Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-01-10
a9iistellaasu,ls Rsaaing.
CAPTURED At LAST.
SUSPECTED Robber of Fort Mill Bank
In Hands of the Law.

Suspected Robber Of Fort Mill BanI
In. Hands Of the Law.
Columbia State.
It is just two years since Mr.. Greg
ory, the brilliant secret service agent
broke up the gang Of safe blowers whit
hal been plundering banks. and post
offices In South Carolina Five Of th'
gang are in prison in Atlanta. Ont
was arrested In Baltimore recently ant
will be tried in Columbia next week
The New York Herald tells of still
another Of Nolan's gang, who wa.
caught In New York this week.
1t will be remembered that the mer
in Columbia called attention to them.
selves by the feet that they spen
money lavishly in gambling houses
The arrest Of DeFord in New Yorl
was brought about by the same kind o.
imprudent conduct. The Herald says
"well dressed, wearing diamonds ant
spending money lavishly in New Year.
festivities, three alleged bank burglars
who are said to have blown open II
bank safes and robbed 20 postoffice.
within the last two years, were ar.
rested in the Bowery near Canal stree
yesterday morning. They were locked
up In police headquarters, and will be
arraigned In the Tombs police court
this morning. The arrests were made
by Detective Sergeants Andrew Kier.
nan and Thomas Brennan Of Inspector
McC1usky's staff. cooperating with
Walter 8. Mayer, inspector in charge
of the postofice department, and with
Assistant Superintendent Dougherty
of the Pinkerton detective agency
which has been employed by the
American Bankers association.
The men took their capture quiet.
ly and compiimented Superintendent
Dougherty in having taken them BY
surprise. They gave the names Of
William Smith, Thomas Kennedy and
Edward James. They are all said tc
be well known to the police Of every
large city and to the local authorities
Of many small towns where they have
operated. They are alleged to be ex-
pert bank vault and safe burglars
who travel as tramps, operating ir
villages and small towns, only visiting
the larger cities when they want
vacation and an opportunity to spend
the fruits Of their robberies.
1.-The man giving the name OF Will
liam Smith is the most widely known
of the trio. His right name Is Gus
DeFord, and through the south and
west he is known as Ky Yellow and
'Buggsby.' He Is said to be one OF
the most expert workers with high
explosives In the country and has been
associated with Emerson Palm. alias
Frisco SLIM Edward Morgan, alias
Portland Ned Johnson 'Meriden Joe
and other burglars. He Is 35 years
old and was formerly a hotel pro-
prietor In Tennessee.
Thomas Kennedy is known among
his assSciates as Hamilton Jack He
recently escaped from a western pris-
on. He Is Of large frame, with ar
abundance Of dark brown hair and COO
nerve, and has always worked as q
stick up man. His part Of the work
was to stand guard on the outside OF
bank and entertain inquisitive per-
sons while the expert applied the
SOUP or ro-glycerine, to the safe
These men differ from the ordinary
safe cracker In that they work more
boldly.
Edward James, the third man. Is
known as a gay cat or pathfinder,
whose duties are to go into town
and locate the banks most accessible
He acts the part Of a beggar and
while telling a hard luck story studies
the mechanism Of the safe, makes
note Of the doors and windows. finds
out about the watchman, gets infor-
nation about the town, where horses
may be stolen or how the freight
trains run; in brief, lays out the work
for the leader. James right name Is
Casey.
Superintendent Dougherty said yes
terday that he would be able to con-
meet the men with several recent
burglaries near New York and many
more in other states. On November
10 last the bank Of Briscoe & Tucker
'Churchville, N. Y, was entered by
burglars, the safe demolished by nitro
glycerine and $4,000 in currency ta-
ken. 1t took five explosions to oper
the vault Three men were connected
with the robbery and they all escaped
in a rig stolen from John ]. Snow
who lived near the bank. They
abandoned the rig near Rochester.
Five days before that the First
National bank Of Champlain, N. Y.
was entered and the safe blown open
but for some reason the burglars
abandoned the job before obtaining
any money. About the same time
postofflce at Tannersville, N. Y, was
robbed Of $4,000 worth Of stamps, and
the postoffice at Harrisons was enter
ed the next night and stamps and
money to the amount Of $1,000 taken
In both instances the safes were blown
open by experts.
six years ago DeFord was connect
ed with the robbery Of a bank In Bow
Evansville, Canada, where $1,000 was
obtained. He is also wanted in con-
nection with the robbery Of a savings
bank at Fort Mill, S. c., in Septem
ber, 1902; a savings bank in Sandy
Springs, Md, May, 1903, and the Bank
of Brunson, in Brunson, S. c., In No
vember. 1903, where the burglars go'
away with $25,O0O."