The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-02-03
CLEVER GANG
 IS CAPTURED Box Car Thieves in City JaI. ALLEGED AFENcE" ARRESTED |T. I. Tfentham Said to Have Con- | fessed His Part. Boys srasess specially ss Rebsiss Cars Of ciEsrs sss rssaecs.
 Mahias One ssse
 Haul.

Through the suspicious of Night Sergeant Morrell and Police Captain Miles smith, assisted by the clever de- tectve work of ofiicers Payne and Awant gang ef young white poys' who, 1t ia claimed have been syste- matfcaliy robbing freight cars on the Atlantic Coat Line. were landed In po- lice barracks Tuesday night.
 But more than this, the fence" the man to whom # is alleged the boys delivered the stolen articles, was ar rested with the goods. and he, too, was brought to police headquarters. Lac ter he mader bond of fl,O0o to appear at ms hearing before Recorder Baber this afternoon at { o'clock.
 On January 2s last . through freight car of the Atlantic Coast Line Rail- road, was broken into and goods stolen The road checked up the bill of lading and found that cigars and crackers were the items missing. The valuation of the stolen property was appron- mately $500.
 Monday night if was reported to Pat roimen Meredith and Nichols that boys were sleeping in an empty house In Woolfolkss quarters. investigation was made and Jake Suffer, Harry Will Hams and Waiter Boyd, white were found after the door was broken down. The boys were brought to police head quarters and the customary search of the pockets discovered many pistol cartridges on the person of Boyd. i.
 The officers were told to go back and find where the revolver was hidden. They brought back the revolver and two boxes of crackers
 Police Captain Miles Smith heard of the matter and he, too, went to the house. There he found q broken crate Allied to q merchant of Troy. .Captain Smith remembered the burglary of a box car reported to him by the A. O. I. people, and immediately sprmised that the boys know something about the matter.
 Al headauartern the boys were brought before Captain smith and ac. cused of the robbery of the freight. Boyd confessed, outlining the plan of action of the gang.
 Boyd stated that one of the gang would so to Troy or ecme ether place down the road and the car would be entered. The boy would remain in the car until the Day Street crossing was reached, and would then throw out such packages as he deemed of value. The others of the gang would be near the crossing with wagon, and the stuff would be carried into town and sold. The boys confessed to the theft of three crates of cigars and the. crack CTS.
 s sFenees Arrested.
 Tne police were also told that the cigars had been disposed Of to T. T. Trentham, who Tunssa store on the corr ner Of McDonough and Pollard streets. A search wRrrant was Issued and de- 4ectives Payne and Avant confronted TranthAm. The man steadfastly de- nied hts guilt, and gave the police per- mission to search his premises. Un- der his counter were found four boxes of cigars said to be Identical with the ones lost from the car. and the police made their arrest
 Trentham was brought to police headquartecs where he ateadfastly de- nied his guilt. The three boys were then brought fin and they testifled that Trentham was the man to whom they had disposed their truck. stating that rrentham had paid them S2oO for the eigarA | Trentham then confessed the whole afratr, telling the police that the stun was not on his place. but that he would shOw one ofIicer where 1t might be found. His store room, rented in al- other portion of town was entered. and there were the three missing crates of cigars.
 Tfentham is well known to the po- lice. having appeared more than once at police Headquarters. Captain Smith stated that about eighteen months ago Trentham was accused of having re- seived stolen property and on his hear ing before the Recorder was bound over to the grand jury. The case was somehow lost. and the police, through Captain Smith, are compllmenting them- selves that Trentham now seems to be in the tolls with the goods on him. ?
 The t5,000 cigars, which the three crates contained, were last night held at police headquarters. They will be returned to the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad today. s5s