Mayors Court.
Mayor Thompson disposed of the follow
ing cases this mcrning:
James Webb. colored. was fined s. for
an unprovoked assault on Harrison Diggs.
When the officers went to arrest Webb
they found him In house with colored
woman named Matte Sayre, and both Of
them were locked up. They were fined
s. each for indecent conduct.
David Davis, Slas White and Charles
Gibson, all colored, were charged with
keeping unlicensed dogs. Gibson and
White we're fined $3.50 EACH and Davis was
dismissed. 81
Released Under Bond.
Joseph Patton of Waterfall, Prince Will
liam county, who was brought before Com
missioner Fowler yesterday on a charge of
violating the revenue laws in failing to