Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1914-12-14
.FEITs TELLS OF ARREST
OF SCHERER's AssA|LANT
Had Strong CircumstantiaI Case Be-
fore Negro Confessed.
He Says.
REYNOLDS OF MEXICAN BLOOD
Showed Bitter Hatred Of Another
Negro Who Once Testified Against
Him--Was Terror Of Countryside
Near Low Moor.

T. l.. Felts. general manager of the
Baldwin -Felts Detective Agency, ar
rived In Richmond yesterday from
Clifton Forge. where he succeeded in
the negro who shot Luther L. Scherer,
general claim agent OF the Chesapeake
and Ohio Railway, about two weeks
ago. MIR. Felts was interviewed at his
hotel and related the incidents who,
led to the arrest. and subsequent con-
fession Of the negro ex-conyict.
according to the detective. Reynolds
has considerable Mexican blood In his
veins; and the characteristic hatred Of
enemies OF this race is one of his mos t
noticeable traits. Felts said that tn
man was the terror of the country In
the vicinity of Low Moor. and that
every negro In the section was afraid
OF him. According to the stories these
negroes told Mr.. Felts, Reynolds has
been in the habit OF holding them up.
taking pistols and other articles from
them whenever the idea happened to
strike him, and making himself gem
orally obnoxious. 1t is said that he
mas several times stopped negroes on
their way to church, and. with pointed
revolver. has forced them to dance by
olds Is alleged to have said that he
would get A. NJ Richardson for send :
Ing him to the penitentiary.
CIRCU3IsTANTTAL EVIDENCE
WAS VERY STRONG
Statements of this Kind, together
with strong chain Of circumstantiaI
evidence. are what caused his arrest.
nave never been confronted with
so strong a chain OF circumstantial
evidence az in this case" Mr., Felts re-
marked yesterday. 1--WE had sufficient
evidence in the tracks which he left in
the fields near the railroad to arrest
him and to try him for shooting Mr..
NIL n Nytt x,xx.
The tracks were plainly visible in the
marshy fields, and led in a direction
which made it certain that the per-
son making them was headed for Low
Moor
I'VE questioned negroes in the vicin-
lty and discovered two who had met
Reynolds that morning on his way
home, He had attempted to pass them
unnoticed, but when hailed asked Their
to forget seeing him. after ne had told
them that he had just crossed the path
OF half dozen detectives. Negroes
living in the same house with the man
were questioned. and they. too. said
that Reynolds had Instructed them to
make no mention of the fact that he
had been out on the night of the shoot
ing. We knew of Reynolds hatred
for Richardson and the many threats
made against his life; was positive
that the tracks in the fields had been
made by the guilty man; the county
sheriff had followed them almost to
REYNOLDS house; the negroes had seen
him that morning as he returned home
and had been instructed to make no
mention Of the fact. There was suf-
hcient evidence to arrest him, and we
did so.
TERM "THIRD DEGREE"
~ OFTEN SIIsCONsTRBED
Il am sorry that the statement has
been made that we put the man
through third degree. This phrase
ia often misconstrued. The third de-
gree is almost a thing of the past as
regards police and detective work, and
consists OF treatments like the water
cure. 'Sweatings are but seldom re-
sorted to now, either. In the present
instance. We had conclusive ease
against the man, and, after arre,ting
him, confronted him with the evidence
The chain was too strong. and Rey-
nolds soon realized it, He told us
exactly how he had acted. and gave
names and places. With this we left
him and investigated his story. which
was easily corroborated. We then re-
turned to him with a stenographer and
q justice of the peace. and had him
repeat the confession. which is now
matter of record.
Reynolds is a man who long bears
grudge against the man whom he
feels has wronged him, and it was this
which led him to attempt to shift the
blame for the shooting on another
negro. He told me that this man had
was sent to the penitentiary in 1904.
and for that reason he had attempted
to send him up in the present case.
Our evidence. however, showed that
IL would have been impossible for the
man named to have been guilty, and