The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-03-05
.O'CONNELL IS HELD AS BARTON'S PAL
  Thousands of Postage Stamps Found In Room PRISONER WlLL NOT TALK
  Admits He Came to Town With Barton and Officers Believe He Helped Rob the Postoffice at
 cuthbert Ga.
PRISONER WILL NOT TALK

One of the prettlest pieces of detective work which has developed in the local police department in some time was ter minated yesterday afternoon when Detec- lives Disheroon and Cole effected the ar rest of James O'Connell. supposed to have been the pal in crime of George Barton, and secured from his room over TOGO Uni ted States postage stamps, valued at over $50. OConnell was arrested in room No. 1S of the Washington hotel, on the corner of First avenue and Seventeenth street.
 Although at present no charges stand against O'Connel as far as the local police know, it is believed that he is postoffice robber. and he will be held for the United States inspectors.
 The apprehension of O'Connell yester- day was the wind-up of case upon which Detectives Dsheroon and Cole have been working for some time. The movements of the man and his supposed partner Barton, have been watched as closely as possible for two weeks or more. The two men, 1t is said, have been operating at various points in Georgia, Florida, Louis- jana. Alabama and Mississippi, and the officers had been laying for them all the while.
 Several nights ago. after the postoffice at Cuthbert Ga. had been rfied on the preceding night, the two detectives struck a live trail and had Barton and O'Connell definitely spotted. They went out to ar rest the two alleged yeggmen, and while they were laying for the safe-blowers Po- lice Officers Burge, Davidson, McLaugh- lin and Henderson got in behind them and captured both.
 But O'Connell was smooth enough to get away. After he had been captured he was placed in custody of Officer Me Laughlin and the other officers went after Barton. While they were gone, however, O'Connell seems to have duped Officer Mclaughlin into the belief that he was not the man wanted and sthe policeman released him.
 Officers Burge and Davidson succeeded in landing Barton, and when they re- turned to Officer Mclaughlin they were surprised to learn that OConnell had been released.
 This, however, did not dampen the splr- it's of Detectives Cole and Disheroon, who had worked up the case, and they again became as busy as bees in their efforts to locate O'Connell. Their efforts bore fruit and yesterday afternoon they succeeded in landing their man in ''unlucky' room No. 13 of the Washington hotel.
 After O'Connell had been placed in the city Jail under close surveillance thel'two detectives went back to his room and searched it thoroughly. Hid den away they found 7011 postage stamps. The denominations were as follows $500 2-cent stamps, 80 5-cent stamps, 100 Scent stamps and 31 To- cent stamps, the aggregate value be- ing $151.10.
 The two officers searched the room thoroughly in hope of finding tools with which Barton and O'ConneH are supposed to have been blowing safes in postoffices in nearly all of the gulf states However, their search was fruitless.
 O'Connell is very retioent Chief Bodeker had him brought up in his of flee yesterday afternoon after his cap- ture and tried to talk with him, but the prisoner would say nothing fur ther than he had come to Birmingham with Barton.
 Although the series number of the stamps now in the possession of the local police have not been identified as that of stolen postage, the local police are convinced that the plunder
  Is part of that stolen from the Cuth- bert, Ga, postoffice last week.
 On the night after the Cuthbert post office was robbed Barton and O'Connell put in their appearance In Bfrming- ham and it does not seem unreasonable to believe that they jumped into Bir- min gham after robbing the postoffice in Georgia. If possible the stamps will be identified within the next few days.
 VryI, orfn nyabr nf fnd several days ago the United States postal officials were immediately noti- fled and two inspectors came directly to Birmin gham. They identified Bar ton on sight and it was with some hesi- tation that Barton admitted his recog milton of them However, he greeted them. and talked with them, but the substance of the interview was not made public.
 Barton was placed in the city jail in one of the safest cells and was care fully guarded. Yesterday the inspeo- tors had federal warrant sworn out against him and he was removed to the county jail It is understood that Bar ton will be taken to North Carolina to stand trial for a postoff1ce robbery there.
 The government inspectors state that Barton is one of the most notorious cracksmen in the country. About IS months ago he was sent to the pen l itentiary in Georgia for postoff1ce | robbery committed in that state, be- | ing sentenced to IS years imprison- | ment. However. he sawed his way to | freedom and was finally landed in Bir | mingham.
 Little has been learned of OConnell. | However, the government inspectors | warned the police, after Barton's ap- | prehension, to lookout for the partner | of the prisoner. As far as the Bir- | police know there are no charges standing against OConnell. | However, the fact that he had in his | possession over s150 worth of stamps is sufficient to warrant his detention and the officers are awaiting develop |