Evening star., 1924-11-30
C0lLAPSES
WHEN SENTENCED
Ex-Postal inspector Given rs
Years for Part In Mail
Robbery.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
CHICAGO. November ss.-The pro-
moters OF the 100000 Rondout mail
robbery on q St. Paul train on June
IL collapsed under the. heavy hand
Of Justice In Federal District Court
today. William j. Fahy. who, for
II years had run down mail
robbers for the Department of JUS
tice, who built up a reputation as
but was found guilty last Monday
Of suggesting and conspiring to rob
the treasure train. was sentenced by
Judge Cltne to 2s years in Atlanta
penitentiary. James Murray. a West
Side ward politician, drew 3 similar
sentence.
The sentences were given curtly.
Judge Cliffe made no comment upon
Fahy's position or Murray's prom
inence In local politics. He merely
leaned across the desk and slowly
stated the prison terms.
'Gentlemen," he began, ION the
verdict of the jury in this case the
court does not have much leeway. IT
Is the sentence and judgment Of the
court that you, James Murray. be
confined in the Federal peuitentiary
for a term Of 25 years"
Fahy willis Under Blow.
Murray, who had been staring
glassy-eyed at the Judge, with a forced
grin on his face. stinened in his chair.
but did not lose his set smile. Fahy
collapsed. He knew he would re-
ceiVe at least as heavy q sentence as
Murray had been given. In reality.
the court imposed Ave 26-year SEN
tences, hve 1e-year terms and one
term for two years on each OF the
men, but he decreed the sentences
shall run concurrentiy.
The total time handed down by the
Judge was 1T years, but the concur
rent feature reduced the years to the
longest sentence. which was 25 years.
There were IL counts in the indict-
ment against each man and they re-
cefved punishment on every count.
Uncle Sam sustained his reputation
for severity against mail and express
robbers.
These men took no active part In the
robbery. They directed It and took
part in division Of the spoil. The four
Newton brothers and Brent Glassock.
who have confessed, and william
Holiday. who confessed but refused
to testify for the Government, will be
sentenced next week.
The Newton brothers, noted taxi
bandits, We're largely responsible for
recovery Of $1,000, 900 which the pros
ecution exhibited in court 1t is ad-
mitted that almost 100000 is still
missing. The Government Is trailing
this sum. Much of 1t was in munich
pal bonds which could not be nego-
tiated.
Cash Wa. About 100000.
There was more than a million dol
lars In Liberty bonds. A large part
OF these formed the court exhibit.
The cash was about 100000. There
was another 3100, 900 in bills that
were unsigned by bank officials to
whom they had been forwarded by
the Federal Reserve Bank. Only a
small amount of the good money was
recovered.
The unsigned bills were turned up
by Willie Newton in a vase in a
small Oklahoma town. The spoil was
dug UP beside highways in Texas
and In garage in Ottawa, Ill. More
than 100000 in bonds were destroyed
beside the Desplaines River. near Jo-
liet. as worthless from the bandits
view
Brent Glassock is the confessed
leader OF the active gang that held
up the train. He was arretsed in a
Sanitarium, which he thought was a
good place in which to cover up when
hunted. He is the man who shot
Willie Newton by mistake for train
man during the robbery. The arrest
of the men and the final running
down OF the brains" is strange
story.
Find Wounded Man.
Two men are given credit for the
unmasking Of the gang. One Is the
-
other Post Office Inspector Clarahan
of New York. O'Banion was arrested
few days after the robbery. He
heard that wounded man and three
men whom he suspected of the train
robbery were In the home of William
Macomb on the West Side. He in
formed the police. They raided the
Macomb apartment and found Willie
Newton shot. as they believed, fatal
ly. The brothers. Joseph and Willis,
were with him. All were arrested.
The police remained in the apart
ment for "a hours and then Murray
appeared. He was arrested. Macomb
explained that he was friend of
Murray and that he knew nothing
about the robbery. Murray had
brought the men to his apartment and
asked that they be given shelter. The
other Newtons and Holiday were run
ooWn on confessions. inspector Clara
han suspected Fahy when he learned
that Murray was an old friend of his.
The later was then working for the
Government on the case.
BY a system OF decoy letters and
telephone messages he decided Fahy
was a leader In the plot. Glasscock
was the only one of the robbers who
met Fahy before the robbery for the
purpose Of obtaining information
about the train and the amount of
money it was supposed to carry.
The arrest OF Fahy followed. but he
denounced 1t as "frame-up," due to
enemies he had made in the depart
ment.