Mexico weekly ledger., 1908-06-04
THE MYSTERY OF FREQUENT
RoBBERIEs OF BOX CARS ON
X. LINE In THE PAST EIGH-
TEEN MONTHS PRoBAB-
LY SOLVED IN HAN
EIBAL TUESDAY
Conductor Hassman and Brake
man Foster Arrested ON the
Charge -Fostor Makes a
confessIon-This Crew
Formerly on the
Burlington Out
OF This City

The Hannibal Journal OF Wednes
day says: For the PAST eighteer
months the officials Of the X. lin,
have been greatly annoyed by fire.
quent robbeiies OF box cars cuntaininl
merchandise while IN transit. Specia
efforts were made TO capture the guilty
parties, but without success until
yesterday, when, through the effort,
IL Ed. Pratt. special officer Of the
Burlington, George Hassman, q con
ductor, and one OF his brakemen, Ber
II. Foster, were placed under arrest.
For several days suspicion had point
ed to Hassman and Foster as being
guilty OF having committed some q
the numerous thefts Of the past few
months, and late Monday afternoon
Mr.. Pratt went to the home OF Foster,
3l5 Fifth street, South Side, where be
was met at the door by the brakeman's
wife. He told Mrs. Foster that be
had positive evidence that there were
stolen goods on the premises and that
he proposed TO make thorough search.
The woman at first denied all know
ledge Of the whereabouts Of the mer-
chandise, but the officer threatened
to lock her up II she did not tell
where the goods were. This had the
desired effect, and In a short time Mr..
Pratt was in possession OF two trunks,
two boxes and other packages CON
tanning merchandise OF every descrip--
tion, enough TO open up small re-
tail store. He took possession OF the
same and telephoned for an express
wagon and had the same removed
from the premises.
The next move of the office was to
meet Foster before he should reach
home or be apprised by bis wife Of
what had happened. Foster, 10 brake
man on train Of which Hassman was
conductor, was due to leave Burllng-
ton for Hannibal on an extra freight
which was expected to arrive ut Han
nibal at 300 o'clock yesterday morn
Ing. The train was late IN arriving,
and 1t was 400 O'Clock when
it pulled into the Hannibal yards.
Hassman was permitted TO 60 home
and after his departure from the rail-
road yards, Foster was arrested by
Mr.. Pratt, Deputy Sheriff Brady and
Thomas Cave, special officer for the
Burlington, located In Hannibal. The
prisoner was taken to the general Of
fees Of the railroad company, and
Deputy Sheriff Brady and Mr.. Gave
we're dispatched to the home OF Mr..
Hassman and he was likewise placed
under arrest and taken to the gem
sral offices, where they were subj jected |
10 q sweating" At first they denied |
my completely In the matter, but later |
broke down and made q written con- |
'ession 10 the presence OF Prosecuting |
Attorney Nelson, who has q copy OF |
ihe same, as have also the ofiicials Of |
ihe K line.
In his confession Foster admits
having broken into cars at various
points between Burlington and st. |
Louis, and also on the Mexico branch,
where this crew was formerly en-
,loyed. He implicated other parties,
Ind 1t is probable that other arrests
will follow. These peculations cover
period Of az least eighteen months,
md IL is impossible to estimate the
1alue of the merchandise that has
been stolen by Foster and bis COM
)anions.
After Hassman's arrest Officer Pratt
ecured a quantity OF stolen
from Hassman's 3 residence
md the same is now in bis possession.