The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-09-15

$. c., having been sent by detective
agency to identify Murphy as the man
wanted in Beaver county, Pa, for MUIR
der. He identified Murphey and after
wards visited him two or three times.
1t developed that Butler had considerable
friendship for Murphy, who, he claimed,
had saved his life on one occasion by
catching an up-lifted bar of iron, with
which another convict was attempting to
strike him. The outcome of the matter
was that on the night following Buffers
arrival. the three men made their escape
from the Jail after saving through an,
iron bar of n jail window, then making
n rome of their blankets, slid to the
ground. The escape was Immediately de
tected and pursuit was made, but rs
they crossed the cemetery, the dog would
not follow, and the night being very
dark, they made good their escape
Some Indignation was felt at Barnwel
against Butler, the guard from the Ohio
penitentiary, who, it was supposed, had
furnished Murphy saw with which to
cut the iron bar in return for Murphy
having on one occasion saved his life.
On April %. 1898, at Knoxville, Tenn.
Jones, Murphy and Galloway We're ar
rested by the police authorities. They
had told. in the back room Of saloon,
of their having blown two safes in
South Carolina and having travelled four
hundred miles, after escaping from jail.
through Georgia, Alabama and Tennes
see; that they were in hard luck and
wanted enough money to get an ''outfit,"
for which they would recompense the
lender rs soon as they struck a job.
Also they stated that they were on their
way to Virginia.
They were carried back to Barnwell,
but subsequently transferred to Jail 1T
Charleston s. c., from which there
would be no possibility of escape, and
where they remained until transferred
for their trial.
Early in January of the present year.
the sheriff of Barnwell county, s. O., no
titled Post Office Inspector Gregory
that he was satisfied the men in his GUS
tody were the men wanted for blowing
a certain post office safe in North Caro-
lima. Investigation developed many cir
cumstances to indicate their having com
mitted the blowing referred to. their
whereabout at the time of the robbery
subsequent movements, manner of work
ing, using the same aliases and register
ing from the same town, as did the men
who blew the safe.
Inspectors Bulla and Gregory, who
worked together in collecting evidence
against the gang in South Carolina; also
obtained information relative to theI
gang in Tennessee, Virginia and North
Carolina.
The first of the series of recent pro.
fessional post office robberies and safe
blowings in North Carolina was commit
ted at Taylorsville, about June 10, 1897,
and there are good reasons for believing
the robbery was committed by Joe Jones,
Rennie Galloway and others. Joe had
procured two horses and a conveyance
for the trip into North Carolina, saying
that his party had tent, guns, etc, and
were out on hunting trip, camping out
along the way. After the Taylorsville
robbery, Rennie Galloway was permit
ted to visit his parents with $3.50; anoth-
err boy who Joe had trained in the bust
ness, as he had trained Galloway, re-
turned to his home at Danville, Va,
with few hundred dollars and started
in business.
A certain point in Virginia was a rem
devious for Joe Jones and his pals
where Joe often turned up with consjd
cradle money. About the same time, the
newspapers would contain an account Of
the blowing of post office safe, or 9TH
er safe, in Virginia, North Carolina or
some other State near by.
Joe claimed to have been in the Union
army, and that he was drawing a.
pension, thus accounting for the money
in his possession. This he spent freely,
Icing very generous in giving to others,
or assisting his friends who should be
so unfortunate as to fall in the hands
of the law. Though he drank heavily
and was socially inclined, he was very
guarded as to his business, or ''profes-
sional' affairs, and did not permit any
information concerning the same to leak
out.
The boys he trained in his profession"
were likewise taught the same reserved
manner as to their business transactions,
and never permitted any remarks to fall
which would compromise them. While
Joe was generous toward them in divi-
sion of proceeds, furnishing them VITA
clothing, food and plenty to drink" they
appeared to have a wholesome fear of
him.
A history Of Joe Jones' career would
be an interesting one of its kind; he has
broken in, or trained many men in his
profession of robbery. He has been con-
nected with many robberles in Virgin ii,
North Carolina and other States He has
many friends and acquaintance ON the
road. One of his pals" is now serving
a term in Virginia, while another is in a
North Carolina jail awaiting trial
While confined at Barnwell, S. c., two
of Joe's friends showed up in the town,
and were sent by him to find the money
he had hidden at Batesburg, just before
his capture They proceeded on toward
Batesburg, found the money, then went
into Columbia and squandered it GnI
themselves, purchasing new clothes, put
ting up at a hotel and living high while
the money lasted, without giving old joe
a cent of it.
They subsequently continued their
travels through Georgia, Tennessee and
Virginia, and finally were captured 1t
Roanoke, Va, by the police officers on
June Is, on suspicion of having been im-
plicated in a certain post office robbery.
Inspector Gregory then recovered from
one of them, j. II. Evans, the diagram
which old Joe had slipped from the jail
window to him at Barnwell and by
means of which he (Evans) found the