The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1916-09-12
ALLEGED TRAIN
BANDITS TRIAL
JEFF HARRISON REMOVED FROM
PaRkERSBURG TO MAX ms
BURG COURT VEST EROHT
Said to Be Leader In Boldest and Big
gest Robbery Ever Pulled OF
In This State.

This morning at o'clock. Jeff Har-
rison. alleged leader of the bold Cen
trial Station train bandits, will be ar
:: raigncd for trial before Judge A. U;
Dayton at a special term Of federal
court in Martinsburg. Harrison was
removed from the ParkCrsburg JAIL
where he had been confined tor the
past eight months, handcuHed, snack
! led and under Il heavy guard.
Eugene Diez. who was arrested at
| Grand Rapids, Mich, three monlns
ago. and who is believed to have had
hand in the robbery. will likely ne
| tried Jointly with Harrison. He was
taken directly 10 Martinsburg jail 1ol'
; lowing his arrest.
United States Assistant District Al
! torncy ]. J. p. O'Brien OF this city,
! left yesterday for Martinsburg TO as
| sist District Attorney Stuart W. walk,
err in prosecuting Harrison. dick
Harrison, the younger half brother OF
! Jeff, who has been confined in the ONO
! Valley General hospital for the past
several months. with I'll lncuraoIe dis
/ ease. and who is believed TO nave par
/ ticipated in the bold robbery, Will not
! be taken 10 Martinsburg. as was eX'
pccted. to testify against his brother.
| IL Is IepOl lHu llldI IL JNll 11dl iloO'i ~
convicted that Dick will be tried later.
1t is also reported that it may be
brought out at the hearing Of Harrl-
son that there were men in high offt-
ca position ir the treasury depart
mcnt a. Washington that he will de-
vulge theI names
The robbeIy was the boldest and
I biggest eve. pulled off this side OF the
wild and woolly west and despite the
/ fact that a large number of the best
civil service detectives have been
working for eleven months on the
case, they have failed TO run down all
the three men who participated in the
actual hod-up. II has never been posi-
lively known the exact amount OF the
haul but it is believed that 1t was over
one hundred thousand dollars m un'
signed government bank notes, "hlcn
were being shipped from the treasury
department at Washington 10 tnree
banks in the middle west.
The holdup occurred last OCTOBER
on the Baltimore and Ohio road, when
| a west.bound express train stopped al
! Central Station. Doddridgc county, TO
! take water about o'clock in the
morning. Two men entered the mail
car and with drawn revolvers ordered
the clerks to throw up their hands:
They grabbed up several pouches of
registered mail and made their get.
away. About three months later Jeil
: Harrison. a blacksmith in San Antonio
Texas, was arrested. 1t is alleged
g.. O0O of the unsigned notes were
found hidden under the floor OF the
auto garage and blacksmith shop he
was conducting. Dick Harrison, his
half.brother, was later arrested.
| Both of the Harrisons were brought
TO this city and JEFF Harrison was ar
raigned before Judge a. G. Dayton at
| the regular term Of court last May
and the case was transferred to Mar
| tinsburg.
Attorney r. E. Bills Of Parkershure
and Texas lawyer, who appeared fer
Harrison when he was arraigned be-
fore the court here. will defend him ut
! Martinsburg. The case has attracted
national attention and it was hoped
! by thousands in this community that
! the trial would be held in this city.