Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1913-09-10
A "FRAAIE-UP" FOR ROBBERY.
Express Messenger and Engineer
Held in Charleston

Shii ltSlpI' CtDI' D. w lIlldUl ID.
Street, Of Rcevesville, and Bruce
Coleman, express messenger, were ar
rested this afternoon and lodged at
the police station charged with the
| recent robbery of the express car Of
! the Southern railway. CHIEF Cant
! well said tonight that Street had
| confessed that there was frame
up between him and Coleman to rob
! the car. street says he boarded the
car at SummCrvillo and left the train
at Magnolia Crossing with Coleman
a willing victim to imprisonment in
! the chest. in which he was found by
! the train officials upon arrival at
/ Charleston.
Street was brought to Charleston
/ by Detectives Hogan and PCtreno-
! vich. having been arrested on a war
! rant sworn out at RCcvcsVille. Street
was taken into custody at Reeves
willie to-day. Coleman refuses 10 ad-
nit any participation in the pI0,.
| Detective IlanlCy, Of the southern
/ railway, and the officials Of the cv-
press company cO-Opcratod with the
! charleston police department in
| making the arrest.
w. Il. Streets Statement.
Following is the substance Of the
statement made by w. b. Street. a
i former member Of the Engineers and
/ Firemen'S organizations:
! Il rode with this boy (Coinman)
/ back and forth on the trains several
| times. lie said to me one day. going
| to BranChville, when ! was on the
car with him, that he had n payroll
! amounting to very near $4,000, and
| he stated to me if we had this we
would be fixed. The remark | made
was, No, when you get anything, get
a hundred thousand and he unload
ed the money at proper destination.
| once or twice since | have been on
the car with him, and | asked him
! how everything was. He said, Moth
ing dong!' He mentioned to me
about government payroll coming
down once month. and he said he
could strike that some time and fix
everything his way.
ON this occasion, the night Of the
robbery, | came to his car door at
Summerville. He says, Come in and
ride with me-. | had already drank
about half-pnt Of liquor and had a
half-pint more in my hip pocket.
started to go in the side door. He
says, Come to the end; | will have
1t open meaning the end Of the ex-
press car next to the mail car. and
just after leaving the public street
crossing at Summerville, the door
opened and l went in.
Fastened in tho Box.
when the train had passed by
Ladson, he said, Bill, | haven't got
much, but we can use this and take
chance at more some other time
He opened the safe and then he
closed 1T again. Every door in the
car was open. He got up and we
closed the four side doors. He went
back and unlocked the safe, leaving
the keys in it; took out a package
OF money in envelopes, five or six; I
did not count them. He asked me If
/ had knife; | told him yes. He
used 1t. He would cut open one and
| would cut open one. We came to
an envelope with nothing in it but
checks. am not certain, but think
IL was all checks. He threw the
checks and envelopes behind the
trunk. The bulk Of the money was
IN one and two-dollar bills. He said,
1t Is no use to count the money. I
will count the envelopes | only got
about four hundred or four hundred
and fifty dollars. l says, You fool
me into this thing for tbs small
amount?' He then says, You take
this and take care Of it--don't come
around me for four or five days
have not. We rode on together. The
train stopped at eight miles. They
threw the switch and pulled in. |
told him to let me get out and catch
the special. He said, No; they
would want to know why | got off ii
to catch train behind it, rode
on then to seven miles. They stop
ned there mack hot -
express car. He says to me, Look
out and see what they are doing. He
was standing at the door. looked
out on the right-hand side and saw
somebody standing near the engine.
on inc Coast Line crossing. | walk
ed back in, shut the door and bolted
1t. Then he said to me, leaving
seven miles: Where are you going to
get off at?' | said, L can get off at
Magnolia Crossing.' He says. All
right; don't put me in the box until
they reach Magnolia. When the en-
gine blOwed four whistles for the
! board, he says, What do you say
now. and he opened the box and
crawled in and told me to put one
hook on the lid. | know | fastened
one hoOk-thc one on the end next
TO the mail car. got off when they
we're crossing Magnolia Crossing. |
haven't seen Mr.. Coleman since. The
last thing he said was, There will
be another time coming, when we
will get home. but you take this and
take care of it, | came on to the
house and borrowed SAT from my
boarding mistress, because / knew if
| blew lot OF money | would be sus-
, pected Of something. I played cards
about two and half or three hours,
| guess, and had some supper at a
! restaurant. Next morning | got a
] grin OF Whiskey. about % pints. and