The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-03-13

tered the house and rushed into Wards
room.
Hands up" they shouted. as they COW
cred the prisoners with their pistols.
Ward and Seely. despite the show of
arms. tried to get to a dresser. Shum-
way, whose leg is broken, sat still in his
chair.
ENOUGH EXPLOSIVES
To WRECK THE FOUR COURTS.
The detectives found under a bed in the
room a small valise. 1t contained a pint
bottle flied with nitroglycerin, some fuses
with percussion caps attached, four pis-
tolls of large caliber and a razor.
CHIEF Keely says the bottle contains
CROUCH of the explosive to destroy the
Four Courts.
In the room with the men were Wards
wife. Mrs. Bertha Ward, who is Ill, and
her friend, Annie Vernanga of No. 1896
Ohio avenue.
The men and women were placed in a
patrol WACO and hurried to the -Four
Courts. Detective Mccarthy walked, car
rying he 1itroglycerln, which he was
afraid to trust to the jarring of the wagon.
Assistant Chief of Detectives keeiy TOOK
the prisoners in charge and began sweat
ing them Immediately. He first talked 10
the women.
Mrs. Ward stated that her maiden name
was Bertha Bleichlein; that she had lived
in South st. Louis previous to her mar
rage to Ward in Belleville three months
ego. She stated that Ward married her
under the name Of Warne.
She claimed that she did not know that
her husband was an ex-convict. nor that
he had the explosive in the ROOM Il
would have been afraid TO stay there had
I known it." she declared. Chief Kelly
now believes she is telling the truth. He,
however. obtained enough information
from her to assist him materially in
sweating her husband.
Annie Veranga said that she arrived at
Mrs. Wards room Thursday in response
to q message from her friend saying she
was I'll. She said that Seely n Ward
ate supper at the house about 9 O'Clock
Thursday night. and then went away;
that Ward did not return until 10 o'clock
the next morning.
'.SWEATED" CONCERNING
RoBBERIEs OF SAFES.
The safe in the Office of the W. H. War
rem Coke Company was blown Thursday
night and so stolen. Two night before a
safe in the Ruecking Construction Com
pany's Office was blown. but nothing was
AXE
1t is these two jobs which Chief Keely
charges to Ward, Moran and Shumway,
although he does not believe the latter
took part In the actual work.
After talking to the women, Chief Keely
"sweated'' Ward.
The prisoner proved a cleve talker and
evaded leading questions easily.
Asked if he had ever blown a safe, Ward
replied:
mo; why. 1 couldn't blow a cracker
box"
Chief Keely says this reply makes him
more certain thar anything else that
Ward is a safe-blower, as, he declares, all
cracksmen use the term ''cracke box"
when they refer to a weak safe. "Buck"
Mckay, a clever ssfe-blower. not long ago
referred to the safe in Keeiy's office as a
Cracker box" and said he could get
into II in three minutes.
Ward denied that he had ever been ar
rested before. and said he had not served
time in a Penitentiary. His record was
looked up. md 1t was found that mis- pic
ture was taken for the local rogues' gal
lery in 1893, when ne was twice sent to
the Police Court for association with
thieves, Frank Collins and Albert Dodger
being his companions on these occasions.
It was also shown that Ward had been