The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1904-08-04

signed &c. E. Dawson
Warden Haddox took the matter up
with Governor White. with the result
that the Garrett county authorities
were notified of Wilfong's where
abouts, and the sheriff of that county
was sent to Brooklyn to arrest him
and bring him back to stand trial for
horse stealing. Upon the arrival of
the sheriff at Brooklyn he was in
formed that Wilfong had deserted the
navy on August21, 1903, just two days
before the arrival of the officer.
Going from Brooklyn to Baltimore
he caught cattle steamer and sailed
to Liverpool, going thence to London,
where he enlisted in the British Army;
of this, however, he soon tired and
again resumed his consumptive color
and deep sunken eyes by a few days
excessive soap eating, and was dis
charged. So much of this commodity
has he used internally that Wilfong
has really developed a taste for it.
Coming back from Great Britia
Wilfong was next heard from in
Preston county, where he attempted
to rob the store OF w. w. Shoch, at
Rowlesburg, but was caught by
complete burglar alarm system which
Mr.. Shoch had installed for his pro-
lection, his store having been looted
on many occasions previous to this.
On one night in November 1908, Mr..
Shoch's alarm was set off, and don
ming his bullet-proof suit and all the
pistols he could carry, aroused
number of his reighbors and sur
rounded the store. Through an open
window man was soon seen to APP
pear. He saw that resistance would
be futile and surrendered. 1t was
J, f. Wilfong, loaded down with
watches, cutlery, jewelry, &c.
Wilfong was indicted, confessed
and sentenced to five years in the
penitentiary, all within thirty-six
hours from the time of his capture.
Fortune was still with him, and be-
fore he could be conducted to the
penitentiary he broke Jail and dis
appeared as completely as though
the earth had swallowed him up.
Nothing was heard of Wilfong until
his arrest in Baltimore. In the
,noop+;n,o l,o loJ I.I,,n,oadii about
various cities gambling and engaging
in other shady methods of obtaining
a sustenance. Since the harvesting
of the Delaware peach crop began he
had been engaged in picking peaches,
until an overpowering inclination to
visit the scenes of his old-time depre-
dations brought him to the green
mountains in Tucker county, where
he spent two days gambling with the
woodsmen, his stay netting him $50
in profits. At Thomas, however, a
few nights later, he lost his entire
assets and again started to Green
mountain lumber woods, but hunger
PROMPTED him to break into the store
of J. E. Polling, at Hendricks, where
he stole the watches for which ne was
arrested in Baltimore. Prisoner VIII
fong said yesterday that when he saw
the watches his sensation of hunger
vanished, and he stole them and
boarded northbound freight train
going to Thomas. AT Thomas and
Cumberland he disposed OF a number
of watches, securing enough money
to take him to Washington, where
others were sold. He then went to
Baltimore.
Wilfong says that while in Balti-
more he was robbed of $50 by a wo-
man whose place he visited. The
woman was arrested and the money
found concealed on her person. Will
fong says it was the first time he has
ever been robbed and SO badly did it
make him feel that had he been
robbed earlier in life he would never
have travelled the crooked path he has
followed for SO many years.