The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-08-05
GOT FREIGHT
 WORTH $5,00O Systematic Robbery Of |. & N. by Negroes. MANIPULATED WAY BILLS Shipped Merchandise to Ad-
 dress in Wetumpka. Then 1t Was Hauled Back to MOntgom- cry and soId-System Has Been
 in Operation Two

Charged with systematically ropplns the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company of freight in transit coveriins cirs
 period ao of tSeS t%S years as hish as c. II. Middleton. negro empioyig1r yi1road n the local freight house of the raliToatn company. is In the county dn,som. la,r, yunn cry. is in the Fillmore County Jaii a' Wetumpka, and Jim Davis. also em- ployed at the freight house or the fai, ad road company, y,,,sn;c,an ls neio at po'''' "'
 it is said that Middleton, who IS an educated negro. and who' @ pscaus ,nrL his knowledge Of railroao nht oh,d Sanot made a confession in which he narrated an interesting story or systematic ste%i ing by his confederates ana hinen, a,sa delivered to the Louisville and Mash vile freight depot for shipment rom Montgomery to various points III Aia manipuiating way bills and changing inc addresses on the packages lie saId Josh Dudley with his wagon was sent to Wetumpka once each week: :5dressed ,ar to "A Benjamin" and cart It pack to Montgomery, where 1t was sold.
 Rapport solved !ss ,dssss My:tegy' e9gy freight originating at Montgomery mystined inc railroad officials. Detectives had almost exhausted hope of ever settr,ls a clue to the systematic foooebii tpo tbieyes i ia due Detective Paul Rapport or the Lou isvilIe and Nashville. Railroad Compaany' who was ably assisted py Spehelai pth ont- 0 gomery Police Department. and sherln W. 0. Robbins of Fillmore County.
 -Four months ago Detective HapPort and Special officers Payne and Graham were notified that goods were being lost every week in transit. Rapport imme- diately went to work and after mucn investigation and hard worn % %nnept ept 1n fonnd , that the leak was at Wetumpka, and he notified Sheriff Robbins or Eimore County to watch out for susPicflous negro hauling freight and hold him.
 Monday morning. Josh Dudley, ne- gro drayman who lives on south Peca- tur Street, was caught by Sherlh hoD .,,l- bins of Wetumpka, as he was leavlhg Wetumpka after securing wagon load of property billed to the fictitious , ad- dress, "A Benjamin, Wetumpka. lhe Teague to Deatsville, but the true ad- dress had been obliterated ana the nc titious name substitutedtin the 1reiRht house in Montgomery
 When Dudley was arrested by Sher- if Robbins he had in his wagon, one barrel of sugar, two sacks or meat; one crate of hams, and one crate or coffee. all of which was billed to the ficticious person. A Benjamin, sup posed to live near the penitentiary In
 Dudley was lodged in the jail at wetumpka and the goods found in his possession were later >identiiled py Hobbie and Teague as merchandise shipped by them 10 ilrm Tn Deats-
 Middleton. the negro caller" at the Louisville and Nashville freight depot nere was arrested Thursday afternoon by Cfficer Report and Special Officer Graham of the police department. He Is now lodged in the county jail. freight depot was implicated in the steal yesterday when Middleton made a confession to officers Rapport and Graham and Police Captain w: H. 9,t Tay- erated the right name on the way blils and remarked the packages; that he made out the way bills and told Dud- ley to go to Wetumpka and get the
 Middleton at first denied any knowl- edge of Dudleys part in the trans action but later broke down and con
 Davis. the negro implicated by Mid dleton was arrested yesterday aIter- noon by ohicers Rapport ar;ioG and Graham am n charge of suspicion.
 Identified the Drayman.
 Detective Rapport of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad and Special officer E. W. stariings of the same road at Birmingham went to Wetump- ka Tuesday morning and found that the negro WHO ItttiNSu BOCuS who gave his name to Sheriff Rob- bins as Jim Johnson was none other than Josh Dudley, a well known Mont gomery drayman.
 On account of the quarantine reg ulations, Officer Rapport cannot go to Wetumpka to work that end of the case.
 believe that they have uneathed the best conducted robbery against the railroad that has ever been known in