Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-31
SOUTH OMAHA NEWS. !

James Mccoy is the name given by a
prisoner at the city Jail suspected OF being
implicated in the holdups at ~Thompson's
and Eggor's saloons a few weeks ago. NJ
Coy was arrested at Hester's lodging house,
at Twenty-seyenth and y streets, Tuesday
night and he was buried in the city jail until
yesterday afternoon in hopes that his pals
would turn up at the headquarters of the
gang. Yesterday afternoon the mayor had
Mccoy brought into the court room, where
he was questioned. He said that he was a
stonecutter by trade and last worked at a
small town in Wisconsin. His home, he
said, was in st. Louis. After leaving Wis
consin he went to Cheyenne, but, not finding
work, decided to return home and reached
South Omaha the day before Christmas.
The prisoner was on the carpet for some
time and he became badly mixed in eX-
planning where he was on certain dates
and so the police are inclined to believe
that his tale Of hunting work is pure fc-
] ton. Mccoy was confronted with the reg
lister kept at Hester's and an examination
OF the book showed that Mccoy, w. A.
Hamilton, John Mcdowell and John Moody
had registered at this lodging house seven
or eight times within the last month. Mr..
Hester was sent FOR and positively identified
Mccoy as a frequent guest at his place. The
, prisoners statement that he only arrived
here December "a Is thus found to be false.
When this quartet registered they always
occupied the same onion with two beds
in 1t. Mr.. Hester stated that when the four
came to occupy a room at his place they
always left their revolvers at the bar and
called for them again when they departed.
While about the hotel or barroom the quar-
tct pretended not to know one another and
were never seen speaking to each other
when any one was about. They always re-
tired to their room about the same time,
however.
Frank Thompson, the saloon keeper at
Twonty-fourth and * streets, who was held
up by four men a few weeks ago and robbed
of S25 in money, a watch and a revolver,
positively ideutiied Mccoy as the man who
put the gun to his head and ordered him
to throw up his hands. The identifcatirn
was accomplished in this way: Mccoy was
placed among quite a number of other pris-
oners and Thompson was asked to see II
he could recognize any of them.
He passed them all UP until he struck Nc
Coy. Then he stopped and said: This IS
the man who drew a revolver on me and
ordered me to throw up my hands" Nc
Coy never said a word when Thompson
made this statement. He turned his head
and declined to make any reply to ques-
items asked him. Prisoners in the jail say
that Mccoy has spoken scarcely a word since
his Incarceration. 1t was hoped by the po-
lice that some Information could be gained
by Mccoy talking to the other prisoners,
but he has 50 far refused to talk.
1t is thought here that John Conway, Tom
Burns and Mike Ward, the three men ar
rested in Sioux City for holding up a
restaurant keeper a few nights ago, are
partners of Mccoy and that they left him
here to look after this end CT the line while
they went up the road to turn a trick. Cap
tain Allie was very anXi~ us to get the whole
gang at one time, but found he could not
do this, as never more than two of the
gang slept in the same room at one time.
So positive is Mr.. Thompson's identiica-
tion of Mccoy that the police department
will file a complaint against him in a day
or two.