The San Francisco call., 1905-03-28
ThOmaSA.COllinSa and
John Zimmerman
Are Accused.
Witnesses Identity Photo
graphs and Tell Of
Plan Laid.

Officers on both sides OF the bay are
satisfied that they have the names OF
the two men who committed the hold
UP at Siege through which $4,000 be-
longing to the Central Bank of Oak
land that was being conveyed to the
bank at Richmond was stolen. John
Zimmerman and Thomas A. Collins.
criminals well known to the police of
San Francisco, are said positively to
be the men who committed the rob
berry. There was a third man con-
nected with the laying Of the plan. He
is said to be Charles Henry (alias Null
cahy). now in the Broadway Jail
awaiting transportation to State Pris-
on to serve fourteen years for robbery
committed in this city.
The announcement of the names of
the suspected men was made in Oak
land yesterday. The men have been
under suspicion ever since the robbery
was committed and officers have been
working increasingly on the clews that
connected them with the crime. The
evidence against them is of such a
nature as TO leave no doubts in the
minds of the police that Zimmerman
and Collins are the men wanted.
Where they are is the only problem
now bothering the detectives
CLEWS AT RICHMOND.
Four days ago the Pinkerton agency
in this city. which says il was working
on information derived from a clew
first supplied by Sheriff VeaIe of Con
ira Costa County. informed Captain Of
Detectives Burnett Of this city that
Collins and Zimmerman were the men
who had committed the crime at stege.
Captain Burnett at once detailed four
men from his Office to search for the
pair, and the hunt for them has been
going on increasingly ever since Ala
media County detectives and sheriffs
have also been busy in the chase.
Either the two ex-convfcts have de-
parted many miles from the scene Of
their crime. or they are well hidden.
for no trace OF them has been found.
1t was at Richmond that the cIews
connecting Zimmerman and Collins
with the crime were obtained. The
men had been hanging around that
town for some time. 1t was learned
from several people that they had u
plan to get the money that the Oak
land bank sent to the one-at Rich
mond- They even approached several
persons whom they thought would
embark in such a dubious enterprise
to assist them in the robbery One Of
these, IL is said, was Henry. His story.
so Ii Is alleged. is that the two men
approached nlm last october and laid
the plan before him. He agreed To
help out. but the execution of the
scheme was delayed from time TO
time until he found himself i'm Jail
on this side Of thee bay. These delays
were caused by various trif1es suf-
ficient to upset the calculations OF
careful robbers. AT one time. as al
ready published. an automobile broke
down near where the men lay in wait
ing; at anotheE some thoughtless peo-
pie in buggy were in the vicinity at
the critical time. and at another. DAILY.
the messenger. took a different road
than the one he was accustomed To
travel.
PHOTOGRAPHS IDENTIFIED.
Photographs Of Zimmerman and COL
lins were obtained by the PinkertOls
from Captain Burnett and submitted to
several persons in Alameda and Con-
ira Costa counties who had seen the
men suspected of having committed the
robbery Morgan, the buggy washer at
Abernethy's stable. where the short
man. Collins. obtained the buggy the
robbers used. identified the picture OF
that robber. and Abernethy also said is
looked like the man who hired the rig
of him. II was also identified as that of
man who had been hanging around
DaIy's stable in Oakland prior to the
robbery. Zimmerman photograph was
partly identified by Roche. the COM
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