The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-10-18
STORY OF A $500 ROBBERY
John Walsh, a Tramp, Found with
His Head Hurt.

About 10 o'clock last night some train
men found a man lying beside the Belt rail-
road track near the Big Four crossing. in
the vicinity of "Nigger HILL with his head
badly wounded. They took him to the tele-
graph station near by, where he gave his
name as John Walsh, and claimed to have
been assaulted by tfamps and robbed. He
said that he was a tourist en- route from
San Francisco to Boston, his home, and
that he had arrived in the city early yes
terday morning and had stopped at the
Spencer House. During the day he claimed
to have fallen in with two agreeable chance
acquaintance whom he told that he car
ried $500 in his inside coat pocket. They
offered to show him the town. and after a
few drinking rounds he started with them.
He said they took him out along the rail-
road, and then they had some more drinks.
Suddenly his chance acquaintance struck
him on the head and felled him. and then
raised a loud shout which was answered by
fifteen tramps. The tramps ran to the
scene and all set upon him and beat him.
then tore his money from his coat and fled.
As Walsh related the story he suddenly
decided that he was on the point of dying.
and hurriedly instructed the telegraph OPP
orator to send a message to his niece,
Louisa Walsh. No. S29 West Twelfth-street
boulevard, Chicago, saying that he had
been assaulted and would probably die, and
that his insurance papers were in his
vaiise, which had been shipped to Boston.
Walsh said that his mother also lived in
Chicago. TIL operator at Chicago later re-
piled that the address given could not be
found.
Word was sent to the police station about
10 o'clock and the Dispensary was notified.
Detective Wilson and officer .Caplinger ar
rived on the scene just as the ambulance
was leaving with Walsh. H was still very
much alive, and insisted that he had $500 in
his trousers pocket which his assailants
had overlooked.
Al the City Hospital walsh's appearance
belied his story, and it was apparent that
he was a very loquaciouS tramp. who had
had a scrimmage with other tramps near
the railroad while waiting for a train to
trousers, a black coat which might nave
come down from his grandfather, a cheap
shirt, over which he wore a dirty sweater.
The uppers of his shoes We're still good. In
his pocket was found about $3.5 in change
and a cherished bit of tobacco.
Walsh was much under the influence of
liquor. Close questioning drew from him
that he had had his grip checked to Bos-
ton. and had gone out to the Belt crossing
prior to the arrival of the train AS sew
eral Big Four trains leave during the time
he said he spent looking at the town it Is
taking passage on one of them from the
depot, but had had his valise shipped
ahead of him and had gone out to the Belt
crossing to catch a Big Four train and
axe truck passage. While rambling along
it is probable that he fell in with some
tramps who assaulted him. His wounds
are not serious, though his head was a
mass of blood when he reached the hos
pital.
The police are not inclined to believe his
story regarding having been robbed of
1880. neither do they believe he was
robbed at all, for it is the custom of
tramps to take everything on the person of
a victim. Another theory for the presence
of the wounds is that he may have at
tempted to board a train and fell, striking
on his head. An investigation showed that
his name was not on the register at the
Spencer House. and nothing was known
of him there. Walsh was resting easy at
the hospital at 2 o'clock, but still insisted
that he had been robbed of $500. He could
not explain the absence of the $500 which
he claimed was in his trousers pocket when
ne was picked up.