The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-09

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 and climb over themselves.
 Could Not Locate Trail l However when the bloodhounds ar-
 rived they could not take up the trail
 along the fence, nor could they find it
 in the woods to the right of the track. | One of the officers found a small piece
 of blue cloth, evidently torn from a
 pair of overalls lying on the outside of the high fence. The statements of the
 mail clerks were to the effect that the two bandits were masked and wore blue
 overalls. They also said that from tho
 manner in which the bandits went about the job" they were probably country boys or inexperienced at that kind of
 work.
 By the time the bloodhounds arrived
 the track along the scene of the hold up had been passed and repassed by many workmen or the railroad and 1t was practically impossible for the dogs to get a trail. The workmen usually enter the yards through a small hole in the high fence to the right of the tracks and some of the officers thought it was possible that the two bandits had left the scene through the same hole A large number of men had come through this opening by the time the dogs were put to work.
 Dense Fog Handicapped Officers The dense fog made it harder for the officers to work, as at the time of the robbery and for the next two hours a person could scarcely see twenty feet in front of him. On this account the two men had plenty of time to make their getaway. It is believed that they might have had horse and buggy or
 an automobile in waiting for them on
 the pike road, a short distance to the right of the high fence
 The federal government will tako charge of the case from now on. It Is likely that secret service men will be
 called in at once. number of re- ports were current yesterday that the local officers were working on different clues, but none of them could be vert
 ued.
 Mail Clerks Interviewed Both Chamblin and Hoover, the mail
 clerks who were held up, passed through Birmingham last night on Louisville and | Nashville rain No 1, en route to Nash i vile. and were met at the Louisville and Nashville depot by several deputy sher- | ifs, city derectives and two secret ser wee men, detailed on the robbery case | yesterday morning at Chattanooga im- nediately following the receipt of the news in that city,
 | Tn a statement which Clerk Chamblin | made to d reporter in the presence of | Secret Service Detective A. J. Leamy. I he said: Both Hoover and myself were | at work at the table throwing mall into | the sacks when the train steamed up and started away from Blount Springs. Il was attracted by noise near tile
 door on the tank side of the car, .bu.
 when I turned, speaking to Hoover. we
 were both confronted by two masked
 men They appeared to be yoting and
 wore blue overalls. and black slouch hats. I Both had new blue steel revolvers. ''The tallest one spoke, while the other went up to Hoover, saying: Hold up your
 hands quick Then they backed us of | to the far end of the car where we take
 on the sacks and just behind the door. There the short one held us covered with | his gun. while the other picked up the 1 New Orleans and Montgomery registered | sack and dumped the contents out onto | the table. He picked out what he wanted
 and left the rest scattered on the table.
 After looking around bit. he came | ever and tied me with some rope which | he cut from the mail sacks and pushed | nc down. l knew that the Birmingham registered sack which he seemed 10 bt