The Columbus dispatch. (Columbus, Miss.) 1905-1908, 1906-11-29
A Big THIEF TRUST
NEGRO PORTERS FOR VARIOUS
DRY GOODS AND GROCERY
FIRMS HAVE BEEN ROB
BING EMPLOYERS.
Merchants Did Not Know that They
Were Being Robbed, Scheme
Having Been Disclosed by
Anonymous Letter.


During the past few days local city
and county officials have unearthed
a scheme by which the porters for
number of dry goods and grocery
firms have been Systematically ROB-
bing their employers for several
months past. Although the pilfer-
ings have evidently been going on
for quite a long time, the merchants
did not know that they were being
robbed. the first intimatiOn of the
existence of the thief trust having
come through an anonymous letter
which was received by Justice of the
Peace Beverly Matthews. One day
last week Justice Matthews found in
his mail an unsigned letter stating
that the porters of various merchants
had formed themselves together Tor
the purpose of Systematically rObbing
their employers, and that Joe Frier-
son. who for some time past has
been employed as porter for the Co
Iumbus Dry Goods Company, was at
the head of the organization.
As soon as Mr. Matthews received
this letter he visited the establish
ment of the Columbus Dry Goods
Company on Main street, and had an
interview with the manager, Mr.. l..
A. Vaughan, who, when told OF the
scheme. could hardly believe it. He
had every confidence in FriersOn, and
said that he did not think that the
negro had ever stolen from his firm.
Future developments proved, how
ever, that Mr.. Vaughan had been
badly fooled in the negro Frierson' 5
house was searched, and stored there
in We're enough goods to stock
pretty good sized store. There We're
barrels and half barrels of flour, a
fuU sack of coffee, several cans or
lard. and even a five-pOund sack OF
Depper. When FriersOn was arrested
he denied that he had stolen the
goods, declaring that they were sent
TO his house by Isham DOWsing, who
drives dray for Mr. E. P BfoWnlee,
the well known South Columbus gro
Ger. Mr.. Brownlee thought as much
of Dowsing as Mr.. Vaughan did OF
Frferson. and when first told OF the
robbery refused to believe that the
negro had had any part in it, but a
trip to the courthouse, where he
found a lot of merchandise bearing
his name in big, bold, unmistakable
letters among the plunder, convinced
him that he was mistaken, and that
Dowsing had proven entirely unwor-
thy of the confidence imposed in hlm
The officers learned that, in addi-
tion to the goods found at F'rierson
house, there was a lot of plunde1
stored at the home of Major" Lewis
negro living on the Sam Hodge
place in the Cherokee neighborhood
on Friday night Justice Matthews
Constable Lofts and several deput-
les paid Lewis a visit, and were wei
rewarded for their trip. The negro
was in no danger of suffering from
cold or hunger, for among the goods
found i'm his house were a nice warn
winter overcoat, six bushels of meal
more than one hundred pounds O
sugar. and various other articles tha
were stolen at various times by th'
negroes. The Major was escorted
to the county Jail, where as an OH
Ger of inferior rank he will obey th'
orders of Colonel" Buford Horg'
until he goes to either the peniten
tiary or the county farm.
At least a dozen of the LEADING
firms of the city have had good
stolen from them, among those vic
timized being the Columbus DR..
Goods Company. the Banks Hard
ware Company, Messrs. W. l.. Gard
ner & Co. E. p. Brownlee, c. G. Rich
ardson. T. ]. Locke & Son, r. A. Mul
lins e Co, and Donoghue & Dee
Fourteen negroes have so far beer
arrested. and other arrests may fol
low Those already under arrest ar
Joe Frierson, Isham Dowsing, Loui
Harris, Wesley Bullock, Dan Brown
Jake Chappell, Will Robertson, Ma
ior' Lewis, Herman irwin, Ed Ander
son, Jim Sampson, Napoleon Irby
Harrison Davis and Will Conn.
Mr.. J. NJ. Hearon and Miss Salli
Gregory, runaway couple fror
Northport, Ala. We're married at tn