Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-22
SUSPECT
SU B JECT Of
j. 6. PROBE
Police Accept Story of Freeman
That Confession Was Hoax;
Turn to Nolan.

Va itu me sta tiBt or OF i = '' f-
man that his confession of me rob
bery Of the Nashville Chattanooga
ana 81 Louis passenger train iasi
week was only ii joke virtually ace
cepted by M police detectives
Thursday morning turned their atten-
tiou once more To- an Investigation OF
Jonu Nolan. the man MO was Arrest
I'd AT Bolton shortly after the rob
berry and is hello .n lhc Tower as a
suspect in the case. following the rn-
trl OF the United states Government
into the case
The Federal investigation j. being
conducted under the direction OF l.
J Bailey. chief of the Southern Diyl-
sion OF the Bureau of lnVestlgai ION,
and IS based on Ma. belief that Nolan
is in reality James Nolan wanted IN
Omaha for aiding "A prisoner 10 es-
cape from savannah jail, whrfe tAe
prisoner was held on an ilmdlHi
charge one Of Mn Bailey agents
spent several hours at police hea ~
quarters Thursday morning, securing
from Rertillon Expert Jeff Wright
photographs and measurements -
Nolan which viii he sent 10 Omaha
for me identification of the man.
Alr Baley's assent stated taat Nolan
fesembled greatly The pictures OF
James Nolan for whom they haze
been searching for more than year.
II Is charged that ne aided Err
Nolan a prisoner. to escape from a
Savannah jail. Later Nolan was re-
captured near Memphis, and IN"
Memphis United states Marsh''
started with him 10 Omaha. When
L.. tlga f.r4t a
Memphis the marsha was atiaeNel
by James Nolan and "A gang OF con
federateS. who tried 10 rescue me
prisoner The marsha beat them on,
but they escaped from the tram
Neither the county police nor jhe
CITY detectives have unearthed any
additional evidence tending TO connect
Nolan with the train robbery scores
OF his pictures and copies or ms be'
tillon measurements have been sem
out an over the United states, IN ne
hope Of learning something about his
mast record County policemen are
also working on clews in the neigh
borhood Of Winnings and Bolton, atd
city detectives are endeaNorlng 10 To-
cate some Of the mans pans VINO are
thought 30 be in Atlanta.
Mother Aids Freemans.
Mrs J. d Freeman, the mother OF
the Freeman BOYS has furnished thc
notice with a complete account OF
the whereabou of the two LADS on
The night OF the robbery of the \" {.
& st l. train. and declares that her
son RoWell :. could not nave com
mitted the crime despite the boy .
confession to Fred Ball, taMiCAp
chauffeur. which however he later
fepuTlated, dsciarng he was on'S
huasting
both Of my boys were at home
al night" said the mother They
couldn't have committed the crime
think Rowell - telling the truth
when he said he was only boastinS
that he had committed the robbery.
He is nothing but great big baby
and Is not responsible for what he
saws He Just thought il would be
big and manly to say he was des-
perate bandit. and he thought II
would make an impression on the
chauffeur,
Hearing Delayed for Father,
The preliminary h.aring of RoWell
and Eugene Freeman has been set .or
2:30 O'Clock Friday afternoon, q ne
request Of their mother who wished
the hearing delayed until their father
could reach Atlanta from PinehursJ
n G.. where he has been on business
In the meantime Officers Fortson and
Screen who arrestfi RoweN Freeman,
are searching for some Of the victims
of the train holdup. and VIII have
them look at Freeman TO see II theV
can identify him as the man who
robbed them
The police are also searching fpr
several men To whom RoWeU Free
man IS said 10 have told the same
+ story he told TO the chauffeur, Fred
4 &C.
be found that Freeman confessed TO
half a dozen men the truth Of his as-
sertion that the confession Was a Joke
would be definitely established aud
his claim of being the biggest brag-
CART in Atlanta sustained
Stolen Jewelry Recovered
The police stated Thursday morn
ing that much of t.e jewelry stolen
BY the two boys has been recovered
Two rings valued AT $50 each. which
Rowell Freeman sold To r ID Watson.
iof the firm of Blackwell x Watson,
Edgewood avenue and Pryor street.
for S35 and So 80. were recovered
THURSDAY and four pawn tickets
which were found on Eugene II. Row
ell are being investigated The thl, !
ring, which Rowell Freeman SAYS he
SOLD. has not been located The boy
said he sold il for $50 10 a man he
met In an AldDdtud street lONlIoOnl,
AMI that he does not remember the
mans name
Detectives who are working on he
case said Thursday that in his own
neighborhood Rowel, Freeman has the
reputation Of being a bragEart OF uu-
limited powers. Virtually every crime
he hears of. they say he boasts that
ne committed. and for several weeks
he had been telling weird story OF
being arrested in Macon and saving
his wa ont of Jail
Police Abandon Case.
With the establishment of AN all
mos certain albi for young Freeman.
added 20 his statement that his con
lesson was only joke police of
fcials Thursday morning state6 that
they have virtually abandoned I'VE
idea that the boy was connected N
any way witch the robbery III tha
train or the stealing of $1,000 from
W. =. Morgan. CedartoWu farmer
and have ceased all Investigations
started with view TO connecting the
boy with these Grimes
The two Freeman boys and their
confessed pal T. "A Whal,y how
ever viii be prosecuted for the theft
Of a large amount OF diamonds from
the Nollmer Jewelry Company which
the Freeman boys have admitted A
fourth boy. said 60 be George Mann.