The record-union., 1896-09-08
WAS HIS NAME MORGAN !?
Conflicting Theories as to the Dead
Robbers Identity.
A Sacramento Citizen Who Thinks
He Has Known Him From
Boyhood.

Speculation is still rife as to the iden-
tity of the robber who was killed in the
attempted hold-up of the overland train
on Saturday night, but though several
theories are advanced none is at yet
definitely proved.
There is one, however, that seems de-
serving of credence. Yesterday morn
ing E. w. Thomas, who is employed at
the Nonpariel Store, saw the dead body,
and, as he thought he recognized it, he
spent half an hour examining it. When
he first said so, he remarked, IF it is as /
think he will have a splendid set of
white, nice teeth Such is the fact, the
dead bandit not having a bad tooth or
one missing.
He became satisfied after his long ex-
animation that the dead man was one
whom he had known from boyhood,
and told the following story:
In Grand Island, Neb., lives family
named Morgan, consisting of four
brothers and four sisters. One of them,
Horace, was at one time Mayor of the
town, and the family is a prominent
one. There was, however, as often hap
pens, one black sheep in the family,
whose name was James. He was rest
less and did not like restraint. For some
time he was a railroad man running
from Grand Island to North Platte, but
he finally came to this coast, where
Thomas met him at Santa Monica and
Los Angeles, seeking employment from
the Southern Pacific Railroad Com
pany Having seen him not very long ago
Thomas is quite positive that the dead
man is his acquaintance, and says the
fact can be easily ascertained by COM
municating with the railroad agent at
Grand Island, who was we'll acquainted
with James Morgan. 1t will be remem-
bered that one of his acquaintances here
said that he had never known the dead
robber by any other name than Jim, and
persons who claim to have worked with
him in the hop fields near the city say
that they knew him as big Jim''
In opposition to this there is another
theory Some of the detectives early
fell upon the theory that they had a
case Of mistaken identity, and that the
dead robber was not the man seen on
the levee and a freQuenter of Front
street saloons. Following this up, they
soon discovered the man who was sup
posed to have been the one who fell un-
He bears striking resemblance to the
dead man, hence the mistake of those
who knew him only by sight. 1t was
discovered that the dead mans name is
Milton Huntoon, and that he has re-
sided for some time at Hills Ferry,
Stanislaus County, where it is believed
he has been engaged in holding up
stages
and thus entirely diverted suspicion.
under the guise- of typewriter agent
He came to Sacramento a few DAYS
prior to the attempted hold-up from
San Francisco, and was accompanied
by his two pals.
They frequented an isolated saloon
on I street and were often noticed in
earnest consultation over what ap-
peared to be a serious business The
barkeeper at this saloon noticed that
the man whom he now positively iden-
t:fieS as the one who lies on the slab at
the morgue smoked small black briar-
wood pipe and that there was an oil
stain on the right side of the mans shirt
collar. A similar briarwood pipe was
found in the dead robbers pocket and
the oil stain is plainly marked on his
collar.
1t has transpired that Schaw, Ingram
e. Batcher's powder house outside the
city was burglarized on Thursday or
Friday night and a small quantity of
giant powder was taken. The day of
the attempted robbery a man, supposed
to have been one of the robbers, came
to Schaw, Ingram & Batcher's store and
wanted to buy half a dozen giant pow
der caps and little fuse. but was told
they did not sell in such small quanti-