The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1904-06-03
Burglary and Arson.

| Be- "een 3 AID 4 n'c'nck last Frid ~
mnrui' z the ,iepit at Santuc was burned
Mr. Frank Davis, now proprietor of the
CrOcker house i'm that town. was awaken
ed by some noise; when he got out of the
houee he SAW the blazs of fire at the de-
pot; he gave the alarm 4 commercial
traveller was stopping with him that
night They went Immediately to the
| depot The Traveller had left four trunks
filled with samples i'm the depot that
evening. Upon arriving at the depot
they broke upon The door The smoke
rushed out, but the traveller went i'm a q
succeeded in getting out three of his
trunks; when he went in again he
stumbled over a pile of goods on the
floor, felt for the trunk, found lid open
He gathered an armful of the goods and
ran out, Dy this time the building WAS
falling in and he c'uld not again enter.
On first entering the door the traveller
hit his foot against an iron bar; he threw
it out. 1t was the crowbar that Mr..
Davis had placed in another room in the
depot the evening before 1t is supposed
that with this crOwbar the trunk was
broken open and after the robbery the
depot was set on fire, The shifting engine
came soon after the fire on the way to
Union, and about thiee miles below here
passed negro with large bundle: the
engineer notified NJ. Nelson, the ia le-
graph operator. Mr. Nelson notified
Milo Evans, who was then on duty.
Policeman Evans notified deputy sheriff
Vinson and Clarence Sanders. Evans
and Nelson went back on the engine.
Vinson and Sanders went in buggy,
Just before tie engine reached the spot
where the engineer had seen the man
with a bundle. Evars aud Nelson got
out and concealed themselves by the road
side near VIII re the public road crossas
the railroad at the end of the big cut
near the Mcbride place. They did not
have long to wait before they saw IA man
walking up the railroad track; they hait-
ed him and began ~ question him, IS to
whether he had seen anybody on the
track. Negro replied that he had met IA
negro man soma distance down tn,
track. Eva IS asked him to 90 back
with them to show where he met the
man. as they walked, Evans put IA
number of questions Some cOntradic.
tony answers made Evans SUSPICIOUS
He had recognized the negro as Lee
Carter. After walking to where Carter
said he had met the man going down the
railroad, no tracks could be seen going
from railroad where Carter said man
went. Then Evans made formal arrest
of Carter and they started back Mean
time Vinson and Sanders had gone on to
Santuc. Upon searching Carter, two
new indelible lead pencils were found in
his pocket. Such pencils are only used
by railroad agents. Carter said he got
the pencils from the NAV he sail he had
met going down the railroad, although
when first questioned about the man he
met, as to who the man waa, Carter had
said he did not speak to him. Carter
was lodged in jail He said then he
bought pencils and overalls from Mr.
Sam Berlin or Israel Berlin. The store
of Sam Berlin was searched and num-
ber Of articles which had been stolen
from *. d. Baileys store in Carlisle,
which had been broken open and robbed
on The night of the 2Oh of May. Upon
The Identification of the goods of X -.
B.iley in tie p DsseSsion of Israel Berlin.
he was arrested and put in Jail. As soon
rs Berlin got in, he saw and recognized
Carter as the man from whom he had
purchased the goods which had been
identified as belonging to X d. Bailey.
and when Berlin so stated in the presence
of Carter, Carter confess, d to having
sold the goods to Berlin, whereupon
Berlin was released. The dwelling house
of Carter was searched, and quite num-
bsr of articles found which were ident;-
fed as belonging to l.. B. Jeter OF San
tue, his store having been broken open
on May 13. Carter now stands the
champion of burglars, connected with
the breaking open of X. d. Bailey at
Carlisle, l.. B. Jeter at Santuc, the
breaking open of depot at Santuc, steal
ing commercial travellers goods, and
then setting fire to depot, although as yeC
none of the goods taken from the trunk
in depot have been found, the pencils De-
ing the only clue to the depot robbery
and burning.