The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-09-01
THE GANG ROUNDED UP
HOW THE POST OFFICE ROBBERS
WORKED THEIR GAME
Had been Operating in North Carolina Txen-
sively and Number of Mysterious Rob-
bers were Perpetrated by Them

SSio WCtC Vi Wy titClil
Norfolk. Va, August 31-(Special.)-
On yesterday in this city, James John
son, John o. Dandrell and Charles
Hern, alias 'Dutchy," were examined
before United States Commissioner III.
s. Ackers, for robbery of the postoffice
and blowing up the postoffice safe. at
Bramwell, w. Va, OH the night of Au-
gust TO- 1898. Their pal, John Kennedy
alias John Collins, was examined be-
fore United States Commissioner H.
Nj. Ford and committed to jail to await
trial at Charleston, w. Va, for the
same offense.
To-day the same men are to be cX-
amined before United States Commits
sioner Ackers, for robbing the postoffice
and blowing up the postoffice safe at
Plymouth, \. c., on the night of
June 13, 1893.
These men have been operating in
North Carolina and Virginia for several
months. making Norfolk their rendezv-
Gus. They claim to be from New York,
Philadelphia and Richmond, Va. and
all of them work the professional Grip
pie beggar racket" Their plan of opcr
alton is to have one member of the
gang to doctor up one of his arms or
legs (which have artificial sores on
them. then with their arm in a sling or
a crutch in their hand and a pitiful tale
of being crippled in Il train wreck; hurt
in saw mill, ship wrecked, blood
poisoning. and usually producing an al
legged physicians certificate, or othcrI
papers, appeal to Il generous public
for aid to reach their poor old mother,
or hospital, and generous public
freely give the dimes and nickels to-
pay their bill for beer and whiskey.
They never neglect to visit the postofficel
and its surroundings while soliciting
aid, and often little does the un-sus-
pecting postmaster know that their APP
peal for aid is all Il sham, and that they
are merely sizing up his office and its
surroundings for one of their profess
sional jobs of ''safe blowing" ascer-
tanning whether his office is un-occu-
pied at night; whether his safe contains
much of value, and whether there is any
one in the same building with the post
office, who would he disturbed by the
explosion. If the survey made by the
poor crippled beggar is satisfactory
then he joins the other members of the
gang usually three of four, their ar
rangements are completed and the next
morning the unsuspecting postmaster
awakes to learn that his office has been
entered during the night, safe blown
open and all of its contents of any value
have disappeared, as well as the poor
crippled beggar and his companions.
As to the Bramwell. w. Va. robbery,
Inspector j. IL. Irving, ascertaned at
Lynchburg, Va, on August Is, that a
man kennedy had been arrested, hay
ing been seen with postage stamps.
His investigation developed that three
other men had been drinking with Ken
ncdy ut IL certain saloon; that they
quarrelled one (Johnson) drew re-
volyer on Kennedy and then called to
the bar tender to witness division Of
the stuff" and see that he got his
share, whereupon another (Hernl, pro-
duced large package of postage
stamps, done up in oil cloth and divided
them out in three piles, one of which
contained $50 in =, and 10 cent
stamps. Three of the men then nego-
tiated with the bartender to purchase
his horse and buggy for S155 III postage
stamps, saying they wanted to take
a trip into North Carolina, and as he de-
clined selling the horse and buggy, they
left, saying they would 20 by train to
North Carolina. Inspector Irving then
sent description Of the three men to
Norfolk, and they were arrested on the
morning of the 10th at that point
Stamps to the amount of $50, hid by
Kennedy near Iynchburg, were found
and turned over to Inspector Irving
Mysterious remarks of Kennedy while
drinking, about walking forty-thret
miles across mountains to Hinton, w
Va, caused the robbery to be located
and the case was fully developed, show.
ing Dandrel to have been the poor
crippled beggar' on crutches.
Inspector II. T. Gregory was directed
to join Inspector Irving, and soon as
certained that Johnson, Dandrell and
one of the others, were the three burg
lars he had been searching for. as hay
ing ''prospected" at Plymouth, James
vile and Windsor. \. c., and finally
ended their prospecting by blowing
open the postoffice safe ut Plymouth
n c., on the night of June 49, 1898.
The four men will be first tried for
the Bramwell. w Va. robbery, and il
they survive their five years imprison-
ment for that robbery, they will be
transferred to North Carolina and tried
for the Plymouth robbery.
There are indications of their being
connected with other robberies. which
have not yet been fully developed by
the inspectors.