Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 103, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 April 1912 — ROBBED PULASKI COUNTY TREASURY 46 YEARS AGO. [ARTICLE]

ROBBED PULASKI COUNTY TREASURY 46 YEARS AGO.

Tramp Confesses to Burglarizing That Caused Several Innocent Men to Be Accused. Winamac Democrat The mystery of a robbery of the county treasurer’s safe, which occurred In Winamac forty-six years ago, seems to have been cleared up by the recent confession of a man known as Andrew McCay, who has just died at the county infirmary at Omaha, Neb. The robbery created a big sensation in these parts, and there were many bitter opinions as to who had been implicated in it. The old safe showed that the lock had been broken off with tools stolen from the railroad section bouse, after which a charge of black powder was used to blow the door ofT the safe. The robbers secured close to SB,OOO in money. Dye Perry was treasurer at the time. Some people believed that he had been, mixed in the burglary. Capt. John Farley, a former treasurer, was also accused of the crime, and was held in jail at Logansport for some time, but was acquitted when his trial was held. John Hedges, also a former treasure?, was accused, but likewise acquitted. Now comes the confession of McCay, who asserts that the Winamac job was one of nine robberies of county treasuries which he and a pal “pulled off” in this. section of the country about the same time. The treasury at Auburn was one of the others.

McCay said he was born in Ohio and grew up with a band of counterfeiters. After passing about SIO,OOO in bad money he gave up the business as too risky and became a craksman. He said the safes of that period were no stronger than a trunk and it was nothing for them to make a haul of several thousand dollars in a night. McCay became wealthy at his “profession” according to his story, then lost $200,000 on the Chicgo board Of trade, later bought a string of horses, and Anally wound up ixtlhe stale prison at Jeffersonville. Only a few of the older residents hereabgnt remember the details of the robbery, though many others recollect much talk about the affair- during the succeeding years. R. S. Rogers, then a boy, and N. R. Freeman were among the first to enter the old court house the mornig after the burglary, and Judge Burson, then prosecuting attorney, conducted the case against Farley, in which there was no evidence to convict. Farley died at Kokomo about a year ago. •> ':