Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1911-04-12

tendant circumstances many crooks
have been put In limbo and the peo-
pie OF the State have been informed
as to the ways Of these plunderers
Of the night.
AS an instance Of McCarthy's be-
ing corroborated, he told Of the raid
upon Walhalla-"my happy home Is
the translation Of the German word.
Rabens had lived there. While he
was q locomotive engineer on the
Southern, Walhalla had been his
happy home. And 1t was there that
he planned with Mccarthy to blow
the safe Of the local bank.
AS a knowing conductor OH the
Charleston division Of the Southern
had foiled plans of the same gang
of yeggs because they attracted at
tention by travelling together. Rabens
and Mccarthy did not leave Charles
ton on the same train, but got to-
gether after arriving in Columbia,
and registered at the Columbia Inn,
and were assigned to the same room.
Inspection of the records at the hotel
three years later corroborated Nc
Carthy's testimony infinitely.
Planning the job.
From Columbia they proceeded to
Walhalla. The bank being the Job"
in view, Rabens took Mccarthy in
n introduced him to the cashier
Of the bank as manager Of the "the-
atre" conducted by Rabens in Char
lesion. Even the stern judge, Ernest
Gary, had to smile when noncha-
lantly Mccarthy testified that after
a quick inspection of the place he
told Rabens that there was not
enough none in the bank to take
the risk.
The Courtenay Manufacturing Co.,
of Newry, was next honored with the
attentions of the yeggs.. This was
selected for the job. Rabens was not
present during the operation. He
was but a fence, to locate a job and
to negotiate the spoil. The danger
Gus work was done by Mccarthy,
Johnson and John Fisher. The yeggs,
Fisher and Johnson and O'Day and
other cracksmen, celebrated and re-
nowned, are now behind the bars for
some Of their crimes.
The Money was Scorchcd.
In the appeal to the Supreme
Court the defense made a very skill
full argument, which, however, could
not get a new trial for Rabens. This
defense was that the robbery Of the
safe was distinct and substantive
from the turning over to Rabens
some weeks later of the stolen prop
erty. But McCarthy's testimony
showed that not only was the crime
planned with Rabens' knowledge, but
that the fence knew that the money
had been stolen. for some Of it had
been scorched.
McCarthy's testimony. three years
after the crime, was a marvel Of de-
tail. He told where the men got off
the train. where they bought pickles
for their lunch, where they got Octa-
gon soap, where they got the brace
and bit, where they hid the swag
after they had completed the job.
He described going back to get the
swag, and told Of the division Of the
spoils.
or the paper money secured, $50
had been scorched and the yeggs were
afraid to handle 1t. This money was
| Sn1I fn Rohonc ~ n l;coD,n
Judge Gary's Retort.
When Rabens was convicted In his
absence, a friend Of his told Judge
Gary that the Charleston man would
give $4,000 cash for the alternative
Of a cash fine. Judge Gary could not
prove that this was an attempt to
bride him, or he would have put
somebody to trouble for it, but he
declared meaningly: "You tell Ra-
bens that his money Is scorched."
The sealed sentence did not give the
alternative Of a fine, but sent Rabens
to the penitentiary.
Rabens conducted a grocery
store corner Of King and Line streets,
and about a block south on King
street had his Star theatre" which
was the hang-out for thugs, as testi-
fed by Mccarthy. This was during
the days Of the Charleston exposition.
The Corner "Grocery."
The grocery" was half a block
west Of the Southern passenger sta
ton, and on the car line to the expo
sition grounds, and many a thirsty