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THE HUSTLER. OF ROME
SEARCY’S STORY.
He Confesses to the Train robbery
and With Officers
SHOWS HIDDEN POHUCH
Containing the Booty Taken
From the Express Compa- I
ny. Morganfield of Cin
cinnati has Been
Identified.
Calverton, Va., October 28"—
Before being brought to Freder
icksburg, Charles J. Searcy, the
Acquia Creek train robber, made
a confession which was taken down
put into typewriting and is now in
the hands of the proper authori
ties.
There were but two men con*
cerned in the robbery, Morganfield
and Searcy. They had known each
other before and had talked of a
scheme of that sort, but Searcy for
some time refused to go into it.
They finally met in Washingion
and there agreed to rob a train,
but fixed on no particular one.
From Washington they came down
to Fredericksburg, hanging about
there for two or three days, stay
ing in the woods most of the time,
but coming into Fredericksburg
several times.
Ou the afternoon of the day of
the robbery they walked over to
Brooks station from Fredericks
burg and there waited for the
northbound train. They got on the
train at Brooks in the darkness,
behind the tender, having been
hidden near the pickle factory un
der a box car.
When the train stopped—they
had no particular reason for select
ing Acquia Creek as the spot for
the robbery —Morganfield blew
open the car door with dynamite,
using a half stick with fuse and
cap in the end.
Morganfield also entered the
car, while Searcy stood outside
S. M. STARK.
I desire to inform my
Friends and Patrons
and the Public gen er
ly, that my elegant line
of n a w Fall and Winter
WOOLENS
%
Has been received, and
are now open for in
spection, And I willfur
ther state that I am
now better prepared
than ever to turn out
FIRST CLASS WORK
AND
FIRST CLASS GOODS,
At prices never before
heard of in Rome,
S. M. STARK,
IHGWT TM
16 ARMSTRONG HOTEL
ROME GEORGIA. WEDNESDAY EVENING OCTOBER. 24 1894.
and terrorized the train crew and
passengers. After the robbery they
got off the engine and struck
northwest over the country, going
to Calverton station, in Faquier
county, and then to Midland and
Balaton and on by the Faquier
White Sulpher Springs, following
the telephone - line to Front Royal.
Near Calverton they hid in the
woods some of the goods they had
got from the express car. After
being brought here Searcy agreed
to go and show where these things,
consisting mostly of bonds and
bank drafts, were hidden.
On Monday he was taken in a
team from Fredericksburg, with
Robert Pinkerton, of New York,
SergeautC. W. Edington, of Fred
ericksburg, and Mr. W, Seymora
White, commonwealth’! attorney
for Stafford county, over the route
traveled by him in trying to es
cape, to endeavor to locate the
spot where the bonds should be
hidden. Monday night the party
spent with ex-Sheriff Hugh Adie,
of Stafford. After breakfast with
Mr. Adie the party set out to find
the place where Morganfield and
Searcy had hidden the money and
the express pouch, containing the
bonds and drafts. Up through the
Stafford roads they went, by Staf
ford’s store, on to
and to Calverton, Searcy trying to
remember the road he aud his pal
traveled aud the place he left the
road.
From Calverton the party drove
to Catletts and there back on the
road to Staffords store. About
three miles from Catletts, Searcy
identified the place where they
left the road and took the woods.
Driving into a field the horses
were tied behind a hay stack and
the search for the bag began.
The shades of evening were fall
ing aud Searcy handcuffed to
Pinkerton, with Edington, ex-sher
iff Adie and Commonwealth At
torney white, spread out through
the pines.
Searcy had described the spot
exactly, but an hour’s search failed
to find it. It was getting quite
dark when Mr. Adie called out
that he had found the spot, and
all parties hastened to where, un
der the roots of a blown-down tree,
just as Searcy had described, the
bag was taken out. Its contents
were not examined.
The party drove at once back to
Calverton, where the bag was seal
ed and shipped to the Adams Ex
press Company at Washington.
The parly will spend the night
here and drive back to Fredericks
burg in the morning.
MORGANFIELD IDENTIFIED.
Cincinnati!,Oct., 23. —Tais as
teruoon Depot Watchman Wright
positively identified C. A. Morgan
field as the man whom he saw with
Searcy in Cumberland, Md.,Mes
senger Murray wanted first to hear
the “man’s voice, as he said he
would never forget that voice.
While Murry remained out in the
hall other# got Morganfield to talk
tug.
Murray insisted there was no
doubt about it being the voice that
□ eld him up, He afterwards fully
identified the prisoner.
The sheriff of Stafford county,
Virginia, will be here tomorrow ,
Morganfield’s broken leg will com
pel the authorities to carry him to
Virginia on a stretcher. The pris
oner is very unwilling to go.
The coat recovered from Shields,
the one legged man arrested st
Vliddletown, was identified by
Murray as the one worn by M «r
--ganfield at the time of the robbery.
Shields had sold the vest and ove.-
*1 Is, but they have been secured for
the trial in Virginia. The visitors
think Searcy has told Pinkerton
everything and that he will soon
have the plans of the gang. Agent
Alexander, of Charlottesville, V a.,
ind general officers of the Adams
Express Company accompanied
Wright and Maurray.
ON TRIAL
Capt. A. W. Ballew in the Federal
Court
HE AND HIS SON
Mr. Hurley Ballew Make State
ments About the SIBOO
Pension Money they
had from Lucy Burn
well.
The testimony in the trial of A •
W. Ballew, charged with defraud
ing Lucy Burrell, an old negro
woman living at Rome, Ga., of
half the pension money collected
for her from the United States
government, was concluded before
Jndge Newman, in the federal
court, yesterday morning.
In addition to the old negro wo
man and her daughter, who testi
fied as to their understanding with
the pension agent and the actual
sum of money received from him,
several other important witnesses
were introduced.
It was shown by the Govern
ment that the total amount of the
pension, as covered by the check
mailed to Lucy Burrell, was $3,-
774.34. That, after it was placed
in the Merchants’ National Bank,
of Rome, to the credit of Lucy
Burrell, a check for $74, payable
to A. W. Ballew, and a check for
$1,877, payable to Hurley Ballew,
were drawn and cashed.
Evidence was introduced by the
government to show that the latter
check was obtained by fraud and
on a willful misrepresentation.
This much having been shown by
the prosecution, the government
rested.
COLONEL GLENN’S MOTION.
At this point the jury was given
a recess of five minutes and Col.
W. C. Glenn, the leading attorney
for the defense, offered to the court
an important motion in behalf o x
his client.
He made the point that the col
lection of the pension money and
its subsequent deposit in the Mer
chant’s National bank completed
the relationship-existing between
the pensioner and the government,
and that the subsequent dealing
of ;the attorney with his client
formed a separate transaction. Th*
government, therefore, had no
right to interfere in the prosecu
tion of the case, which was pr< p
crly within the jurisdiction ot the
state courts.
Newman he dol whever,
that both of these belonged to the
siime irausaction and that under
the proper construction of the
statute he would hare to allow the
case to proceed.
Still another motion was made
by the attorney to the effect that
the defendant was not guilty of
the technical charge specified in
the second count of the bill. The
court decided to allow the case to
proceed before passing upon this
motion finally.
At the close of this legal discus
sion the jury was ushered into the
courtroom.
TO PROVE IIIS REPUTATION
The introduction of testimony
for the defense then began.
THREE
Cip a n John H. Reese was the
first witness introduced to sustain
the chaacter of the defendant for
honesty.
He ustified that he was a practic
ing attorney in Rome and was a
member of the legislature. He had
known Ballew for several years and
nis rej u ation iu the comunity was
that of an honest man. He hud per
t o tai dealings with him and was in n
position to form an estiuatfof his in
tegrity.
Ou the cross-examination he stated
that he had never heard of the de
fendant’s being oonneoted with any
swindling case until the present
difficulty.
Sheriff Jake Moore was the next
witness. He had been the sheriff’ of
Floyd county for sixteen years and
had known Ballew for eight or ten
years. His character was good and
he never knew him to be connect
ed with pension steals. The cross
examination brought out no ma
t ‘rial evidence for the prosecution.
Captaid Dave Wylie testified
that he had known the defendant
for twenty yetus, Hh was at p ■ s
ent a joint owner with him of prop
erty in Gordon county. He believ
ed him to be an honest man and
would not hesitate to trust his
word.
J, B. Chamlee, a saloon keeper
of Rome, Ga., was next introduc
ed, Chamlee was one of the wit
nesses to Lucy Burrell's signature
or mark on the back of the origi
nal pension cheek, and also filed
out the body of the check, payable
to Hurley Ballew, for $1,887.
He testified that his saloou was
on the opposite side of the street
from Ballew’s office. He had an
other saloon in a different part ot
the city A brother of Hurley Bal
lew was in his employ aud still an
other bro her was in the postoffice.
In the convers tion that he wit
nessed in regard to the SI,BOO
check there was nothing stated i •
regard to its being a check for $25
He thought from what he gathered
thiitit wa- for the pjrcha eof a
house and 101.
Ou the cross examination the
witness was asked by Col. Rucker
if he was not anxious to keep the
government off the Ballews He
answered no. He was then asked
if he did not write a letter to Coi -
gressmau Maddox asking him to
use his influence to have the mat
ter dropped by the gevernment. He
was not able to recollect. The let
ter was then produced by the gov
einmeut’s counsel and recognized
by the witness,
HURLEY BALLEW ON THE STAND.
Hurley Ballew, the defendant’s
son, who is also indicted, was the
next witness for the defense exam
ined by Colonel Glenn.
He testified that he was now in
the employ of the Southern Ex
press Company, but at the time of
the transaction named in the bill
he was living in Rome and operat
ed a drugstore. He dealt in paints
and oils and also cair ed a small
stock of groceries. He first made
the acquaintance of Lucy Burrell
in his father’s office.
His father had said to her that
if he took the case and undertook
to get her pension sho would have
to employ some one to get up the
testimony.
Hurley Ballew.the witness,agrseo
to do this for ner. There was np
agreement as to compensation. H
weut to work and when the pension
money was drawn she gave him »
check for half the amount that was
comiug to h*>r, viz., for $1,887
This check was written out by his
friend Chamlee. Examined as to
how he aud his father happen* d to
come into possession of the origi
nal check from the pension depart
ment he testified that Charley Bui
rell had turned over the key to the
postofficebox to him several days
in advance.
The only mail that came was the
letter enclosing pension check. He
sent Charley with his own mule
to notify his mother and the next
morning they all went to the
bank, where the check was cashed
and the money redenosited. |
On the
nel Rucker inquire:! with a sharp
accentuation, as to how much work
the witness had performed by
which he was entitled to such a
handsome gift as 1,800.
He stated that he had made sev
eral trips into the country and
found quite a number of difficulties
in the way. The examination was
lather critical along this line and
the witness was finally asked if
three trips into the country was
Continued on Britauica page.
IO CENTS AWEEK
HASBEEyOLD
The Rome Railroad Passes init>
new Hands Nov. Itfc
THE N.C. & STI. BUYS IL
The Rumor was Deniectby the:
Rome Railroad Officials, butl
is Confirmed by Pcesi
dent Thomas of the
N. C. & St. L.
The rumor published* in thm.]**
per as to the sale of the Rome-
Railroad, could not be confirmed!
here yesterday afternoon.
But itjias come out that
road has been sold and that! the
Nashville, Chattanooga and St.
Louis the purchased. They will as
sume control November Ist.
President Thomas, of the N. C.
& St. L., says that they- have
bought the road and that the work
of improvident will commence at.
once. New ties and rails wiH be
put down.
The Rome Railroad is a. short
line running from Rome to King
ston and there connecting with the
W. dr A. It is, however, a valuable
piece of property and has always*
paid handsome dividends to* the
stockholders.
The Nashville and Chattanooga
road controlesthe W. &A. and it
is supposed that they bought the'
Rome road to compete witLr the
Southern for the Rome traffic.
They will be a strong competitor
of the Southern now. and. tilings
will liven up.
The old Rome express will
put on Sunday and will run.
through to Atlanta and back dai -
ly.
The Little Gr e n
Market No. 427 Broad
St. Everything Clean
and nice. The best
Sausage in the city. We
will gaurantee every
pound 1 6 oz. Police At
tention all orders Tiled
promptly Give us a trial
McEntire & Schlap—
back.
JUST RECEIVER
One of the most com
plete assortments o.
TO.'LET SOAPS
AND
TOILET ARTICLES.
%
Ever brought to the
city. See our line of
fine
IMPORTED TOOTH
BRUSHES
They have no superior
on this or any other
market
J.
SOLE AGENT
CANDIES
J. T CROUCH & CO.
Medical Buildings