The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-27
BOLD CAB ROBBERIES
FARES WE'RE CARRIED OUT ON
THE THUNDERBOLT ROAD.
VICTIMS STRANGELY SILENT.
ONE LOST 500, THE OTHER $3.50,
AND WAS BADLY BEATEN.

Sawmiu Man Had Paid Hickman to
Take Him to Meinhnrd and Was
Found at the Fork on the Thun-
derboIt She'll ROad-Had Been Re-
ported I'm City That He Had Been
Murdered-Was Too Drunk to
Know When He Was RObbed-Sec-
ond Man Was Not So Full and Put
Up Fight. but the Negro Beat
Him and Took His Money-The
Men Thrown in the Same CIump of
Bushes After They Had Been Rob-
bed.
Two daring hack robberies have oc-
CURED on the Thunderbolt road in less
than a week, and because of the reticence
of the victims, Chief Deputy Sheriff
Sweeney has been unable to do any
thing towards the arrest of the robbers.
Both men who were robbed were under
the influence of liquor, although IN the
last case the victim was able to put
up a fight with the highwayman.
The negro proved the stronger and
his fare turned up yesterday morning
minus his hat and $3.50 in silver. He
looked as If he had been in contact
with thrashing machine and both
eyes were badly done up. The first vic
tim lost $50, but was not beaten for
the reason that he was in a helpless
state of intoxication when relieved of
his money. The robberies occurred on
the Thunderbolt road near the artesian
well, about mile from the Catholic
Cemetery. Deputy Sweeney has made
every effort to obtain some information
that would bring about the .dentifica-
ton of the negro, who was bold
enough to haul passengers out of the
city, rob them and then throw them
in the bushes. With not even the vic
Tins to help him, the officers efforts
have been in vain, and the crimes will
probably go unpublished.
The facts in the robberiss are rather
peculiar and Deputy Sweeney is at
loss to account for the actions of the
victims. More particularly is this true
in the first case. Early last Wednes-
day morning Deputy Sweeney received
telephone message that d white man
had been murdered and robbed at the
turn of the Thunderbolt and Bonaven-
ture roads, about two miles from the
city The officer hurried to the scene
only to find that the man had been ''suf-
Ierin5' from intoxication, and had il
no manner been injured. He was we'll
dressed and the only particle of ap-
parel missing was his hat. lie was
brought to the city and given a new
hat. Ee was willing enough to tell of
he 1,1N tz..N N.--F l. Il
his identity. He said he was raw
mill man, and did not care to have the
robbery made public.
The stranger said he had
| left a house on the East Side
at a rather late hour and that he had
been drinking. He got a hackman TO
drive him to Meinhard, hoping to reach
that point by morning. He paid the
| driver III advance and had about sac
in his pocket when they started. When
he was walked by the officer ne found
| that he had been robbed and thrown
| in the bushes. The saw mill man told
| the deputy that he knew the hackman,
| but would not say who ne vas. He
| preferred to see the negro himself and
try and get the money without any
| publicity He did not care to have it
known that he had been drunk and in
d shady section of the city Later in
| the Gay he returned and said that he
had obtained no satisfaction The dep
| uty told him that under the circum-
| stances he could not hope to get his
| money back, or have the negro pun
| ished. The stranger left and the off,
| Ger kept the matter quiet, thinking 1t
| possible that he might obtain some
other clue.
Yesterday morning Deputy Sweeney
received word that another white man
had been robbed and thrown out of a
hack at the same place. An investiga-
| ton developed the fact that the man
had not only been robbed, but had been
| badly beaten. He was perfectly will
| ing to give the officer all the informa-
ton that he could, except to tell who
he was. He said that he had no de-
sire to figure before the pubic in such
a role. because he had been to places
that possibly it would have been wiser
to have passed by.
The stranger said that he had got
into a hack on leaving a house in the
Tenderloin district. He had been drink
ing. but remembered quite we'll every
thing that had happened. He told the
driver to drive him to a place near
Laurel Grove Cemetery. He remem-
bered passing the Catholic Cemetery.
but was in such condition that he
did not care a great deal where he was
being taken, so long as he was not dis
turbed. At the fork of the road the
cabman pulled up his horse and got out
The stranger began to realize for the
first time then that something out of
the ordinary was happening, and when
the hackman started to go through his
| pockets he showed fight.
Old John Barleycorn had already
weakened him considerably but he put
up something clever in the pugilistic
line with the hackman. The latter.
however was cold sober and finally
beat his fare down, relieving him of
all the loose silver, he had. AS in the
first robbery the mans hat was taken,
although his gold watch was left I'M
touched. The bruised and bleeding
man walked into the city, first report
ing what had happened at Mr.. Her
man Winters place. at the Catholic
Cemetery. From there a telephone
message was sent to Deputy Sweeney
The officers have been handicapped in
their efforts and so far have been I'M
| a hla m SECURE anV fanQihla rIua