Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-01-20

Hancher Company Robbery.
They Gould Not be Identified by
the Messrs. Wrestling, and Were
Released-The Prisoners Traced
from This City, and Were Two
of q Party OF Four--The --latest
Phases of Difficult Case.
Yesterday about, or soon after, noon
two men were arrested at Cambridge,
O., on the suspicion that they had a
hand in the extensive diamond rob-
berry at the jewelry store of the Dill
lon, Wheat & Hancher Company, early
Tuesday evening. Last evening the
prisoners were released, as they could
not be identified.
The two men arrested, with third,
who is unknown, came to this city
about the latter part of last week, and
engaged boarding at the house at the
northwest corner Of Main and Eleventh
streets, second story. On Monday they
took in a fourth man with them, with
out the knowledge or consent of the
landlady, and he remained there until
Tuesday and when the three men left
they neglected to settle the account Of
the fourth party. The three, however,
remained at the boarding house until
early yesterday morning, when they
settled their bills and left, and next
appeared at Martins Ferry, where
one of them went into a barber shop
and asked to see a morning Wheeling
paper. When one was handed him, he
said he could not read well. but wanted
to take the paper to his friends, who
were near by. The three were next
heard of in Bellaire, where two of them
bought tickets, over the Baltimore &
not go, and has not been seen or heard
OF since, as far as could be ascertain
ed last night. The police on both sides
of the river were hot on the trail of
the party, and soon after the train for
the West left the Bellaire station, at
1852 a. M, message was sent to
tives. They were promptly arrested
on the arrival of the train, and the
Wheeling authorities notified, and yes
terday afternoon Messrs. ]. M. and Guy
Wrestling, who were in the store room
at the time of the visit of the three
men, soon after six o'clock Tuesday
evening, went to Cambridge to have a
look at the prisoners. They found
they were not the right parties, and
they were accordingly released from
custody This appears to put az end
summarially to this particular clue to
the thieves and the police will have
to start over again.
There is as yet no certainty that the
theft was committed at the exact time
the three strangers came into the
store to look at the music box, al
though it still appears probable that
the diamonds were then distracted
from the window They may possibly
have been taken before six O'Clock. The
plain fact is that no one, in or out of
the store, saw the thief, and the first to
miss the goods, as stated yesterday,
was Mr.. J. NJ Wrestling, who went into
the diamond department after the
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saw that the sliding glass on the inte-
rior of the show window was raised.
The goods might have been taken at
any time before that or before the visit
of the three men-it is simply all guess
work, about a matter of which no one
knows anything, except that the jewels
are gone, and that the loss was not
discovered until approximately half
past six in the evening. In addition
to the articles mentioned in yester-
days Register, another-a very fine
and valuable diamond ornament-was
also taken, and the total value of the
goods is large, just how large members
Oh Inc ulIll uO uOC NdlC W oldCC.
The police kept a most careful watch
all of Tuesday night and yesterday,
but their work was without avail, this
largely from the fact that the thief
had at least an hours start of the Off
GERS, and possibly more. The authori-
ties in other cities have been very gen
orally advised of the facts, and it is
hoped that a day or two will bring
something tangible to light, and that
ultimately the thief, or thieves, will be
arrested and the stolen goods recov-
cred.
Last evening the Dillon, Wheat e
Hancher Company offered reward Of
five hundred dollars for the arrest and
conviction of the thieves and the re-
covery of the stolen goods.
The Messrs Wrestling returned from
Cambridge at 1:30 a. m. The general
resemblance of the two men arrested
there to two of the men in the store
was good but they had no hesitation
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