Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1896-03-23
OF POSS AND HENRY

quarters in this city announcing the
capture in Washington of Harry Poss
and Thomas Henry, who escaped from
the Fairfax Jail early Thursday morn.
ing. Later dispatch was received Dy
Major Thompson Fl om Governor Ot
rail-. who had been apprised OF the TACT
by Major Moore, of the Washington,
police, in which the Governor directed
the Alexandria police to vie with Sher-
iff Gordon, of Faiafax, in placing the
fueitives back in their old quarters.
Officer Atkinson was Immediately dis
patched to Washington and orders
were issued for extra policemen to be
at the depot in this city upon the ar
rival of the prisoners and their escort.
The news was circulated throughout
the CITY in short time, and each train
of the Washington Southern Railway
which arrived here from that time IN
til midnight was surrounded by large,
crowd as soon as it drew up in front OF
the depot. 1t was determined later to
avoid this mass of humanity by taking
the prisoners on train no one would
expect to find them aboard. Station
Master Robey, at Washington. was in
terviewed and he kindly consented to
allow the party to leave on the Chesa-
peake and Ohio train (the F. F. W
which makes but few stops, with the
understanding that it would stop at
Fairfax station to allow the party to
disembark. Fairfax Courthouse was
notified of the programme, and at 11:10
the train pulled out and in about
twenty minutes time was at the Henry
street depot, in this city, while large
crowd was at Fayette street depot
anxiously awaiting the arrival OF the
prisoners. Officer Atkinson left the
train at this city and Officer Beach took
his place, and the F. F. V. was soon in
motion again. About the time the last
local train arrived, which was mid
| night, the crowd at the depot was very
large. By that time Poss and Henry
were at the Fairfax Jail. Many people
were SO anxious to see the prisoners
that they went to Washington for the
purpose of returning on the train with
them. Some who had taken the Illus
train paased the Chesapeake and Ohio
train on the way. The story of the cap
ture of the two men is substantially as
| follows:
They were captured at about .
O'Clock, not, however, until after an ex-
citing chase, in which Detectives Boyd,
Helap, Weldon, Horne, and Lacey
were engaged. Saturday information
was received at Washington police
headquarters that the men were in bid
| ing at boarding house Kept by Mrs.
Brownlee, at 200 Indiana avenue. The
| five detectives named were detailed to
arrest the men. Proceeding to the
house they were informed that no such
men were in the house. This state
ment was emphasized, but the officers
preferred to see for themselves. DE
tectives Boyd and Horne entered the
house, while the other three surround
ed the building, guarding all the ave
nues of escape, as they supposed. %
the fourth floor Boyd and Horne found
u door leading to one of the rooms bar
red. They raped, but received no re-
ply, and then proceeded to force an en-
trance. The room was vacant. much
to the officers surprise, but there was
an opening in the ceiling leading to the
attic. Boyd endeavored to open the
ceiling trap door, when he found that
some heavy weight had been placed on
TOD of it. This confirmed the suspicion
that the recent occupants of the room
bad made for the roof. With consider
able effort the trap was opened, but
there was still another, which opened out
on the roof. II, too, was weighted down
Boyd lifted this trap, fully expecting,
as he said, to receive blow on top OF
tee head. His trip to the roof was re-
warded, for there were che two men.
The detectives grabbed one of them,
and made for the other, but he did not
propose to be taken so easily. He
made run and jumped across to the
next building. The space between the
two buildings is fully six feet and the
elevation above the street is all of sixty
feet. Running along the housetops
the fugitive came to the roof of Trinity
Church. He reached the ground by
climbing down the lightning rod, bnt
there was Detective Horne, who quick
ly made him prisoner. Poss was the
man who made the jump while his
partner threw up his hands at the first
appearance of the officer. After the
capture the prisoners were taken to
headquarters, where they refused to
TO respond to the interrogations of the
officers. They would not say that they
were the men wanted or that they
were not. The patrol wagon from
the Sixth precinct was called, and
the prisoners were taken to the
police station. They treated the
affair very lightly, and sought to
make their arrest appear as a joke.
The prisoners said they were from
Pittsburg. The one calling himself
Williams, who was Harry Poss, said he
had worked in the roller mills at Pitts
burg, but when closely questioned as to
what mills, was puzzled for prompt re-
plies. "Oh, the mills down by the
river" he said, and this was as near as
he could tell. he was stifened up
and could scarcely lift himself from the
bench in his cell. When asked if it
was from the effects of his flying trip
over the housetops, he said it was
rheumatism that crippled him up. The
other man was more glib of tongue.
He was quite laxative, but would say
nothing about Fairfax. When asked
what he had been working at, be re-
piled: 81 never worked day in my
life, and 1 never intend to work. Me
work. guess mott" The prisoners de-
MED ever having been to Fairfax Court