The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1916-08-11


ness affairs were closely related, Pat
being private detective and Jim a
thief. the result being that the two
men were well acquainted with each
other. There was, however, no rela-
tlonship between the two. Pat O'Neal,
the detective, was widoWer, and
lived with widowed sister who kept
a rooming house, and it was in this
house that Lumas and the Detroit OPP
erative both lived. O'Neal, the detec-
tive, did not know either of them per-
sonally, but he naturally knew some
thing about them. He learned from
his sister that Lumas was employed
by some express company, and that
the operative was connected with
some advertising concern in the east,
for this was the impression which the
man wished to give.
One night, while my Detroit agent
and Bert Lumas were seated at table
in Detroit beer garden, they were
approached by plainly dressed man
of medium size, about forty years OF
age, light-complexioned, sandy-haired
and clean-shaven. He was evidently
intimately acquainted with Lumas, for
he sat down at the table without pre-
liminaries, and they had several drinks
together, after which they drew their
chairs together and began to converse
in an undertone which was evidently
not meant to reach the ears of the OPP
erative Nevertheless the latter man.
aged to hear an important part OF the
conversation.
Il tell you everything will be all
right" the newcomer kept insisting to
Lumas.
Il haven't been treated right,
Lumas answered, and that is why |
have been drinking so much of late"
| You're drinking a great deal too
much" answered the sandy-haired
man. Now you keep quiet and later
on everything will be all right"
| That was as much of the converse
ton as the operative could fully catch.
After separating from Lumas he took
measures to locate the sandy-haired
man. He found that his name was
Denny Downer, and that he was
saloonkeeper on Griswold street, De-
troit.
While this conversation was taking
place Jim O'Neal, the thief, was seat
| ed at a nearby table with some of his
own friends. i He knew Lumas to be
| an express messenger, and knew that
| he lived at the house of Pat O'Neal's
| sister, and, hearing the same part of
| the conversation that the operative
had overheard, he concluded shrewdly
that possibly Lumas had been con-
cerned in the express car robbery.
When next he met his namesake, Pat
O'Neal, the private detective, he voiced
these suspicious to him, telling him
of the conversation that he had over
heard between Lumas and Denny
Downer, the latter of whom the de-
tective did not know
was keeping in close touch with
my assistants, in spite of a good deal
of other work, and received a prompt
report of the conversation, and, on the
following day second report from
the operative, informing me who the
this news, having known Denny Down
er as thief for many years. at once
came to the conclusion that he was
one of the men who had been impli-
Gated in the Rohan robbery My &C
quaintance with Downer had begun in
Pennsylvania, and l had been in the
criminal court in Pittsburgh on a GER
tain occasion when Downer was SEN
fenced to fve-year term for bur-
glary. l knew the mans criminal rec
ord, and the description fitted him as
perfectly as the name. l thereupon
decided to go to Indianapolis, taking
with me all the daily reports which
had received during the four months
from the two operatives-in all, some
two hundred and forty l notified Mr..
Brace of my intention and requested
him to accompany me to that point,
telling him that l expected important
developments to occur there. A return
telegram was received from Mr.
Brace, stating that the latter would
join me at Decatur, ILL.,, and go to In
dianapolis with me. We met at De-
catur and proceeded together to our
point of destination, where we Sc
cured adjoining rooms at the Spencer
house, just across the street from
the Union station.
1t was evening when we arrived,
and the train on which Lumas was
employed was due to arrive at Indian
apolis at two o'clock the next morn
ing. / instructed my operative in In
dianapolis to be on hand at the Union
station when Lumas' train arrived
and to bring him over to my room
at the hotel Immediately. l had had
one of my operatives meet Lumas at
his train on number of occasions be-
fore, and had had him taken to see
various persons for the purpose of
identifying them as the express car
robbers, but Lumas had always failed
to do so, adhering to his statement
that it was impossible for him to iden-
tify any person owing to the sudden
ness with which he had been at
tackled. l had never expected him to
identify any one, but as the man had
been instructed by the express COM
pany to go with me or any of my as
sistapts at any time that he was need
ed for making an Identification, there
was no likelihood that the operative
would have any trouble in inducing
him to come to the hotel.
l learned from the dispatcher that
Lumas' train would arrive on time,
and accordingly, as soon as had en-
gagged my room at the hotel, set
about making preparations for the re-
ception of my expected guest l set
out large table in the middle OF the