The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-17
THEY Ex0NERATE PERRY.
BELMONT AND NELSON INSIST HE Is
INNOCENT OF OCILLA ROBBERY.

/
This Insistence ON Their Part TO
Desire to Have Their Accomplish
Where He Can Do Them the Most
GOod-His knowledge of the Best
Way 10 Saw Through steel, They
May Think, VIII Help Them Out OF
JaiI-The Realize That They Might
as Well Plead GuiIty-Inspector
Barry on to OciIla to Gather Fur
Their Evidence.
| Postoffice Inspector r. Z. Barry reached
! Savannah from Chattanooga yesterday
morning He came to take charge of the
case against Harry Belmont and Harry
| Nelson, the men arrested here for the
burglary of the postoffice at DELLA, which
will remain hereafter in his hands.
Inspector Barry had a talk with the men
during the morning, and they acknowledged
to him that they were guilty Of the crime
with which they are charged. They had
made the same confession before, but to
/ the postoftice inspector they went into the
details of the crimes commission with
more particularly than they have hither-
to attempted.
hS men StdtSQ ~ lhSpSNNOE DdAiy that
! John Perry, arrested at Della by the
county authorities and held there for the
same offense with which they are charg-
ed, is entirely innocent They exonerate
him completely and were at pains TO point
out to the inspector the absolute impos-
sibility of his beng implicated in the crime
in any way, or in the most remote degree.
| They were so diligent and painstaking in
| these efforts to clear the name of Perry OF
| suspicion that the inspector became more
than suspicious himself and finally be-
| came convinced, as indeed he had been
morally certain from the first, that Perry
was as deep in the mud as his companions
! here are in the mire.
Inspector Barry's theory of these wild
| deciara lions of Pecrys innocence pro-
ceeding from Belmont and Nelson is that
they are perfectly well aware of the fact
| that they have been caught in the tolls
and that they cannot escape, and think
1t better that one of the gang shall be al
liberty and try to effect their release or
| escape from prison. The business in
| which they are engaged renders it neces-
| sary that they should familiarize them
selves with the use of steel saws and the
| inspector thinks that with Perry at lib
erty, Belmont and Nelson would have al
| least a fighting chance of being sawed oui
fined.
The inspector supports his theory of the
| case from his long experience with others
| of the like character. Safe-blowers, ne
| says, always work In punches of three
Two men are required to operate the tools
with which the safe is opened, and one
TO watch for possible interruptions ant
guard against them. Belmont, Nelson anc
| Perry were seen together at Ocllla for q
| day or two preceding the crime, and tht
| Inspector is about as sure of the guiH Of
the man in jail at the place of the crime
commission, as II he had been on the spo
| and had seen 1t done. Therefore, IL is thai
he attaches no importance to the state
ments of the confessed criminals that theii
| alleged accofnplice is innocent.
1t is believed that the men in Jail hert
are holding back a quantity of the stamps
they took from the Ocilla postofce, ant
1t is hoped that they can be induced to re-
veal their hiding place Inspector Barry
stated that the burglary melted something
like $500 In stamps, of which only $102 ha'
been recovered.
The inspector left last night for Ocilia
to gather addi tional evidence and to CHECK
up the accounts of the postoffice to SCI
just how much was actually stolen. In
cidentally, he hopes to have a talk viii
Perry. and 90 see If that interesting in
dividual cannot be induced, when properly
urged to tell more about himself, his pas
history and his recent adventures, thar
he has yet seen At TO do. In this way, y
may be, the inspector win get wind of tht
$500 that has not yet turned up.
1t transpires that for men of their evi
dent experience in the business Belmon
and Nelson are not so very wise" aftel
all. The burglary was committed on thu
night of Feb. 6 and telegraphic account.
of it, giving the nature of the haul, thu
denom;n tons of the stamps taken anC
,krmI
appeared in the Morning News and othe
papers of the state.
With the fact of this publicity that has
been given to their crime, Belmont ant
Nelson must have been acquainted, ant
they must have known that every police
officer in the state, whose bosom swell
with the proud determination to win re
ward, would be looking and longing FOL
them With these facts before their eye!
the men came to Savannah and not only
changed their apartments with such
frequency as to excite suspic
ion, but strolled about the street,
in manner that increased
stamps in a way that made it certainty
1t is understood that some of the loca
pawnbrokers profited by the trade II
stamps that Belmont and Nelson carried
on, TO the extent of the commission usu
ally exacted in transactions of this char
acter.
The men win be tried in Savannah, pos
siblv at the next term of the court, II
grand jury is summoned at that time and
indictments against them are returned
Indictments will be returned as soon a!
the grand Jury of the federal court doe.
meet, and il is announced that the meI
win be likely to plead guilty. Abou
Perry there seems TO be some doubt, blu
Inspector Barry hopes to be able to secure
enough evidence against him to render
greatly matter.