Sistersville oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1896-1901, 1898-10-12
Admits the Robbery of the Rail
road Company.
AN ORGANIZED GANG
Is Now a Certainty and the
Police are After Them.
From Wednesdays Daily


by Captain Jim Mehen OF the Ohio
River Railroad detective force. 1t
was believed at the time and the
matter was mentioned that the men
arrested, Mcknight, Davis and
Gear were part of an organized
gang which has been pillaging
along the river for some time and
have been making a mark of Sis
tersville. The outlook now is that
the gang is a very large one and is
organized as a sort of a stock COM
pany. They pillage the different
towns along the river, hide the
stolen goods in the willows along
the shore and then send word back
to the rest of the gang telling where
they are. The goods are then
shipped to some of the cities where
they are disposed of. There are
still some robberies occurring along
the river, notably the robbery Of the
Chenille postofice.
The hearing of the three men
arrested by Captain Meighen, who
were taken to New Martinsville,
was set for yesterday.
Mcknight and Gear waived an
examination, and will be held for
court. John Davis, who is of Mar
tins Ferry, made written confes-
sion, in which he detailed the rob
berries at Proctor and Baersville,
on the night of September 18th,
giving valuable information as to
the methods pursued.
At Proctor four sacks of flour,
two cases of shoes shipped by the
Mccoy Shoe company, Of Wheeling
and other property was taken and
then the gang went to Barnesvllle
by skiff and raided the whartboat
there, obtaining large amour. OF
goods. The trio will be held and
meanwhile the most energetic
measures will be taken to round
up more of the crowd. Their
stealing has become so general and
so many people along the river
have suffered that the matter is no
longer to be tolerated.
In this section engines have been
raided and disabled tor the sake of
the brass bearings, railroad brasses
have been stolen, much property
of that nature is missing from this
city and vicinity and stores, post
fees railroad stations, wharf boats
and private houses have been looted
until there IS a general demand
that an end be made of the gang.
The Ohio side has suffered equally
with the towns and stations in
West Virginia, and even the tradi-
tional red not stove was not safe.
That the gang is an extensive
one is very apparent. 1t is also
apparent that the fence for the dis
posa1 of the stolen goods is in
Wheeling or Bellaire, perhaps in
both places. AS matter of fact
stolen goods are known to be in
Wheeling at this moment and some
of them will be unearthed today.
That goods have been disposed of
In Bellaire is also known. The OPP
erations of the gang have extended
over about one hundred miles
along the river and the members
have become so bold that they do
not hesitate to operate right under
the noses of the authorities.
Large amounts of stolen property
have been hidden on islands along
the river, and buried In the banks
of small creeks, while other goods
have been disposed of through reli-
able agents In the larger towns.
Several of the gang are known to
have done time, both In this State
and Ohio, and when they are final
ly rounded up some salty doses will
be melted out. The active mem