Montgomery County Sentinel

A Maryland Robbery Plotted in Washington.—The trial of Wm. Cornell in Cumberland, Md., in April, 1877, for assault on Benjamin Fawcett and Edward Mulvaney, the treasurer and superintendent of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company, to which reference was recently made in the Star by a letter from Mr. Fawcett, is of interest in this city, in the light of recent developments. It was brought out during the trial at Cumberland in 1877, that Cornell, who lived in Georgetown, was a member of the same gang in this city, whose depredations are now being brought to light.

It seems that on the 18th of October, 1875, Mr. Fawcett and Mr. Mulvaney started from Cumberland in a buggy, and went down the canal, according to their monthly custom, to pay off the hands of the company. They had with them over $7,000 in cash. When they had reached a place called Mexico Farm, about seven miles from Cumberland, they were attacked by three men in black masks. These men jumped from behind some bushes as the buggy approached and emptied their pistols at the two gentlemen in the buggy. One ball went through Mr. Mulvaney's coat, and the horse starting off rapidly they escaped without injury. A man by the name of Basse was arrested for this assault and convicted; Barney McQuade was said to be another. Wm. Cornell was convicted of this assault and sentenced for seven years in the penitentiary.

On the trial C. C. Fearson, of this city, testified that in September (the assault being committed in October) Thomas Donohue, of this city, William Cornell and himself had a conversation about the matter and they asked witness to see McQuade about it. Cornell, however, went to see McQuade himself, and afterwards told witness that "they had seen McQuade and made arrangements for Donohue, Cornell, Tom Curran and myself to go up and capture the paymaster." Curran was the name Tom Basse was known by. The witness then recounts the journey to Cumberland and how they fixed a plan at Mexico Farm to wait for the paymaster. The witness left them and returned to Washington, and refused to join the gang in the affair because, as he said, "they had told Detective Miller that we had been up here" (Cumberland.)

The witness related a conversation with Cornell after his return from the attempted robbery. Cornell told him that the attempt failed because the pistol would not go off. He said that it was the pistol furnished by Donohue. Cornell told the witness that Donohue, just before he left for Cumberland, had given him $5, and after the attack he ran through the woods and struck the railroad and got a train for Washington.—Cornell told witness that when he got to Washington the first place he went to was Patsey Morgan's. He was with Donohue, and they went there for the purpose of "showing up" and letting others see that they were in Washington. On cross-examination the witness said that he helped to put this job up, but did not go into it because Detective Miller knew all about it.—The thing was given away to Miller by Donohue.—Washington Star.