Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-06-29
BURGLARY LEADS To
ARREST Of MISSING
\. c. POSTMASTER
Detectives Say L, T, Black
we'll Has Confessed to
Theft of $4,000 Worn-
an Companion Also Is Held

| NIl OSIiI HAiilOIl IlOO 10 lIOlN
An attempt by negro bellboy to
burg1arize q room in the Cecil hotel
Tuesday night led to the arrest of
Luther r. Blackwell, former post
master at Pinehill, N. c., charged
with embezzling $4,000 of govern.
ment funds. Blackwell has been
missing from Pinehill for about
three weeks and the police and post
office inspectors throughout the
south have been looking for him.
Acc ding to Detective e. M.
Cason, who questioned Blackwell a.
police headquarters Wednesday
morning, the former postmaster has
made a full confession, saying that
he took about $4,000 of posal funds
to finance his operations in the cot
ton futures market. First reports of
the affair had it that Blackwell was
wanted in Dothan, Ala, but it was
established Wednesday that Pine
hill, N. c., is the scene of his alleged
populations.
Blackwel1s detection and arrest
Tuesday night occurred under most
peculiar circumstances. He arrived
at the Cecil on Sunday, with a
woman, according to the hotel man
agement. They registered as ''Mr.
and Mrs. R. T. Walker, Spartan
burg, S. c." His companion, who
is alsosbeing held by the police on a
blank ef charge OF suspicio l, is a
rather attractive young woman,
with bobbed dark hair and dark
eyes. At police headquarters she
decla, l that che was fro, Column
bus, Ca, and th;-+ her. name is Mrs.
Nina Thompson. ...
Received $1,000 BY Wire
On Tuesday Blackwell received
$1,000 by telegraph from a New
York cotton brokerage firm.
Through well-known Atlanta bust
mss man, Blackwell was properly
identified at the Western Union Of
fees and received his $1,000 in cash,
mime 500 bills, four 81 0bills and
The balance in smaller currency.
j Not long after the money had been
! paid over to Blackwell, came an
other telegram from the New York
brokers warning the local authori-
ties that Blackwell was wanted for
shortage in his postoffice accounts.
Shortly after midnight Tuesday a
negro bellboy, Willis Rutherford,
was seen by r. C. Tuggle, house de.
tective at the Cecil, acting sus-
piciously in the corridor off which
opened the room occupied by Black.
we'll and the woman who had reg
istered as his wife. Unobserved,
however, the negro entered the room
where the young woman was sleep.
Ing The detective, watching in the
corridor, heard a scream and rush.
ell into the room just in time to
see the negro dash into the adioin-
ing bathroom.
The officer caught him and found
5000 in 800 bills in his hand, while
two SO bills were III his mouth. The
negro made no attempt to resist,
and the detective at once prepared
! to take him to police headquarters
About this time Blackwell came
in. The. house detective asked him
and the young woman to go down
to police headquarters as witnesses
| against the negro, but Blackwell OBJ
jected strenuously, offering Mr.. Tug
gle the 5000 to drop the case, accord
ing to the latter.
Atoms Puzzling
Puzzled at Blackwells attitude,
the officer insisted that the couple
accompany him to the police sta
ton. Lieutenant Scott, on. duty a.
police headquarters, recognized
Blackwell as answering the descrip-
ton of the former Pinehill, N. c.,
postmaster wanted for embezzIe.
ment and Immediately sent for De-
tective Cason, who had been work.
ing on the case since receipt of the
New York wire showing that Black
we'll was in Atlanta. The detective
quizzed the couple at length and
finally, he says, extracted from
Blackwell the admission that he was
short $4,000 in his postal accounts
oLo1