The Palatka news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1905-08-04
GRAVES CONFESSES
10 Robbery Of Express Coz
Safe GTo Returns the
Money.
Bound and Gagged Himself Comics
sion Came After Evidence All
Pointed His Way.

Attracted by pistol shots, parties
in the neighbOrhOod discovered that
the Southern Express cOmpany's
office in this city had been robbed at
an early hour last Saturday morn
ing.
John Beal, night nurse with Mr..
F. H. Hafer, pistol in one hand and
lamp in the other entered the office
through the back door and found J.
T. Graves, the young clerk of the
Express company who sleeps in a
small back room, bound by his
wrist and legs and across the center
of his body to the bed, his mouth
gagged with a handkerchief and
| towel. the latter being tied back OF
his head. The boy was relieved and
as soon as he could get bis wind, re
cited tale OF robbery.
Robbers, two in number, had, ac-
cording to young Graves, effected an
entrance by breaking piece of glass
out of the side window, raising the
sash and unscrewing one of the iron
| bars on the inside. After oyerpOw-
ering him. binding and gagging him
as aforementioned, they proceeded
I to open the safe by the combination
lock, which, Graves stated, occu-
pied an hour. After rifiing the safe
the robbers left by the back door,
which they left open
| On Monday afternoon Graves con-
fessed that he bound and gagged
himself, after opening the window,
rifiing the safe and opening the back
door. He secured 81 ,S35.0l in cash
| which he hid in an incubator in the
back room, where it lay until Satur-
day evening, when he transferred ii
to the ice box in the express Office at
the Union depot. This money was
all returned on Monday, even to the
last penny. Graves was then taken
before Justice &. I. RowtOn waived
examination on the charge of grand
larceny, and is in Jail to await ac-
ton of the grand jury. Bonds OF
$500 will get him out.
The scheme was neither clever in
design nor execution.
Graves, who is about &c years OF
age, had set the alarm clock for
o'clock a. IN. The window pane
where entrance was effected was
broken at the bottom, leaving toe
long a reach for man to put hi!
, arm inside and release the center
lock. The sash had been fresf
painted Friday and the paint wa!
. wet Saturday morning, and yet ther'
was not mark to show any person
had passed over it which they would
be obliged to do in getting through
r the window.
, But Graves created sensation il
5 Palatka.
The pistol shots were heard in tn
apartments of Mrs. Priddy directl.
= over. They were also heard by man.
5 in the neighbOrhood for more than
! block away. Many turned ont to Sc
what the shots meant, includin
t Mayor Usina.
q r. H. Cooper, Arthur and Charlie
? Priddy and John Beale were the frs
to respond They heard rappings il
side the express office and called t
, know what was the matter. Thei
only response was more rappins
: Then Mr.. Beale went III, finding tn
boy as above stated. He bad his piE
toll in his hands and back of his heaC
p He had emptied its five chamber
= and was using it to rap on the hea
of his iron bed.
The crowd began to gather and MI
3, NJ. c. Grower, local agent of tn
i company. arrived about 3 O'Clock
y He took charge and soon wired tn
+ officials of the robbery.
Mr.. J. b. Hockaday, superinter
n dent of the company, arrived frOl
= Savannah at noon.
: In the meantime Chief of Polio
! Hagan and Sheriff Howell conduct
ed personal Investigations, and eacl
by the afternoon of Saturday, ha
+ advised the arrest of young Graves
:. Private citizens without specif
n knowledge of deductions in Grimm
t ology other than has come to thel
through reading an occasional Shel
n lock Holmes story, came to the sam
v conclusion.
= But Mr.. Hockaday waited an
g watched. He watched young Grave!
- He said nothing. On Sunday p. I
Burns of Chattanooga, special dc
u tective of the company, arrived. I
= him Mr.. Hockaday reported all h
u knew. But some things were yet
IS mystery. Did the rObber have a col
l. safe combination
: These were mysteries until MOI
it day afternoon. Then Mr.. Hockada
e asked young Graves to accompan
him to the Saratoga hotel, whithC
they were accompanied by Detec
u ives Burns and Watts, Sheriff Howe
l. and Chief Hagan. In the privacy
a Mr.. Hockadas's room, that gentl,
r. man said to young Graves: mo
Is Graves we know something abol
D. this robbery, but we don't know
IS all. We want you to tell us what "
is don't know
H. Then Graves made full, free al
r explicit confession. He had had
D. in his mind to rob ever since his n
10 turn from his vacation, July LIST. M
Grower made a new cOmbinatiC
July 18th. This combination is SUI
u posed to be known only to the agel
W and copy is sealed and sent for fl
ing in the superintendent Office
at Savannah. When Mr. Grower mac
Le the new combination he made
IS copy, placed it in an envelope, sea
y ed it and addressed it to Mr.. Hook
day. He gave this to young Gravt
7 along with other valuable packag
m to take to the train. That was ii
nf regular mode of procedure. The
or Mr.. Grower went out and it WI
M when lie was absent, AS Graves stat
w in his confession, that he cut the e
ar velope and copied the combinatio
no after which he re-sealed the origin;
mr. which he took to the train
n. Graves states that since that da
- nod haot, fa Hmm hic