The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-09-20
THREE SAFE
ROBBERS LANDED
Placed in the Penitentiary
Here.
-yyTs ~ e ~ n nj n r n @
ARE OLD OFFENDERS
SENT FOR ROBBERY COMMITTED
IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
OPERATED IN THE SOUTHERN STATES
They are Guilty of Safe Blowing ard Post
Office Robberies in North Carolina
One is a Mere Youth.

l1it11''A -
on Saturday, under sentence from the
United States court in South Carolina
for robbery of the post office at Willis
ION. s. G.. during the night Of December
: 1897. The two eldest were given the
maximum sentence Of five years eacn,
while the Youngest received Two yeats.
The head Of the gang who has had
quite il successful career Is known ~
.Ioe Jones. about ) ) years old. Ii. IS 81
French extraction, claims TO be 4 native
~ Louisiana. and came South from the
West: some of his aliases are <.
Brooks. ST." and &c. IL. Brooks The
second man, Dan Murphy, IS about =
years old, 4 native Of ONO. Some oi
his aliases are Frank Smith, "Frenchy
Smith" Toledo DaWny,' Henry John
SON and 4. St. Clair
Murphy has been a sailor and was al
forwards one of Il band Of crooks operat-
ing along the Great Lakes and known rs
the .Shore Gang lie was convicted
and served two years-lSJo II 1871
in the Columbus, Ohio, p~enitentiary. lie.
with another crook, was indicted for
murder in Beaver county, Pa, but te
succeeded in Guiding capture until ar
rested in South Carolina, after which
the party jointly indicted With HIM, Wa4
tried and acquitted, hence he was never
tried for the murder.
The third man is Rennie Galloway,
of Lynchburg. Va, who is 4 mere boy,
about Is years of age. Lis aliases are
.Charlie Jones'" &C. Brooks. Jr.,' and
Edward Brooks lie was taken from
his home at Lynchburg Il few years ago
by Joe Jones, trained up i'll his pro
fession.' and has proven an apt scholar.
These three men, together with q
fourth, were at Wilson, \. c., about
the middle OF October, 1897. The fourth
one was confined to jail for an affraN
but owing to his being the son Of a
prominent citizen of this State (noW
dead. and the representations Of hin
self. Judgment was suspended upon pay
ment Of cost, which was paid by Joe
Jones, and the party left the town.,
There are some circumstances to con
meet them with certain professional post
office robberies, which occurred within
Il month and 4 half after their departure
from Wilson. In one of these they Were
foiled, owing to the local authorities
having caught on to their advance
agent and placed a man to watch the
post office. lie frightened them off a,
they were in the act of entering he of
flee. Had he been furnished with suffi-
cient force, he could have captured them
in the act Of the robbery.
They drifted into Charleston. S. G..
about the close If November, 1897
They drank and gamhled freely. While
carousing on the street between mid
night and day, the fourth man WAS Shot
in the calf Of the right leg by Il fakir
lie lay i'll the hospital for ten days, then
left Oh crutches.
tf4,. H. ,LZ,l,o4 - +h1 80 ,-+, -, = /,
pal Jones. Murphy and Galloway lett
the city on professional business" O.
December 18th. 1897. they spent til,
night at Il hotel at Blackville, S. c. The
following night they stopped at Il hote
i'll Williston, $. c., where they all regis
tered from Wilson. \. c."
The next morning after prospecting
about the town post office and stores
they went west along the railroad toward
Aiken, S. G.. The next afternoon de
ccnlber 7th), they were passengers OF
the east bound South Carolina and
Georgia train. Leaving the train about
/ O'Clock i. m. ut White Pond, abou1
four miles of Williston, they continued
walking toWard Williston. After mid
night they broke into the post office anG
also Il store near by Itountree Bros.),
blowing a safe in each building. From
liz Gi1t III lAo0lll11t tDIDS. STUFF lIlSN
secured S130, but by i singular circunl
stance they failed to secure anything i,
the post office. y new postmaster ha,
taken charge of the office and on thai
very night december 1th). all OF The
funds and stamps were transferred from
the large safe of the outgoing DOStmaStpl
to 4 smaller safe Of the new postmaster
The buglars blew the larger safe. which
alone Was in use whcn they were pros
pecting, in the post office. Hence they
mad 4 dry haul. An exploded and al
uneNploded fire cracker. found on The
office floor. showed the manner of fus,
used by them.
On the afternoon Of December 9th
they appeared at Batesburg. S. c.. abour
forty miles across the country from vii
liston. engaged board at 4 hotel. ant
lurked about the railroad section house :
good dead. When interviewed they mad.
contradictory statements. Suspicion
continued to increase, until that night
when the officers went in search of them
The burglars attempted to get away. ans
being close pressed. drew their pistols
and would lave shot the officers had no
several young men come to their assist
ancc. They rushed upon the burglars
catching them with pistols cooked il
their hands. They all denied havin.
been 1T Wllliston. S. c., and only hae
upon them about thirty dollars in silve7
and 4 few fire-crackers and a poke
map Of South Carolina. But subse
quently a Satchel was found. which hat
been hid by them in the neighborhooG
and containing their drills and othe
equipments for safe-blowing. The roj
of money which old Joe produced in the
barbershop that afternoon. he hid abou-
the section house, and afterwards sent ;
tramp telegraph operator, ]. L. Evans
to find it for him.
lhe three men were committed to III,
Rarnwell. S. c.. jail on December 10Th
1897, to await trial in the State court
Tor robbery of Rountree Bros. store
! On February 18th, 1898, Butler. a guar,