The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-01-09
CHARLES POWLEY
Is EXONERATED
Prisoner, Between Sobs and
Tears, Tells How Troubles.
Brought on by Drink, Led
Him TO Commit Deed.
Thought Only
OF Wife.

III l.r lart straits ~ wrefcheGness
broken hearted ana Gspirited. Percy
AaTiin. t.e self-coufe-sed train robber
VINO held 40 rfe passengers of a Pullman
car on the Florida Limited Of the Sea
board AR Lane Railroad Sunday night
week ago. YVES brought to Richmond
yesterday ly Nrs@rs. ". o and Albert
h,.H "l.i detectives. and taken 70 the
ofioes 40 SIR T. +. Scherer. IN the Ches-
tre4re ana Ohio building where the prfs-
oner acknowledged his guilt before am
Martin Was completely broken down
Hf adm .tftd everything. and ATTEMPTED
tp conc. ai Un-e " tEc farfs connected
"ith t'e roll-u1. BE declared that be
Nsr ..nNe when. Tn d. nt ~ desperation
ifs-1nf nr fr many worries of a. aran-
cial natrre and by hls addiction % drink.
fe robbed tte train. and his statement
tuif fsrrnrafel f.ari-4 Ppvglrv who
WAS suspected hy the Baldwin people of
p vine hnd hand Sra the an.lr
Martin was arrested in Huntington. W.
Va. hT Ciisf cf Police Dawson a few
nights arp while he was ia tie Ore~a
liols" With h.s vife. ffe is well connected
IN FHnfngf0r. lis home city and as p
fa1 "a Ennl record except for tho drink
habit. not the faintert breath ~ suspicion
would have ever been brought against
MN had he not made an undue display of
Jus money We ieft Huntington three
weeks ago without funds: Do returned
~tth a larre roN 40 money. and the police
learned frat n's wife had gone ou- 20
change tv.o tueuty-doila- notes Finding
that he also ra~i valuable diamond ring
in hls possession Chie~ Dawson arrested
tho young man On rurplclon. and it ryas
tnen thar all the facts IN the case came
out
According % hls own statements Mar
rn had been ha-assed ard troubled by
work over fhe robbery and the stfu small
voice sd given him no peace from it's
reproac'"s for the deed He was GLAD
when put under arrest. and drtprrn ming
90 take his Punishment Ike man. made
fnii co1fession ~ his guilt His only
thought was FOR his pfr4 lie remembered
her being iu dire straits and 8. seemed
completely 70 break his heart
Well-dressed. OF a good appearance. OF
quiet and uno6trusive deueanor. the
young man. who had strayed Tar from
tra paths ~ honesty. formed a most
piuatla sight as he told his story. II
Yves an Ohjerf-lesson FOR all HIS down
tail was ascrbed 90 the liquor habit. Ac-
cordins 60 bis story he drunk az
the time De held up and robbed the Pull
man passengers. The idea was not afore-
thought and was not planned. he acted
simply on the spur of the moment when
before lis eyes flashed the picture OF
himself reduced 20 the last extremity of
poverty through his own fl-doinE. and
o. bis young wife. who was 10 suffer for
the temptation suddenly arose IN him 20
rob the passengers OF tho train on which
he was riding. that from theI- plenty he
might get enough 70 help himself and
his wife.
The Confession.
The confession of Martin signed and
sworn 10 by himself. follows.
City of Huntington. once of II. W.
Bloss. City Clerk. Huntington ".
This statement made this. the I'm
cay of January. 1901 BY name is
Percy Martin. NY age is twenty
three. Occupation. former news agent
on Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad.
Was discharged at Huntington, W.
Va, for drunkenness about three
weeks ago. Went 10 Washington.
j.. C.. and from there 70 Richmond.
Va. Stayed IN Richmond two nights
and one day. Stopped at Davis Hotel.
On Sunday night. December Both.
took passenger train on Seaboard
Railway az Union Station. having pur-
chased ticket 20 Norlina, and expect
td to 20 90 Hamlet and get work
vas out of money and only had
enough money u take me to Noriina.
got desperate on train and started
20 kin myself and then decided 70 rob
passengers IN Pullman car
At some point about twenty
miles from Noriina / got up and went,
back into the Pullman. captured the
negro porter and made him lock the
door of Pullman. and made him walk
in front OF me, and told him to see
what the passengers had. made
one man on lefthand side OF car give
me his money. and got sl3s. / saw
his diamond ring and got that too
I got nothing else. but went to an
other berth on the same side and the
last one I'm the car 7 started to go
IN another berth, and the man I rob
bed told ma not 70 go in berth. as
there was only little boy in there
The porter ran back into the rear
oar. and I suppose notified the con-
oHctor. who came in. ! threw my
gun in his face. and made him 90
pack into the other car followed
on and went out on the platform.
ana found the conductor in the other
car at the door. I thought he had
scare him.
] jumped off tho train and went two
or three miles aSntil / came TO the
6outhern Railroad. and then walked TO
buhmervllle, and there saw a negro
pumpman and gave him my pistol to
let me dry my clothes I got out of
these at =. NJ and went 10 Norfolk
stayed there until 7 left Ts,esdsv o,-oy
the Nouolk ana Western to lynch
burg. and took the Chesapeake and
Ohio and came 10 Huntington
only had about SEQ when I Vof bcre
and turned over about so TO nv wife
and told her I had won the money.
was arrested Thursday night. jan
uary 3D. by tho chief OF police in
The Opera House. 2 made a fuu cor'-
Iession 10 the chief Of police. Mr..
Dawson. which was the same as this
and made Of my own free will ana ac-