Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1904-04-13
STOLEN Goods Recovered.

Reference was made yesterday to the
fact that car thieves were again plying
their vocation hereabouts, and that a car
had been robbed OF number OF articles
on tue preceding night. 1t was stated
that the police we're endeavoringto locate
Inc articles and identify the thieves.
The officers were not longin locating and
recovering thestolen property, but wheth-
er they have positively identified the
thieves remains to be seen, although
chain of circumstanhal evidence against
certain individuals has been woven. 1t
now seems that several cars were robbed
-one on Union street, another at the
Washington and Ohio r. X. depot, and
another at the Fayette street depot, not
in the yard west of Payne street, as was
stated yesterday. The robberies were
committed during the period from Satur-
day nightuntil yesterday morning. When
the robberies we're discovered Chief Web
ster was notified and he detailed officers
to work up the case. Officers Lyles and
Arlington were not long in ascertaining
that several pairs of shoes had been sold
10 Henry Wrenn,, who keeps a store on
the south side of Duke street extended at
Stone Bridge. He went to the place and
found his information was correct.
Wrenn acknowledged having purchased
the sLoes, and finally said he procured
them from a colored man named
Henry Brown. He also told the
officers that he would convey the goods
alleged to have been stolen to the station
house. Later the premises of Brown
were searched and certain articles found
which had been taken from the cars.
Wrenn's house was also searched, but
nothing was found. Lieutenant Smith
subsequently went to Wrenn's place and
searched it. The proprietor positively
denied to the lieutenant, the latter al
leges, that he knew anything about the
stolen articles. Early last night Officers
Smith and Allen took up the case. They
appeared in theneighborhood of Wrenn's
store which they Swallowed until nearly
nine o'clock when they saw wagon
in which two men were seated emerge
from the lot in the rear of Wrenn's
place. The vehicle proceeded east, and
when it reached the intersection OF
Prince and Fayette streets the officers
intercepted it. The occupants proved
to be Wrenn and Richard Burnett, the
latter living next to Wrenn's store
Several hundred pairs of shoes in bags,
boxes of soap, Scotch snuff, perfumery,
cotton goods, &C., were found in the
wagon. When taken in custody Wrenn
asserted he was on his way to the sta
ton house with the goods. Burnett
claimed he was innocent of any wrong
doing. that he was merely accompany
ing Wrenn to the station house in
order that the goods could be restored
TO their rightful owners. Wrenn cor
roborated Burnett's statement, saying he
asked him to accompany him ON the
wagon. The officers took charge Of the
men and team. Henry Brown and
Nellie Brown, his wife, had previously
been arrested. Upon the ipsi dixit of
Wrenn to the effect that Burnett was
playing an innocent part, the latter was
released but he was rearrested this morn
ing at the instance of Officer Smith who
had been ayerse to releasing him at
first. When the case was called for
trial Wrcnn was represented by Mr.
Lewis II. Machen, and after the evil
dence had been heard, which was sub
stautially as given above, Burnett was
dismissed and the case against Wrenn
and the colored man and woman was
continued. Wrenn was released on his
own recognizance. Among the articles
stolen was a box containing about halt
bushel of eyelets, used in shoe factories.
The thieves evidently were unaware OF
the contents of the box, as they would
have found it difficult to dispose OF
them
Later Burnett and Wrenn were re-
arrested on a warrant sworn out by
Officer Smith.