The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-10-09
STOLEN MONEY

Brings No Confession Of Rob.
bcr-Fear of Arrest Made Liberty a
Mockery : Voluntarily surrenders.
New Orleans dispatch in the New
York Sun: There is no pleasure in sto-
len money" is the testimony OF Charles
o. somers, the noted express robber
who has Just voluntarily surrendered
to the Mississippi authorities, and has
asked to be allowed to serve out his
term IN the penitentiary. Somers has
travelled widely In the last i've years,
has visited Europe and lived extrava-
gantly there, but his crime has weighed
on him all the time and made his mo-
ney valueless: and the fact that he
was an escaped convict, liable to be ar
rested at any moment, has, like the
deaths head at the Persian feast, al
ways stared at him and destroyed all
pleasure.
The story Of somer's crime Is full OF
Incident and would point a dozen NOR
ais. No one would make a stronger
missionary against crime than he. for
no one can better tell how ut biteth
like an adder" somers was only
twenty.six when he came to Louisiana
and Mississippi as PInkerton detec-
tive to assist the railroads and express
companies In hunting down the gang Of
train robbers who, under the leadership
OF the famous Ben Bunch, had made
three or four big hauls near Duck Hill,
Miss, and Buckalunna, Beulen' La,
and at other places. The campaign
nRaInBt the robbers was very hot, and
In 1t Somers took n leading part: Inc
railroads contributed literally, inoeeu
they were willing to contribute any
amount to get rid OF the nuisance
Somers showed considerable general
ship. He had large posse secured IN
WaGhIncton parish, where the gang
made their headquarters, and finally
captured 'MajOr" Hapgood. one OF
Bnnch's lIeutenAnt's. Hapgood or some
other Of the men were brlbed to betray
the robber chief, and Bunch was finally
eorncred near Pear river. He had al
,vnyg said that he would never be cap
tured alive, and he held to his word, for
he was finally killed in skirmlsh, re-
fusing to the Inst TO surrender.
Somer'S connection with the Gaze put
him on the inside so far ns the ex-
nrrgs companies were concerned. He
was their agent and n trusted one, and
he hnd free nccess to the office and TO
the room where the money was kept.
While IN the Office Mt Meridian chance
was offered to him to wink out with
$50. 900 without any danger Of immediate
detection Il was he said. n momen-
tary temptation which he could not re.
gIst; he took the money and walked
out, and an he was good detective and
knew lust what detectives would do, he
knew how to escape and got away
without the slightest difficulty. There
Ia every reason Ia believe Somer's story
that he yielded to sudden temptation.
His former life had been blameiess.
There Is nothing to show that he had
conceived plan Of rObblnB It was n
simple CaSe, where he had 100000 before
him, saw n chance 10 ret nwny with II,
and yielded to II. He opened the safe,
got the money and escaped
Well planned "a Somcr'H escape was,
he was not dcHtlned 10 enjoy hlB liberty
long. A few months aftcrwnrd he was
captured. brought back 10 McridIanand
tried, convicted and sentenced to five
yeara' imprisonment At hard labor In
the penitsntiRry, RomerE felt the dis
grace very kecnly, ms he wns man Of