The record-union., 1898-03-23
THUG SEARIGHT CONfESSES.
TELLS OF LEROY'S AND HIS
BURGLARIES.
he finds for the Police the Pistols
and Jimmy Used at the
Croly House.

Closer and closer the web is being
drawn about the men who made the
murderous assault on z. J. Croly on
Sunday night while he was defending his
home from their burglarious raid. Oar
wins story was published in the Rec
ord Union" yesterday, and now comes
Searight with a confession that con-
firms what the officers and the public
were already morally certain of-that it
was he and Leroy who entered the Croly
residence on Sunday night. Starlight
however, claims that he was outside the
door when Leroy shot Mr.. Croly.
Jimmy Searight, or Brick" as he IS
locally known, came to the conclusion
after he found there was no longer any
use to conceal anything, that an open
confession was good for the soul, and
evidently thought it would be good pol
icy on his part to shift the responsibility
as much as possible, from his own
shoulders to hose Of his pal, Leroy, thus
6isproving the time-honored, bald
maxim that there is honor among
thieves"
Yesterday morning James White
whose brother is employed at W. II.
Hanlon's store at Twelfth and streets,
visited the City Prison and asked to see
the suspects. He brushed against two
men, he said, who were standing on the
sidewalk in front of Croly's house, be-
tween $50 and $40 o'clock Sunday
evening or less than half-hour before
the shooting occurred. He had been at
tracted by the red hair of one of the
men, and as he was right against them
he had examined their faces critically
and would certainly recognize them did
he see them again.
As a result Starlight was brought in
and White at once said he was the
smaller of the two men he had seen
standing at Croly's corner a short half
hour before the shooting.
Leroy was next brought in, and with
out hesitation White nominated him as
the larger of the two men.
Then Starlight began to get shaky. He
had evidently recognized White, and
realized that the jig was about UP, and
concluded that the best way out of the
matter was to take the short cut by MAX
ing a confession. He expressed will
ingness to talk, and was given the OPP
portunity.
Searight made his statement to Chief
Dwyer in the presence Of several Off
GERS, and it was taken down by Stenog-
rapher b. c. Brier. The statement was
made in a very rambling, disjoihted
fashion. 1t covers all of the operations
of Leroy, Searight and Darwin since
they came to the city few days ago,
and shows they were engaged in various
burglaries and other crooked work.
Coming down to Sunday night, Sea-
Tight said they called at the house Of
Rev. A. c. Herrick at Thirteenth and n
streets. A lady came to the door and
they asked if Terry lived there. She
showed them the Terry house across the
street, but they did not call there.
They went over to o street and down
to Eleventh, where they rang doorbell,
but were frightened off. Leroy had a
pistol and Starlight had a jimmy.
Then they went over to Twelfth and
P streets, and seeing no light in the
Croly house they set about investigat-
ing it. While they stood there a man
and woman passed them, and then
young man wearing an oYercoat and
derby hat came along.
(This was James White, who yester-
day identified both men.)
Starlight then stated that Leroy went
in through the front window, while he
remained on the rear side stairway
to divert attention from Leroy in case
the latter found it necessary to get
out in a hurry. Herein the confession
differs from Mr.. and Mrs. Croly's state
ments-that the two men were in the
hallway upstairs
Starlight said that soon after Leroy
entered the house he heard two pistol
shots, and some one called out "Jim!"
He supposed it was Leroy calling for
him. Presently Leroy came dashing
out the back way and they both ran
off. He said they ran to the alley be-
tween P and Q streets, and up the al