Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-27
ALEXANDRIA AFFAIRS
TRAIN CREW SURPRISES GANG OF
THIEVES.
Robbers Get Away With Most Of Their
Booty-New Bank Building
Occupied-Briefs. .
ALEXANDRIA. Va, March p, 1905
Special Correspondents of The Evealng Star.

ALEXANDRIA, Va, March q, 1905.
A bold train robbery occurred early Sun
day morning on the Washington Southern
railroad at st. Asaph, just north of this
city, where heavy through freight train
was awaiting the signal to proceed south.
The train crew surprised gang of thieves
actively engaged in unloading miscellan-
eous assortment of merchandise from three
cars into which they had broken. A con-
siderable quantity of goods had been dumped
out on the ground when the train men
interfered. The robbers were driven OF,
but managed to carry away a large part of
the booty. After retreating a short dis
lance they fired a volley of pistol shots
toward the trainmen, but, fortunately, no
one was injured Conductor Bradley, who
was in charge of the train, narrowly escaped
being shot.
The train men were unable to tell how
many men were in the party of robbers.
but they were in sufficient numbers to carry
out operations in several cars. The first
intimation the train crew had of the attack
on the train was the sight of some of the
robbers scurrying about on top OF the cars
in the darkness. The investigation which
followed showed that the thieves had their
work we'll under way.
Acting Lieutenant Young of the police
force soon after being informed of the oc-
currence, started search which was sue
cessful only in the discovery of the char
acter of some of the goods stolen. The
police are convinced that the robbers belong
to gang which has been operating success,
fully in the freight yards In and AROUND
this city for a year or more. During inns
time scores of depredations have been re-
ported to the police department and mini
Der of arrests have been made Merehan-
disc to the value of several thousand doi-
lars has been stolen, most OF when Ids hot
been recovered.
Had Been Carefully Planned.
Evidences of carefully laid plans were
found in the robbery yesterday morning.
The thieves had apparently Informed them
selves that the train was operating on a
through schedule and would stop at st.
Asaph Junction instead of Alexandria OF
the ward below this city. 1t is believed that
they had intended to attack another through
train with twenty-five cars loaded Win
merchandise which passed through JUS JUS
ahead of the one which they rooped. II was
reported at the railroad office that eighteen
cars had been broken open and. en-erea Dy
the robbers one night last week
Evidences of the syStemat1Zed character
of the robberies have convinced the railroad
men and the police that they have peeh
committed for the most part by an organ,
lied gang In several instances daring anu
novel schemes have been successfully , oai
ried out Entrance to the cars mas peei;
effected from an improvised rope scaloIo
while the train was in rapid motion.
New Bank Building Opened.
The handsome new building of the Vir-
einia Safe Deposit and Trust Corporation
located ON the north side of King street
between Royal and Fairfax streets, was
opened for business for the first time this
morning 1t is pronounced one OF the
most beautiful structures of tbe kind In the
state and has been greatly admired Inc
front is particularly imposing, whlie the IN,
In hn
style The building was constructed on
plans drawn by Messrs. Wagner, Hamilton
& Wagner, architects of Washington. MI.
Joseph F. Rogers of this city was the con-
tractor. ,
The officers of the Virginia Safe Deposit
and Trust, Corporation are: Messrs {.
Jones Rixey, president and treasurer; john
P Robinson, first vice president, Gardner
Roethe, second vice president: Norton &
Boothe general counsel The following are
the members of the board of directors:
MessrS. c. j. RiXey, Lieut.. Gov. Joseph r.
Willard, Henry Bladder, John P. Robinson,
Park Agnew, George S. French, Gardner l..
Boothe, c. C. Leadbeater, ]. X. NJ. Norton,
Frank Hume and Henry K. Field. Mr.. c.
P. Waller is in charge of the bookkeeping
of the corporation, Mr.. George III. Robinson
of the deposits, Mr.. William l.. Boothe of
the discounts and Mr.. Samuel L. Monroe
of the bonding. The corporation was Or
ganized chiefly through the efforts of MIR.
c. Jones Rixey, a brother of Representa-
tive Rixey and Surgeon General Rixey,
United States navy. Its authorized capital
stock is S1OO0,OOO.
General and Personal.
Funeral services over the remains of
Mrs. Emeline Thompson took place yes
terday afternoon at o'clock from the
residence of her son, Mr.. Edgar F.
Thompson, 100 South Lee street, and were
attended by large number of friends of
the deceased. The pallbearers were
Messrs. Clarence Moore Oscar f. Phillips,
George E. Markell, William F. Entwisle,
Douglas Stanton and Robert E. Knight.
Rev. DR.. Frank J. Brooke of the Second
Presbyterian Church conducted the serv-
ices The burial took place in Union
cemetery.
Mr. Edward L. Daingerfield and family,
who have been spending the winter in
Egypt, are expected to return to their
home in this city early in April. They
sailed from Naples March "a.
Capt. and Mrs William B. Smithers left
this morning for Winchester to attend
the sessions of the Baltimore conference,
NJ e. Church South.
Mrs. Anna NJ Crump died last night at
the Old Ladies' Home in the eighty-ffth
year of her age, after lingering illness.
She was the widow of Charles Crump.