Jim Cummings; Or, The Great Adams Express Robbery

Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Rose Koven, Charles Franks
and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
With a portrait of the notorious Jim Cummings and illustrations of scenes connected with the great robbery
By Frank Pinkerton
Vol. I, March 1887. The Pinkerton Detective Series, issued monthly, by subscription, $3.00 per annum.
Chicago
In the rear room of a small frame building, the front of which was occupied as a coal office, located on West Lake street, Chicago, three men were seated around a square pine table. The curtains of the window were not only drawn inside, but the heavy shutters were closed on the outside. A blanket was nailed over the only door of the room, and every thing and every action showed that great secrecy was a most important factor of the assembly.
The large argand burner of a student's lamp filled the small room with its white, strong light, The table was covered with railroad time-tables, maps, bits of paper, on which were written two names a great number of times, and pens of different makes and widths of point were scattered amidst the papers.
One man, a large, powerfully-built fellow, deep-chested, and long-limbed, was occupied in writing, again and again, the name of J.B. Barrett. He had covered sheet after sheet with the name, looking first at a letter before him, but was still far from satisfied. Damn a man who will make his 'J's' in such a heathenish way.
Try it again, Wittrock, said one of his companions.
Curse you, shouted the man called Wittrock. How often must I tell you not to call me that name. By God, I'll bore a hole through you yet, d'ye mind, now.
Oh, no harm been done, Cummings; no need of your flying in such a stew for nothing. We're all in the same box here, eh?