Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-09-18

not e64Q ~ pe&9ury. An 0aIh u naf6r
bindin& upon Johnson gang.
Johnson himself has frequently been
q witness for the defense in cases In
which ineumbers OF the gang have been
implicated. .sBandy,s" testimony has
generally been given for the purpose
of establishing an alibi. II it is neces-
sary to establish an alibi, 1t is always
possible to get an abundance OF evil
dence in the Sixth ward gang. When
one is arrested, the others are always
ready to swear him out of the scrape
With all of JOhnson's skill in eyading
punishment for his crimes. he has
twice been indicted for felonious stab
bling, yet each time he has been per-
mitted to plead guilty to lesser Of
Tense, and escape with Jail sentences.
On April 2Sth, 1895, he stabbed c. E..
VanNort, at the Belmont mill, with a
penknife. He attacked VanNort, who
has but one arm, and was getting
| worsted when he used the knife. He
was indicted for felony at the May
| term of the Circuit Court, plead guilty
! to unlawful cutting, and was fined and
sentenced to 60 days confinement in
the county Jail. At the end of that
period he made an affidavit that he
could not pay the fine, and was re-
| leased.
i On the night of December 9Th, 1897,
Johnson made an unprovoked and vi
cious assault with penknife upon JOS
F. Burley, toll collector on the Union
| bridge The circumstances are prob
ably fresh in the minds of the public.
He was indicted for felonious stabbing
at the January term of the Criminal
Court. and was again permitted to plead
guilty to a misdemeanor. When Judge
Hugus asked him if he had ever been
indicted before he answered mo" He
was sentenced to three months in Jail,
and was out but a few months when
he was implicated in the murder of
Charles Mclaughlin.
On September 18th, 1892, Irwin Bow
man was assaulted near the Belmont
mill. After being Invested of his
clothing his assailants committed an
unmentionable crime, and left him ly-
ing entirely naked upon the railroad
track. They stole everything of value
upon his person. Dandy" Johnson
was a witness for the defense, but Bow
man always claimed he was one of his
assailants. Jack Devinney and Luther
Hess were sent to prison for this
crime.
The crime for which Claude Devinney
was sent to the penitentiary was the
stealing of brass from the Belmont
mill, in which he had an accomplice.
Dandy was a witness for the de-
Tense. Devinney was pardoned from
| prison by Governor MacCorkle. Jack
Devinney and Andy Gavin, members OF
the gang, were sent to prison for steal
ing clock from Ada Fosters house in
: September 1898. Dandy was a wit
| ness for the defense in this case.
These are but a few Of the crimes
charged against Johnson and Devin-
ney. The latter is believed to have been
implicated in the rchIbing of the safe
of Jacob Maui at Maultcwn. Detectives
secured evidence against him, which
was never used because of a sudden
| determination>to drop the case.
Other crimes committed in the Sixth
ward are charged UP to its gang Of
criminals. Some years ago the naked
| body of a man was found on the rail-
road track near the mill, cut up by a
train. Later one of the Wolff family,
who operate the West Wheeling ferry
boat. had some trouble with Johnson.
A few weeks later he was found dead
beside the railroad track. The coro-
ner's jury decided that he was struck
by train and killed, but there were
suspicious circumstances, and friends Of
the dead man still insist that he was
foully dealt with. Only recently Wall
TIERS saloon was robbed, and Sixth
ward citizens think the gang is re-
sponsible.
Johnson and Devinney, the former
in particular, have no occupation. and
have been regarded by the police for
years as professional criminals.