^' ^ ^ V I* k»'_V i \\^\^=^^^-^*:^i^^^^^^&S=i^';<.'<^'N"S»'^^^ ^ WMooR r %1S'0WH-6T0KY ^B^F-HIS-EVENTFUL-LIFE QJorncU IttiuetHttg SItbtarg Stifsta, New ^ark FROM THE BENNO LOEWY LIBRARY COLLECTED BY BENNO LOEWY 1854-1919 BEQUEATHED TO CORNELL UNIVERSITY Cornell University Library HV 6248.M82 Langdon W. Moore ,: 3 1924 024 867 461 IS 33 Cornell University Library The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/cletails/cu31924024867461 Langdon W. Moore. HIS OWN STORY OF HIS EVENTFUL LIFE. ^a^<>k^^ %f PUBLISHED BY LANGDON W. MOORE, BOSTON: ' UK IV 1 \{\M} Y , ' I I i.: U A .; V /\. 6 o S^«> ''Ail Copyrighted by LangtDOx W. Moose. 1892. All rights reserved. CONTENTS. Page. Chapteb I. Prom Farmer's Boy to Gambler. Face to Face with the Fact that a Man Will Stop at Nothing to Secure Money to Play against the Game 15 Chaptbk II. Experience with Counterfeiters. Arrest in Boston Leads to the Determination to Do Ko More Work until Obliged to Do It for the State 35 Chaptbe III. Campaign against Justice at Carmel. David Keene Taken from Jail, and the Prosecution Robbed of Its Evi- dence 51 Chaptbk IV. Counterfeit State Bank Notes. Deadly Showers of Them Reduce the Dividends of Many New England Banks . . 55 Chapteb Y. Robbery of the Concord Bank. Six Months' Patient Labor in Fitting Ten Locks Results in the Noonday Capture of Three Hundred and Ten Thousand Dollars 71 Chaptbk VI. Robbery of the Concord Bank. The Chase . . 88 Chapteb VII. Robbery of the Concord Bank. Arrest at Pauls- boro', N. J., and Restitution in New Tork of Two Hundred and Three Thousand Dollars 122 Chaptek VIII. On Staten Island. Midnight Expedition from Bergen Point, and First Experience in Safe Blowing . . . 155 Chapteb IX. ShotatinNew Rochelle. The " Outside Man " Fell Asleep at His Post, Imperilling the Lives of His Companions . 160 Chapteb X. Opening a Strong Box at Olean. Skill and Powder too Much for a Burglar-proof Lillie Safe 167 Chapteb XI. False Charges at Buffalo. Long and Expensive Legal Fight against Unscrupulous Prosecuting Officials . . 181 Chapteb XII. Treachery of Spence Pettis. Successful Fight against Justice at Armenia, N. Y 195 Chapteb XIII. In Maine and the Far East. Exciting Experiences in Norway and Other Towns. Treachery in the " Mob " . . 204 Chapteb XIV. Good Work for the Government. Recovery of the One-Thousand-Dollar Seven-Thirty Counterfeit Bond Plate Re- • suits in a Broken Pledge Hanging over the Treasury Depart- ment 216 Chapteb XV. Robbery in the Bowery. How Posner, a Dealer in All Kinds of Collateral, Came to Find His Safe Empty . . .229 Chaptbe XVI. Breaking Bolts in South Street. Narrow Escape from Being Caught in a Down-town New York Jewelry Store . 232 Chapteb XVII. A Very Clean Job. Benjamin Wood's Safe Was Opened, but His Carpet Was Not Soiled 237 CONTENTS. Page. Chapter XVIII. The National Hotel Safe. A Little Wax, a Lit- tle Nerve, Some Planning, and a Good Sum of Money . . . 240 Chaptbb XIX. Quick Work in Chatham Street. How a Bird Store Was Kobbed while the Attendants Were at Breakfast . . 244 Chapter XX. Great Bobbery of an Express Car. How, with the Assistance of a Coached Messenger, the Merchants' Union Express Company Was Bobbed of One Hundred and Sixty-five Thousand Dollars 247 Chaptbb XXI. The Bobbers Ply to Canada. A Bemarkable Eight against Pinkerton in Toronto 270 •Chaptee XXII. Playing a Winning Game. After the Release of the Prisoners, Pinkerton Acknowledges Defeat. My Agreement with the Express Company and Beturn to New York . . . 297 Chaptbb XXIII. What My Double Did for Me. Maine Officers Arrest Another Man for Me and Are Obliged to Leave Town to Escape Arrest. Settlement of the Norway Matter . . . 334 Chaptbb XXIV. Close Call for the Gallatin National Bank. A Private Detective Places Some Friends Dangerously near to Wall Street Securities 338 Chaptbb XXV. Some Prospects and a Tomcat. How a Domes- tic Animal Unknown to Fame Saved Berkshire County People Two Hundred and Sixty Thousand Dollars ... . 344 Chaptee XXVI. Too Many " Crooks " Spoil the Broth. Burglar , "Mobs" Wrangling in New York over the Wolf boro', N. H., Bank, while Another Slips in and Bobs It 351 Chaptee XXVII. Arrests at Eockland, Me. An Extra Hazard- ous Bank Job and the Treachery of an ex-City Marshal Land a Large Party in Prison 356 Chapter XXVIII. Life in the Maine State Prison. A Warden's Spite Prevents My Seeing or Sending Messages to My Wife for Three Long Years 376 Chapter XXIX. Forcing Eeforms on the Warden. The Gov- ernor's Council Acts upon Some Suggestions of a Prisoner . . ,401 Chapter XXX. An Exchange of Baggage Checks. How a Jew- elry Firm Happened to Lose a Valuable Trunk between Worcester and New York 408 Chaptee XXXI. A Detective for a Partner. Theft of Securities ■ in Temple Place, Boston, and an Officer's Interesting Part Therein 414 Chapter XXXII. Lame Duck at Dedliam. A Timid "Crook" and a Eailroad Accident Spoil a Post-office Job in Massachusetts 427 Chapter XXXIII. Cambridgeport National Bank. Carefully Arranged and Well-executed "Sneak" Job in Which aDetective Had a Part 432 CONTENTS. Page. Chapteb XXXIV. An Alibi without Flaws. How a Boston Jury Was Convinced I Was in New York when Garey's Bonds Were Stolen 444 Chaptee XXXV. In Newburyport City Hall. Discovered Open- ing a Safe, the Thieves Run One Way and the Officers the Other 454 Chaptee XXXVI. To Eight a Wrong. How a Worcester Silk Dealer Was Robbed, and Accused by the Police of Doing it Him- self 458 Chaptee XXXVII. Sensational Episode in Chicago. Detective's Part in Hoodwinking an Official of the Lechmere Bank of Cam- bridge 460 Chaptee XXXVIII. The Work of a Western " Mob." Robbery of the First National Bank of St. Joseph, Mo 467 Chaptee XXXIX. Entertainment for Lynchers. Thrilling Expe- rience after a Bank Robbery at Anderson, Ind. Cowardice of the "Mob" Leader 475 Chaptee XL. Exciting Times in Chicago. End of the Reign of Jim Carroll. Licensed Murder of Billy O'Brien, and Other Crimes 497 Chaptee XLI. Once More in New York. Key that Fitted a Thompsonville Bank. A Pawnbroker's Safe Emptied . . . 510 Chaptee XLII. About the Murdered Barron. A Suggestive Con- versation in New York about the Famous Dexter Bank Case . 523 Chapter XLIII. Newell' s Shoe Store, Boston. Difficulty of Fitting a Key Necessitates Several Visits before the Safe Is Finally Robbed 529 Chaptee XLIV. Explosion Causes Fire. Robbery of Pawnbroker Frank's Safe in Boston, and the Detective's "Square Bit" Again 537 Chaptee XLV. Convicted for Another's Crime. Many Robberies Make a Sacrifice Necessary, and the Attempt on the Warren Insti- tute for Savings Offers the Opportunity 548 Chaptee XL VI. In Massachusetts State Prison. An Interesting Story of the Life There while Chamberlain Was Warden . . 558 Chaptee XL VII. Taken Out for Re-trial. Unusual Scenes in a Boston Court. A Change in the Wardenship .... 584 Chaptee XL VIII. Original Sentence Reduced. Tips and Downs of Prison Life under Wardens Earle, Usher, and Russell . . 599 Chaptee XLIX. Where R'eform Should Begin. No Man Ever Made Better by Brutal and Inhuman Treatment .... 636 Chaptee L. My Last Business with the Police. Boston Official Requests Me to Leave Town — I Stay and the Official Resigns . 648 ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE. Ncwburyport 13 Mill at West Newbury 17 David Ash Farm 21 Chain Bridge 27 Interior of Suffolk County Jail 37 At Mr. Bradley's Office . . . .' 43 L. W. Moore's Portrait 49 Old State Bank Note 61 Front View of Concord Bank 69 Bobbery of Concord Bank 81 Natiok Farm and 'Aee 85 Old South Framingham Hotel 91 Officers in the Snow 131 List of Stolen Bonds 140 Extradition Papers 141 Hattie Adams 149 John S. Hunt before and after the Chase, and the two Brockways 153 Key and Pistol 154 Safe Bobbery at Staten Island . . . . ' . . . .157 Dutch Dan and Foxy Vos 163 Safe Drilling at Olean and Blowing in Powder . . .175 Residence, Warren and Grand Streets, Jersey City . . . 183 Pulling the Shoe from the Old Mare at Portland . . . .207 Breaking Bolts in South Street 233 Express Car Robbery 261 Portrait of BuUard 269 Rockland Bank 357 Belfast Jail 367 Maine State Prison 377 ILI^USTRATIOMS. Page. Exchange of Baggage Checks 409 Provident Institution for Savings 415 House at 188 Harrison Avenue 421 Portrait of Big Jim Tracy 430 Exterior Cambridgeport National Bank 433 Interior Cambridgeport National Bank 439 Hotel Eobbery at Newburyport . '. 52Y Newell's Shoe Store 535 Orange Place, and Gordon, alias Mason 541 Group of Pictures at Suffolk County Jail 559 Front View of Concord Prison J73 Yard View at Concord Prison 687 Chapel at Concord Prison 601 Hospital at Concord Prison 609 Old Bastile at Charlestown 617 Warden Usher and Deputy Keene 627 Discharge Paper '. . . 635 Interior View, Charlestown Prison 641 Portraits, "As I Am," and "As the Police Have Me" . . 651 PREFACE. I SUBMIT herewith the story of my life. It is told in my own way, without fiction or flourish, but fairly, freely, and truthfully. In passing all this information to the public, I am carrying out the idea that the public will be benefited by the knowledge. Before leaving the Massachusetts State Prison, Sept. 8, 1890, I determined to sever all connections with licensed and unlicensed thieves, and, so far as lay in my power, right the wrongs I had done, by showing just how it was possible for so many robberies to be committed without the arrest and conviction of a single person. All honest men! should know that a " crooked " oiHcial, who is just honest enough not to be suspected, is far more dangerous than a well-knoAvn thief. While exposing the methods of the kind of detectives who give protection to thieves for a percentage of property stolen, I have given, I hope, some assistance to honest police officials. When a very young man I learned to gamble, and lost all my savings and earnings before I became aware that it was a vice over which I had no control. As I could not earn money fast enough to gratify the passion, I chose a life of crime. I made money very fast, but I could not steal fast enough to feed a lot of hungry licensed thieves, the gamblers, and my family. I also learned from hard experience that money obtained by fraud is at a discount and will not purchase peace, comfort, and a contented mind. If any young man starting out in life thinks he can make a success of crime, he will discover, perhaps when too late, that his life has been a failure. The person who starts out to find honor among thieves has a long journey before him. I made the trip, and I did find X PREFACE. honor in this class; but the treachery of others cost me two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, twenty years in prison, and the ruin of my family, which was as near and dear to me as the family of any honest man is to Mm. I had no right to hope or to expect to make a success while leading a criminal life, when I knew that every honest man's hand was raised against me, and that only a few honest men make life a success with the whole world, excepting thieves, working in their interest. I made a miserable failure with all my caution and experience, as all must do who lead a criminal life; and of late years success would be still more difficult because of the many modern improvements in burglar alarms, safe and lock making, to say nothing of the most improved method in detective work, — the " stool pigeon." Bankers and all business men may leafn from my story that robberies are generally due to some carelessness or short sightedness on the part of the persons robbed. Thieves are quick to see "weak spots." Greed of gain causes some bankers and business men to lose sight of the money and valuables behind them while reaching for the dollars in front of them. If they showed more caution, many robberies would be prevented. Fireproof safes are no protection against robbery, and there never was a burglar-proof one that an expert could not get into. To prevent powder being forced in with the air pump, the burglar box should be made air tight, by backing up the flanges with either felt or rubber, and the box should be made strong enough to resist the ef- forts of the burglar for at least six hours. The safe should be placed in full view from the street, with a light burning over it. The sides, top, and bottom should be made as strong as the door. Time locks may prevent robbery in the night by masked burglars and "crooked" bank officials; otherwise, they are not more secure than any other combination locks. Perfect security requires a watchman to cope with the ex- pert burglar, who knows how the safes and locks are con- structed and the use of the latest explosives. PREFACE. xi It cannot be said of me that I ever put a person in bodily fear to obtain money. I always took my chances and never asked a man to go where I dared not lead the way. The treachery of the " pal "was the danger most to be feared, and through it I suffered most. I am content to know that crim- inal life is a failure, and I think any one who reads this story will arrive at that conclusion before reaching the end. I trust also that my prison experiences may be of some ser- vice to the many well-meaning people in the country who are trying to solve the great question of prison reform. X PREFACE. honor in this class; but the treachery of others cost me two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, twenty years in prison, and the ruin of my family, which was as near and dear to me as the family of any honest man is to him. I had no right to hope or to expect to make a success while leading a criminal life, when I knew that every honest man's hand was raised against me, and that only a few honest men make life a success with the whole world, excepting thieves, working in their interest. I made a miserable failure with all my caution and experience, as all must do who lead a criminal life; and of late years success would be still more difficult because of the many modern improvements in burglar alarms, safe and lock making, to say nothing of the most improved method in detective work, — the " stool pigeon." Bankers and all business men may leaffl from my story that robberies are generally due to some carelessness' or short sightedness on the part of the persons robbed. Thieves are quick to see "weak spots." Greed of gain causes some bankers and business men to lose sight of the money and valuables behind them while reaching for the dollars in front of them. If they showed more caution, many robberies would be prevented. Fireproof safes are no protection against robbery, and there never was a burglar-proof one that an expert could not get into. To prevent powder being forced in with the air pump, the burglar box should be made air tight, by backing up the flanges with either felt or rubber, and the box should be made strong enough to resist the ef- forts of the burglar for at least six hours. The safe should be placed in full view from the street, with a light burning over it. The sides, top, and bottom should be made as strong as the door. Time locks may prevent robbery in the night by masked burglars and "crooked" bank officials; otherwise, they are not more secure than any other combination locks. Perfect security requires a watchman to cope with the ex- pert burglar, who knows how the safes and locks are con- structed and the use of the latest explosives. PREFACE. xi It cannot be said of me that I ever put a person in bodily fear to obtain money. I always took my chances and never asked a man to go where I dared not lead the way. The treachery of the " pal "was the danger most to be feared, and through it I suffered most. I am content to know that crim- inal life is a failure, and I think any one who reads this story will arrive at that conclusion before reaching the end. I trust also that my prison experiences may be of some ser- vice to the many well-meaning people in the country who are trying to solve the great question of prison reform. CHAPTER I. FEOI FAEMEE'S BOY TO GAIBLEE. FACE TO FACE WITH THE FACT THAT A MAN WILL STOP AT KOTHING TO SECURE MONEY TO PLAY AGAINST THE GAME. If family records and hearsay are reliable, I was born at East Washington, N. H., at 10 A. M., May 7, 1830, near where my parents were born. The following year they removed to Newburyport, Mass., and in that quiet old seaport town I spent my early boyhood. I went to the Kent Street School with "Bully"' Titcomb, as he was called by the boys, for my teacher. We got along all right until the summer of 1840, when, one day, he called me out into the floor and told me to hold out my hand. He then fitted a ferule into the palm, taking aim to strike me. I had often seen him do this before, punishing other boys. He raised the ferule above my head and brought it down full force, just in time to catch me on the seat of my trousers, as I scooted through between his legs. Mounting the desks, I rah around the room over the tops of them to an open win- dow, turned a handspring on the sill, and landed right side up on the ground ten feet below. At noon I went home and told my mother I wanted to learn to be a farmer, and asked permission to study my books at home until such time as she could find a suitable place for me in the country. I went to that school no more while Titcomb was master, and a place was found in the winter of '41 on a four-hun- dred-acre farm in West Newbury, where the old windmill stood on the hill. I was taken by the farmer in his old sleigh; and after his spinster sister had looked me over, he asked her how she liked the looks of the boy. She pru- dently reserved her decision. The next morning at five o'cloclj: I was called, and the sister put on me one of her nightgowns with a trail so long 16 LAl^DON W. MOORE. that I had to carry it in my hand to the barn. The farmer carried a milk pail, and a tin lantern pricked full of holes, and a small piece of tallow in it. When lighted, this was about as brilliant as a lightning bug. When we got to the barn, the farmer told me to go and milk the cow that stood the fifth from the end of the stable. It was very dark at this time in the morning, and I found some difficulty in counting the cattle. When I was certain I had selected the fifth, I stepped in between it and the next animal, and when reaching down for the milk I was kicked over against the side of the barn. The farmer heard the tin pail rattling across the floor, and called out to me to know what the matter was. I told him the cow would not let me milk her. He came' running down through the st^ible, and saw me curled up in a heap, but hurried past, and went to the end of the stable, where he picked up the pail. He examined it carefully, and, finding no dents in it, he said he was glad the pail was not hurt, for if it had been his sister would give me a severe whipping. He then came to me and examined the gown. It was slit down the side and very much soiled. He told me his sister would whip me for spoiling her night- dress, for she only loaned it to me to keep my clothes clean while milking the cows, and not to have it torn to pieces and all dirtied up. He never asked me if I was hurt, but did ask me what cow kicked me. I pointed out the fifth one. He looked at number five, and said it was one of a pair of wild steers he bought the day previous, and that he had for- gotten all about it when he told me to begin to milk at the ' fifth animal. "This is my mistake," he said, "and don't you tell sister anything about it, and I will fix everything with her about the dress." This incident gave me a disagreeable impression which deepened day by day. I had to work, not only all day, but by candle-light at both ends of the day. Even a boy of ten would soon be driven into open rebellion. At dawn one morning after a heavy snowstorm, I left my pail and hatchet by the side of the cistern from which I had been cutting ice, and started off across the field to the road on my way home, five miles away. The farmer saw my tracks in the snow an hour later. He ran to the barn, hitched up his horse, arid started after me. As I reached Little River Bridge, I heard FROM FARMER'S BOY TO GAMBLER. 19 the old sleigh bells behind me, and soon saw him coming over the top of the hill, with the horse on the dead run and he laying on the whip. I ran down the bank, got on top of the rail fence, and began making snowballs. When opposite me, the farmer stopped and called for me to come to him. See- ing I would not do this, he stepped one foot out qf the sleigh. I raised my hand to throw a snowball at the horse, intend- ing to set him going if the farmer left the sleigh. He saw what I was up to, and after some words he sat right down in the sleigh and began coaxing me to come to him. I would not do this until he had promised to take me home to my father and mother and not whip me. The sleigh was one of the old-fashioned kind, with the back as high as a man's head and sides above his shoulders. The farmer wrapped the buf- falo all up tight around me to keep me warm, he pretended, and we started for Newburyport. He braced his foot against the side of the sleigh and pressed me up into the corner un- til I was as flat as a board. I made no complaint, and when he found he could not make me do so, he asked me if I was "riding comfortable." I made no answ^ for fear he would not take me home. He left me near my father's house, and said he would come for me at two o'clock, as he wanted to have a talk with my mother and father, whom he had known for years, and see if he could not arrange with them to make me his son. He said he and his sister were getting along in years, and I was just the kind of a boy he always thought he would like to have and call his own. My mother was pleased to see me, and said she knew 'I had been a good boy or else I would not have been given a sleigh ride home so early in the morning. I said little until I had eaten my breakfast, then I told my mother everything I had done and all that had been done to me. She seemed to doubt my word for the first time in my life, and for no other reason than that I had been liv- ing with Christian people and friends of the family. By agreement I returned that day with the farmer, but it was arranged that my parents should visit me when he and his sister did not expect them. This arrangement was carried out, and my mother and father fouud me in the cellar pick- ing over apples by candle-light at an hour when I should have been in bed. They soon saw that all I had told them about the treatment was true. The friendship of the two families was broken, and I returned to my own home that ?1 LANGDON W. MOORE. night, with courage undaunted and a determination stronger than ever to learn to be a farmer. I was on the watch all the time ; and when I saw a farmer ■ come into the town with a load of butter and cheese, I would go to him and ask his name, where he lived, and if he would not take me home with him and teach me to be a farmer. Late in October I saw two farmers' teams drive up'to a barn on Kent Street. I went to one of the farmers and asked him ^is name and where he was from. . He told me his name was David Ash,. and that his home was in Lisbon, Grafton Co., N. H. The man with the other team was his brother Reu- ben, he said, and he, too, lived in Lisbon. After I had made several inquiries about his family, the farm and stock, I asked him to take me home with him. I followed him into the barn with the horses, and he called his brother's attention to me. He looked me carefully over, asked my name and where my father lived. I showed them the house on Kent Street, and answered all questions satisfactorily. Before I left them, David had promised to call on my parents. This he did ; and while eating supper with them, L with the consent of my father and mother, arranged with him to take me home with him and give me a fair trial for one year. At the expiration of that time, if I did not suit him, he could bring me home when he came down the next fall to sell his butter and cheese. To fix the time of this agreement, I may say it was made when' the Eastern Railroad was being built, and my father had the contract to deliver all the i^on used between Ipswich and Portsmouth, N. H., and also the timber used in building the covered railroad bridge across the Merrimac River. When Mr. Ash had disposed of his load and filled his wagon with twenty-five hundred pounds of groceries and his brother had done the same, a large firkin was filled with nutcakes, pies, crackers, and cheese to eat on the road. I had my little trunk put on the wagon, and, after bidding my parents, broth- ers, and sisters good-by, I trotted up Water Street and over- took the teams in front of my Uncle Sargent's store, and walked with David beside the horses nearly every step of the way to his home, one hundred and forty-two miles. The journey occupied five days and a half. No food of any kind was purchased on the way. We all lived upon the contents of the firkin. Li those -days farmers could not afford to pay hotel bills and haul their butter, cheese, and pork one hundred 21 FROM FARMER'S BOY TO GAMBLER. 23 and forty-two miles to market. Prices were low enough in those days. The Ash brothers used to sell to my uncle, True F. Sargent, butter for thirteen cents a pound, cheese for four cents, and a five-hundred pound, corn-fed hog for a twenty- dollar note, and I have seen the brothers sell a pair of fat oxen for forty-five dollars and a fat sheep for one dollar. David Ash's home farm consisted of about three hundred acres, and cut one hundred tons of hay, wintered forty head of cattle and two hundred and fifty merino sheep. Here I learned never to say- " I can't " until I had tried and failed. I also learned to eat what was set before me without finding fault; and when I saw anything that needed to be done, I took right hold and did it without waiting to be told. I lived up to the rule not to step over any tools that might be lying around. I was able to assist in taking care of the stock, and was sent to the district school. Very soon I was taught to answer the first call in the morning and never to wait to be called the second time. Whatever I attempted to do I did with the idea that it must not be done over again. At the expiration of the year, when the butter and cheese were loaded on the wagon to start for Newburyport, I asked Mr. Ash to let me go with him to visit my parents ; but with a little coaxing and a bright silver dollar, such as our fore- fathers made, he persuaded me to stay at the farm another year. He and his brother made the trip alone. When they returned three weeks later, I was given some nice little pres- ents from my mother. Before the next fall came around, Mr. Ash bargained with me to hire out to him until I was twenty- one years of age. Then he was to give me two hundred dollars in money, two suits of home-spun and home-made clothes, a pair of two-year-old steers, a three-year-old heifer, and a half-dozen sheep. These I could select myself. In addition to this, he was to give me three months' schooling each winter and board and clothe me. I was to be consider,ed as one of his family, and to receive the same treatment as his own children, and to be allowed at his expense to make one brief visit home to my parents after I was fifteen years old. The visit was due in October, but early in August I received news of the death of my mother. As the message had to be carried by stage, she had been buried before I learned of her death. I wanted to go home at once, but farmer Ash and his good wife persuaded me to stay, saying that, as my mother 24 LANODON W. MOORE. had been buried before I heard of her death, I would be una- ble to see her anyway. After they had promised me three weeks' vacation if I remained until after harvest, I stayed and helped fill the three barns. At the proper time I was given the old horse and a Concord wagon, seven dollars in halves and cfnarters, a pail full of nutcakes, pies, and cheese, with two bushels of oats for the horse, and started on my journey home, travelling through Franconia Notch and so on down the same road we had taken when I went to the farm. The journey opcupied two and a half days. I was so anxious to reach home, I would jump out of the wagon and run up all the hills to help the horse. While on the journey I ate from the pail and fed the horse with the oats I had brought, paying out no money except for my two nights' lodging and a stall for the horse, besides one toll at Meredith and another at Amesbury. Everything was done to make my visit pleasant by my folks and my old schoolmates, who got up chowder parties for my especial benefit. Still I was not happy, for without a mother it was no longer a home for me, and I longed to get back to the old farm again. At the expiration of two weeks I started on my return, going by the way of Concord up the river road to Haverhill, making the journey back to the farm in three days. I did not wait to be asked how much money I had spent on the trip, but turned over, to Mr. Ash three dollars and a half. He thanked me for it, saying he did not expect me to bring back much, if any, of the money he gave me, and at the same time putting it in his wallet without offering me a cent. Upon my return I resumed the steady, good, honest old farm life, worked hard and lived reg- ularly, wore home-spun and home-made clothes, and never asked what thfey had to eat, but how much. Farm hands could be hired then at from ten to fourteen dollars a month for seven months of the year. . I have heard Mr. Ash say that he would not give a man so much by two dollars a month who carried a watch, as he would one who did not, for he would take more than two dollars' worth of time looking to see the time of day. He also said that he would not give a man his board who had to build a fire and wear buckskin mittens to keep himself warm when chopping in the woods. If he could not chop fast enough to keep himself warm, Mr. Ash did not want him on the farm. It was not with his men how little work they would do for their FROM FARMER'S BOY TO GAMBLER. 25 money, but all. tried to see how much they could do. I was very fast with the hoe and scythe at sixteen. There is noth- ing a man dislikes so much as to have a boy cut his corners. This I would often do when he hired men by the day to help. In haying time he would sometimes come to the field on his horse, call me to him, and, without the men seeing him, pull out of his pocket a little flask of old Caldwell rum, tell me to take a good swig, and keep the men a hustling. " For you know," he would say, " I am paying them big wages, and, when it comes a lowery and rainy day so they cannot work out of doors, I will let you go a fishing." He knew I was passionately fond of hunting and fishing, and I would often set a pace either hoeing or mowing that would make the men very angry, and some of them would not speak to me for days, and when they got a chance at me on heavy work I was made to hustle from the time I first went to live at the farm. Not an unkind word was spoken to me by Mr. Ash, until July, '47. Then I was given a two-year-old heifer to milk, and when I was nearly through she put her foot in the pail and kicked the milk all over me. I struck her with the milking-stool. He saw this and said, if I ever did such a thing again, I should not live with him a day after. I picked up the pail and hung the stool on the fence, went to the house, changed my cotton shirt for a clean one, and, bidding the family good-by, walked down to Lisbon village. I took a seat on the bench in front of the store, and waited for the stage that was going to Concord, a distance of ninety miles. Before the stage arrived, a man drove up to the store, made his purchase and, when coming out, asked me if I knew where he could hire a good man for one month in haying. At this time I did not have a penny in my pocket, and was going to ask the stage driver to carry me to Concord. There I would see Mr. Sanborn, a relative of my mother, and borrow money of him to pay my fare. As I was well known to him when a small boy, I felt certain he would help me out of my pres- ent difficulty; and if I could only make the stage driver be- lieve this, I was all right. But here was a chance, I thought, to help myself, and I told the man I wanted work. He questioned me as to where I had been working. I told him where I had worked for five years. He knew Mr. . Ash well. When he asked how much wages I wanted, I said, " Twenty-six dollars for one month's 26 LANODON W. MOORE. work." « Well, but ain't you a little steep in your price ? " said he. I told him I thought not ; that I would be will- ing to work for him on trial for one week ; then if he was not satisfied I earned my wages, I would quit, and he need not pay me a cent. He looked at me a moment and said, " I will hire you, for the best man that ever worked for me was named Moore." I got into the wagon and rode home with him to Landaff, arriving there in time for dinner. This farm was situated on a high hill, four miles as the crow flies from the old farm. I could see it, with the men working in the field. After dinner I was set to work mowing back of the barn. The farmer kept up with me for about an hour, but • then went into the house and never mowed with me again. After working for him three days, on. going to the house I saw several farmers, who eyed me very sharply and watched every move I made. Finally, the man I worked for asked me if I was willing to mow all day. I told him I preferred that to any other work. " Well," he said, " I was down at the store last night, and those men standing there were all bragging about how much they could mow in a day, and I told them I would bet ten dollars I had a boy to work for me who could mow more than ahy man in the town. They all came here to look at you before the money is put up ; and now they have seen you, they have all funked out and don't dare bet." I worked to the end of , the week, and Sunday he loaned me his horse and wagon to go over to the old farm and get my other cotton shirt, a short frock, and a pair of stockings. That was the extent of my wardrobe at the time, excepting what clothes I had on. When I drove up to the house, Mr. Ash and the family came out to welcome me. For a long time they all tried to persuade me to come back and live with them until I was of age. When he found I would not do this, Mr. Ash offered me fifty dollars in gold if I would work for him six weeks. No man had ever been paid such high wages as that before in that part of the country. I said I would not leave the man I was with unless he gave his consent. This was obtained, and I returned to the old farm, worked six weeks, and was paid ten five-dollar gold pieces. After I had paid him fifty cents for the use of a wild colt I had ridden to see the circus, I got aboard the stage and rode to Lowell. Here I took the train for Boston. At that time my father FROM FARMER'S BOY 10 GAMBLER. 29 lived on Monmouth Street, East Boston, having moved from Newburyport two years before at the request of his friend Donald McKay, the ship builder. Upon my arrival I was introduced to my step-mother, and it was arranged I should board there for awhile. A few days after my arrival I went to work for Uriah Manning & Son, curriers, on Fulton Street. I worked there for thirty days at one dollar a day, turning a splitting machine. I was then told by the men in the shop above, that previous to my coming there it had always been two men's work to turn the machine, and if I was to do the work alone, I should be paid more wages. When I learned of this, I went to the office, where father and son were sitting together, and asked for my pay, as I was going to leave their smploy. They refused to pay me, claiming I should give them at least one week's notice. I stepped to the door and locked it, put the key in my pocket, turned to them and said: "I'll give you just three minutes to pay me. If you do not comply with my demand, I will throw you both out of the window." "Pay him," said Uriah to his son — and he paid. The next morning I went to work for four hundred dol- lars a year in the wholesale boot and shoe store of J. B. .Kimball & Co., 75 and 77 Pearl Street, where my oldest brother had been working for nearly ten years. There, also, I found the two Drew brothers, who were afterwards con- nected with the Police Department of Boston. At this time the lottery craze was at its height. It was a side speculation entered into by many supposedly honest men. The older Dre\v thought to make a few dollars in this way, and got up a cash lottery of five hundred dollars, with prizes ranging from one dollar up to one hundred dollars. The fancy tickets were to be sold at one dollar each. He gave me the five hundred tickets to sell among the people I knew in the fourth section of East Boston, mostly people who worked in the rolling mill. Supposing it to be an honest transaction, I sold most of the tickets (some of them to my father) before I discovered that the whole thing was a fraud and that there was to be no actual drawing. All the lucky numbers would be represented by tickets he and myself were to hold. As soon as I was let into this steal, I went to all the people whom I had dealt with and redeemed the tickets without consulting Drew. I returned them all to 30 LANGDON W. MOORE. him, and washed my hands of the whole business, threaten- ing to expose the fraud if he attempted to sell them again. It spoiled the steal, and we were ever after at loggerheads. While I worked on Pearl Street, I, with several of the men employed about the store, went to the roof of a house adjoin- ing the old Leverett Street jailyard, and saw Professor Web- • ster hanged for the murder of Dr. Parkman. What I saw that day I saw in my dreams for many months, and I came to look upon the hanging of that man as a legal murder. The younger Drew opened the store in the morning, and the closing was assigned to me. One night when locking up I discovered the vault door open and a' box full of gold on the shelf. I was alone in the store, with the outside doors fastened on the inside. No thought entered my mind to steal the gold, which amounted to more than I could earn in ten years. After looking over the interior of the vault, I barri- caded the door with chairs and boxes. I then searched the store from top to bottom to see no one was secreted about the place. After locking the store door I r3,n to the house of Mr. Hunt, the book-keeper, a quarter of a mile away, and told his wife to send Mr. Hunt to the store, as the vault was open. Then I ran back to the store, and saw that no one had been there in my absence. I watched the vault until Hunt came to me. He was as white as a ghost, and asked if the gold was safe. I cleared the stuff away from the vault door; and after he saw that the money was all there, he locked up the vault. He told me the gold had been received by express from the West, after the banks were closed, and he asked me not to mention to any one that he had left the vault door open, for if I did it might cost him his situation. I made and kept the promise, likewise his friendship, which was of some service to me afterwards, when the older Drew tried to . make me open the store in the morning, so that his brother, whose work that was, could do half duty on the old night watch of Boston. I remained with this firm one year, and not until I had sat- isfied the firm that I had found a situation where I cauld earn more money would they consent to settle with me. My ac- count was then made up, and they were surprised to learn I had draAvn but one hundred and sixty dollars during the year. The remainder was paid me, and fifty cents for every hour I had spent in the store getting goods ready for shipment, after FROM FARMER'S BOY TO GAMBLER. 81 closing-up time. I then went to work for my father, in his grocery store at the corner of Chelsea and Bennington Streets, East Boston. Here for the first time I sold liquor. Beer was bought by the quart and gallon, and passed from one to another, all drinking from the same tin measure. I had less than fifty dollars of bad debts during the two or three years I was in the store. We did a business of twenty-five thousand dollars in a year, our customers being mainly the five hun- dred or more employees of the Glendon Rolling Mill. For some cause or other the mill was a failure ; and Brevort, the general manager, seeing the crash coming, skipped out, with, it was said, what funds he had on hand. Not caring to take the chance to supply all those men out of employment with goods, and as there was no prospect of the mill being started again, my father closed up the store, and started me in busi- ness for myself. I opened a grocery store' on Eutaw Street. The location was poor ; and as I could not command trade enough to make it pay, I, like many others, made a failure of my first venture. Afterwards I paid my creditors dollar for dollar. I worked for my father in a grocery store on Lowell Street, and at the North End. Then I went into the express business between East Boston and the city, and made money. But it happened that during my stay in the city, while work- ing there for my father, I had made the acquaintance of nearly all the toughs and gamblers around the old National Theatre on Merrimac and Sudbury Streets. I had been introduced among "the boys," visited the Chestnut Cottage on Portland Street, and there learned to "shake props." Like all dupes, I thought I could beat the game ; and at eleven o'clock on the fourth day of July, I went there for that purpose. I lost what money I had, went back to East Boston, sold one of my express teams to Horace Richardson, returned to the Cottage, and lost that money. I made another trip and sold to him my other team, and with the money I went back to the Cot> tage to get even. This money I also lost. I then returned and tried to sell him a two-year-old trotting stallion, a wagon, and harness. These he would not buy, and I borrowed one hundre'd and fifty dollars on the turnout. This colt was afterwards taken to Maine by Nelson Knights and called Gen. Knox, Jr. With this money I went " to look for even " where I had lost my other money ; and when I had lost all but a five- dollar gold piece, I went out to " do up the town." When I 32 LANODON W. MOORE. awoke the next morning, I had to borrow money enough to pay my fare across the ferry to East Boston. I worked the remainder of the summer on farms in Winthrop and Chelsea. Early in the summer of 1853, I drifted on to New York, and assumed the name of Charles A. Adams, as I did not care to have my people or any one else know where I had gone, or what was to become of me. Here I made the acquaintance of a man from New Bedford and engaged board at his house, where he and his wife made things pleasant and agreeable for me, a stranger in the city. He went with me to call on Tom Hyer, " Yankee " Sullivan, " Doublin Tricks," famous prize fighters in those days, and " Awful Gardiner." Finally my New Bed- ford friend introduced me into Hoffman and Edgar's gambling- room, the Emblem, on West Broadway, and it was here I first saw the game of faro played. He lost all the money he had and borrowed of ine, and then I put down a small bet and won; I increased the bet and won again and continued to win nearly every bet, while he was losing all the time and bor- rowing from me. This went on until, at five o'clock in the morning, I had bought the furniture in his house and he had lost all the purchase money. We returned to the house, he to put me into possession of the property. At breakfast he said to his wife: "You were the landlady yesterday, and Charley was a boarder ; now he is the landlord and you are his guest, for I have sold the furniture to him and lost the money against the faro bank." The lady accepted the situation cheerfully, remarking that to be a good winner one must also be a good loser. There were no bolts and barred doors to gambling-houses in New York then; the doors were thrown wide open to busi- ness men, "crooks," and gamblers. I found no difficulty in gaining admittance to any of the games, and soon made the acquaintance of such faro dealers as Patterson, Dancy, Ran- som, Pat Hearn, Joe Hall, Sam Sydam, Cooley Keys, Johnny Lying, Brown, Frink, Thos. McCann, and many others who were toughs, " crooks," and « shovers " of counterfeit money. Whenever I saw " short " cards played I was always on the lookout for what, if any, cheating was done. In this way I soon learned that, in order for a man to win, he must have some percentage in his favor and not chance everything to luck. The bank dealer's scheme was to win a man's money hon- FROM FARMER'S BOY TO GAMBLER. 33 estly if he could; if he could not do this, then he must have no conscientious scruples about playing such advantages as the other fellows would stand, without fear of detection. I saw many a man robbed of his money and collateral by being run up against a "brace" game of faro right and left, or a "snap" roulette wheel, and at "short" cards. Most of the public games of faro were dealt on the square, not because of any scruples the dealer might have against robbing a man of his money, but because he had gamblers in front of him who knew enough about the game to protect themselves. At the time of which I am writing, Matsell was chief of New York police, with headquarters at City Hall ; the Crystal Palace, at Fortieth Street and Sixth Avenue, was open ; Kipp and Brown ran and owned the old Broadway stage line ; the Bloomingdale road was the principal drive out of New York j Harry Howard was chief of the volunteer fire department, and the New Haven Railroad depot was at the corner of Broadway and Canal Street. The swell tavern of the city was the Astor House ; and where most of the uptown hotels now stand, there were vacant lots on which cows and goats were pastured. Fourteenth Street was uptown; and what one could not get in the way of high and low life between there and the Battery, could not be found in New York. During my first winter there, I captured a controlling inter- est in a saloon. No. 23 Mercer Street, with a gambling-room attached, where most of the advantages known at the time were played at cards. Here I soon learned to play poker, and while I was being cheated I did some cheating myself. Charley White, of ne- gro minstrel fame, occupied a room in the house, and dealt faro bank there every Saturday night. He kept his box and cards in a closet adjoining his room. One night during his absence, I fitted a key to his closet, took out his cards, and sand-papered the face of eight cards in each deck. I then removed the top of his faro box, bulged out the centre of the front plate at the mouth, and filed the plate on the inside at both corners to a bevel. I then replaced the top, put in a deck of cards, and made a deal. I found the cards not sanded would follow up and fill the mouth of the box after each turn was made ; and if the mouth remained dark and the edge of the top card could not be seen, one of the sand-papered cards was next and a loser. This would give me several " dead " 34 LANGDON W. MOORE. turns during each deal. I then put the box and cards back in the closet where I found them, and locked the door and waited patiently for Saturday night to come, when Charley would bring his weekly receipts from the Melodian, in the Bowery, and open up the game. "When the night came, I followed him to the room, and saw him empty his shot bags of specie on the table and stack the coin up in the check rack, the same as other dealers would checks, before the game was open. Then he would call the Boston bean-eater's attention to the fact that he was not dealing a check game, but would pay all bets in specie. For the next few months he dealt the game every Saturday night until the small hours in the morning ; and while others were tr3dng to guess the winners, I "left nothing to chance and robbed him of his weekly receipts without creating suspicion. At last he found himself so heavily involved in debt that he was compelled to close his place of business and was left without a dollar. He then carried his faro box and cards to his brother Ezra, who was a professional gambler, and asked if they were all right. He looked the cards carefully over, and saw they had been sanded. He then examined the box, and found it had been tampered with by some one who had worked the "tell" on him. ■ For the next five years we met as strangers. He dealt the bank no more, and I spent most of my time at the card table and around among " the boys." CHAPTER II. EXPERIENCES WITH COUNTEEEEITERS. Jleeest in boston leads to the detebmination to do no more wokk until obliged to do it pok the state. On the morning of Feb. 19, 1856, I left the city with a pretty well known man, whose name was Marsh, and journeyed on to Boston. After making an appointment to see him again early that evening, I went to a hotel, while he made a call upon some of his old " pals " in South Boston. To one of these he told his business, and also he left his valise, with instructions that it should be carried to the Ober House on Lowell Street. He was going to stop there, and to take the first train for Lowell in the morning. We met as agreed, and during the evening he exchanged, by making small purchases in stores, nearly two hundred dol- lars in counterfeit ten-dollar bills on the Miller's River Bank of Athol, Massachusetts. At eleven o'clock we went to the Ober House, and asked for his valise. When it was being given him, I noticed a peculiar expression in the clerk's eye, -and I became suspicious. Not liking the looks of things, and the fact that Marsh had told his friend about the notes and that I w;as with him, I decided not to stay there, and left the house, followed by him. He then told me that his friend's name was Moore, and that he was " all right " and an old " pal " of his. He finally persuaded me to return to the house, where he had engaged a room with two beds. He ordered a fire started, and at 11.30 p. m. we were shown to the room. At 1,30 o'clock in the morning, I was awak- ened by the door being broken open, and before I could rise up two men. had hold of me. Before they had spoken Marsh sat up in bed and said : " You have got me dead to rights for "five years." I told him to make no talk until he was awake and knew what he was talking about. I then asked Si 36 LANGDON W. MO ORE. the men what their business was with me, and was told they were officers, and that we were their prisoners. After they had taken a survey of the room, we were told to get up and put on our clothes. They then looked the beds and joom carefully over, and failed to find what they were looking for. We were then handcuffed together and escorted out of the room ( leaving the door open), and so on down and out of the house. Entering a hack in waiting, we were driven to the Fourth Precinct Station-house, where I saw Detective John S. Hunt for the first time, and learned it was Captain Eaton and Sergeant Churchill who had arrested us. On searching me at the station, some two hundred dollars in New York State bills were found; not a dollar in Eastern money had I upon my person. Marsh was then searched, and less than seven dollars was found on him. He had not told his friend Moore that he carried his money in a belt around his body; consequently it was not found by the officers. We were locked in a room together. It was ex- pected our conversation could be heard by a special officer who was placed near us for that purpose. If he heard any- thing that night to be used as evidence against us, it has never been reported. At five o'clock in the afternoon we were taken up to the office and shown, by Captain Eaton, a roll of bills. He said he had been to the house and searched the room three times before he found the " stuff " where we had hidden it under the grate, and he asked if we could tell him the amount the roll contained when it was put there. As we could give him no satisfactory answer, he said there was four hundred and forty dollars in the roll, and he would trace the possession of the " stuff " to us, admitting, however, that the room had been left open sixteen hours after our arrest, and before the roll was found. He said he should send his men to every store in Boston, and all those who had taken any of "those bills he should request to come to the station to identify us. He. kept his word, and before noon the following day several of the victims called at the station. We were brought out and put on exhibition, not, however, until I had allowed Marsh, who was about my size, to put on my blue-black sack overcoat, and I had put on his light brown surtout coat. When we were about twenty feet away from the nearest man, the Captain called a halt, and the men were told to look at us. At the same time the bills found rrrr-i ttJ->26 Suffolk County Jail, Boston, Mass. East Wing. EXPERIENCE WITH COUNTERFEITERS. 39 in the room were handed around in the party. I was then pointed out, and the money taken from me was given them. After it had been looked carefully over, it was handed back to the ofi&cer, with the remark that they had given no New York bills in change to the man who passed the bills. The first "stand up "for identification lasted fully fifteen min- utes, and during the whole time there was a continual buzz going on between the officers and, the persons who called to see us. What was done at this, time was repeated several times during the afternoon and evening, and not till we were taken to court the next day did we know either of us had been identified. As soon as this was made known to Marsh, he engaged Benjamin F. Butler and John C. Parks, as counsel to defend him. The first witness called was Captain Eaton, and he testified to the arrest, the search, and the finding of the roll of counterfeit money, then in the hands of the court. Churchill also told his story. Another witness was called, who identified Marsh as the man who gave him the " queer " ten-dollar note. Another witness fully identified Marsh. My case was then called, and two wit- nesses testified that I was the man who passed the bills on them. A third man was called, who fully identified me as the right man, but would not swear to it. He would only affirm I was the person. As he had conscientious scruples about taking an oath, he was put under one hundred dollar bonds, to appear and testify against me at the trial. Our bonds were then fixed in the sum of ten thousand dollars each, for having in our possession forty-four counterfeit ten- dollar notes, and uttering, with intent to defraud, five bills of the same issue. In default of bail, on February 23 we were committed to. the Suffolk County jail to await trial. "We were handcuffed together and carried to jail in the " Black Maria." Our pedigrees were entered on the book, and I was assigned to a room on the ground floor of the east wing. Marsh was given a room on the second division, in the south side of the same wing. This was my first experi- ence in jail, and I determined to take things easy, to make no talk to any one about my trouble, and to trust to the pros- ecution to furnish evideg.ce to convict without my assist- ance. My money was still in Captain Eaton's hands, and Marsh's counsel had taken no interest in my behalf. During 40 LANGDON W. MOORE. • the examination I was at liberty to select any one I chose ; and as Joseph H. Bradley had done some law business for a friend of mine, I sent for him to call. At our first interview I gave him an order on Captain Eaton for my money and collateral, and I retained him as counsel. I then told him the witnesses were wrong in their identification, an-d that they had never seen me, nor I them, before I saw them in the station-house after my arrest ; that I had passed none of the bills, and had been in no store or place of business that day or night, except one hotel and the house where I was arrested ; that at my request Marsh had exchanged coats with me, for the purpose of preventing his being identified ; that it was the coat that was present when the bills were passed, and not I. At the next term of court we both pleaded " not guilty," and the day was assigned for trial. We had been jointly indicted; but while he had but two counts against him for uttering, there were three against me when the case was called for trial. Before the indictment was read by the clerk, my counsel called Judge Abbott's attention to a de- fect in it. Without further ceremony, after District-At- torney Cooley had read the indictment carefully over, he consented that a nol. pros, should be entered, and that we should be remanded to jail until the next term of court. For the next two terms -our case was called and we sat in the prisoners' box together ; but before a vidtness was called to testify, my counsel called the court's attention to flaws in the new indictments, a nol. pros, was entered, and we were remanded to jail. On each occasion my counsel came to me when I en- tered the court, and told me I would not be convicted that day. This second time was in the April term. After we were remanded to jail and Mr, Bradley had left the court, one of Marsh's counsel asked to have his case called, stating he did not care to put the State to any more trouble, or expense, and wished to retract his former plea, and enter the plea of " guilty " of the charges in the indictment. He asked that sen- tence be passed on him as soon as he had been allowed to make his statement to the. court, and after the hearing of the testi- mony of two witnesses present. While this was going on. Marsh had been hustled out of the pen and put in the prisoners' box. He then handed his counsel three closely written sheets EXPERIENCE WITH COUNTERFEITERS. 41 of foolscap paper, which his counsel passed to the judge!, with the request that he would read the statement. After doing this, and to make the delusion more complete. Marsh's brother took the stand and testified that he had seen all the bad bills that were passed, and those found in the room after our arrest, in my possession the day I arrived in Boston, and that I tried to persuade him to pass some of the bills, and he had refused. He had tried to prevent his brother from pass- ing any. Another witness, under the name of Cook, testified against me. This man claimed to be a good penman, and stated that he had often, while in New York, been to my house and seen me sign, the president's and cashier's names on counterfeit bank notes. He said I was an expert counter- feiter. In the meantime, and while this was going on, Mr. Jones, a court officer, had left the court and informed my coun- sel of what was being done in the interest of Marsh and against me. The lawyer came into court just in time to pre- vent sentence being passed by calling a halt to the proceed- ings, and stating in a forcible manner to Marsh's counsel that he had not interfered in any way with his client, and that he would not allow him to interfere with his. He then asked the court for Marsh's written statement. After read- ing this carefully over, he called the court's attention to the fact that it was made up, both in warp and filling, of lies, with the intention of deceiving the court. After being told what the two witnesses had testified, he declared they had committed wilful perjury, and he protested against Marsh being sentenced until the officers should have been given time to investigate the whole matter. When this should have been done, he had no doubt the court would see it had been imposed upon. Judge Abbott reserved his decision for less than five minutes. Then he stated he would not sen- tence Marsh that day, as there appeared to be something wrong in the way the case had been conducted. He would give the officers who had charge of the case time to ascer- tain if any deception had been practised upon the court. He remanded the prisoner to jail until the next term of court, when the facts, he said, would be known. No one could have been more surprised at the treachery of Marsh and his friends than myself, and I showed it in such a forci- ble manner, the officers thought it would not be prudent to 42 LANGDON W. MO ORE. put US in the " Black Maria " together, as on previous occa- sions. While returning to the jail in a hack, the officer who accompanied me told me to keep quiet, and I would come out of it all right, as I had made many friends among the officers, who had no fondness for "squealers." This fact was again made known to me a few days later, when Captain E9,ton vis- ited the jail in company with two ladies. When in front of my door, he called the ladies' attention to me, and addressing me, said : " I saw your father yesterday, and I am going to do something for you." Without waiting for a reply, they passed on. I had not seen my father for nearly three years, and was happily surprised when I received a call from him the fol- lowing day. He remained only a few minutes, making inquiries about my health and asking if I was in want of anything. My answers being satisfactory, he asked if I thought I had brains enough to keep out of jail if he should get me out of this scrape. I replied that I would be willing to make the effort if given the opportunity. " Well, I will see about that," said he, and he went away. May 23 I re- ceived a note from Marsh stating he had been taken to court that day and sentenced to State Prison for four yeai"s. He said he thought I would get out without going to trial, and asked for a loan of three dollars, as he was without money and wished to make some purchases. I sent him the money, against the protest of the officer, who told me Marsh had produced witnesses in the court who testified to his previous good character, and that I was a well-known New York coun- terfeiter, who had made Marsh's acquaintance and persuaded him to pass some of the bills, against the advice of a friend. Had Marsh not done this, and had he made no attempt to deceive the court, he would have been let off with a three years' sentence ; for as soon as Captain Eaton saw what was going on, he sent for Chief Ham, and he, with two officers, went into court and testified that they had known the pris- oner for years as a notorious thief. They produced records of a former conviction and sentence to the House of Correc- tion, South Boston, for eighteen "months, for having burglars' tools. The day after sending me the note. Marsh was taken to the State Prison and put to work for the benefit of the State, while I was resting easy in my room waiting for some- thing to turn up. At J. H. Bradley's Office. My father declares his displeasure at my declaration that I would do no more work until I did it for the State. EXPERIENCE WITH COUNTERFEITERS. 45 On either the second or third day of July, Mr. Jones, a court officer, canae to my room and asked in a joking way how much money I had about my person. I replied that I had a fifty-dollar note'. He then asked me how much I would give to get out of jail that day. I said I would give half the note. I was then told to pack my valise and hurry into my clothes, as he had come to take me up to court. " Your father is there," said he, " and between him and Bradley they have succeeded in getting your bonds reduced to three thousand four hundred dollars, and Judge Abbott and the District-Attorney have agreed to accept the old gentleman as bondsman for the full amount." I, fop^the first time, made the trip to the court without handcuffs, but, as before, when I entered the court I was taken to the rear and given a seat in the pen. After remaining there a few moments, I was taken out and up to the judge's bench. I saw my father sign the bail bond ; and to make the thing more binding, I fixed my signature to the same. As soon as I was set at liberty, I went out and exchanged the fifty- dollar note for small bills. Returning to the court, I paid the debt of honor due Mr. Jones. I accompanied my father to Mr. Bradley's office. In talking the matter over, the lawyer said it was the officers who had identified me and not the witnesses, as they were only swearing for their ten-dollar notes. He asked me to go to each of their stores, dressed the same as I was before the coats were changed, and talk the matter over with them. If I was convinced nothing short of their money back would satisfy them they were wrong in their identification, I was to leave a ten-dollar note on the counter where they could see it and walk out without speaking another word. I was to leave Mr. Bradley to do the rest. As I had passed none of the bills, the proposition did not suit me, and I objected to being a party to anything that might bring discredit upon the officers, who, I believed at the time, could do no wrong. Not until my father re- minded me of the fact that 'Squire Bradley was my counsel, and I must be guided in the matter by him, did I agree to visit each witness at his place of business. I talked the matter over, and, failing to convince them I was not the man who had passed the notes, I dropped a genuine ten-dollar note on the counter in each store and walked out. 46 , LANODON W. MOORE. I returned to the oiEce and reported to my counsel what had been said and done. I told him, too, that I would make it cost the people of Massachusetts one hundred thousand dol- lars for each and every month they had allowed the officer to keep me in jail on a wrong identification. To my father, when he tried to persuade me not to return to New York (as he had procured a situation for me at John D. Goodnow's), I said : " I will never do another day's work until I am com- pelled to do it for the State." This answer displeased him very much, and he went away, leaving me with Mr. Bradley. After giving the counsel my address in New York, and requesting him to give me at least one week's notice before the case was called for trial, I returned, that night, to New York. The following day I visited several of my old ac- quaintances, one of whom (by the name of Roberts) gave me the " straight tip " how to make some money by exchang- ing ten-dollar notes raised from " ones " by what is known as the pasting process. This is done with a penknife, by split- ting out the smaller denomination and inserting a larger one taken from the genuine bills of defunct banks. The old bills could be bought in any broker's office for a few cents on the dollar. For every one I passed, I was to return to him five dollars in good money. I examined the notes carefully, and saw that the alteration could be readily detected by holding the bill to the light, which at once disclosed the parts pasted on. Previous to this I had never passed any counterfeit 6r altered bills but once, and those were five-dollar notes on the Butchers' and Drovers' Bank of Somers, New York. As I wanted money, I consented to take some of them, and that evening I exchanged ten of the bills for good money. I paid Roberts his share, and quit the business of a "presenter" for the rest of my life. Seeing how this could be done by another man, I went into the business of altering and raising notes myself. For a sticking substance I used white isinglass that defied detec- tion when the note was held to the light. As my raised notes were, therefore, superior to those put on the market by other men, I realized no difficulty in finding ready sale at fifty doUars per hundred for all I could make, and in a short time I was unable to supply the demand. I then experi- mented with acids, to see if I could discover some easier way of altering money by. extracting the smaller figures and EXPERIENCE WITH COUNTERFEITERS. iT printing in larger ones. I soon learned how to remove the signatures from broken bank bills ; but not before I had ex- hausted the catalogue of powerful acids did I discover that the printing ink in the notes could be extracted with a com- mon fluid, found in nearly every New England farmhouse. From that time I did no more pasting. I visited a number of brokers, purchasing several thousand dollars in broken bank bills on the Metropolitan Bank of Washington, D. C. These bills I altered to a bank with the same title in New York City, by simply changing the location with fancy type, and printing with a typeholder and mallet. I made several hundred dollars by the operation. I then bought a copying press, and made the acquaintance of an engraver, who fur- nished me with engraved State and location plates, such as I wished to use from time to time, until the following year. Then I received notice from my counsel to appear in Boston ready for trial on a certain day, as he could not get a further postponement. I made the trip, and was told by him that the three witnesses who testified against me had gone before the District-Attorney, and stated I was not the man who passed the bills on them ; that they were wrong in the iden- tification, and would so state when the case came to trial. This had so weakened the case for the prosecution, that the District-Attorney would be willing t6 enter a nol. pros, if I would pay the expenses of the court, amounting to three hundred and forty dollars. Rather than hazard a trial, I paid the bill, and returned to New York with the nol. pros. in my pocket. As I had never been able to print a perfect impression of a bank title with the press I had been working, I bought a card-printing press, and went to work altering notes from failed banks, first extracting the title. State, location, and sig- natures, then printing in the name of some other bank with the State and location I had selected, taking especial care in selecting inks that, would compare with the rest of the notes. I resized the notes, and ran them through the press between cardboards to give them a genuine appearance. I then signed the names of the officers of the solvent banks in their place. This was a new industry ; and as the notes were so much better than a regular counterfeit, I could not keep up with the local demand, to say nothing about the country trade. To supply this, I was compelled to teach a man the 48 LANODON W. MOORE. business, and as soon as he was able to make a passable alter- ation, I set him to work on the piece price plan. For every hundred notes, without regard to the denomination, from which he extracted the title. State, location, and signatures, and printed others in their place, resized and milled the notes, I paid him eight dollars, I furnishing the plates and other material. I gave orders to my broker to buy up all or any part of those defunct bank issues not ha"ving been put in circulation. Doing this, the broker was brought in direct communication with some of the ex-officers of the banks, and he was able to make large deals with a very little outlay, say one or two per cent of the face value of the notes. At the time, I did not stop to consider that the failure of these banks had caused a large loss and great distress among the poorer classes of the people, and I kept my piece price man at work steadily for more than five years, until most of the old State banks went out of existence, and national banks had taken their place. This change not only brought absolute security to the holders of their notes, but it broke up this branch of my industry. During these years this man alone altered many hundreds of thousands of dollars in broken bank bills to other banks, and his weekly earning during the whole time was from one hundred dollars to one hundred and eighty-five dollars. I not only ran this mill, but another, where the real counterfeit was turned out in large amounts. My portrait as I was at the time of Keene's escape from jail at Carmel, N. Y- Reproduced from original photograph taken by Fredericks, New York City. CHAPTER III. CAMPAIGN AGAINST- JUSTICE AT CARMEL. DAVID KEENE TAKEN FEOl^ JAIL, AND THE PBOSECUTION BOBBED OF ITS EVIDENCE. The name of Charlie Adams was now well known among counterfeiters and dealers in tlie " stuff " all over the country. Among these were the expert Bill Brockway, alias W. E. Spencer, and Brockway's confidential agent, David Keene. This Keene was the man who exchanged one thousand dol- lars in counterfeit ten-dollar notes on the Rondout Bank of Rondout, N. Y., at the Bank of Carmel, Carmel, N. Y., for good money. He then went over into Connecticut, and at a bank there he offered seven hundred dollars of the " queer " in exchange for good money, and was arrested upon a general telegraphic notice sent out to all the banks, notifying them to look out for this counterfeit. The cashier of the Carmel Bank, hearing of the arrest, w-ent with the Sheriff of the county to look at Keene. He identified him as the man who had passed the notes at his bank the day previous; and as the Connecticut authorities were willing to give him up, the Sheriff escorted him back over the State line without going to the trouble of getting out extradition papers. Keene was locked up in Carmel jail, where he remained for two weeks before informing his wife of his arrest, and requesting her to send his friend Brockway and Charlie Adams up to the jail to see him, as he was there under an assumed name. It was thought best his wife should not visit him for fear the officers might follow her when she returned to her home in Brooklyn and ascertain Keene's right name, and in this way make the connection between himself and his party of counterfeiters. Brockway and myself made the journey to Carmel, and stayed at the hotel kept by the Sheriff of the county who made the arrest. After we had talked the matter over with him, he went with us to the jail, where' we saw Keene and learned from him all that had taken place from the time we 52 LANODON W. MCORE. last had seen him. We then called upon the bank cashier, and, finding nothing short of a conviction and sentence would satisfy him, we saw the Prosecuting Attorney, and before leaving him made the offer of twenty-five hundred dollars to settle the case without further prosecution. His answer to this proposition was that the law must take its course. Seeing nothing could be done to affect a settlement, we again called upon Keene, and between what I could learn from him and others, I was satisfied the " queer " Keene had passed at the bank was in the possession of the Sheriff, and for safe- keeping he had put the notes in a trunk in his sleeping-room at the hotel. After locating his room, and while he and his family were at the breakfast table (the third morning after our arrival), his room was entered and the bundle of " queer " was taken from the trunk. I carried it away with me ; and when nearly a mile from the hotel, I was overtaken by Brockway with our team and carried to near Peekskill. I then counted the roll and found it contained but nine hun- dred and seventy dollars, and was three pieces short of the original amount Keene had presented. These notes I planted in the stone wall, and in a few days returned for them and sold them for two hundred dollars to a man who was with me. He put them on the market. In the meantime I had learned that the- three missing notes were in the hands of the Coanty Attorney, and would be used before the grand jury as evidence against my friend. Unless I could secure these notes he would be indicted and convicted ; and as I could get no further trace of them, the only safe thing for us to do was to get Keene out of jail. This was a difficult matter, as the jail was located in the public square near the hotel, and to prevent his escape a watchman with a musket on his shoulder did patrol duty around the jail during the night, and at no time was twenty feet away, with the exception of about twenty minutes at midnight, when he would go to the public stand in the square, less than fifty yards away, sit down and eat his lunch ; this done, he would return to the jail and tramp around it until he was relieved at six o'clock in the morning by the Sheriff, when that official came to give Keene his breakfast. One night while he was "taking a rest and eating his lunch, the jail door was opened and also the door to Keene's room ; Keene was taken quietly out and the doors locked behind CAMPAIGN A GAINST JUSTICE A T CABMEL. 53 him without attracting the attention of the watchman, who, after refreshing himself, returned to his duty and continued on his rounds until the Sheriff came in the morning and found the prisoner's room vacant. The watchman, when questioned, was unable to tell when or in what manner the escape had been effected, as he had seen no suspicious persons hanging around the village or near the jail that night. The escape of Keene, and the burg- lary at the Sheriff's house, and the stealing of nine hundred and seventy dollars in counterfeit money from the trunk, were published in the papers, and it was believed the person who had committed the burglary was the one who assisted the prisoner to escape. It was also published that the reason why all the notes were not stolen was because the Prosecut- ing Attorney had been given three of them by the Sheriff a few days previous, to be used as evidence upon which an indictment would be found, and these notes were locked up in the bank safe. Keene returned to New York and went into hiding for a few months, until I arranged with three men to rob the bank by blowing open the safe for the pur- pose of stealing, not only all the bank funds, but the three ten-dollar counterfeit notes left there for safe-keeping. This scheme being carried out, the prosecution was left without any of the notes to show to the court that David Keene had really broken the law. He then came out of hiding, and walked on the sunny side of Broadway for a few months, until some one gave Deputy United States Marshall Lew de ' Angelis a tip, on which he arrested Keene and took him back to Carmel, when he was committed to jail. It not being prudent for either Brockway or myself to go there again, counsel was procured for him, and his wife was sent there, with instructions to remain at the hotel until after the trial. While waiting there the lady received several callers, some of whom expressed a great desire to learn the names of the two men who had taken such an interest in her husband about the time he made his escape from jail. When the case was called for trial, the room was packed, both inside and outside the rail, with people from that and the surrounding towns. All were anxious to get a look at the prisoner who had caused the authorities so much trouble, and at his beau- tiful wife sitting beside him. The court allowed the indict- ment to be read, charging the prisoner with uttering the 64 LANQDON W. MOORE. counterfeit notes, giving the numbers of the same, and charging him with intent to defraud the bank of Carmel. Keene said " Not guilty." Several witnesses were called, who testified to the facts already stated. The prosecution closed its case, and Keene's counsel demanded his discharge on the grounds that the prosecution had utterly failed to prove its case, simply because, as they said, some unknown person had stolen the notes. By mutual consent the case was allowed to go to the jury without argument. The judge instructed, and Keene was acquitted, the jurymen not even leaving their seats. In the crowd Keene had several friends who " covered " him and hustled him out of the court. He entered a team kept there in waiting, and was driven out of the town before the authorities recovered from their surprise and issued a warrant for his arrest on the charge of jail breaking. Finding he was well away, no further effort was made to annoy him. Whether I was engaged in a good or a bad cause, it can- not be said I performed any mean service for David Keene. How he rewarded me is an interesting part of the story of the robbery of the Concord Bank several years later. CHAPTER IV. GOUNTEEFEIT STATE BANK NOTES. DEADLY SHOWERS 01' THEM EEDUCE THE DIVIDENDS OP MANY NEW ENGLAND BANKS. Keene returned to New York and resumed his former oc- cupation, that of general manager for Brockway and his gang of counterfeiters, a gang made up of such experts at the business as Thomas Congdon, Gleason, and Owens, each one of whom wanted to be boss. As Brockway was a whole gang by himself, he made his claim good, but there was a breach in the party, and Mrs. Brockway widened it by saying " Cong- don had an Irish mug on him." Open war was declared. Congdon split from the party and went into business on his own account, and was soon fol- lowed by Gleason, who joined hands with Andy Roberts, a " pal" of mine in the same business. To equal up things, I split from Roberts and joined issue with Brockway and Keene, without making it known even to Owens, as he was merely a tool in Brockway's hands. I then made the busi- ness acquaintance of another notorious counterfeiter, Jerry Cowsen, who turned out good " queer " several times a year. With these two connections and my own mills running on full time, I felt I should be able to protect my interest against any combination the other gangs of counterfeiters around New York might form with intent to run me out. That this would be attempted, I felt certain, and prepared myself for battle by making the acquaintance of nearly all the whole- sale and retail dealers in " queer" east of the Rocky Moun- tains. These men had known but one man in the business, and he was the man who represented his party as agent and sold them the " stuff " fresh from the mill at a big price. Most of the salesmen for other gangs were known to me in a busi- ness way, and they turned out an inferior article compared 55 50 LANGDON W. MOORE. with what was known as " Adams' Stuff." This of itself caused jealousy, and open war was soon declared against me by circulating a story among their own and my customers that I was in collusion with the police, and when the right time came I would " give them all away " to save myself or some " pet " of mine. When this yarn was reported to me, I sent one of my best customers over into the enemy's camp with instructions to ascertain when they were going to unload the next batch on the market ; and to do this without creat- ing suspicion, he was to declare war against me. To. show his good faith he deposited the price of five hundi-ed dollars' worth of the " stuff," and was given a sample bill to show his private customers. He was told that the time named for the delivery to wholesale dealers was the following Saturday at 3 p. M. This would give them time to supply the retail trade before five o'clock, when the run would be made upon the storekeepers by what were called " shovers," the only men who assumed any risk and the men who made the least money out of the operation. My man returned and gave me the sample, and told me the time the " stuff " was to be delivered. This was all I cared to know, for if they had given him a sample note, many others would be given out to large dealers before Friday, and these men would show them to their cus- tomers. Then if the sale was stopped, some one would give it away, and it would get into the papera, spoiling the sale altogether. I had prepared myself for this opportunity to get ." the combine " in a corner. I notified my customers in Albany, Troy, Buffalo, and Philadelphia, and one large dealer in the East (who sold to small dealers) that my agents would be at the above-named places with something good, ready to do business at ten o'clock sharp Friday morning. My city customers required no previous notice, and were never allowed to see a sample or know the name of the bank the " stuff " was on until the goods were open for delivery ; this for fear they might do some talking to outside parties, who might put up a job and have me arrested when the delivery was being made. To each of my wholesale buyers had been assigned a certain portion of the city, east or west of Broadway between certain streets, and no one of these men was allowed to send one of his men into the others' territory for fear of creating suspicion, as would be the case if two notes were offered in the same place. This wa^ a precaution I had taken to save COUNTERFEIT STATE BANK NOTES. 67 my men, but the other counterfeiters allowed their men to ^o where they pleased. In this way they lost a great many men, as the prison records will show. Thursday evening I went around among all my customers and arranged with them to get their men ready for work at ten sharp the following day, when I would make the delivery in person, and to cause no delay I would have each man's purchase done up in a separate package. He was to have his money counted and ready to hand me when he received the parcels. I then sent two of my men who were well acquainted with most of the "combine's" customers, to tell them I was to have something good in a few days and arrange with them for a meeting the next day at 10.30 A. M. when they would be shown a sample of the " stuff." This would give me time to complete my part of the work and give my men the best ■of the start. Friday morning at ten, I delivered the goods, and, instead of sending my men into the other fellows' camp with a .sample bill, I sent a big boodle with instructions to sell to no man unless he would go out of the city to use it. The con- . sequence of this was, New York, Brooklyn, Jersey City, and Newark were flooded with counterfeit money, and when the -time came for the other fellows to open up their boodle, they made but few sales, as mqst of their customers were busy putting my " stuff " on the market. The purchase made by my man from the " combine " I destroyed. They realized only enough out of their sales to pay for the paper the notes were printed on, while every dollar of my boodle was sold and passed without accident or arrest. As nothing of this kind had happened before, it was a, great mystery whether it had been done by accident or design, and none could tell, simply because I did not give it away, but went right on about my business. From that time I always kept a boodle in stock, ready to put on the market at a moment's notice, and never allowed any person to know what my next move would be, for fear some one might get in some " funny work " on me. What I did then I continued to do until the combination was broken. Then, when they split and returned to the old .system, I did them up in detail and had things all my own way for years. In the meantime, while this was going on. it was nothing unusual for me to be arrested and my house .searched; but as nothing was 6ver found that could implicate 58 LANODON W. MOOBE. me in any way with counlerf eiting, I was discharged in a few hours. On one occasion I had bargained to buy the whole boodle from an outside party. These notes were on the Village Bank of Danvers, Mass., and while on my way up Broadway to receive them I noticed a policeman calling from store to store. Wishing to know the nature of his business, I passed on, entered a store, and was soon followed by him. I heard him warn the storekeeper to look out for counterfeit three-dollar notes on the Village Bank, to hold every person who offered one, and send for the police. I then continued my journey up the street, and saw that what this officer had done others were doing all along the line. I refused to pay for the " stuff," and told the man from whom I was to buy it that he and his party should not have given the thing away to police headquarters until after I had paid my money. Then, if he had given it away, fifty or more of my men would have fallen into the trap set for them. As it was, he and his party were the only ones to suffer by his treachery. I had, by chance, not only saved my money and friends, but prevented the police from making a big scoop. This I told my men, and from that day they declared war against the combination and dealt with them no more. This created more bad blood, and the other fellows deter- mined to get me out of the way. To do this the police were • called in, and the Chief at headquarters detailed E , " old Jack," R , and K to shadow me by day and my house by night. As every man in the office was known to me by sight, I spotted them the moment they struck the trail, and for many weeks I gave them a long and weary tramp, never once turning or doubling on my track to see what they were doing, from the time I left the house in the morning until I returned at night. I had detailed one of my men for that duty, and received his report every night without creating suspicion among the detectives that I was aware " the eye that never sleeps '" was upon me. As their re- ports about me were the same from week to week, the Chief be- came suspicious that he was being betrayed by his own men, and to strengthen this was the fact that the city was flooded more than ever with what was believed to be my issue. This ran along for several months, when, one day, I doubled on E and " Jack " in Grand Street and was asked by them if I knew they had been " piping " me for a long time. COUNTERFEIT STATE BANK NOTES. 59 I replied I had not been aware of the fact. " Yes," one of them said, " we have, and I have worn out a half-dozen pair of boots following you. The Chief has taken us off and is going to put on four other men from the office to finish up the job. Now, don't you let these men get anything on you, for if they do the Chief will call us ' chumps ' or say you have been giving us ' sugar ' ; but if the old man or I get you it will cost you just twenty-five hundred to settle." I thanked him for the information and said : " I will en- deavor to make you earn your money." I left them in igno- rance of the fact that I had already known a change of shadows was about to be made. The new men met with no better success than the others, and, their reports being the same from week to week, the Chief became satisfied I was " all right " and it would not pay to waste any more time on me, while other men were putting the " stuff " on the market that he had been told came from me. This was a fair specimen of detective work as I always found it. They never were able to comprehend the fact that, while they were devoting their entire attention to me, I had a man in their rear playing the "shoo fly" on them, and that in this way I learned every movement they made. I had plenty of money, and carried thousands about my person to be used in "case of accident caused by the treachery of other men or by my own carelessness. I "played the bank" and purchased a farm in Natick, Mass., to please my aged father. I in- stalled him and the family on the place, kept my trotters and a brace of setters (Duke and Prince, bred from a Web- ster dam and an imported dog owned by J. Q. Jones, the president of the Chemical Bank) ; my guns were made to order by McFarland of New York, and nothing but the best fishing tackle suited me, and no year passed without my devoting six weeks to field sports with gun and dog, rod and reel. While on these trips, I covered the western part of Pennsylvania,- New Jersey, and along the line to the northern ipart of New Hampshire ; but at no time did I neglect business for pleasure, and I always held myself in readiness to return to New York at short notice. In 1860 Martin was let into the party with Brockway, Keene, Owens, and myself, and the counterfeiting business received a boom that astonished the banks when they found many thousand dollars returned to them from their 60 LANGBON W. MOORE. exchanges marked counterfeit that they had taken for good money. Eastern money was at a premium South and West at this time; and when the Brighton (Mass.) Market Bank fifty-dollar and one-hundred-dollar notes were floated on the market, it was no fault of the banks if the "presenter" laid down less than a few thousand on the counter and asked to have the notes exchanged for other money. ,This was fol- lowed in 1861 by the one-hundred-dollar note on the Pres- cott Bank of Lowell, Mass., and the Leighton Bank of Lynn, Mass., and then by fives and tens on the Prescott Bank. These notes were as good as the genuine, and were ex- changed among the Eastern and Western banks in large amounts for good money. The one-hundred-dollar note was printed from what was known as the Perkins' stereotype plate. It had for a vignette a large spread eagle, which at that time was a very popular bird in the North, where pa^ triotism was running high. The plate was then in general use among the New England banks, and ours was a perfect imitation of it. We had merely to change the title of the bank, the same as is now done by national banks. By chance Jerry Cowsen got up the same plate. He had printed a large boodle upon the Prescott Bank, and then knocked out the title and location, and printed three hundred thousand dollars in blank, these notes being_ ready for use on other banks having the same plate. Before the ink was dry on these notes, he saw a notice in the newspapers cautioning banks tcy be on the lookout for the Prescott counterfeits. He supposed that these were the ones made from his plate, al- though they were in reality the notes made by us. This was a knock-out blow for Jerry, as he had involved himself heavily in debt in getting up the 'stuff." He accused the man who had furnished him the plate with double dealing in printing notes from the plate and putting them on the market before delivering it to him.' Had I known in time what he was doing, I would have saved him from loss; but as it was, I could not do so without endangering my own party. Not till the plate had been altered on the Merrimac County Bank of Concord, N. H., the issue exchanged at the banks, and the papers had told the story, did Cowsen know he had been getting a " square deal " from his engraver. After the war broke out and the government floated the seven and three-tenths notes among the banks, I had an o 3 3- COUNTERFEIT STATE BANK NOTES. 63 exclusive boodle printed from this plate on the Tolland County Bank, Tolland, Conn., and two weeks before the day named to start them I sent two' of my men to the bank and exchanged several thousand dollars of other Connecticut bank bills for their one-hundred-dollar notes. In selecting the routes for each man I was careful to arrange that one could cover three banks the first day. No man was allowed to go outside of the territory mapped out for him, so that no two men visited the same bank. I then sent my " presenters " to the banks selected for them, with instructions to purchase a few seven and three-tenths notes, paying for them with the genuine one-hundred-dollar Tolland County Bank notes. Then if any doubts were raised about the genuineness of them, the notes would be sent to the Tolland Bank, and the answer would come back " O. K." When the day came to do business with my issue, every man was at his post; and the moment the banks were open, the business of buying seven and three-tenths, and paying for them in counte;.'feit one- hundred-dollar notes commenced. When the banks closed that day, I boarded the cars at New London with three of my men. Before reaching New York I passed through the train and saw that all my other men, who had been doing business in other sections of the State, were on board. I got the signal that the " deals " had been a perfect success, and that there was but one note left out of my whole issue. This I destroyed, and the following day I sold a large amount of seven and three-tenths notes which had been pur- chased with the counterfeits to the money brokers in New York. While on my way home after doing this, I met Cowsen, and was told the story of his misfortune. Before I left him I purchased his boodle of one-hundred-dollar notes printed in blank, papng for them two hundred and fifty dollars. These notes I afterwards issued on the Oxford and other Easterji banks, and they were all put in circulation at their face value among the banks. I had an exclusive on these notes, doing the printing, and signing the officers' names myself. My "presenters " were men who never indulged in intoxicating liquors, always kept their heads level, and had plenty of nerve, with brains enough to know that the business they were engaged in required secrecy. They did not tell it to a confidential friend. They were good talkers, 64 LANGDON W. MOOBE. and understood the banking business from A to Z. The only branch of banking unknown in those days was falsify- ing of accounts and the betrayal of trust. The defaulter came into fashion in later days. The cash accounts of these "presenters" I always found to be absolutely correct after makr ing a big run on the banks. After the counterfeits named, came the one-hundred-dollar issue on the Shoe and Leather Bank of New York. These notes were printed in fancy colors, and made a big run- throughout New York State and the West; and not until several thousand dollars' worth of them had been received at the Shoe and Leather Bank was the discovery made that they were counterfeit. The police were then notified, and Detectives Elder and " old Jack " were sent to the bank to work up the case. While they were there, I sold in the office of the broker under the bank several thousand dollars' worth of State money which my men had received at the country banks in exchange for these counterfeit notes. The broker gave me a check on the Shoe , and Leather Bank. When I went up to get my check cashed, I saw the president's room open, and in there at a table were he and the two detectives comparing a new, crisp, genuine one-hundred-dollar note, that had never been put in circulation, with many thousands of our issue. I heard President Stout say to the detectives: — " If one is good, they are all good; if one is bad, they are all bad, for I declare I can see no difference in any of them; and if I signed this note that I know to be genuine, I signed the others, also." I was spotted by the detectives while in the bank, and when I went out I was followed by Elder over into Stewart's Chamber Street store, where I purchased a pair of kid mit- tens. Elder stood behind me like a shadow, expecting to see me lay down a one-hundred-dollar note on the Shoe and Leather Bank. As I did not do this, he stepped forward and said: — " That was a big check you cashed over at the bank, and I will get to you and the party which is putting all this big 'queer' on the market, if the banks will put up money enough to make it an object to us people in the office." Of the two evils, the banks chose the least. They did not put up a cent, and neither they nor the detectives got to the party. A few months later a five-hundred-dollar counterfeit COUNTERFEIT STATE BANK NOTES. 65 note on the Haverhill (Mass.) Bank was freely circulated among the Boston banks, and one broker in State Street received two of them in exchange for a one-thousand-dollar 5-20 bond. This bond had a farmer leaning on a scythe for a vignette, and it was the identical bond from which the counterfeit plate was cut that I afterwards caused to fall into the hands of Secretary of the Treasury McCuUoch, before any of the bonds were printed. The Haverhill Bank plate was afterwards altered to the Central or City Bank of Worcester, Mass., by merely changing the title, location, and sig- natures, making a perfect imitation. Both banks printed this denomination from the same plate, the vignette being a female and sheaf of wheat. Many of the banks. East and West, ex- changed good money, either for one or two of these notes. I had never lost a man, and none of my men had ever been arrested until the counterfeit one-hundred-dollar note on the Alleghany (Penn.) Bank came out. That day I met my Waterloo, through the treachery of B., who started the "stuff" four days before the time agreed upon, and many of these notes had been returned to the bank among their exchanges. In this way the character of the note was discovered. The officials then sent out a general notice to the banks to look out for this counterfeit, and this happened before my men be- gan operations. The result was, that the moment one of them entered a bank and asked for other money in exchange for these notes, he was arrested. Not until I saw one of them arrested on Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, did I suspect treach- ery. I then called off the other men who were with me, and returned to New York. At roll call the following day, seven of my men did not answer to their names. Charley Frost had been arrested in Washington, D. C, and the others in New York and the West. These men were soon after re- leased on bail, and a few months later their cases were settled for a consideration, and nol. pros, entered. I made every pos- sible effort to save the man I saw arrested in Philadelphia. This could not be done, as many of the bankers in the city, who had previously suffered by this kind of fraud, came to the front and made it a personal matter. They gave the District- Attorney no rest until Henry Linn was tried and convicted on two counts and sentenced to seven years in the Moyamen- sing Penitentiary, Philadelphia. Linn was the only man I ever lost in this branch of counterfeiting, and he remained in 66 LANGDON W. MOORE. prison but eighteen months, being pardoned at the expiration of that time. He re-entered my employ as salesman for United States '81, 5-20, 10-40, 7-30, and coupon railroad bonds that had been stolen or obtained by fraud. These I had purchased from time to time from bank "sneaks," safe blowers, house workers, forgers and pickpockets at a price ranging from ten to forty per cent of their face value. Among these bonds were some that had been stolen from Sag Harbor Bank, Long Island, the Milf ord Bank, N. H., and those stolen by Howard from the vault of the White Lead Company, Boston. At no time did I ever buy any stolen bonds, diamonds, or watches until I had been told the places from which, and the names of the persons from whom, they had been stolen, and also the names of all the men connected with the robberies. Then if force had been used in obtaining possession of the property, I would decline to make the purchase, telling the men to go elsewhere and everything should remain the same as before I had seen the collateral. Before putting the bonds on the market, I altered all the numbers, and they were sold among the banks at their full value. For two years I had an exclu- sive in stolen bonds before any other dealer in stolen prop- erty ventured into this branch of business; and when they did venture, all those who put the bonds in circulation without changing the numbers, came to grief and were given their choice between making a settlement, by giving away the per- son who had sold the bonds, and a cash consideration, or a trip up the river to Sing Sing — and if old Detective Farley was alive I could prove it. From my first venture in this bond-smashing business in 1862 up to 1870 I made more money than in any other branch of industry I was ever engaged in, and without ac- cident to or arrest of any man and without the loss of a single bond. Gambling was a vice over which I had no control. This had caused my first false step in life, and to indulge this pas- sion and for pastime I played faro bank. In this way from first to last I lost money enough to start two national banks with a capital of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars each, and at no time did I ever play against a game when the dealer would turn for as much money as I would put down on a favorite card. Even at this kind of game, I ■ made several COUNTERFEIT STATE BANK NOTES. 67 faro dealers turn down their boxes and close the game for want of funds, while many other Broadway gamblers had, as they said "in those days, plenty of money when Adams was in town. For a little side speculation, I opened up a game of faro at No. 16 East Houston Street. Here no man was told to "take down to the limit" when loser against the game. He was given an open limit, and if lucky could win himself out of the box on a single turn. This was a new kind of faro, unknown at other games; for when other dealers got a man in the box they kept him there by confining him to the limit. The consequence of this was, I always had a full game from the time the bank opened in the morning until it , • closed at night. On one occasion when I was away on a hunt- ing excursion, several other faro dealers who did not like the way my game was run, combined and made a raid on the game, thinking to force my dealer to turn down his box and bring the game to a close by all playing together. When it came to a favorite, they would all centre their bets and plunge on one card. The result was, when the game closed that day, fifteen thousand dollars of the "combine's" money was left in my box, and the game was never brought to a close for want of a big bank roll. I was living on " Easy Street " until early in the fall of 1864. Then I bought twenty thousand dollars in 7-30 notes that had been obtained on forged paper; and a few weeks after I had made the purchase, one of the persons implicated in the fraud was arrested by Detective Farley. This man informed on me; and to avoid trouble and notoriety, I sold out to Charles Callender mj gambling-house, where I had won one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, retired from the busi- ness, and engaged in a new enterprise, — the study of bank locks and safes. For the next few months I devoted my whole time and attention to the Lillie and Yale combination bank locks. The Yale lock I purchased from Herring & Co., safe-makers ; the Lillie lock was stolen from Lillie's sales- r6om on Broadway, and is the one now on exhibition at New York Police Headquarters and made famous since 1884 by Inspector Byrnes' statement in Harper's Weekly that I had so studied combination locks as to be able to open them from the sound ejected from the spindle. When I had become familiar with the construction and workings of these locks, I visited Herring & Co's. safe manufactory and saw how 68 LANGDON W. MOORE. their safes were constructed. I also visited Marvin's factory; and to perfect the scheme I had in view, I purchased a safe from each of these firms, and one from Lillie. The lat- ter I had shipped to the Natick farm. The others I had sent to my room in New York. There I removed the lining from the doors and examined their construction. When I had done this, I replaced the linings, gave them a coat of paint, and sent them to the auction-room. After I had purchased several tumbler-key locks, with a Yale among them, I visited Lillie's safe-works at Troy, N. Y. From Troy I went to the Natick farm, and soon solved the problem of lock- picking by putting pressure on the bolt. I then removed the dial from the Lillie safe and drilled a three-eighths of an inch hole through the two-inch chilled-iron door, five-eighths of an inch above the spindle socket, put in my wire and picked up the combination, threw back the bolt and opened the door. I then plugged the hole and replaced the dial. This completed my education of the lock and the safe. I re- turned to New York in February, and waited for the oppor- tunity to see if I could do the same work in a bank which I had done in my own house. ■n O z H < 5 o n o 2 o o ?o D CO > z 7^ CHAPTER V. EOBBERY OF THE CONCORD BANK. SIX months' patient labor in fitting ten locks re- sults IN THE noonday CAPTURE OF THREE HUN- DRED AND TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS. On the twenty-fifth day of September, in the year 1865, the town of Concord, Mass., was thrown into a state of wild excitement. Its two banks, the Concord National and the Middlesex Institution for Savings, had been boldly entered and robbed at midday of securities and valuables to the amount of three hundred and ten thousand dollars. The perpetrators of the crime had succeeded in effecting an escape, and one of the most daring and mysterious robberies ever known became a matter of criminal history. Imme- diately after the crime, a few scraps of information were gathered here and there ; and from these some stories were started which have always sounded so strange to my ears, that there have been times when I thought that perhaps, after all, I was not the man who robbed the bank. But in- asmuch as the bank people forced me to return most of the property, I am convinced I was there at the time ; and I trust that my account of the robbery will be accepted as full and true. Incidentally, it must remove the suspicion which has clung to an innocent man for a quarter of a century. To this day it has been asserted by some that two men, myself and Harry Howard, made a sudden descent on the bank at noon ; that I sat in a wagon on the opposite side of the street while Howard entered the bank, and that Howard was enabled to secure admission to the safe because the cashier had left the dial combination, marked in lead pencil, on the side of the vault. As a matter of fact, the descent was not a sudden move, but the culminaton of five months' steady work, by which 71 72 LANGBON TV. MOORE. keys were fitted to ten locks. I ebtered the bank while Howard sat in the wagon ; and as the vault doors were fitted with very fine English ward locks, which at that time were in common use among the country banks, it is scarcely necessary to say there was no dial combination, although Inspector Byrnes' famous book, " Professional Criminals of America," contains the old fable. Then, again, the old cashier was said to have left his safe doors open, which was also untrue. A Framingham hotel- keeper named Twitchell was believed to have been in collu- sion with us, and to have furnished us the horse and. carriage by which we rode into and from the town. This was a terri- bly unjust accusation against an innocent man. It was my first experience as a bank robber. The chase by the police, and the tactics employed to baffle them, were unusually persistent, and bore decisive results, of importance to New York as well as Concord. One of these results was the restoration to the bank of nearly two hundred and three thousand dollars of the stolen property. Another was the promotion of Captain John Jordan from the Sixth Precinct Station to the superintendency of the New York police. As Jordan himself said to me at the close of the case: " This job will put) me in the White House," meaning No. 300 Mul- bury Street, which was then, as it is now, police head- quarters. Jordan was not disappointed. In March I met in New York City two burglars, with whom I had been acquainted for years — one named Carl, who was known to his companionsas " Dutch Dan," and the other named Ned Livingston. They told me at this meeting that they had decided upon the robbery of a bank and needed assistance. When I asked where the bank was located, they said, "At Fraacestown, N, H." After a few interviews with them, I consented to become a party to the affair, agreeing to pay all expenses, do the outside work, and furnish the team to take them from Nashua to Francestown, a distance of twenty miles and return. " Outside work " meant remaining on the outside of the building to see and not be seen while the others were at work inside. In case of danger it became the outside man's duty to warn the inside men by signals. One rap, for example, was a call to stop work; two meant that the danger was past and work might be resumed. More th^n two raps called the men out hastily. BOBBEET OF THE CONCORD BANK. 73 The party went on from New York to Nashua, and accord- ing to agreement I put the men over the road from Nashua to Francestown, driving the same horse which was subse- quently used in the Concord job. We "piped" the Frances- town Bank, which simply means that by personal observation during the night we learned that everything was satisfactory for'a break when we got ready to make one. There was one thing, however, that was not satisfactory to me : Dan and Livingston carried a quart bottle of whiskey, and this they worked for all it contained ; so that when the time came to start for home, I found them unable to get into the wagon without assistance. On thinking the matter over I was sorry I had entertained their proposition, not only because a whis- key bottle is not a good ally in robbing a bank, but also be- cause Francestown is near my birthplace and I didn't care particularly about robbing my parents' old neighbors. As I could not consistently withdraw from the agreement, I de- cided to prevent the robbery. The plan was simple but effective. Harry Howard at that time lived in Boston ; and as he was already a trusty friend, I confided to him my intentions and told him I would like to hire him as a night watchman for a short time. Howard agreed to assist, and was given his in- structions in the matter. He was to go on a certain day to "Wilton by rail, walking thence seven miles to Francestown. He reached Francestown about ten o'clock on the night the robbery was to be committed. He had provided himself with a heavy overcoat and dark lantern ; and promptly at eleven o'clock, according to the arrangement with me, he began his march down the street on which the bank stood. When he reached the building, he went to the door of the store under- neath the banking-rooms and shook it violently, then tried the bank door in the same way, and finally went out into the street and flashed his lantern at all the bank windows, thus satisfying himself that everything was all right. During this time my companions and I were in hiding behind some shrubbery in front of the cashier's house on the opposite side of the street. This was at the time known to Howard, and he had been cautioned not to turn his lantern that way. Leaving the bank, the " watchman " continued on his round, passing down the street toward the church and examining ever^thin^ carefully a§ h? went S-J-ong. Arriving at tb© 74 LANGBON W. MOOBE. church, he lingered there, flashing his lantern along the sheds, at the side and in the rear of the edifice. I had told him he would find my horse and wagon there, and he was to examine both carefully. He was also to look into the vehicle, and, on finding therein two bags, he was to take them out, and, while looking them over, hold them in such a position that the burglars, having followed the " watchman " from the bank, would be able to see all his movements from ambush. This programme was faithfully carried out, and the time occupied in the examination was fully ten minutes. The " watchman " then walked slowly away until, at the corner of the church, he stopped, acting all the while as though his curiosity had not been fully satisfied. He then walked back along the street in the direction of the bank, near which he was to wait until I should come to him. While he was acting his part, my companions and I were terribly excited, and in backing the horse from under the shed and turning the wagon we upset it. During the consequent delay, one was saying to the other: "Hurry up or we will get pinched ; the watchman is alarming the town ! " As soon as we were ready for a start, Dan and Living- ston got into the wagon ; but I hesitated, saying that I was not thoroughly satisfied that the " watchman" had given an alarm, or that he would remain on duty after twelve o'clock. I argued that as we had done nothing, wrong, and as the " watchman " could have no knowledge of what the bags contained, it would be wise to " pipe " the " watchman " and see if he performed his duty faithfully. I then proposed do- ing this myself, and asked them to drive to the bottom of the hill toward Nashua and wait there until I came. This they consented to, after repeatedly cautioning me not to let the " watchman " see me, for if he did, I, they said, would get "pinched." I then went to Howard, the "watchman," and told him everything was all right; that he had performed his duty as a watchman faithfully and to my entire satisfaction. I stayed with him until 12.30 o'clock ; then bidding him a pleasant walk back to Wilton, where he was to take the five o'clock Sunday morning milk train for Boston, I returned to Dan and Livingston. I told them the " watchman " was still on duty and seemed likely to remain on all night, for he was at that moment eating his lunch on the bank steps. The BOBBERY OF THE CONCORD BANK. 15 only thing left for us to do was to drive to Nashua in time for Dan and Livingston to get the milk train from Wil- ton to Boston. I saw them aboard the train, and noticed that Howard was in the car with them, but, of course, did not recognize him. The people of Francestown never knew how near they came to losing their hard-earned savings. In July, 1867, an attempt was made on the same bank by other per- sons and failed for lack of time. From Nashua I continued over the road to Natick, and during this journey I formed the plans which culminated in the robbery of the Concord banks. The Francestown inci- dent had occurred Saturday night, and it was at noon the following Monday I stopped at the hotel in Concord for food. While there I saw the cashier of the bank returning from his dinner. The bank had been closed during his absence, and he now unlocked the street door and left the key in the lock. I followed him upstairs and saw him unlock the outer and inner doors of the vault, and also the door of the burglar box. I presented a one-hundred-dollar note and asked to have it changed. Being accommodated, I left the place, observing, as I went out, that the lock on th^ street door was a heavy one of the familiar tumbler variety, and that it had a wooden back. I was satisfied from all I saw that by hard, persistent work the bank could be cleaned out completely. Shortly afterwards, I went to New York and saw Harry Howard, whom I knew to be reliable and whose work as a watchman at Francestown had greatly pleased me. I told him of the Concord discovery, and invited him to assist. He assented to the proposition and went with me to my farm in Natick, where he was introduced as a New York business' man who had been obliged to devote a few months to a search for health. It should be borne in mind that, at that time, I was one of that kind which is just honest enough not to be suspected of crime, and my family and neighbors firmly believed me to be what I represented myself, a speculator in all kinds of personal property. I was known in Natick as Langdon W. Moore, and in New York as Charles Adams ; but as the case developed I appeared at Paulsboro', N. J., as Stephen M. Sherman. I take the liberty of suggesting tos the reader that these names should be carried in mind, for he will have to recall them as the story proceeds in circum- stantial fashion. Y6 LANGBON W. MOORE. A day or two after Howard's arrival we went over to Con- cord and visited the bank. Howard took an impression in wax of the key of the street door, while I went inside, os- tensibly to procure change for a bill, but really to note what additional advantages the place offered and to prevent any one frotn descending the stairs and surprising Howard at his work. Howard went to Boston the next day and bought some blank keys, one of which he fitted to the wax impression. On the evening of that same day, we drove the twelve miles from Natick to Concord, and tried the key in the lock of the door. It failed to throw back the bolt, and we gave up the job' for the night. In a day or two we repeated the work of taking a wax impression, and to this second one a second key was fitted. Another midnight visit was made, but resulted as the first one had, in failure. For two weeks Howard tried and failed in the attempt to make a key that would throw back the bolt. I then examined the keyhole inyself, and, by pushing a penknife against the pin of the lock, ascer- tained that it was of the double-action kind. All attempts to make a key to fit the lock by means of wax impressions ending in failure, we tried another plan. Howard secured a ladder near by, and, ascending this, was able to open one of the bank windows. Reaching the stairs, he descended to the street door, and unscrewed with a monkey wrench the nuts from the bolts that held the lock to the door, so that the complicated machinery might be more carefully examined. In attempting to knock out one of the bolts, some of the varnish around the bolt head on the outside of the door cracked. I felt this and at once ordered him to desist and screw the nuts on again. The door had recently been varnished, and if the varnish on the big bolt bead, as large as a half-dollar, should fall off, the bank officers' attention would certainly be drawn to it, and an investigation would naturally follow. Again delayed but not defeated, I drove back to Natick, leaving Howard to watch the bank un- til after it was opened in the morning, and see whether the disturbance of the bolts attracted attention. As soon as he reported that no suspicion had been aroused, we prepared to plug the lock. This we did the following night, leaving it in such a way that it would be impossible \q tf U whether \\q locls was injured inadvertentljjr or b^ BOBBEBY OF THE CONCOBD BANK. Tl mischievous boys. When another night came and we again visited the bank, we found that the lock had been removed and repaired. In taking it from the door, the locksmith had knocked the paint and varnish .from the boltheads. This was what we had planned for when we plugged the lock, and now we felt we could proceed with more boldness. Howard again entered the building, this time driving out the bolts and opening the door to me. I took off the lock and found that the keys we had fitted to it would not throw back the bolt, because a small piece of steel in the back of the lock would prevent it sliding, unless a certain pressure could be brought to bear upon the spring of the spindle by means of a small pin in the barrel of the key. The bit of steel I filed off, and then we found that the keys we had made from the wax impressions worked as well as if they had been sold with the lock. I then replaced the lock in such a manner that its removal was never discovered, Howard again remaining by until the doors were opened in the morning. At the top of the stairs was another door, the lock in which gave us no trouble, and we then began the examination of the vault door. To open this door was the hardest part of the job, for it was of unusual make, and had five different key- holes. I went to Boston, and, after hunting all over the city, stumbled across a vault door of the same sort in a safe- maker's shop. Pretending I was an insurance agent and in need of protection for some private papers, the agent fully explained the working of the locks to me. I told him I probably would buy something more modern, and left without purchasing. I then returned home to Natick, and for three nights a week for six weeks we worked from midnight until three o'clock in the morning. Then we succeeded in opening that outside vault door. I was at that time paying attention to a young lady in Cochituate, who believed me to be a respectable New York business man, and all this work was done after my calls on her. We made the banking-rooms our work-shop during the entire job, using a closet in the rear of the vault for the filing of the keys which opened the vault door. The five locks were interlocked, and no two keys were alike. When the five keys were perfected, the door, being opened, disclosed another door inside, an^ thjs ov,^ l^ad two keyholes iix it. 78 LANGDON W. MOORE. After two weeks' more work in fitting these locks, we suc- ceeded in reaching the burglar-box. This box proved to be a most serious obstacle. Two keys were needed to unlock it, and the formation of one of them- was so peculiar, that no idea of it could be obtained from a view of the keyhole. After working at it for a time we found it was impossible for us to fit it, and the only way was to blow open thS box ; but this would be a risky expedient on account of the close proximity of /the living apartments of Dr. Barrett. The young doctor had already come very near discovering us on one occasion. It happened while we were at work fitting the key to the outside door, that we were dashed and almost drenched with dirty water which the doctor had carried out of his rooms and thrown from the stairs leading into the building adjoining the bank. We did not dare to move, and looking up I saw the doctor standing on the landing. This incident I related to him sixteen years afterwards when I was in Concord prison ; and however much he may have deplored his short sightedness on that occasion, he could not but laugh heartily. About the first of September, I paid another daytime visit to the bank, and asked the cashier if he had any "seven- thirty" notes. I explained that I was the administrator of an estate; that I was selling considerable land and converting the money into these notes, because I considered them as good an investment as I could make. "How many do you want?" asked the cashier. "Well," I said, "I'll need a few thousand dollars' worth from time to time." " I've only got about seven hundred dollars' worth in at the present time," responded the cashier; "but if you'll wait until next Wednesday, I'll ha,ve sixty-five thousand dollars' worth of them in." I went to the bank that day to see if I could get hold of any more information that would help me in doing the job, and of course decided, on account of what the cashier told me, to wait until after Wednesday; and after bujdng all the notes the cashier had on hand, I went out. While there I was rec- ognized by a resident of Natick, who came in on business, and I therefore gave my correct name as the purchaser of the bonds. On this visit I had learned one very important thing, and that* MOBBEBY OF THE CONCOBD BARK. 79 was the place where the cashier kept the key to that burglar- box which had given us so much trouble. I watched him as he opened the vault, and noticed that, while he took the rest of the keys from his pocket, this particular one was kept on a shelf in the vault. That observation was a decided windfall, for otherwise we should have been obliged to blow the box open. We had not decided whether to open it in the vault, or carry it to a back window, throw it to the ground, and carry it into the woods on a wagon. This last proposition would have necessitated taking a third person into the job, and I was re- luctant either to assume additional risk, or to divide with an- other after Howard and myself had advanced so far with the undertaking. Leaving the bank, after the talk with the cashier, I joined Howard, who was waiting in the wagon under the church shed, and imparted to him the discoveries I had made. We then drove back to Natick. We left the farm for a few days, and spent the time in exchanging for good money in the banks, a considerable quantity of the counterfeit one-hundred- dollar compound-interest notes, which were then being put on the market. Howard used fifteen hundred dollars' worth, and I five thousand dollars' worth. We gave one-third good money for what we put out. This was merely a little outeide speculation. We did not want to allow an opportunity to make a dollar to go by unimproved. Howard returned to the farm, and I followed on Sunday, Sept. 24, 1865. I was sick on my arrival there, but on Monday morning I decided I would finish the job that day, cost what it might. Rising from a sick bed, I joined Howard, who harnessed a sorrel mare into an old-fashioned phaeton. The turn-out was believed in the neighborhood to be Howard's exclusive property, though it was in reality mine. He had been accustomed to ride out as many times a day as he wished ; so that when the rig passed down the street on this expedition, it caused no comment among the gang of men at work cutting a road through the farm. They did not see me. I had entered the carriage entirely unobserved, and sat back out of sight. Howard drove out on the road to Boston, past Jenning's mills, to a back road leading over the hills to the Wayland turnpike, thence over the road to Concord. It was just before noon that we drove quietly into Concord 80 LANGBON W. MOOBK and up to the sheds near the old church, where I got out, walking down past the bank and into the churchyard. Passers-by saw me reading inscriptions on some of the old grave- stones. When Howard saw the cashier leave the bank, he drove to a grocery store on the other side of the street, not directly op- posite the bank, but only a few rods above it, towards the square. He sat there in the wagon looking over some blank deeds, which he held in such a position that passers-by would not be able to recognize him at any future time. When the cashier was well away, I left the churchyard and walked down the sidewalk to the bank door, which I opened with the key we had spent so many nights in making. I entered and was closing the door Ibehind me when I heard a child's voice say, "Let me in." At the same moment a little foot was put forward in such a position that I was prevented from closing the door. Turn- ing partly around, I saw a little girl about twelve years of age trying to squeeze herself into the entry after me. The little girl was a niece or some near relative of the cashier, though I was not aware of this at the time. I knew it was now or never, and that if I did not use a little tact, the child might mention the fact that a strange man had entered the bank during the cashier's absence, thus causing my. arrest, and wrecking the whole plan. I satisfied her by telling her the directors were in session, and asked her to come back at two o'clock. She ran off to her playmates under the big elm on the opposite corner of the street. I bolted the door behind me, and, ascending the stairs, ad- mitted myself to the banking-room, and locked the second door on the inside. The vault was then unlocked. The out- side door gave way to the gentle persuasion of the five keys; two more keys provided an open sesame for the inner door; another key removed the plate from over the keyhole, and ac- cess to the burglar-box was gained with the key which I found, in the cashier's hiding place for it, on the shelf of the vault, behind the first box. The contents of the box were soon transferred to a meal bag which I carried under my vest. Locking the now empty box and keeping the key, I then locked the two vault doors. The cashier had left in the outer one the key used for throwing back the bolts after the locks had been opened. This I put into the bag with the other key. I then leisurely left the room, locking the door at the Leaving the Concord Bank at noon, Sept. 25, 1865, with the bag containing $310,000 of the bank's securities. L. W. MOORE. From original photograph taken at time of the Concord robbery. HENRY HAUCK. Alias Harry Howard. BOB BE BY OF TBE CON COBB BANK. 83 head of tlie stairs. I unbolted the front door and passed out, closing it after me, but leaving it unlocked. I walked across the street and down the sidewalk toward the road to Wayland. Howard was on the watch for me, and had been somewhat alarmed when he saw the little girl at the door. His feeling of relief when he saw her run back to her playmates, as though nothing had happened at the bank, may be imagined. While waiting for me he had gone into the store in front of which he was waiting, and had purchased four pounds of tenpenny nails. He did this in order to avoid the notice he would naturally have created by sitting in the wagon all the time. As soon as he saw me come out, he untied his horse from the hitching post, and drove around the church back to the Way- land road. On the way he stopped to water the horse, in order to let me walk ahead of him, so that when the phaeton overtook me, I could step into it without attracting attention. In the meantime I had passed slowly down the Wayland road with the meal bag over my shoulder. A young lady I passed on the sidewalk was one of the in- quisitive kind, and tried to get a glimpse of my face, but was unable to do so on account of the position of the bag, which I carried over one shoulder. A few steps beyond, I entered the carriage, and we drove slowly toward Wayland. A lei- . surely gait was kept for half a mile, lest, by undue haste, we might attract attention. We then struck a piece of woods, where we changed the gait considerably, making the dirt rattle about the dasher of the old vehicle. During this dash of speed we came very near running down a carriage, occupied by two ladies, which was concealed by a turn in the road. We took the back road through Wayland Centre, and be- fore reaching the town I alighted and with a silk handker- chief wiped the foam from the mare. We drove down the road to within one mile of my farm, then turned to the left and down the back road to Boston, passing the Jennihg's farm and the men cutting the road through mine, and with- out attracting attention went by the house and into the bam. My brother was there when we entered, and while I went with him to decide about the setting of a flight of stairs which he was building, Howard took the bag from the buggy and hid it in the hay loft. He then unharnessed the mare, and in just one hour after leaving Concord, she was rolling in the dirt on a vacant lot in the rear of the bam. This was 84 LANGDON W. MOOBE. just what we wanted her to do, for she very soon removed all traces of the hot twelve-mile drive. I then took a bushel basket and went up to the loft, where Howard had hidden the bank's property in the hay. Placing the bag in the basket I carried it carelessly under my arm into the house and up to my chamber. I undressed and jumped into bed, sent Howard for my sister, to whom I stated I was sick and needed a doctor. The nearest physician was at Natick village, two and a half miles away. With a young lady as a companion, who was visiting at the house, she took Santa Glaus, a horse of mine that was pretty well known, and drove post-haste to the physician's house. I, had this done in order that an alibi could be proved in case of arrest. No sooner had the young ladies left the yard than I jumped out of bed, dressed, and locked the door. Then the bag was emptied on the bed, and the work of sorting and dividing began. The first package opened contained ninety-one thousand dollars' worth of '81 coupon bonds, on which was a premium of seventeen per cent. Then came a roll of paper containing the greater part of the sixty-five thousand dol- lars' worth of the 7-30 bonds, which the cashier had told me were expected on that Wednesday. Those we secured had never been cut, were fresh from the Treasury, and on them was a premium of seven per cent. The inventory of the stolen property was contained in the requisition of the Governor of Massachusetts on the Governor of New York, for my arrest some five months after the robbery; and it is not necessary for me to go into the details at this point. It is enough to say that the total face value of the stolen prop- erty was three hundred and ten thousand dollars, and that the premiums on the different securities made the actual value about three hundred and fifty thousand dollars. We divided equally. Howard made his part into small packages, which he placed about his body. I concealed my share under the hay mow in the barn, and then became an invalid again. When the doctor arrived, he found me in bed and appar- ently in deep pain. He prescribed for me, and in- less than an hour I was able to eat some gruel and walk out to the barn. Whether the medicine or the contents of the bag proved more efficacious, I leave to be surmised. FARM AT NATICK. %. X ^ HEMLOCK TREE UNDER WHICH MY SHARE OF THE CONCORD SECURITIES WAS BURIED. BOBBESY OF TIJM CONCOBB BANK. 87 A tin box containing a silver set, which had been presented to a minister in, Concord, I buried in the line of the old Bos- ton aqueduct, which ran through the farm. If I had known what this tin box contained, it would not have been removed ■ from the bank. It was locked, and I could not safely force it open while in the bank. There was also a wooden box there, and, being too large for the bag, I opened it by stamp- ing on it. I afterwards learned that the ■ noise was heard in an insurance office downstairs, where several persons were in conversation. They supposed at the time that the cashier had not gone to dinner, and for that reason they made no inquiry as to the cause of the noise. Two days after the interment of the tin box, I buried the remainder of the property at the base of an old hemlock tree half a mile from but in plain sight of the farmhouse. The tree is still one of the freshest-looking on the farm. Protection against rain and frost required that the securities should be carefully put down. A long rubber boot was loaded and rolled about a glass jar which had already been filled, and both these articles were placed in a four-gallon stone butter jar. The mate to the buried boot was burned ; in case the property should be found, no identification of the boots could be completed. After covering the spot over with earth and rubbish, I went to bed. In the meantime the town of Concord had become an ex- cited place. When the cashier returned from dinner he found the street door unlocked, and of course he was unable to open the vault door because he had no key to throw back the bolt.. He did not know whether the bank had been robbed or not, but looked for the worst, and at once tele- graphed President George Heywood, who was then at Albany. Thus hastily summoned, the president started home, and while he was on the way a messenger was dis- patched to police headquarters in Boston to notify Chief Kurtz that a robbery had probably been committed. Detec- tives Heath and Jones were sent to investigate, but they could do nothing to clear up the mystery before the arrival that night of Mr. Heywood, who had a duplicate set of keys with which he opened the door. Not till then did the bank people know that the burglar-box had been cleaned out as neatly as though a feather duster had been used in the operation. CHAPTER VI. EOBBERY OF THE CONCOED BANK. THE CHASE. At first tlie robbery was not treated as a serious and hei- nous offence. One of the newspapers said that the great mys- tery was the identity of the lucky man. Another described the ride of the messenger carrying the news to Boston as an affair of the John Gilpin style. As I was still supposed to be a respectable business man and Howard a friend from New York, not the slightest sus- picion attached to us. On the fourth day after the robbery I decided to send Howard to New York. He was an escaped convict, having got away while being transferred from Sing Sing to another prison in the northern part of New York State. I knew that if Howard was found at my farm, sus- picion might be aroused, and he would be arrested and taken back to prison to finish out his term of sentence. Another fact which assisted to the decision, and one which had a most important subsequent bearing on the case, leading in fact, to our discovery, was the visit to the farm, during my absence in New York, of a woman whom I had known quite intimately. She was on her way to Fitchbur^ to visit Charles O. Brockway, her husband, who was at that time in. Fitchburg jail. It happened that Howard was at the farm, and she met him during her call. No introductions were necessary, and she was quite well aware what Howard's occu- pation was. When she reached her husband, she told him about seeing Howard at my place. A few weeks later Brockway heard of the robbery of the Concord Bank. He very soon arrived at the conclusion that Howard's presence on the Natick farm was the much needed clew, which he might dispose of to the authorities for a valuable consideration. He told the Sheriff he could give the names of the men who had committed the Concord robbery. He made up quite a plausible story, and 88 BOBBERY OF THE CONCORD BANK. 89 the authorities thought it worth investigating and pay- ing for. Brockway was promised his freedom and one thousand dol- lars in cash, provided his assertions led to the arrest of the , thieves and the recovery of the stolen funds. He told the Sheriff about me and about Howard's presence at my house. He also told him that by going to my house and lifting up the top piece of the fifth step in the flight of stairs leading to the attic, he would find driven into the side of the stairway a nail to which a string was attached, and that at the bottom of the inside of the stairs, at the end of the string, was a box containing the funds. Brockway gave this " yarn " on a chance. He knew such a box was there, because, when we were doing business together, I had sent him to the house several times to get stolen bonds, watches; and other valuables which I had deposited in the box under the stairs for safe- keeping, to be taken out and sold after the excitement over the losses had cooled down. On the fifth day after the robbery, I received a copy of a telegraphic message sent by Captain Jordan of the New York police to Chief of Police Kurtz of Boston. It read : " Make no move until you see me. Come to New York." The message was secured by tapping telegraph wires at . Framing- ham, through which place the main lines passed. I after- wards learned of Brockway's treachery, and began to prepare for trouble. I first burned all the clothing worn by Howard and myself on the day of the robbery. Then I took my ledger and made up Howard's account for board of himself and horse, credit- ing him with cash paid from month to month. I also gave him credit for two hundred dollars for the horse, wagon, and harness used on the day of the robbery, dating the payment several weeks previous to that event. The book, with a lot of private papers, I placed in the safe, beside a lot of rare old coins of the face value of nearly one hundred dollars. These I had bought from time to time in New York. Hav- ing arranged this, I knocked the safe combination into " pi " and set the lock on O. The next morning I told my brother that the safe was unlocked and I requested him not to touch iti as the lock was out of order. This was calculated to be a " straight tip " for the police when they should come ; they would not have to blow the safe open, as it was unlocked. 90 LANGBON W. MOOHE. Through the tapping of telegraph wires, I next learned that Detectives Heath and Jones were at the house of a friend of mine at Cochituate Lake, while Detective Hunt was at South Framingham scanning all train passengers. I imme- diately harnessed a trotter, and, driving past the two detectives- at the lake, seeing and being seen by them, went to the South Framingham hotel, on the steps of which sat Detective Hunt. He did not know me. When I alighted one of several gen- tlemen on the steps asked me if I had heard of the big bank robbery, at Concord. I replied that I had not. A Boston paper was handed me, and I read carefully the full account of the robbery. At the conclusion of the reading I was asked who I thought had done the job. " I think," I said " that some of the people about the bank can answer that question better than I can." During this conversation the Boston detective was sitting - within twelve feet of me. Sometime after, I called for my horse, which was driven up to the door, remaining there while I crossed the square to a drug store and consulted a physician, who prescribed for me. While the druggist was putting up the medicine, the doctor was asked how much his fee was. " Nothing," was the reply. I handed him one dollar, say- ing that it would help pay horse-keep. I then returned to the hotel, paid the man who cared for the horse, stepped into the wagon, and drove over to the railroad station. The de- tective asked a bystander who "that gentleman" was, and, being told that I was Langdon W. Moore, remarked that I drove a splendid horse. My object in going to Framingham that day was to meet Hattie Adams, whom Howard had sent on to take to New York all or any part of the stolen funds I had. On the arrival of the New York train, she came out of the station, and got into my wagon. She was driven past the hotel, down through Natick to Wellesley, thence to the farm, which we reached at dusk. She remained only a short time and was carried back to Framingham, where she took the night express train for New York. She did not take any of the funds, excepting one thousand dollars in bills and three hundred dollars in United States scrip, which could not possibly be identified as the property of the Concord Bank. I learned afterwards that no one saw me take the lady from the C/) O c H X > z O X > X O H m a. c ■0 o BOBBEBY OF THE CON COBB BANK. 93 train, althougli at this time matters had reached the boiling point, and I did not care to take any unnecessary risks. Each day I received telegrams and " tips " which fully in- formed me regarding the movements of the detectives. One day they would decide to arrest me ; the next they would de- cide to wait a little longer. Several times Detective Hunt was in a strip of pine woods near my house, viewing the place through a spy glass and trying to catch sight of JHarry Howard, who he had been told was there. I learned of this and made an effort to photograph Hunt in the act of looking through the spy glass. I was unsuccessful, however, for the reason that I could not secure a good position with- out exposing myself. By this time the authorities, in their search for information, had heard of the strange mare and phaeton seen on the road the day the bank was robbed, and a reward of twenty-five hundred dollars was offered for the discovery of the team. When I heard this I felt obliged to dispose of the mare. There was only one safe way, and to that I was driven. The animal was taken into a swamp near by and killed. She was skinned, the hide thrown into a pond, and the carcass buried. Returning home, after the performance of this disagreeable undertaking, I saw three men enter my yard and go to the barn. They had just finished going through the horse staUs when I reached them. They introduced themselves as bridge builders, and asked if I didn't want them to build a bridge over a brook on the farm. They asked a number of questions about my horses and carriages. When I declined to employ them, they departed. I recognized them as the men I had seen at work building a bridge at Wayland. As they had seen the sorrel mare and phaeton pass several times before the robbery, I knew that the real object of their visit was to see if they could identify the turn-out. The next day the phaeton and the harness were taken to Brighton and sold at public auction, the price paid being forty-three dollars. During all this time a continual search for the team was being made. One person thought he had traced it all the way to Providence. There the clew was lost. ■ The night after the Wayland bridge builders called at the Natick farm, I decided to separate the plunder into two parts. One half remained in the original burial-place. The other, I 94 LANGDON W. MOORE. placed in a grain-leather bag, intending to plant it at a point three miles away, down the road to Boston. The object of this was to prevent all the property from falling into the hands of an enemy at once, if by any chance the original burial-place should be discovered. At the same time, a di- vision of this kind would assist to a safe and convenient movement of the securities to New York, where they could be negotiated. Knowing that at this critical stage of the case it was un- safe for me to carry them to New York myself and that if once known to leave the farm I could not return to it, I now felt the need of asking the assistance of a third person. I therefore sent for a friend, who was not known in- that part of the State. I invited him to take a ride, and while on the road I explained what I wanted done, at the same time im- pressing upon his mind the risk I asked him to assume, not for love, but for money. The proposition was agreed to, and faithfully carried out. I then got out of the wagon, leaving my friend waiting, and, taking the grain-leather bag, walked into a piece of pine woods on the Jenning's farm. About twenty rods from the Jenning's house and not more than eight rods from the road, I dug a hole and planted the bag. I then walked back t& the team and said to my friend, "Come with me." After tying the horse, he followed me into the wOods to the spot where the bag was buried. Taking a one-dollar bill from my pocket, I tore it in halves. Handing one part to him, I said: "If a man or woman comes to you with this piece that I retain, you shall bring the per- son to this place, dig up the bag, and deliver it without ask- ing or answering any questions as to the contents." We then returned to the farm. On the following day I made out a list of all the personal property on the place, including the furniture in the house. Reserving for myself only my two dogs and gun, I sold all the property to my brother, who went to Natick village and employed Messrs. Bacon and Sawin to draw up the. papers. This done, he ' returned to the farm. I then called in one of the hired men, Horatio Hammond, and- explained to him the terms of the transfer. He saw the money paid and witnessed the bill of sale. Hammond was hired by the year, and his time did not expire before Jan. 1, 1866. Requiring him no longer, I paid ROBBERY OF- THE CONCORD BANK. 96 him what was due him and for one month extra, so that he might secure other employment without the loss of a day. I then settled with the other men, and turned everything over to my brother. Although the honesty of this transaction was afterwards questioned, it was nevertheless a true sale. Every day after Howard went away brought curiosity seekers to the fa^^m. Some came to see if he were still there. The object of others in calling was to tell me I was suspected, and not a few came in my interest. During all this time the officers were questioning everybody all along the line, without regard to who might be friends of mine; and as a result of this I was able to learn nearly every movement the detectives made. It was on the morning of the eleventh day after the rob- bery that I learned Captain Jordan would make a charge of forgery against me, in case the detectives were unable to hold me on the charge of robbing the bank. The officers knew as well as I did that there was not a particle of evidence to warrant any judge committing me for trial for the rob- bery, unless Howard could also be arrested, and it was for this very reason no arrest had been made. With Howard well away, the arrest was what I had been waiting and wish- ing for ; but when I learned of this put-up job, by which I was to be held for the forgery of four checks amounting to ninety-six thousand dollars, I concluded to wait no longer, and to return to New York that afternoon, taking the mail train from Wellesley to Worcester, connecting there with the New York express. Before leaving the house, I arranged how my letters should be addressed, a plan which afterwards caused the detectives an endless amount of annoyance at Boston, Cochituate, and New York. While being driven to the railroad station, I told my brother that when the officers called to search the house, as they surely would, he should ask to see their war- rant; and if he found everything correct, he should treat them with courtesy and say, " Gentlemen, you will oblige me by searching one room at a time, leaving everything just as you find it." From that day until the officers came, all the doors to rooms not used were kept locked to prevent a surprise. My brother had become a resident of California in 1851, and we had not met until he came home on a visit two weeks before 96 LAN6D0N W. MOORE. the robbery. We now parted again, I taking the train and my brother returning to the farm. Months previous to this, I had furnished and occupied a suite of rooms on the second floor of a house on Thirty-Sixth Street, between Broadway and Seventh Avenue, New York City. My visits to the Natick farm had usually been made for pleasure, and in the Thirty-Sixth Street hguse I was known as Charles Adams. Up to this time only four of my confi- dential friends knew where I lived in New York. Arriving in the city, I went to the flat, and found Harry Howard's wife there. She told me the letter Howard had sent from the farm, arranging a meeting of husband and wife, had miscarried, and did not •reach her in time for her to keep the appointment. Not knowing where to look for him, she had decided to go to my house and remain there until she saw me, feeling certain that I would be able to tell her all about her husband, and where he could be found if still alive. I told her he was all right, and that she must go home to her mother in southern- New Jersey and remain there until he went to her. It was then I learned that four New York detectives had been to the house before Mrs. Howard's arrival, and had seached it thoroughly, even going so far as to take the scrip out of the bag which Hattie Adams had carried away from Natick. They had examined it without knowing they were handling some of the bank's money. When they put it back into the bag, they said to Hattie Adams, " You keep a lot of scrip on hand." " Yes," said she, " I find it very handy when I send the girl to the store." The detectives, continuing the search, came upon a gimblet- screw of peculiar make. It was a great " find." One of them said: " This is what did the work on the outside door. Now we have got him." The remark was enough to cause me to suspect the fidelity of my supposed friend Spence Pettis. The screw was made for one purpose only, and during the time I was experiment- ing on the Lillie combination lock. It was to turn the spin- dle after the dial and cup should have been removed from the safe. As Spence Pettis and Howard were the only per- sons who ever saw it, I was not long in making up my mind who it was gave the detectives the information which brought them straight to my house. ROBBERY OF THE CONCORD BANK. 97 I then saw Mrs. Howard safely away, and gave instructions to Hattie Adams to pack all her things, saying I would send a friend to take her and her baggage over to New Jersey, where she was to remain until she heard from me. I called on a friend of mine named Callender, and told him I was breaking up housekeeping and would give him all there was in the rooms, excepting the suits of the parlor and one bedroom, if he would pack and send those to the Natick farm by the Norvdch boat. The object of this was to make a show to the detectives of an intention to return to the farm. I might thus gain time for completing the arrangements I then had in mind. This being agreed to, I went to a confidential friend, David Keene, who at that time was part owner of a stable on Thirty- Ninth Street. Keene had heard all the stories going the rounds about the Concord robbery, and who the guilty persons were supposed to be. The matter was talked over, and it was agreed that he should take Hattie Adams across to Jersey, and see that she dropped completely out of sight. At this time a common friend, W. E. Spencer, walked in- to the stable where we were talking. He also had heard the latest news. It was there and then agreed that I should meet him the next morning in Brooklyn, go to his house in Myrtle Avenue, and remain there for awhile. Spencer, Keene, and myself parted. On my way down town I met Thomas Shortell, known by the alias of "Blacksmith Tom," who figured in the case in its later stages. He had a long story to tell. The New York officers were after me, he said, and would arrest me at sight. He told of the wonderful work they had done, and that they were going to capture me as soon as it was known I had re- turned to the city. In consequence of this information, I did not return to the house in Thirty-Sixth Street, but went to a hotel, where I remained until the next morning, when I again saw Shortell and received from him the very latest news. Leaving him, I crossed the Fulton Ferry to Brooklyn, met Spencer, and accompanied him to his home. I remained there three days, reading the papers and receiving many " tips " and propositions. I then paid a barber a visit, and, leaving his shop with a clean, smooth-shaven face, I was carried to Canarsia, where I chartered a boat for Several days' bluefishing. Luck attended 98 LANG DON W. MO ORE. the excursion, and I made the largest catch of any one man during the stay. This was not, however, the real object of the trip. With a good sea tan on, I would scarcely be rec- ognized by a close friend, and the tan was therefore, at this stage of the game, a very desirable thing to own. It was when my complexion had become a nut brown, that I re- turned to my friend's house in Brooklyn, occupying the back parlor and sleeping on a lounge. Not a day passed without some new and important dis- covery being made by the police. As a matter of fact, they were merely following out the points given them by " stool pigeons," who only knew a lot of supposititious things. In this way, two weeks passed after the fishing trip. I received visits very often from my old friend Keene. On one of these, I asked Keene to bring me some Canadian note paper and en- velopes, with a lot of Canadian postage stamps. Having got these, I wrote a letter to Spence Pettis, Eleventh Street, New York City, dating it Hamilton, C. W. — Canada West not then being known as Ontario. . The letter stated I was at Hamilton, and should remain in Canada three months, and that I saw an opportunity to make some money in that country. I told Pettis that, as he was one of my most reliable friends, I had decided to put him into the job. The letter required an answer by return mail. It was designed to test Pettis' fi- delity, and would show whether I had been right in suspecting him of giving the place of residence on Thirty-Sixth Street to the officers who had searched it. When th§ letter was sealed, stamped, and addressed, I selected a man who knew all the smart officers in Boston and New York, and sent him to Ham- ilton to mail the letter and to remain there until the answer was returned. He was to keep watch on the post-office, and see if anything unusual occurred during his stay there. About the fifth day after mailing the letter to Pettis, whom should he see gliding into the postoffice but Detectives Heath and Jones of Boston. After remaining a day or two, my messenger from Brooklyn walked into the office himself, and called for the letter addressed to Adams. It was handed him. Opening it he read : — New York City. Fhiend Adams, — Absence of body will serve you better than presence of mind. (Signed) Spekce. ROBBERY OF THE CONCORD BANK. m The form of this little note was probably suggested by Captain Jordan, and was meant to protect Pettis, so that no suspicion of treachery would attach to him when I should have been arrested upon calling for the letter myself. How long after this the officers waited at the post-office was not reported to me. Had I not seen them recently in Boston, I might have thought they were still there. One thing, how- ever, was certain : Spence Pettis had given the whole thing away to Jordan. The incident established in my mind the fact that Pettis was a traitor, and had given the information leading to the search of the Thirty-Sixth Street house. Up to this time I had received my regular mail through Postal Station G, on Sixth Avenue, near Thirty-Sixth Street, under the name of Charles D. Morrison. The letters from my young lady friend at Cochituate were mailed in Boston by her brother, a bright young' fellow who was attending school there. He was sharp enough to notice that he was being followed and watched while carrying the letters, and he so reported. Up to this time Keene had sent one of the stable men to the Station G daily for the mail. This man gave the letters to Keene, and he, in turn, delivered them to me whenever he could get over to see me at Brooklyn. On one of these trips Keene also discovered that he was being followed by a stranger; He doubled on the stranger at the Thirty-Fourth Street Ferry, and the trail was lost. That night Keene saw me and reported his suspicions, describing the stranger fully. The description was that of the man I had seen on the steps of the hotel in Framingham, and I knew it was Detective Hunt. There was really nothing private in the letters sent through the regular channel, and all strictly private information was coming through an " xm- derground railway." However, I told Keene not to send to the post-office any more, and if any letters came they could remain until I could send another messenger after them. My brother was then informed that I desired him to go on to New York from Natick, call at the post-office for letters addressed in my assumed name, and to keep his eyes open while there. If the postmaster refused to give the letters up without an order, he was to present one provided him for that emergency. Then, if followed on leaving the office, he was to take a long walk, double on the detective, go to the railroad station, and take the next train for Natick. The 100 LANGDON W. MOORE. night of his return to the farm he was to leave it again, drive across the country to a station on the Boston and Provi- dence road, travelling thence by the Shore Line to New York. He was then to be at Myrtle Avenue and Broadway, Brook- lyn, at six o'clock every morning until I should be able to reach him. On he came as instructed; and when he asked at the post- office for the letters, they were handed him without question. He saw a Boston officer in the back office, recognized him, and of course was followed by him. After a round-about walk for the humor of the thing, he went to the station, where he was seen by the officer to get on board the train for Natick. The officers working the Natick end of the case saw him return to the farm and then left him, supposing he had come to stay. But by driving across country he was able to connect with the next morning train for New York, and, arriving there, he crossed the Thirty-Fourth Street Ferry to Brooklyn, where,- on the following morning, we came together. He was then able to tell me in detail of what had hap- pened during my absence. Two coach-loads of officers and others, including the cashier of the bank, had visited the farm. On their arrival, one of the officers jumped out, and, running up to my brother, said, " You are my prisoner." The driver, Mr. Clark, called out, " That is not Langdon W. Moore, but his brother," whereupon my brother was at once released. The officers told him they had come to search the house. The warrant was shown, and, being regular, iny brother qui- etly acquiesced, but called up the hired men and requested them to be present while the search was being made. The first move the searchers made was on to the garret stairs. They counted up five steps and attempted to raise the top of the fifth.. This they could not do without tools. One of the number was sent to the toolhouse to bring an ax and a chisel. With these tools, the step was pried up. Then down went a hand to the place where Brockway had told them they would find a line tied to a nail driven into the side of the stair. All they would have to do, according to Brockway, was to pull on the string, when up would come a box containing all the valuables stolen from the Concord Bank. ROBBERY OF THE CONCORD BANK. 101 Failing to find either the line or the nail, they called for a lamp, and with its aid explored under the stairway to the floor below. They found vacancy and plenty of it, but they could not find the hole where the nail ought to have been. If Charles O. Brockway had told the truth, then I must have carried the nail hole off to New York with me. As a matter of fact, the hole had been plugged and made to look like the rest of the wood by drawing a saw across it against the grain. After this failure, door after door was unlocked and all the rooms upstairs were searched, but nothing was found to re- ward the officers' diligence. Downstairs, they went straight to the safe, where one of their number had been on guard while the search was going on upstairs. They asked for the key to unlock it, and were told there was no key ; that the lock was a combination one and was out of order, and that the door was not locked. My brother pulled the door open, and, taking out- one .thing at a time, asked the officers to examine each article before taking up another. The private papers and the bill of sale were examined and laid aside ; then came the ledger. This was carefully scrutinized, every item being noted. When it came to Howard's account, the cashier seemed . puzzled. He did not expect to find Howard the owner of the team they had been searching for. Neither had he expected to find Howard credited with the amount of his board bill from month to month, up to the time of his departure. Taking out a drawer, they came to the rare coins, which they spread upon a table for careful examina- tion. After looking them over, one by one, the cashier said the bank had had nothing of that description in it at the time of the robbery. All this time the gentlemen seemed dis- couraged, and finally finished the search by walking up and down through the rooms and out of the house. They took away nothing but a revolver. After looking over the barn and outhouses, they asked to have a sorrel horse, which I had owned for years, hitched up and driven up and down the road. This was done to give the Wayland bridge builders, who were present, a chance to identify him as the horse they had seen passing several times while they were at work. This sorrel horse would certainly have been identified right there and then, had it not. leaked out that at the time of the robbery my men were working him in a tip cart, building a road on the farm. 162 LANODON W. MOORE. My brother went on to tell me that a few days after the search, the farm and all the personal property on it had been attached by the bank, and that notice had been served on him not to remove anything from the place, pending a suit in the interest of the bank sufferers. The amount of the at- tachment was twenty thousand dollars. I told my brother not to pay any attention to the attachment, but to see Mr. J. H. Bradley of Boston, and retain him to take care of the matter. I thought a civil suit would keep very well until a criminal suit was ended. He told me further, that persons were prowling about the place all night ; and on one occasion, after the dogs had been barking for a long time, he got up and sought the cause. Looking out, he saw two men and a dog in the barnyard. He got my double-barrelled gun, raised the window, and fired both barrels in the air. "You bet they did git," he said, dryly. By day the woods were full of curiosity seekers, and al- together he had no cause to be lonesome. My brother then left me and returned home by way of Springfield. When he left the train at Framingham, the officers looked tired and discouraged. Before we parted I told him to visit Boston and all the country around, if he found the officers anxious to follow him, and in this way to keep them as busy as bees. He acted on this idea, and gave the detectives many a long and weary tramp. At this time Detective Hunt was in New York, where he had been told that Shortell was my friend. He had asked to have him pointed out to him by a New York percentage-taker — a man in the police service who protected criminals, and took for pay a share of their plunder. This officer made an appointment with Shortell to meet him at the corner of Houston Street and Broadway at nine o'clock in the evening. Before Shortell arrived, the percentage officer had placed Hunt directly in front of the show window of a cigar store, which was brilliantly lighted. Shortell shortly afterwards came along on the opposite side of the street, stopped in a dark passage-way, and remained there until the New York officer went to him. The positions of the men were such that Hunt could not distinguish Shortell, but Shortell had a good view of Hunt. The truth was so apparent that the Boston officer could not escape it. He knew he had been put on exhibition for the benefit of Shortell. The discovery was good for him. nOHMt OF fBS CONOOkb BAifK. lo3 opening his eyes. He soon found out he was being betrayed right and left by persons in whom he had imposed confidence. He then concluded to go back to Boston for a few days, and upon his return to New York to consult only one man. , Reaching Boston, he saw a hair dealer and had made to order one of the most beautiful of dark, curly wigs. After his head had been shaved clean, the wig fitted it nicely. His beard was then sacrificed, and the mustache, which was now like a sole survivor, was clouded up by an artist in dyes un- til it matched in color the top of this counterfeit head of the once good-looking officer. Thus mutilated, back to New York went Hunt, not this time to call at police headquarters, but at the Sixth Precinct Station-house, where Captain Jor- dan was officially at home. After seeing Jordan, he began operations by calling on Charles O. Brockway and his wife, who lived at 145 Mercer Street. From them he learned that I had had my picture taken about three years before at Fredricks', opposite the Metropolitan Hotel, on Broadway, and that Brockway had himself accompanied me to the studio. Just at this time my picture was of course very much in demand, and every officer working .on the case needed it badly. Brockway was now regularly enlisted in the bank's cause, and he was very willing to employ his skill as a forger in getting up an order on the photographer for a dozen pictures from the negative in his studio. Brockway signed this order with the name of Charles Adams. After that many other copies were issued to supply the demand, and I was one of the first to obtain my own picture free of charge. Brockway called on my hatter on Broadway, opposite Eighth Street, and questioned him about when he had seen me last. He replied that he had not seen me for a long time. It happened that a few days after Brockway's call I sent my Brooklyn friend, Spencer, to the hatter to order me a straights brimmed felt hat, the dealer having my size on file. He then mentioned to Spencer tfie fact that Brockway had been there making inquiries about Adams. This came directly back to me, but nothing prevented me from getting the hat. Up to this time, all the valuables from the bank remained where they had been buried ; and as we were now in the middle of November, cold weather was coming on. I had not seen or heard of Howard from the day we parted at the 104 LANGDON W. MOORE. farm, some six weeks before. When Keene next called on me, I sent him to arrange a meeting between myself and Hattie Adams, who was still in obscurity at Communipaw, about a mile and a half from Jersey City. Spencer was present when this arrangement was made ; and as soon as Keene left the house, he unlocked a secretary in my room and took out of it two tin cases. With these in his hand, he said to me, " What do you think I have here?" At the same moment he took the covers off the boxes and exposed to my view a supply of counterfeit fifty-dollar legal-tender notes. I said to Spencer, " How long have they been there ? " He replied, " Since the first of October." I opened on him. " This is a pretty tough deal," I said. " I was invited to your house where I could remain under cover, and I have supposed I was receiving the hospitality of a friend. I now find that since I first came you have had me placed in such a position as to make me appear to be the owner of this counterfeit money. How much is there there ? " " Three hundred thousand dollars, half in each box," was the reply. " When are you going to put it on the market ? " I asked. " There has been some trouble about that between ' Jap ' and myself," said Spencer. " He helped me do the work and claims one half for his share, but in the row Colonel Wood, Chief of the Secret Service, has heard about it, and has sent out a notice through the papers cautioning banlcs and bankers to be on the lookout for a counterfeit fifty-dollar legal-tender note about to be put upon the market." " It seems to me," I said, " I have been occupying an in- teresting position while this fight between you and ' Jap ' has been going on. This is the hottest place I was ever in ; for if Colonel Wood or any of his men came here and found that 'stuff' in the room with me, nothing could save me from a sentence of fifteen years. You know that there is a ten per cent reward offered for the recovery of the money stolen from the Concord Bank, a prize of thirty-one thousand dol- lars. You know that I am the person suspected, and that the detectives on the case are being assisted in their search by several ' crooks.' I can stand this no longer. The risk is too great. Now what do you propose to do with that ' stuff ' ? " " Well," said he, " I will have to give ' Jap ' his half." ROBBERY OF THE CONCORD BANK. 105 Spencer then melted some pitch and gave one of the boxes a coat of it, making it air-tight. " Now," he said, " I am going to ' plant ' that and not give it to ' Jap ' until after I have used all mine." " Why," said I, "his share will be worthless then. Yours will be blown all over the country before he gets his." " I can't help that," replied Spencer. " He will give you away," I said. " Oh, he doesn't dare do that," returned Spencer. " I know too much about him." Spencer then took " Jap's " half out to the stable, put it into a buggy, and, hitching in the horse, drove away. He returned. in about tlu?ee hours. I at once asked him about the other half. He said Keene and Martin would come to the house and take it all away as soon as they could find sale for- it, which would be, he thought, in about a week. These two men, Keene and Martin, made several calls at the house during the week following this conversation, and it was a great relief to me when I saw the last of the coun- terfeit money taken away. But even then, it appeared, the house was not clean ; for the very next morning after the counterfeit went, Spencer asked me if I would help him bring down stairs the printing press and put it on an ex- press wagon which he had driven to the door. I went up- stairs for the first time, and there I saw in a front bedroom the press on which the counterfeits had been printed. The framework had been newly painted and taken apart. Piece by piece we carried it all down to the wagon. Spencer then got on and drove away to the store-room in which it was to remain until wanted again. This man Spencer had been my bosom friend. We had been engaged in criminal business together for years. Pre- vious to this, I would have staked my life upon getting square treatment by him at all times and under all circum- stances. Now my eyes were opened. I saw the treachery to " Jap," the counterfeiter, who was only an acquaintance of mine. That disclosure, together with the danger he had laid me open to, made me resolve to come square with him at some future time. I said nothing, but determined to get out of the house as soon as I could have the bank plunder brought from the farm. It was during the time the counterfeits were being taken 106 LANGDON W. MOORE. from the house that I met Hattie Adams. At this meeting it was arranged that she and Keene should go to the farm and get the grain-leather bag on the Jenning's farm as soon ' as Keene should have got through with the counterfeits. They were to return to Brookljm with the valuables. I had notified my friend at Natick who was with me when the bag was buried, that a lady and a gentleman would meet him on a certain night at nine o'clock, on the road leading into the woods just below the point where the Boston aqueduct crosses the highway leading from the Jenning's farm to Wellesley. I told him that they would stop at the foot of the hill, when he should show himself and approach their wagon. The man would then hand him the other half of the torn bill, which was to be the mute order for delivery. Receiving this, he was to step back into the woods and Avith a dark lantern examine the pieces to see that they matched. If they did he should go back, take the horse by the head, leading him into the wood road, and turn the team around. I told him, further, that when he had done this, the man in the wagon would get out, whereupon he should say, " Come with me." The lady would remain in the wood road, holding the horse until their return. Every inch of this ground was known to her, for she had lived on the farm for months, three years previously. I then detailed to Hattie Adams and Keene the instructions I had given my friend at Natick, and handed Keene my half of the torn one-dollar bill. This little piece of paper called for seventy-five thousand dollars as soon as presented. The pair went on from New York to Boston, and on arrival there Keene hired a team. They drove from Boston to the meeting-place, and drew up at the foot of the hill at the appointed time. My Natick friend then took charge and Keene followed his instructions. Leaving the wagon and Hattie Adams, they walked up the road a short distance, climbed over a fence on the Jenning's pasture, and passed along the edge of the woods until they reached the pines. They walked in a direct line to the spot where the bag was buried. The valuables were dug up with a spade "which they had carried along with them ; and when the bag was in Keene's hands, my Natick friend filled with earth the hole from which it had come. The pair then returned to the wagon, where, as one of them said afterwards, they expected to find Hattie ROBBERY OF THE CONCORD BANK. 107 Adams in a dead faint. They were happily disappointed, for she was one of the strongest-minded women I ever saw. Up to this part of the ceremony only three words had been spoken. My Natick friend now said to Keene, " Tell Moore I will hold his receipt for that bag until I see him." Bidding each other a good night, the Natick friend returned to his home, while Keene and Hattie Adams drove b^ck to Boston, where the horse was returned to the stable. While on the return journey, they transferred the stolen funds from ' the old grain-leather bag. to a lady's Russia leather bag, which Hattie Adams carried for the purpose. The old bag was cut up, and, piece by piece, was thrown into the -mill- dam as they crossed it at tluree o'clock in the morning, enter- ing Boston. Reaching the city they went to a hotel, were assigned to rooms, and left word to be called at 7 .30 A. M. They required no calling, however; for Keene's anxiiety and fear were so- great he could not sleep, and Hattie Adams determined not. to close her eyes, lest some hotel thief might enter her room with nippers and steal the Russia leather bag. They met again at breakfast, and Keene had a nice lunch put up, which Hattie Adams placed in the bag on top of the valuables. They took the morning express for New York. Nothing of interest occurred until they reached Springfield, where a stop of twenty minutes was made for lunch. Keene had left the car for the purpose of getting his travelling companion a cup of coffee. In his absence, two men stepped up to the parlor car in which they had seats, looked in, and then walked directly to her seat. They stood there, looked at her sharply, and then at the bag in the car rack. Returning with the coffee, Keene passed it in and she accepted it. When he saw the men standing there, his heart, as he said after- wards, stopped beating. He felt sure some one had given the oificials direct information regarding their movements. This was not the case with Hattie Adams. When she noticed their attention directed to the bag in the rack, she coolly took it down, opened it, and, serving first a napkin, laid out for herself a choice lunch of roast chicken, pie, and cake. The men remained there until the train was about to start. Then they walked to the door ; but, as if still appear- ing not to be satisfied that everything was all right, they 108 LANODON W. MOORE. paused and eyed her again from a distance, until the train was actually in motion. Keene at this time was looking oh at a safe distance, and felt relief when they were out of sight. Who those men were and what they were looking for has never been made known to me, and it may have been merely a coincidence that they scented that Russia leather bag. On the arrival of the train in New York City, Keene returned to his home completely tired out. Hattie Adams took a carriage to Brooklyn. She was careful to leave the vehicle some distance from the house where I was. As soon as she had paid the hackman, she entered a store close by and remained there long enough to see him well away. She then took a car to the house, rang the bell, and was admitted by myself, it happening that Spencer had gone to Philadel- phia, where his permanent residence was with his family. By way of explanation, I may say here that Spencer owned a house in Philadelphia and had let it for the summer. The Brooklyn house was hired furnished from month to month, for the purpose of printing the fifty-dollar legal-tender coun- terfeit notes. He did not care to take the risk of printing these counterfeits in his own house in Philadelphia. I had requested him to look about, while he was away, for a place, unfurnished, suitable for me to remain in while under cover. He heard of a cottage on the Delaware to let; but without looking at the place, both he and his wife returned to Brooklyn. He was very anxious to see my bonds from the Concord Bank. A few of them were shown him. In the lot were one thousand dollars in new Concord National Bank notes, none of which had ever been in circu- lation. These I sold him for six hundred dollars. At that time I had two printed circulars issued by the bank, giving the numbers of all the bonds stolen, and these notes were also mentioned. Although no numbers were given, I preferred to sell the notes to Spencer rather than to take the chances of disposing of them in other ways. On look- ing over the securities and comparing the numbers on the bonds with those on the circulars, I found some bonds not mentioned. These I gave to Keene to sell. In disposing of them, he was in some cases paid by check. These checks he had deposited at his own bank. When this was reported to me, I said to him, " In future sell only for cash, or else they may trace the sales back to you." ROBBERY OF THE CONCORD BANK. 109 Nothing further was done until the first of the month, when Keene's account at the bank was made up. As no questions were asked about those special checks, we knew everything was all right. There were still about seventy-five thousand dollars left at the farm. I at this time arranged that my Natick friend should be informed where it was buried — under the old hemlock, due east, and two feet from the trunk of the tree. This. " plant " my friend was to remove on the first stormy night, and he was to place it where it could be got at upon the first favorable opportunity, and at a moment's notice, on which notice he was to bring it to Brooklyn. My Natick friend, having once been notified, had not long to wait for opportu- nities, and placing the valuables about his person, he walked directly to the South Framingham station. He boarded a train there and left it at Worcester, where he took an express for New York. Very soon thereafter, he delivered the prop- erty to me in Brookljoi. When this delivery was made, Spencer was again in Phila- delphia with his family, and it had been arranged that he should see the owner of that cottage on the bank of the Del- aware. The cottage was in Paulsboro', N. J. Spencer was to rent the cottage and furnish it, cheaply but comfortably. It was not my intention to remain there long. In fact, I thought Howard and myself would go through Europe to- gether in the spring, and it was already December. Up to this time I had not even heard from Howard in any direct way from the time we had parted at the farm. I then sent Keene to put into the New York Herald a personal advertisement. It read: "Ha, Johnny — ha, Johnny — the place of meet ; time, 9 p. M." This had all been arranged between us at the time we parted. Nothing, really, had been left to chance. I was to be there at this previously agreed- upon meeting-place every night until I saw Howard. There was no delay, however; for on the night of the day on which the advertisement was published, Howard and his wife were at the place of meeting. They were there when I arrived. Howard, up to that time, only knew what he had read in the newspapers. He knew that he and I were sus- pected. I then told him all that had taken place, and asked him where he had kept himself. He told me he had travelled all over New York State, selling those compound-interest IIU LANGDON W. MOORE. notes among the banks. Then he had returned to the resi- dence of his wife's mother, and there he found his wife. She was a fit subject for an insane asylum, he said. She admitted that she had worried herself almost to death, but she declared she was not half so " cranky " then as her husband had been afterwards. He, she said, would sit in a chair for hours, with his head between his hands, saying, " Where can Charley be ? " It appeared that, during the three weeks preceding my meeting with them, they had been staying at a hotel in New York City. When I asked him where his share of the bank proceeds were, he said he had the property on his person, where he had carried it from the day of the robbery. We then realized that the chance taken in . stealing the bonds was as nothing compared with the risk one would have to assume while putting them on the market; and as Howard had no means of disposing of his share, it was agreed that I should handle all the bonds, and, for prudential reasons, hand over to Howard all moneys received. It was further agreed that if, while this was being done, I should get into trouble in the act of disposing of bonds, I then should make the best settlement possible with the bank, to the end that I might effect my release. Whatever was left after a settlement, if anything, was to be equally divided. The few thousands I had already realized on sales were, under this agreement, given to Howard. He then gave me an order for his horse, Johnny, which was then out at pasture. I gave the order to Keene; and the horse, being brought in, was taken to Keene's stables on Thirty-Ninth Street, where it was kept subject to my order. At parting it was agreed between us that we should meet at the same place four days later, when I would be able to tell him what my next move would be. I then sent word to my brother to consult a well-known Boston la-vi^er, Mr. Bradley, and ascertain .what crimes came under the extradition treaty between Great Britain and the United States, with special consideration for this particular case. My brother was informed that this particular case was extraditable, and that there were " twenty-five years at the ■ end of it," as each depositor might prefer a separate charge. This lawyer said: " Tell your brother I can settle with the bank people for one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, and no prosecution." ROBBERY OF THE CONCORD BANK. HI While on this trip to Boston, my brother was asked by detectives to arrange an interview between myself and them, at any place in Massachusetts or Canada I might see fit to designate. They were prepared to guarantee there would be no arrest. One of them was willing to go blindfolded and securely tied. All he asked was a chance to talk the matter over with me, and he felt sure an amicable settlement could be made with the bank by a return of a portion of the prop- erty, if I was really "in the steal." Keene also brought a proposition like this from the New York end. To these messages no answer was returned. Then I was informed that if I would give the detectives ten per cent of the prop- erty, no evidence would be found against me. I returned this answer : " If I had those stolen securities, I would return every dollar of them to the bank people be- fore I would give one dollar for police protection." Just about this time I received word that the cottage at Paulsboro' had been rented and furnished, and that Spencer would return in a few days to Brooklyn. I saw Howard, and gave him as my future address : " Stephen Mi Sherman, Paulsboro', Jf . J." Howard then went with his wife to live with his mother-in-law, twenty miles west of Paulsboro'. While still in Brooklyn, I remained in the house by. day and took long tramps by night. When returning from one of these excursions, I thought I was being followed, and took care to slip away from the pursuer before going into the house, where one hundred and thirty-five thousand dollars of the stolen funds was still hidden. When Keene called the next day, I told him of my suspi- cions, and it was then arranged that I should leave for Paulsboro' that night. Keene's wife and Hattie Adams were to come to the house and carry the stolen property to Pauls- boro'. Keene himself was to come with the horse Johnny and drive me to Jersey City, subsequently leaving Johnny at the stable of the Sheriff of Hudson County, to be shipped the following day to Spencer at Philadelphia. The wagon and the harness were to be returned to the Thirty-Ninth Street stable. In carrying out this plan, both women were driven to the Brooklyn house by Keene. They put the securities into the same Russia leather bag that had been used in "bringing them from Natick, and then were seen safely away by Keene. 112 hANGDON W. MOORE. On Keene's return to me, I locked up the house, taking the key with me, and was driven to Jersey City as arranged. Boarding the train, we saw the ladies, but no recognition took place until we were leaving the cars at Philadelphia, when I handed the key to them with these instructions : " Take the key to our mutual friend ; say to him that some- thing was wrong at the house, and that Adams dared not remain there longer. Tell him that the horse will be shipped to him to-day. Then you cross over to Camden in time to take the first train for Woodbury." That night Keene and myself went to the hotel at Cam- den, and next morning met the ladies at the train going to Woodbury, from which place we rode by stage to the Pauls- boro' cottage, arriving there at 1 p. m. Keene and his wife had been there before, and they now got the key from Mr. Murray, who had charge of the property. We looked through the house, and found it furnished so cheaply that it was scarcely comfortable. There were, however, a winter's stock of groceries, a barrel of Philadelphia pale ale on tap, and two baskets of Piper Heidseick, with wood and coal in the cellar. In the adjoining stable were hay and grain, with a second-hand two^eated carryall, harness, and robe. The bag containing the securities was buried two feet below the wall of the cellar of the house. The party then returned to Mr. Murray's house, where dinner had been ordered. That night it was decided that Keene and his wife should spend the winter with me, Keene returning next day to New York for their baggage and to settle up his affairs at the stable. He was also to purchase a set of figures, or copper- faced types, such as are used to number notes and bonds at the Treasury Department. Keene found that he could not buy what I wanted, but he called upon a die sinker and ordered a figure eight set on brass for the purpose of altering the numbering of the bonds stolen. With this type, the figure three was changed to eight. When the job was done, the die sinker charged eight dollars for the single figure, and excused himself for setting such an exorbitant price on the ground that the type was an imitation of that used by the Treasury Department, and he had no right to make it. Before getting this, Keene had bought three cans of ROBBERY OF THE CONCORD BANK. U3 printer's carmine ink. Thus stocked, he returned to Pauls- boro' and told us of the robbery he had had to submit to at the hands of the die sinker. When I examined the figure he had brought, I told him it was two sizes too large, and so it proved. The ink was off in color, but by mixing the cans I was able to produce the color desired. I then reduced the size of the type, using such tools as were at hand. Before . this investment of Keene's, he had purchased eight pounds of type such as is used by newspapers, but none met our requirement. This stock was put on a shelf, where it remained until at a later day it fell into the hands of detectives. Keene had also supplied himself with one of those books published for the benefit of bankers and other financiers, giving a list of all lost and stolen bonds to date. Then it was that the work of changing the numbers of the stolen Concord bonds began. In a few days Spencer drove to the house with the horse Johnny in tow. This was about December 20, and the coupons on all the bonds became due Jan. 1, 1866. These coupons were sold to Spencer, the price agreed upon being the face value in currency, gold at that time being quoted at one hundred and seventy. Spencer also took away with him seventeen thousand dollars in bonds. These he was to pay for at the rate of seventy per cent of the face value. He was to change the numbers himself, while all those on which I changed the numbering were to be sold by Keeiie, who was also to pay me at the rate of seventy per cent. I gave Keene a slight advantage through friendship. These altered bonds were sold in New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, not more than one at a time in each place, and for cash only. After Spencer disposed of the coupons, he called upon me in January and paid over the proceeds, deducting one thou- sand eight hundred dollars, which was the amount he said he had expended in furnishing the cottage. He showed me a one-thousand-dollar 7-30 bond, silid asked me my opinion about the way the numbers were changed. After examining, it, I pronounced it perfect, and said, " That is not the bond I gave" you," He replied that it was the same one. We then parted, but in a few days he called again, this time with his wife. He showed me what he said was the 114 LANODON W. MOORE. same bond I had seen before. The numbers on this one were blurred, as though one had drawn his thumb across them while the ink was fresh. When asked how it hap- pened they were blurred, he said, " After you first saw it I put it in my wallet, and the ink, not being hard, rubbed." I had discovered that the bond previously shown me was , not the one I- had given him, but one of a counterfeit lot he was making to put on the market two years later. I dared not let on I knew the truth, but asked him what he would give for it in its present condition. Under the agreement he was not financially responsible to me for a bond until it was sold, and he could always return one if, for any reason, he had not found a market for it. It was not intended by me that he should bring back any mutilated, but, under the circumstances, I was not in a position to refuse. In this instance he had brought me back a bond of his own make, and I knew it. With no little assurance, he offered to give me four hundred dollars for it, and I told him he might have the bond. This transaction took place outside of the house. When we went back inside, Spencer told his wife he had bought the bond for four hundred dol- lars. She exclaimed, " Oh, what cheek ! " It did not occur to her, probably, how this sounded to me. By this trick Spencer got for four hundred dollars a bond for which he should have paid me seven hundred dollars. I did not tell this man of the sales Keene was making, but Keene was told of Spencer's double dealing. In a few days he called again. This time he had two one-thousand- dollar '81 bonds which he had altered. The alteration had been done with common type, and the bonds were worthless to any one but the original owner. I had to take them back, of course. On the next visit to the cottage, Spencer stayed over night. Snow fell during the evening. At ten o'clock he went out of the front door, apparently merely to take the air. When he re-entered he laid, "I would like to have my horse ready to leave here at five o'clock tormorrow morning." He did as he desired, and before either Keene or myself was out of bed, he was away. When I went out I saw foot tracks in the newly fallen snow. They led down the em- bankment at the front of the house, and under a platform which connected the embankment with an old and pictur- ROBBERY OF THE CONCORD BANK. 115 esque tower, which, was fifty feet high, and modelled after a structure on the Rhine in Germany. I called Keene's attention to the tracks in the snow and said, " Some one has been here during the night." Keene examined the tracks and declared that "Bill," meaning Spencer, had been up to some of his old tricks. Investigation soon revealed four sets of copper-faced type such as are used at the Treasury Department for numbering bonds. We also found a set of type used in printing the bronze on the counterfeit one-hundred-dollar compound-in- terest notes which had been put into circulation during the previous September. No attempt at concealment had been made. Any one stepping up on the abutment could see the type. Said Keene, " This is some trick of his." " Yes," I replied, " he is prepared, if arrested while sell- ing those altered bonds, to say he got them from me ; and if, on top of that, these types were found here, saltpetre would not save me. I will confiscate them." I wanted one set of the copper-faced type, but the others I buried in a safe place. The set saved was just what I needed, and with this the work of altering the bonds went rapidly on. The following week Spencer called again. This time he had with him a Philadelphia lawyer, who owned the prop- erty adjoining the cottage I was in. This was a very reck- less proceeding, and annoyed me greatly. This Philadel- phian returned home, and told a detective at a club meeting that there was a stranger down at Paulsboro,' and he had better go down and look him over. The detective decided to do so, but he 'was late. At every visit Spencer wanted to look over the whole stock of bonds. I had always refused to allow him to do this, saying that the " stuff " was buried. His conduct was so open to question that about the middle of January I deter- mined to jump to Canada without telling Spencer. I sent a message to my brother to take a trip to Pittsburg, where he would meet Keene, with whom he was to come to Paulsboro'. Since leaving Brooklyn, my whereabouts were not known to any one in Natick. "When my brother reached Paulsboro', he had little to tell that was not already known to me. I arranged with him to 116 LANGDON W. MOORE. take possession of my personal property at the cottage, a-s soon as I should get away. When my brother left, Keene and his wife went along to New York, she to remain there, and he to order two dozen shirts for Charles Adams at Greene's furnishing store at the corner of Canal and Law- rence Streets. I was known at the store by that name. When the order was given, Keene was told that Charles O. Brockway had called there several times making inquiries about me. Keene bought for me a sole-leather trunk and a double-barrelled ducking-gun costing three hundred and forty dollars. This had been advertised for sale by the widow of Horace Jones, a well-known horseman. At this time I had seven thousand dollars in one-hundred- dollar and fifty-dollar 7-30 notes. To alter the numbering of one of these required as much work as the altering of a one-thousand-dollar bond, and they were bulky, besides. I did not care to take them to Canada, and asked Keene to find sale for them in New York. The detectives had learned through Charles O. Brockway that Thomas Shortell was doing criminal work with Keene, and that Shortell was a friend of mine. The job was then put up, with the assistance of the secret-service men of New York, that John Disbrow, a dealer in counterfeit money, should sell one thousand dollars' worth of counterfeit fifty- cent scrip to Shortell, very cheap for cash ; and when the delivery was being made, Detective George Elder and other officers were to drop in accidentally upon Shortell, and find the scrip on his person. He would then be given his choice to tell where I was or go to prison. The arrest was made as planned, January 15, at Fifty-Fourth Street and Fifth Avenue, but Shortell could not tell where I was. He did tell them that Keene saw me often. Shortell agreed to betray him. He then went to his home with the officers, and gave them fifteen hundred and eighty-four dollars of the old State Bank issue of the Concord Bank. This money came from my part of the bank plunder. At this time there were twenty thou- sand dollars of the old issue in circulation, and the numbers of the stolen notes were unknown to the bank people. I did not know that the notes could not be identified, so I had given them to Keene several weeks previous to dispose of. Keene had given them to Shortell, and had failed to let me know it. ' BOBBERY OF THE CONCORD BANK. 117 The detectives told Shortell to see Keene, and make a pur- chase, if possible, of some of the bonds stolen from the bank. At this time Keene was looking for Shortell. They met, and the sale of seven thousand dollars' worth of bonds at seventy per cent was arranged. The delivery was to take place the following Sunday at 10 A. M.,' at the corner of Thirty-Sixth Street and Sixth Avenue. Previous to this, the gun had been delivered and the trunk shipped to Philadelphia. Keene had called for and received the shirts at Greene's, and these were put into the trunk at the trunk store. Keene crossed the Jersey Ferry and took the train for Philadelphia. Arriving in that city, he went to the American House. He saw that he was being followed about by the same man he had seen at the Thirty-Fourth Street Ferry in New York at the time I was staying at Spencer's house in Brooklyn. This proved to be Detective Hunt. Keene had the trunk carried to a chamber. He then arranged with a hackman to take it down again and out thr-ough the ladies' entrance. He did so and put it on his team. Keene got in and was driven over to Camden, leaving the detective waiting for him in the hotel to come down stairs. From Camden Keene came directly to Paulsboro'. Howard had long since delivered to me his portion of the Securities, and was calling at the cottage every week to get the ready cash resulting from Keene's manipulations. He always walked to the cottage from Woodbury Station, a dis- tance of six miles, and never remained longer than an hour. I would drive him back to Woodbury. Keene and his wife had often seen him, but I never permitted them to talk with him. We conversed always in my private room. I told him from time to time what was being done. ' He told me he had met a New York man who wanted to purchase fifty thousand dollars' worth of the bonds, and would pay a big price, cash on delivery. I worked this up and found there was a job put • up to arrest Howard when the delivery was being made. There were two persons in the plot, both notorious criminals. One was to play policeman, and the idea was that Howard would give up all his bonds for the sake of being released. Howard wafe told of the treachery in time to prevent the meeting. From the time we moved into the cottage, no one but Keene was allowed to know where the securities were buried, 118 LANGDON W. MOORE. until the night on which Keene left for the last time. Then Hattie Adams was given full information. As originally placed, the valuables were in frozen ground ; and as I was about to go to Canada, I wanted them where I could get at them at a moment's notice. For this reason I made several changes in the locations of the property. "While I was doing it, Hattie Adams stood on the top of the old tower, where she could see me and warn me in case any one approached while the " plant " was being made. Eighty-nine thousand dollars in '81 bonds and eleven thou- sand dollars in 5-20 and 10-40 bonds were put in a glass jar, the top securely fastened, then sealed and covered with oiled canvas. This jar was buried in the beach near the house. The remainder, excepting those given Spencer and those not in process of alteration, were hidden in a brick drain under the floor of the stable at the rear of the stalls. This place was selected for the sake of convenience, and not more than three bonds were taken out at a time for alteration, it not being prudent to have more than that number in the house at once. There was also a small " plant " near the summer-house. The two one-thousand-dollar '81 coupon bonds spoiled by Spencer were put down in the gravel walk at the south-east corner of the house. To reach the bonds under the stable floor, one had to raise the trap door behind the horse, get down on his knees, and reach up the drain the length of his arin. There he would find the bundle containing the securities. These had been put in tin foil, making the package waterproof. Keene knew all the original hiding places, and had been repeatedly told by me that, if I was' arrested, he was to go on with the sales of the bonds, he to keep all moneys received until I should be released. He was to procure counsel to defend the case, and see that I wanted for nothing while under arrest. "While Keene was on his way down to Paulsboro' with my trunk, gun, and shirts, Howard called to get some money. I was not expecting Keene that day, but he arrived soon after Howard left. I told Howard to call again the following Tuesday at 10 A. M. Keene had been told, from time to time, the particulars of the robbery. He had put into the New York Herald the " personal " to Howard, and had been told of another " per- ROBBERY OF TEE CONCORD BANK. 119 sonal "agreed upon between Howard and myself in case of my arrest. The new signal was to be " A. A. A. A.," and Keene was to insert this, too, and to deliver any message I might wish to send. This had all been explained to Howard in the morning. Keene returned to the cottage Friday afternoon, bringing the trunk. When I asked him what brought him so soon, he replied that he had made a sale to Thomas Shortell of the seven thousa&d dollars in 7-30 bonds. I told Keene at once that Shortell could not command the cash for the purchase. Keene replied that the bonds were not for Shoi-tell himself, but for Henry Cole, who was known to be all right and to have pleaty of money. The seven thousand dollars in fifty-dollar and one-hun- dred-dollar 7-30 notes were then given Keeiie by me, and he started for New York Saturday morning. That night he planted them in the Thirty-Ninth Street stable. Sunday morning at 9.45 o'clock, January 21, he left his friend Martin at the stable, taking one five-thousand-dollar 7-30 bond and two one-thousand-dollar 5-20 bonds altered, and he was at the meeting place, Forty-First Street, at ten o'clock sharp. A hack full of officers was there a moment later. Keene was bundled into the vehicle and hurriedly driven to the Sixth Ward Station-house, where he was searched. The altered bonds and several thousand dollars in cash were found on him. Keene was very indignant and protested with the vigor of a Western steer. " Take him below and lock him up," was the order given. The word " below " meant Jordan's " sweat-box," which be- came familiar enough to me at a later date. Monday morning Keene was taken to another part of the station and locked in with his friend Shortell, who had occu- pied that room from the time of his arrest. Shortell now had a part to play, and it was all arranged for him by the officers. He told Keene the Concord bills had been found in his house, and that he was to be taken to Massachusetts and tried for the bank robbery. He felt sure the possession of the bills would convict him. He declared that he did not propose to be sent to prison for a job Adams had done, and he had told the officers he got those bills from Keene. He had also bought lots of counterfeit money from him, and some of this, Shortell explained to Keene, had been found in his house, along with the Concord notes. 120 LANODON W. MOORE. As soon as this story had been told, Shortell gave a pre- arranged signal to the officers and they wefnt to the cell, opened the door^and hustled Keene back to the " sweat-box," saying to him on the way : " Those bonds found on you have been altered, and unless you tell where Adams can be found and give us evidence enough to convict him, you will be turned over to the secret-service officers." Keene was game then and refused to tell; but when the door was opened the next time he begged for nifercy,. saying, " Let me out and I will tell you where Adams is living." This happened 'on Monday. He was taken out of the " box " and led before Captain Jordan. He then told of the cottage 6n the Delaware, and that I could be found living there under the name of " Stephen M. Sherman." He gave | them such directions that they could drive to the cottage without making any inquiries on the way. Jordan selected two of his best men, and, with Detective Hunt of Boston and Detective Elder of police headquarters, started on the jour- ney to Camden, where they hired two hacks to carry them on to Paulsboro', where " Stephen M. Sherman " lived. When Keene left the cottage the last time, I had no idea of removing any of the bank property from the places where it was buried when he was there. On account of the hard- ness of the ground, however, the changes were made, as I have described. I dug up the " plant " in the pines and that near the summer-house. This was done at night after the hired help retired. I placed a boiler on the stove and filled it with water. When the water reached the boiling point I carried a tea-kettle and watering-pot full of it to the spot where the "plant" was made in' the pines; and slowly, as fast as the ground could be thawed with the water, I removed the earth with a trowel. When I reached the jar I lifted it out and did not stop to fill up the hole. I went down to the beach and buried it two feet deep between the posts of an old gateway, in dry sand. The summer-house " plant " was transferred to the package in the stable drain. I was then prepared to wait for Keene, who was not expected until the following Wednesday. Snow fell Sunday but it turned to rain; and then, as suddenly, cold weather set in again, leav- ing six inches of snow on the ground, with a crust almost an inch thick. Monday, while I was visiting a friendly neighbor, Mr. ROBBERY OF THE CONCORD BANK. 121 Murray, a stranger called on Murray and was introduced to me as Mr. Smith of Philadelphia. The remark was dropped that Mr. Smith was a detective. I excused myself for a few moments, returned to my cot- tage and secured a one-thousand-dollar altered bond that had been left near the stove in my private room while the num- bers were drying. This done, I returned to Mr. Murray and his friend, and invited them over to have a glass of ale and a good cigar. This meeting with Mr. Smith was accidental, but I felt very uneasy after he had left, having noticed that he watched me closely and that Hattie Adams was well looked over when she brought in the ale and cigars. After he left I said I would drive to a hotel ten miles away, and if nothing was wrong Hattie Adams could send Keene for me upon his re- turn. Hattie Adams, on whose shrewdness I usually could rely, assured me my suspicions were groundless, and she per- suaded me to remain at home. That night proved to be the longest in my experience since the last key was fitted to the bank vault. I could not sleep, on account of the suspicions that had been awakened. CHAPTER VII. EOBBERY or THE CONCOED BANK. AEKEST AT PATJLSBORO', N. J., AND EESTITTJTION IN NEW YORK OF TWO HUNDRED AND THEBB THOUSAND DOLLARS. At six o'clock Tuesday morning, January 23, while lying half awake, I heard the thick crust of the snow cracking, as though some one was running toward the house. I jumped up and looked out the window. Two hacks were drawn up not more than one hundred and fifty feet away, and several men, all muffled up, were running toward the house. My hired man was standing in the stable door looking at them. I called to Hattie Adams, " Get up ; the house is sur- rounded." " What with — snow ? " she asked. I answered that there was more snow than I wished to see. Already I was filling the stove with wood and paper, on top of which I put two cans .of carmine ink, the typeholder con- taining Spencer's type, and a one-thousand-dollar 5-20 bond in process of alteration. I saturated the whole with spirits of turpentine taken from a bottle on the mantel, and touched a match to it. I then put on my clothes. Handing my pocket-book to Hattie Adams, I said, " Here, skin that." In it were ninety dollars in small bills, making a wad almost large enough to choke a hog, and there were also three five- hundred-dollar notes. She removed the small bills, and passed the book back without discovering the large ones. Thinking all had been taken out, I put the book into my pocket. I walked to the door and listened. All was stiU. I then unlocked the door, stepped quietly to the head of the stairs, and called out to the cook, " Lizzie, Where are those men who came to the house ? " She called back that three of them were in the parlor, one was in the kitchen, one on the front stoop, and some more 122 ROBBEET OF THE CONCOBD BANK. 12S were out at the stable. At this, those in the parlor came tO' the stairs and started to walk up. I said, « Stop ! " I had recognized Detective Hunt, although he wore a wig. They stopped and pulled out two navy revolvers and one smaller one. Then they said they were officers. I com- manded them not to put even a finger on the step above where they stood. A parley ensued. I told them they would have to bring up Captain Rynder's brass artillery before I would allow them to come up those stairs. They then said that some of my friends were there. " Who are they ? " I asked. " George Elder and Captain Jordan," was the reply. " I don't know Jordan," I said ; " where is Elder ? " " Out in the kitchen," one of them answered. I then walked down stairs as a matter of courtesy. In the meantime the fire was blazing away pleasantly. They opened a passage-way for me to walk through on the way to the kitchen. When I met Elder I said, " Good morning, George," and we shook hands. I asked him where " Old Jack " was, meaning Detective McCord. Elder replied that he was too good a man to be there. I then asked where Captain Jordan was, and was told he was out on the front stoop. I walked to the front door, un- locked it and stepped out, and, advancing with outstretched hand, said, " Good morning. Captain Jordan ; I am really glad to welcome you to my house." The Captain retreated to the end of the stoop, when Elder, who had followed me, said, " Captain, this is Charlie Adams." We then shook hands and returned to the parlor. By this time Hattie Adams had come down stairs, and I requested her to bring out two bottles of wine and some cigars. She stepped to the head of the cellar stairs, but was stopped by the Boston officer and told she could not go down. Returning to the parlor, she pointed the officer out and said, " He will not let me go down to the cellar." Captain Jordan heard this and said : " I did not come here to make war upon women. If that is the way you do busi- ness in Boston, I will draw out and let you manage this man alone." Turning to Hattie Adams, h^ added, "Lady, you may go where you please." 124 LANGBON W. MOOBE. She went to the cellar and brought up wine, cigars, and glasses. " How many of you are there ? " I asked. " Seven, including two drivers," was the reply. Turning to Hattie Adams, I said, " Please order extra breakfasts for seven." I then opened the wine, filled the glasses, and invited the visitors to join me in a glass. They all refused. Some time afterwards, they explained to me that they had not dared to ■drink, fearing the wine was doctored for the occasion. They were not afraid of coffee, however, for they drank from one to three cups each at breakfast. Upon returning to the parlor. Elder said to me, " Come, Charlie, take a walk out and show the C&ptain and me your stable." I did so. When we got out there. Elder said to Jordan, " Better show him some of those altered bonds." This was said in a low tone of voice, just loud enough for me to hear. At this I stepped to a pile of cord-wood and began kicking it, to drown out the conversation. This prompted Elder to say : " I know this man, Captain ; you will have ' to give it to him straight,' for he is the big- gest ' kidder ' [meaning deceiver] I ever saw." T'urning around, I said, inquiringly, "Did you speak to me?" ■ Elder then said, " Tell him. Captain, what we are here for." " You tell," replied the Captain. Up to this time I was not under arrest. I had not asked, nor had I been told, what the officers had come down there for. Elder now spoke up. " It is on the Concord job we are here," he said. " Is that all?" I replied. " I thought you came down here to spend a week duck-shooting in the bay." I pointed to a flock of ducks swimming in the water not a quarter of a mile from the house. I was then asked if I would go to ^ew York' without requisition. It will be remembered that Howard was to be at the cottage that very day at 10 A. M. Unless I could get the officers away, he would certainly fall into their hands, and nothing could save him, for he always carried all his ROBBERY OF THE CONCORD BANK. 125 valuables about his person. For these reasons, when the proposition was made to go to New York without the requi- sition of the Governor of that State on the Governor of New Jersey, I said : " I was going to New York in a day or two any way, and do not care to put you to any unnecessary trouble or delay. If you will leave the place and return to New York without creating any scandal in the neighborhood, I will go with you at once." It was now seven o'clock, and the officers, thinking what an easy thing they had of it with me, ordered the hacks at once. After all got in, I said, " Wait a moment ; I wish to speak to the lady at the door." Hattie Adams was standing there. I walked up to her and said : " Send Benny Murray with a note to Spencer, stating I have been arrested by New York and Boston of&cers ; that I believe Keene has given me away. Hand Benny a five-dollar note with the letter, telling him to deliver it as soon as possible." This messenger was a lad of eighteen years, who had been given many little odd jobs by me during the winter. I also told her to head off Howard by putting up the danger signal. This signal had been previously agreed upon. If the bushes in sight of the road were hung with towels or other linen, Howard could tell that everything was all right. If there was nothing on these bushes, he would know that it was un- safe to come near the cottage. The signal could be seen by Howard over a mile from the house. I then got into the hack again, and we drove up through the village. In front of the Paulsboro' hotel I saw Benny Murray playing with some otheT young fellows. I called to the hackman to stop, and, putting my head out of the win- dow, I called to Benny. I told him the lady down at my house wanted to see him as soon as possible. " All right," said Benny, and off he started for the cottage. I then told the hackman to drive on. ' "We reached Camden in due course of time, thence proceeding by rail to Jersey City, the time of arrival at that place being about 8 P. M. I knew by that time that, barring accident, both Spencer and Howard had been notified that I had been arrested. When passing through the ferry-house at Jersey City, I stopped, and would go no further unless fair treatment was 126 LANGDON W. MOORE. promised me. Making this promise was the easiest part of the detectives' work, and they made it without hesitation. We then crossed to New York, and were driven in a hack to the Sixth Precinct Station-house. I was taken into the Captain's office and searched. Judge Dowling was called in, a bench warrant charging forgery was issued, and on that I was held. Bail was fixed at one thousand dollars. I had not known until this search that the three five-hundred-dollar notes had not been taken from the pocket-book by Hattie Adams. I said, "Give me that money, and I will put up the amount of the bail bond myself." They replied that they could not do that, because they wanted to hold the notes as evidence against me. Jordan then said to one of the officers, " Take one of the pillows oif my bed, also the bed clothes, and make him as comfortable as possible." Then to Jordan's " sweat-box " I was taken. It was now Tuesday night, and the time was about ten o'clock. This cell, called the " sweat-box," was about three and a half feet wide and seven "feet long, and had running water in it. There was a board about eighteen inches wide and five feet long, with end and centre pieces so fitted that the board could be raised about sixteen inches from the floor for sleep- ing purposes. The inside door was of the common iron kind, barred, such as was then in use about prisons. Out- side of that was a solid oak door. When this one was closed the cell was a dungeon, no light being admitted. This was the same " box " in which Keene had been made to weaken. I knew the man I had to deal with; and when Jordan ordered the pillow and other articles to be taken from his own bed, I said, " Captain, I protest against your taking clothes from your own bed to give me." At this, all present looked very wise. Then I was locked in behind the double doors which I have described. After the drunkards had been taken away in the morning, my door was unlocked. I ordered my breakfast, saying to the officer in attendance, "Pay the bill out of the money taken from me." The doors were again closed, and remained so until the breakfast came. Then they were allowed to remain open only long enough for me to see what I was eating. The BOBBEET OF TEE CON (JOED BANK. 127 same kind of treatmeinE was accorded me again at supper time, and after supper the door was closed for the night. Soon after this I discovered that a special watch was kept on me. I heard the drunkards and other prisoners talking during the night, and I very soon knew what Jordan's pur- pose was when he put me into that " box." Jordan's aim was to makie me give information about Howard, the same as Keene had given information about me. ' I remained perfectly quiet until Thursday morning. When I heard the officers unlocking the doors of the other cells on that day, I called out in a loud voice to the other prisoners, " One and all of you, tell all you see that Charles Adams is locked up here for the robbeiy of the Concord Bank! " My object in doing this was to get the fact of the arrest into the newspapers. It seems scarcely necessary to say that no more prisoners were locked up in that part of the prison during my stay there. When my breakfast was brought in Friday morning, I scratched my name on the bottom of the dinner pail which contained it. I made a request under the name that my im- prisonment in the Sixth Precinct Station-house should be made known to all. The eating-house keeper who sent in the food discovered my request and made it known — not to all, as I had asked, but to Captain Jordan. After this inci- dent, the officers detailed to watch me gave me no chance to get a message out. Saturday night I was taken out and conducted to the Captain's office. When I was seated, Detective Elder said, " We picked up a friend of yours at Camden to-day." Then, turning to Jordan, Elder added, " Captain, show him some of those bonds we found on him." " Yes," said Jordan, " he had plenty of money on him — fourteen thousand dollars." " All my friends have money," I remarked. Elder then said, " Captain, bring in his friend and see if he knows him." I objected to seeing any one. My objection was overruled, and Elder at once left the room. He soon returned with David Keene. I was sitting with my back to the door, and when it opened I turned partly round and saw Keene. When he left the cottage, 128 LANGBON W. MOOBE. only eigkt days before, his hair and full beard were black. I now saw him as gray as a wharf rat. Instinct told me that, from the appearance of the man, he had given me away. We did not speak, and Keene was taken out. I then said, " Captain, you want Howard; this you have repeatedly told me since my arrest." " Yes," Jordan replied. " Keene is my friend," I said, " and if you will let him go I will do something for you that I would not do to save my own life. I will give you the man you want." At this Judge Dowling was sent for. On his arrival my proposition was made known to him. " Yes," said the judge, " we will discharge Keene on the conditions made by Adams. When will you give us How- ard?" he inquired. I replied, " As soon as I am satisfied Keene is at liberty to go and come as he pleases." Then Keene was again brought in. Addressing him, I said: "Dave, I am going to give up Howard so that you may be released. You must come here to-morrow at 1 P. M., and report to me. See that no ' pipe ' is put on you." I was then taken to the door, so that I could see Keene go out on the street. Of course I was not allowed to see a detective bringing him back again — which a detective did just as soon as I was back in the " sweat-box." Up to this time I had asked no questions, and they had told me nothing about their movements during the week. At one o'clock Sunday afternoon I was taken up to the Cap- tain's office. There I met Keene, all arrayed in a new Sun- day suit. His boots were blacked, and so were his hair and whiskers. He looked as though he had just stepped out of a band-box. When we met he said, " Well, I slept in my own house last night." Turning to Jordan, I said, " I wish to have a little private talk with my friend." "Certainly; step right into my bedroom," said Jordan. He opened the door to admit us. When in there, and alone together, I began the talk. " Dave, when did they get you ? " I asked. " Saturday morning, when I was returning to the cottage," he answered. This I knew to be false. BOBBERT OF THE CONCORD BANK. 129 " Where did they arrest you ? " I inquired. "At Camden." " Did you have anything on you? " " Yes, they got the five-thousand-dollar 7-30, and the two one-thousand-dollar 5-20 altered bonds on me, besides about four thousand dollars in cash." " Where is the rest of the ' stuff ' ? Have you sold it ? " " No," he said ; " Shortell could not raise the money, so I ' planted ' it in a safe place." During this conversation I had caught a glimpse of my watch chain in Keene's fob pocket. I now said to him, "Dave, where is my watch?" I had given it to him to have it regulated in New York. " They took it away from me with the money," he replied. I remarked that was strange, inasmuch as nothing in the line of jewelry had been taken from me. At this I pulled out of my pocket Keene's watch, which I was to carry while my own was being regulated. I also had a diamond stud worth eight hundred dollars in my shirt. I had worn it two years. Keene then asked me if they had found anything on me. I answered that they had not. He inquired whether the securities were buried in the same places where they were when he was last at the cottage. I told him the " plants " had been removed the night he left, and put down in a piece of pine woods about a mile from the house. I gave him directions how to get it, and told him to recover the property and continue the sale of the bonds as though nothing had happened. Keene then bade n^e good-by. When I opened the bedroom door, Jordan said to me, " Are you satisfied ? " " Perfectly," I answered. " Now when will you give us Howard ? " Jordan asked. I told him that Howard would be at my house the follow- ing Tuesday, and that he always walked to Paulsboro' from his own place. I told Jordan, by the way of instruction, that he must send two of his best men, well armed, to make the arrest, as Howard was a dangerous man to trifle with. I called their attention to a place on the road about three miles from Paulsboro', in the direction of Woodbury. It was a point where three roads led into the Woodbury stage road. 130 LANQDON W. MOOUE. No house was witliin a mile of the place. It was at the top of a hill, and the spot was the coldest in southern New Jersey. When I described it, they said they all had noticed it \^hen passing, and came very near getting lost there. I then told them Howard sometimes came by one of those roads and sometimes by another, and the only way to make sure of getting him was for two men to go there at 9 A. m., climb ovter the stone wall, crouch down out of sight, and wait for Howard to come along. At this time there was snow on the ground to the depth of six inches, and the records show that the coldest days known in that section for twenty years occurred just at that time. Woolbridge and another officer were selected to arrest Howard. On Tuesday at 9 A. M. they were stationed behind the stone wall, waiting for him to come along. They expected to get him at ten o'clock. At nine o'clock Tuesday CTening my door was opened and Jordan handed me a despatch from Woodbury, N. J. It was from the officers, and stated that they had been on duty at this exposed place all day. No such person as Howard had passed. The despatch, signed by Woolbridge, asked further instructions. " What do you think of that ? " Jordan demanded of me. I hesitated, as though unable to answer the question. Then I suggested that Howard must have read in the papers about my arrest and been frightened off. "No," replied Jordan^ "no one, outside of those you have seen, knows of your arrest, excepting the Superintendent of Police." This answer gave me the information I wanted very much. I then said to Jordan : " Howard must be sick. Keep the men there another day. He is sure to come." At nine o'clock Wednesday evening another despatch came from Woolbridge at Woodbury. It was the same as the first. When I read it I said : " There must be something wrong. The arrest has leaked out." I was again assured that no hint could have reached Howard, and then I told Jordan to telegraph his men to try waiting for one more day. This he did. Thursday night Jordan came to my cell again. This time he was in a different frame of mind. He unlocked the wooden door and slammed it back. 131 O 3 a 'V c 2. Z BOBBERY OF THE CONCOBD BANK. 133 " You miserable, bean-eating cheat ! " he roared. " If I was as big as you are, I would break every bone in your body for trying to freeze one of my best men to death." He referred to Woolbridge, who had been waiting three days in the snow for Howard. I merely told him that he had better keep the officers there one day more. He then slammed the door to, locked it, and went off. These brilliant detectives had remained hidden behind that stone wall during three bitterly cold days, with nothing but the snow to kneel or sit upon ; and it took the whole party, including Judge Dowling, just three days to find out the game I had played. It seemed to me then, and I have not changed my opinion since, that inasmuch as the promise to me regarding Keene was a mere trick on their part, my treatment was perfectly justifiable. Shortly after Jordan left me, I was sent for and conducted to the Captain's office. There I met Judge Dowling, who said: "Adams, we have kept our promise with you and have let Keene go. Now, unless you tell us where Howard is, I shall issue a warrant for Keene's arrest, and it will go hard with the pair of you." " Your honor," I said, " you people must have been doing business with ' squealers ' and never struck a bean-eater before." " Take him away," said the judge, and back to the " sweat- box " I went. Twenty-five years after this incident, it was said by some small detectives who knew nothing of the facts of Wool- bridge's three days' stand-up in the snow, that I tried to give Howard up, but he was too smart for me. To those detec- tives and all others interested, I have only to say that the time gained in that way served all the purposes I wished it to. Howard has ever since been satisfied, and so have I. As soon as it was known that I had given Howard away — as they supposed I had — and Howard's arrest seemed to be assured, a detective had been sent to Concord to notify the bank people and to request them to send some person or persons to New York with full power to act for the bank. This detective was also to see the Governor of Massachusetts and get out requisition papers. This done, he was to go to Albany and get the Governor of New York to issue a warrant :for the extradition of Stephen M. Sherman, alias Charles 134 LANGBON W. MOORE. Adams, alias Langdon W. Moore, of David Keene, and of." Harry Howard. The detective was then to return to New- York City, where, by that time, he would find Howard. In the meantime the persons selected by the bank to- represent it, hastened to New York and called promptly at- the Sixth Precinct Station-house. On their arrival I was taken again to the ofQce, where I met Judge Dowling, Comp- troller Matthew Brennan, Captain Jordan, one or two of the detectives, and two strangers. The latter were introduced, to me as officials of the bank. " Gentlemen," I said, " what is your business with me ? " '.' Our bank was robbed last September," one of them said. " Gentlemen," I said, speaking so' all in me room could hear me, " before I make any talk or answer any questions, you may ask, I want each and every one present to promise me, as honorable men, that not one word I may utter shall ever be repeated, either in a court of justice or anywhere^ else." Each man present gave me a solemn promise to that effect- I then asked again, " What can I do for you ? " " You must have heard of the rpbbery of the Concord- Bank," one of them said to me. " I may have^ read the account of it in the papers," I re- sponded, " but if so it has slipped my memory, as I take, no' interest in criminal matters." They then told me that they had not expected to fiiid, a man like me, and they would dislike to send such a one to prison. They thought that possibly I might be able to assist- them in the recovery of the bank's property. They told me that from the day the bank was robbed up to Keene's arrest, not a particle of evidence had been secured against any one. They now felt confident, they went on, that they had the evidence to cOnvict. " What, if any, proposition have you to make ? " I inquired. They answered that they had reason to believe I could control two hundred and forty-one thousand dollars of the stolen property ; and that if I would give, up, or secure for them, that sum, there the matter would end. I said: " Gentlemen, you cannot get that amount. I am willing to go to Boston." Then I was asked how much I thought could be recovered. " Two hundred thousand dollars," I replied, " if I can be BOBBEBY OF THE CONCOBD BANK. 135 allowed to see the persons who control the securities — and this amount only upon certain conditions." I was asked what those conditions were. " The bank people," I replied, " have attached my property at Natick for twenty thousand dollars. That attachment must be released. The detectives tell me they have a charge against me of altering United States bonds. There is also, they tell me, a like charge against my friend Spencer of Phil- adelphia. If that is so, these matters must be settled, and no prosecution. David Keene must also be released, for I wish to show him I have treated him like a man, and you all know how he has treated me. Harry Howard must not be sent to prison."^ These remarks gave the of&cers tlie first intimation that it was useless to keep men waiting in the snow at Paulsboro' for Howard, and it was also the first hint that I believed Keene was still a prisoner. After hearing the conditions, the bank's representatives refused the offer of two hundred thousand dollars, still de- manding two hundred and forty-one thousand dollars. Keene had told them I could command that sum. I was taken helow again and locked up. To make the remainder of this narrative fully intelligible, I must now go back to the first day after my arrest. It was then two of the detectives returned to the Paulsboro' cottage for the purpose of searching it. They were rewarded by finding eight pounds of common type, with a lot of tin foil and a piece of oil canvas. This stuff Detective Elder put into his hand bag, to be taken away for evidence. After Keene had interviewed me Sunday, he told Captain Jordan that the reason they had not found the securities where he had told them they were buried was that I had removed them from the grounds about the cottage to a piece of pine woods one mile away. It was a fortunate circum- stance that I had taken the property out of the frozen ground ready for the proposed trip to Canada, for Keene was giving the officers all the information he had. What he told them about removing the " plants " to the pine woods had the effect I calculated it would. It kept the officers from search- ing the stable drain as carefully as they would otherwise have done. They did make an effort to find something near the summer-house, but the ground was frozen hard, and they 136 LANGBON W. MOOBE, soon got tired of digging. They then went to the pine trees, not more than sixty feet from the house, removed' the snow, and found the hole where the jar had been buried. This was the spot where the hot water had been used. They then went to the stable, just to take a look around, and without hope of finding anything. They took it for granted- that if the other "plants" had been removed, that in the stable had been also. The trap-door over the drain at the foot oi the horse stall was lifted up by Elder. Just at this moment the horse Johnny jumped back, startling Elder so that he dropped the trap, and it fell with great force upon his foot. Elder cried out with the pain, and said to his companion : "Take me to the house; I am crippled for life. I should have known better than to go there, for there is nothing there." Hattie Adams had seen them at work at the summer-house and uncovering the hole at the pines. Then she saw them enter the stable, and she fully expected they would find the bundle in the drain. When she saw Elder being assisted toward the house, she thought Johnny had kicked him while he was lifting the trap. Her heart was full of gratitude to the horse. ^ The bundle in the drain would have been removed by her before this, had she not known that a very close watch was being kept on her movements. That night, after all in the house had retired, she pulled the wagon down the road a dis- tance of half a mile from the house, then went back to the stable, put the harness on the horse, led him to where the wagon was, and hitched him in. She then drove alone, at dead of night, to Philadelphia, and saw Spencer. She ar- ranged with him to take the bundle of securities then in the drain just as soon as she could find a chance to get it to- him. He had not the courage to meet her near the cottage, and she agreed to carry the bundle to Philadelphia. She then turned back toward Paulsboro'. It was a long drive, about thirty-two miles in all, and she found she could not reach the cottage before the detectives were up. She stopped at the butcher's shop in Paulsboro' and bought a lot of meat and vegetables. Just as she drove up to the cottage, the detectives stepped out, having just come down stairs from their sleeping-room. They looked worried when they saw her, and one of them asked her where she had been. ROBBERY OF THE CONCORD BANK. 137 She replied, " To get you people something to eat." The day following the arrest, she had questioned Elder about me, and was told I was all right and staying at a hotel in New York City. She was not satisfied with the answer, and determined to get more positive information. That night, before they retired, she locked the bathroom door opening from their room and put the key in her pocket. She took the precaution to open a bathroom window over the porch before she locked the door. Returning to the room down stairs where the detectives were, she told them, she was not feeling well and wished to retire early. " Lizzie," she said, " will show you to your room whenever you wish." She then went up stairs, raised an entry window, and, crossing the roof, entered the bathroom through the window she had previously left open. She did not dare close this window, fearing that the noise of hoisting it might be heard by the detectives when she was leaving the room. ' The detectives soon after went to their room, and a con- versation at once began. With her ear to the key-hole of the bathroom door, she heard nearly every word they spoke. She soon found out that I was not at a hotel, but was in Jordan's " sweat-box." She also learned that Keene was the traitor, and that he had informed on Spencer as well. Spencer, at that stage in the developments, they did not care to arrest. Howard, she made out from their talk, was the man they wanted to get. The following Monday Captain Jordan made a trip to Paulsboro', and told the officers what Keene had said about the burial-places of the securities. While the officers were at supper the evening of Jordan's visit, Hattie Adams again went to. the bathroom and waited there until the men went to their room. She then heard Elder say to Jordan,, " Captain, you have got enough evidence to ' settle ' Adams, anyway." Jordan replied: " I know this man now ; I did not know him before. The devil is always painted blacker than he really is." The following day Jordan returned to New York. In the meantime, by searching among her keys, Hattie Adams had found one that would unlock Elder's hand bag. She had seen the stuff he had collected about the house to take away 138 LANOBON W. MOORE. as evidence. She got together a lot of old junk weighing nearly twelve pounds, and including a horseshoe for good luck. All this stuff she wrapped up in paper, just the way Elder had done his parcel up. Elder was in the habit of keeping his chamber key in his pocket whenever he left the bag in the room, so she was obliged to enter by way of the bathroom. She quickly unlocked Elder's hand bag; and, first removing his linen, took out the bundle of type, tin foil, and oiled canvas, and placed the bundle of junk in its place. She fixed the bag just as it was when Elder left it, and slipped out of the room by the way she entered it. When she had examined her " find," she went out and threw the type and foil into the Delaware River. The canvas she burned in the stove. When she returned to them, they told her they were going to New York the following day. They reached the Sixth Precinct Station-house Thursday night. I was sent for, and on entering Jordan's office I found all the interested persons present excepting the two men who had been sent to capture Harry Howard. Elder then said to me, " I am going to get a gang of men to dig over every foot of ground on that place as soon as the frost is out of the ground." " I have no objection, if the owner of the property is will- ing," I replied. Elder went on with the conversation. " I have," he said, " a lot of type that you used to alter those bonds, and some of the tin foil the bonds were done up in when you ' planted ' them; and I have a piece of oiled canvas with some manure on it, showing that the securities are buried near the stable." "Have you analyzed this to find out whether it is my stable or my neighbor's ? " I asked. There was a good-natured laugh at Elder's expense. Elder was all ready to make a final hit. His bag was on the table. As he reached for it, he said to Jordan, " Do you hear what Adams says ? " He unlocked the bag, and, removing the linen, reached down into it for the parcel containing the type and other articles of his evidence. When he opened the parcel, he found the horseshoe Hattie Adams had put there. Then out came a bundle of old junk. At this he stopped, and, turning to the Boston detective said, " Hunt, have you been to my bag ? " UOBBEBY OF THE VONCOBl) BANK. 139 •' No," said Hunt. " Captain, have you ? " " No," said the Captain. " Well, some of you have," Elder declared. He was assured that no one had touched the bag from the time he carried it into the station. " What is the matter, George ? " I inquired. " Have they been playing the sawdust game on you ? " This was the last effort made against me, and it proved a failure. I was sent down stairs, but on Friday morning I was called up once more. I would entertain no proposition calling for more than my original offer, saying, " I prefer to go to Boston." The New York officers did not dare to have me taken away, fearing they might lose their share of the reward which would have to be paid if a settlement was made. They had> not recovered any property that could be identified as stolen from the bank. The seven thousand dollars' worth of altered bonds found on Keene had been pronounced genuine, and the numbers on them were declared to be the originals by the most brilliant experts in New York and Philadelphia. When these experts had been told by the detectives that they had witnesses who would swear they saw the numbers changed by me, the officers were laughed at. The experts were so sure of the genuineness of the bonds they would not listen to witnesses. This being the case, one can easily see that I had nothing to fear from the secret-service officials of the government. No charge of altering bonds would be taken up by them when all the expert testimony was against them. It was now Friday morning, eleven days after my arrest, and on this day my offer of restitution was accepted. The promise was solemnly made that I should not be prosecuted in any way. The bank people, however, made a slight reser- vation. It was that their promise should not be binding if I was afterwards found with any of the missing property in my possession. Keene was to be released, and Spencer was to remain unmolested. The attachment was to be taken off my farm at Natick. Howard was not to be sent to prison, but the bank officers reserved the right to arrest him, if they could find him, and make him give up whatever money he might have. I then said to the bank's agents: " You will give the order (HJommottuiMtli ol MmmhiMt^. To the Justice of the Police Court of Charlestown, m the District of Charlestown, in the County of Middleppx. y<5e*--;;,^j^^j^^^^2j^«^:^~>p^ I on the ^-t^-m^ eigKt hitiidrcd and bixI for that the sakl S53e»,<..^ jRjBHuIl did ^^^^^CT" day of i^c-^-^^e-z. — i:i--2 . in the y«irof our Lord one t)iousand . ;ty-V&*.Jvith force and arms< ii. and uyuii ui.l ^S^i^^'^'^-^-'-X-^ ^ A<=-^.M^»~£U^ L, and dwd-^ /St>-t-^^ ^K 'S'>— kV^-^ d id then nnd thofo bo a t, TFouiid) i md ill - til - B t ^^'z*,,^'^ c^*^^^ ,^^!^I^^^ ^'fw'i'^t^-~^ ifc^4a-^.»^«i-^.6 41.077 41,078 41,079 U. S. COUPON ipONDS, 6'b, 18S1 No.s. [ .\iirt 4(110 '' .jO'JI :i.>73 «1000 '1000 1000 1000 5804 ■• 1000 Nos. 10,112 10,1 r3 10,114 10,786 Am't. «1000 -JOOU "lOuO > lOOO 0042 Ii27(; 04 7a 0484 73Ki; 7.M4 7d«i .-1000 1.1000 J-1000 i.1000 1 1000 MOOO 1000 11, 202 II IOOO ll,77fl!MOOO 13.087 ilOOO 13.088 J 1000 Nos. 10,271 10,272 1C,7S7 10,051 10,002 13,083 13,090 13,091 13,900 1000 1000 - 1000 IOOO 'u80|<'100U 13,961 1 ilOOU 10,108 10,109 10,110 10,111 MOOO klOOO tlOOO -1000 I3,?02 13,903 13J)04 13,905 1000 ■ 1000 t.1000 Am't. 8^1000 "1000 ''1000 "IOOO 1000 10,903 / IOOO 20,049 ;1000 20,0C0 .• IOOO 20,661 i 1000 20,662 MOOO 20,603 ilOOO 20,604 / 1000 20,005 /•IOOO 20,666 1000 20,007 /-IOOO 20,008 MOOO ^'oti. 20,669 21,694 21,095 21,830 22,270 26,430 27,083 27,774 4«,58C A(B'«. MOOQ 1-1000 -low MOOO 1.1000 MOOO 1000 t-ioou 48,3871 500 48,388" ■" 48,389 48,390 48,391 48,392 48,393 Doa 500 1- 600 L, 600 wOOO "lOO No8. 48,394 4^,210 04.211 0^,21? 64,213 04,214 04,215 9422 9423 10,581 36,315 40,011 40,012 40,013 18,301 XT. S. COUPON 5-20 BONDS. AriTt. $1000 Sdseries, 1000 Ain't. — SI 000 3il .scries, IOOO 1000 1000 ■' lOOo] JOOO IOOO •' 1000 1000 " 1000 " NBs. 40,423 40,424 40,425 46,426 40,427 40,428 4G,4:;9 40,430 46,431 40,432 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 100 100 500 Nos. 68,092 U. Eifl6, GA, US, t/ '. fiTD, nil. &^ „r MOO «Hcii', t- y»,tmii,t l(m,dr, .\.*, ltM,-2. I0G3 l(K4. U^. lOlHi, I0C7, l«18, 100. 1070, 1071, Of 5HJ0 rncli. ■■i^^''v^"^i!i';''-)*'J'-' Hon.!. N" 84. irfSWi i/>Iu»iin|-ni,ii,„(-oiii.iiiill.ii.il.UpiTci;i.l Sn M, or KWO. Vout (to. do Ko4, 7, 8,9, 10, of viiiuwcn. A ccMMvalt (nriiiili'tilt^iieT.. «l Vrijiioitt ai.d taimdii |tiilr„iid ('olii|iuii>, iiijiiIiIk Io EdnioUil Hohiiicr w beartr, Tot *S8. a'jiiiaaa ' oy ir^-ir -xo-:r-ji. ■^■M'mti0^:X^(^iixtmnrL) Wm Qmmimf at the State of Mew-Totfc, And tlie SherjQs, C'ODbtab[es,'knd other Peace Officers or ibe several CouoKes [d (be said Stale: eommtice<^'c?i. £Ae '^au-niiu e/ ^1*£/£6Cam~c^ en aat'e/ <^£,zte^ ana tuai Zn2^~^ ■ ^aO<^ /tea /torn ^4itce in (uaf (^£a(e, ana na-'-*~cy tauen/ ^^Af-^e^ t'^ tne' <^^aee o^ navtnCCi4.C4^^l.^^^ '^ ^'Hll '^4'IlClCftlSj ine aaia teMe^eniatwn ana asinana ta qcccni/ia:ttea /u ff(jL€rytr^X''rc^^ <2>t.t-- cna^ee/ ti^ttn €ne aata ettnie ana leU'i navtna ^ea Aq'^ aaia (^^aie^ ana ia-Aen t^fi^9o in ine (3^aic 0/ Q/rtufi^ot'U, uf-nicn ^uaaa. ci/*-faiWVi^ v: C. 0. BROCKWAY, of many aliases. WM. BROCKWAY, alias W. E. Spencer. Key which unlocked the detective's " combination " lock at the Concord Bank. Revolver stolen from my house at Natick, by the Boston detectives, October, 1865. Recovered by me March 27, 1893. (Both of the above are photographs from the original articles.) CHAPTER VIII. ON STATEN ISLAND. MIDNIGHT EXPEDITION FROM BERGEN POINT AND FIRST EXPERIENCE IN SAFE BLOWING. Upon my return to New York, I called upon Jordan and Elder; and after talking the matter over with them, I con- sented they should make for publication any statement they chose about the arrest, without regard to the facts, so long as it did not bring me into trouble with the Boston people, •one of whom held the requisition for my arrest. As I did not think it would be- safe for me to remain in the city while this story was being told by the papers, I crossed over to Jersey City, there to remain until I could see what effect the story might have with the people who had suffered most by the robbery. They were all strangers to me, and I was "anx- ious to know if they would keep faith with me after reading the detectives' story, which was at variance with the truth. I did not have to wait long before I was positive I had been doing business with gentlemen whose word was as good as their bond. In the meantime I put a personal in the New York Serald for -Howard. " A. A. A. A." was the sign agreed upon be- tween Howard and myself in case we became separated. Keene and the New York detectives had been watching for this, and a "pipe" had been put upon me. If we came to- gether Howard would be arrested, and whatever money was found upon his person would be taken from him. While I was being followed by the detectives, Hattie Adams kept my appointment with Howard. This was continued for several weeks. The officers became tired,- and gave up the chase after I had told them Howard was out of the country. Not until the last of April was I able to collect all my personal property, for it was scattered all along the line from Natick, Mass., to Paulsboro', N. J. As soon as I had con- verted this collateral into cash, I purchased the brownstone house at the corner of Grand and Warren Streets, Jersey City. As I did not care to have the title made out in my 155 156 LANGDON W. MOORE. own name, the deed was made out to Saul J. Levy. When the house was put in thorough repair and furnished, I paid' the bill, which was twenty-nine thousand and seven hundred dollars, and on August 24 I moved into it. The first undertaking against a Lillie safe was in May, 1866, three weeks after the purchase of the property. This make of safe had a great reputation, and was thought to be absolutely burglar-proof. The one selected was on Staten Island, opposite Bergen Point. Of course the island could only be reached by boat, so I sent a confidential agent to hire one at the boat house near the Bay Side Hotel on Newark Bay. It was to be taken to Bergen Point early in the even- ing and made fast to the pier. That night I, with a man known in criminal circles as " Dutch Dan," drove in a team from Jersey City to the Man- sion House. The house was closed, and, not seeing any lights, we drove quietly under the shed and tied the horse. Taking the tools out of the wagon, we went down to the point, where we found the boat. Dan was an old sailor, and he pulled us across the river. Making the boat fast, we carried the tools up the street to the office we had "planned to rob. It was one o'clock in the morning when we got there; and as we had not seen any one on the way, and everything looked all right, no time was lost in forcing a window and entering the office. We closed the window behind us; and as there were inside shutters, no other darkening was required. We got light enough for ourselves by using a dark lantern, and proceeded to set up the machine that had been devised for boring safe doors. The legs to the back brace were secured to the floor by two gimlet handscrews made of steel for this especial purpose. The extension legs to this brace were made of half-inch steel, and when closed gave the height necessary to drill into the lock of the small- est safe, and when extended would reach the lock of the largest one. They could be secured at any desired height by two clasps, with thumbscrews on each leg. To the top of these legs had been fitted a headpiece for the crank to work on. The back brace was made of three-quarter-inch steel, and when extended was five feet long. It had a sharp turn at one end that would, when the feed-screw on the crank was turned on, fasten itself to the floor. The other end was secured to a socket in the headpiece by. a steel pin. C/3 > m O 03 DO m » -< > H c/) H > H m > z D ON STATEN ISLAND. 159 When the braces were secured with the headpiece, eigh- teen inches in front of the lock, a one-quarter-inch drill was put into the crank, and this was started at about one hundred revolutions to the minute. It drilled a hole through two inches of solid chilled iron and the casing of the lock in thirty-five minutes. The braces were then taken down, and the lock was loaded up with six ounces of Harvey and Curtis rifle powder. A short fuse was attached. The tools were then carried to the boat, in case the explosion should be Jieard and a general alarm sounded, causing us to make a quick retreat, in which case we could save the tools or pre- vent them falling into the hands of honest men; for if closely pursued, we could throw them into the river while on our way back to Bergen Point. The night had been well chosen to do the job. From the time of our leaving the Mansion House it had rained steadily, and the storm continued until £he job was finished. When we returned t© the office from the boat, I entered it. As soon as the signal " all right " tap was given on the window, the fuse was lighted, and I took a position at the side of the safe, ready to make a grab for the money, in case I was given the danger signal. When the powder exploded, a portion of the door lining was wedged in the jamb of the door. This I quickly removed ; and not receiving any signal, I took my own time, looking through the safe and books for money and bonds. Dan had represented to me there would be thousands in this job. This was wrong, as only a few hundred dollars were found in the safe. I put this money in my pocket and left the office, closing the window behind me. We then crossed the river, left the boat where we had found it, tramped back to the Mansion House, and drove to my house in Jersey City, where we divided the stolen money. Dan returned to his home in New York, and at 5 A. M. I drove the horse to the stable. When the " squeal " came, the next day, we were told that the people who lived in a house not twenty feet from the office had not heard any noise during the night, and the rob- bery- was not discovered until the office was opened in the morning. The amount reported stolen agreed \7lth the amount which I divided, and no arrests followed. CHAPTER IX. SHOT AT IN NEW EOCHELLE. THE "OtlTSIDB MAN FELL ASLEEP AT HIS POST, IMPBEIL- LING THE LIVES OF HIS COMPANIONS. ' Early in the fall of 1866, an acquaintance named Carr. told me that he and a person known as "Foxy Vos " had a good bank job near New York City. He said they had watched the place and had found everything all right. There was only one watchman in the town ; and as he carried a dark lantern and could be seen flashing it in all directions when going his rounds, nothing was to be feared from him. The bank, Carr said, was a dne-story building, with only two rooms, and was fifty feet away from the nearest house. He asked if I would promise to do the job if he told me where it was. " I will go with you and look it over," I replied; " and if I find everything' as you represent, I will either do it or let everything remain the same as before you mentioned the job to me." Carr then told me it was the savings bank at New Rochelle, N. Y. We arranged to make the journey to the bank the following day. While on our way there, I told Carr to make no stop in the banking-room when we entered, but to go through into the directors' room where the safe was, and engage any person he saw there in conversation. I, in the meantime, was to take a bird's-eye view of the interior of- the bank. When we entered the room two persons were there in earnest conversation, and they took no notice of us when we entered. In the room was a Marvin safe^ about four feet high, with a heavy strap across the door. This was secured to the staple by a large Scandinavian padlock. There was a rear door leading from this room out into the yard, and the key was in the lock. There was no place in either room for a man to sleep. When I saw this, I left the bank without attracting attention. This movement was a 160 SHOT AT IN NEW R OGHELLE. 161 side doors of the safe, and had just taken my position at the side of it, when there was an explosion which was a mere flash in the pan. Dan remained outside a moment, and then came in to ask if she was open. He was told she was not, and to come and load her up again. He weakened, and refused to load again unless I would wait half an hour to see if any of the papers in the box held fire. He was told no fire had reached the money or papers, as the powder had been confined in the lock. I sat down on the top of the box, with my legs hanging down each side of where Dan's head would be when he was blowing the powder into the box. I then put a small quantity of powder in the blower, handed it to Dan, and said: " Blow that in as far as you can. If there is fire there this will find it." This he did; and not receiving any reply from the inside, the full charge was put in the blower and I handed it to Dan, saying, " Hurry up and finish the job." When he saw the charge I had put in the blower he lost his courage, and said, " If she still holds fire this will kill me, and what will my wife say ? " I said: " Load her up. If it kills you, it will carry away both of my legs, and one of them is worth more than your whole body." In this way I forced him to force the charge in, and a short fuse was attached. As there had already been two explo- sions, it was thought best to be careful. Dan was sent out- side to "pipe" the hotel, and if he found everything all right to signal " let her go," and to keep a sharp lookout on the house. After the explosion, he was to see if a light was to » ?r c a- u. a p JB n n o. u ^- OPENINO A STRONG BOX AT OLE AN. .177 struck or a window raised. When Dan gave the " all right " signal, the fuse was lighted and the outside safe doors were again closed. I took my place at the side of the safe, lantern in hand, when off she went. I jumped to the front of the safe to bag the " stuff " and take it away with me, in case of a " tumble," before any person could reach the street from the hotel. Instead of Dan waiting outside to " pipe " the hotel, he opened the door and shouted, " Is she open ? " He was told to shut that door and keep a lookout on the hotel. Then he came tumbling over the counter, saying: " She is all right outside. No ' Vos ' is there this time." On his way to the safe he made more noise than had been made by the explosion. This time the box was opened up for business; everything it contained had fallen on the floor in front of the safe. This was soon gathered up and put in the bag carried for the pur- pose. I locked the bag and gave the key to Dan. This was done for self-protection and to prevent any suspicion that I had created a sinking-fund for myself after the division had been made, in case the bank's report of the loss was at vari- ance with the amount turned up. Then we looked through the safe and found several hundred dollars' worth of stamped envelopes. These were not disturbed, being too bulky to carry away. We left the bank, closing the door behind us and leaving the windows darkened. We found the outside man at his post. He was complimented on the splendid nerve he had shown by remaining there during three explo- sions and the noise of Dan climbing over the counter. When I gave him the bag, he looked at his watch, and found the job had been done in one hour and forty-five minutes. The others were told to walk slowly towards the team, while I " piped " the house for ten or fifteen minutes, to see • that everything was all right and that no one made a secret move on us. I soon saw that no one had been disturbed and all was quiet about the house. I, too, then returned to the team. As the driver had not been shaken off his box during the explosions, he thought a failure had been made, and the mortgage must remain hanging over his home. He accepted the situation cheerfully, and asked the party where it wished 178- LANODON W. MOORM. to be taken. We then left Olean, and at 6 A. M. found our- selves twenty-three miles away, and on the road to Angelica. The driver was then told the bank had been beaten, and the funds were in the bag. The remainder of the journey was made at go-as-you-please, as no person had been seen since leaving Olean. We did not reach our journey's end until 1 p. M. While dinner was cooking, the bag was opened in the presence of all parties concerned, and a satisfactory division was made. Lifting a so-called " mortgage " from the door of a safe lifted a real mortgage from a " safe " man's home. Late in the afternoon, the three men were carried across the country to a station ten. miles away, where rail connec- tions were made for Jersey City, where we arrived the next afternoon. By " jumping the train " at the mouth of Bergen tunnel, and going over the hill instead of through it, where the detectives had their gill-net set to catch the burglars should they come that way from Olean, we reached home without accident. It was afterwards learned that the cashier's late call at the bank that night was for the purpose of taking with him to his hotel a large amount of money which he was to carry to New York on the five-o'clock train the next morning. He had not taken it to the hotel for safety, but for conven- ience, as it would save him the trouble of unlocking the safe in the morning, while on his way to the station. However, the next morning, when on his way, he stepped into the entry adjoining the bank, leading through into the fire-engine room, unlocked a side door, and went into the banking-room. He found himself in total darkness. Think- ing he had made the mistake of entering some other man's store in the block instead of his own bank, he locked the door and returned to the street. Then he looked the build- ing over, and saw no mistake had been made. He re-entered the bank, struck a light, and saw the big safe doors' wide open, and a glazed cloth plastered over each window. He then gave a general alarm, and telegraphed to police headquarters in New York, requesting that two professional thief-takers be sent to the scene of the robbery. Detectives Phil Farlej^ and Eustice were the men detailed to work up the case. While on their journey to Olean, they passed, without seeing, the robbers; and as soon as the two reached OPENING A STRONG BOX AT OLEAN. 179 Olean, they began work by making a scientific and intelli- gent examination of the safe. Finding that a one-fourth-inch hole had been drilled near the dial of the outside doors and those to the burglar box, they said, " If we find these two holes clean-cut, you may know the work was done by professionals; but if they are irregular and ragged in appearance, you may rest assured the work was done by local thieves." The windows were next examined, and the marks of a jimmy were found. The cashier was then questioned as to the last time he visited the bank, and saw the safe alive and in working order, and what, if anything, in the way of tools had been left by the burglars. The detectives were then shown the glazed cloth, pegging awls and tacks ; but no private marks were found on these goods to assist them in tracing the burglars. The fact was mentioned that a small amount of gold coin had been found in the dirt in front of the safe. This had evidently been overlooked by the thieves. The question was asked if any strangers or suspicious- looking persons had been seen in the town previous to the robbery, and whether the thieves had come by rail or reached the village by horse power. They were told no strangers or suspicious-looking persons had been seen in or near the town, as searching parties had been . out in all directions for twenty miles. The detectives then took a run up the road, and had not gone far before they found a railroad man who had seen four suspicious-looking men, each one carrying a heavy grip, get on the train the day after the robbery. These men had gone through to Cleveland, 0. , This, as I afterwards learned from one of the party, was reliable information. This " mob " had journeyed from Philadelphia bound for Olean to do this very job, and when near the town had heard of the robbery. Seeing they were one day too late for their exhibition, they left the train at the station and remained there until the train going West came along. It was when taking this train that they were seen by the railroad man. By doubling on their track, they escaped falling into the hands of the detectives. With this tip the officers journeyed over into Ohio ; and seeing no person who could point the men out to them, they gave up the chase and returned to the bank. They recom- mended that as the burglars entered the bank through the 180 LANGDON W. MOORE. window, and left the marks of a jimmy on the sash, a wax impression be taken of this and held as evidence — in case of arrest. As no strangers had been seen in or near the bank for several days previous to the robbery, the indica- tions were that the work was done by local thieves. The fact that the cloth was not taken down from the windows was proof that the burglars were disturbed in their -work, and hurriedly left the room. But at a later day the detectives said: " On account of those two clean-cut holes, and the fact that only powder enough was used to force the doors open on their lunges, we deem it to be the work of professionals — men who know as much about the construction of your safe and lock as the man who made them ; and' in our opinion those men we traced over into Ohio are the men who robbed your bank." As no person has since been arrested for this robbery, it seems reasonable to suppose that detectives are not unlike other men who know what they see and are told, and no more. This safe was purchased by Herring & Co., the celebrated safe-makers of New York, and placed on exhibition at their Broadway salesroom, where it was seen by me. It was among a number of light-weight safes that had evidently received knock-out blows. The bank people, through over-confidence in its supposed invincible qualities, had to report a loss of sixty thousand dollars. CHAPTER XL FALSE CMEGES AT BUFFALO. LONG AND EXPENSIVE LEGAL FIGHT AGAINST UN- SCBUPULOUS PEOSBGTJTING OFFICIALS. The bonds stolen from the bank at Olean were made payable to order, and the owners' names were written on the backs. These names were extracted and the numbers altered. The bonds were then sold to the brokers of New York at their market price. About this time I passed my leisure hours playing against the game of faro. One night, about the 8th of December, I lost some six thousand dollars at one sitting, and went home at about 3 A. m., pretty tired from trying to guess the winners — so much so that I did not again leave the house for two days, devoting my spare time t6 the study of the Yale combination lock. I experimented, first, by securing a wrench to the knob of the dial ; then, by tapping this gently for about twenty minutes, I was able to wear the thread from the small brass screw that held the spindle to the works of the lock. I then unscrewed the spin^dle and took it out, leaving a hole through the burglar door into the lock. My work would have stopped here had I wanted to use powder. At that time I had great faith in the " silent operator," and had made a spindle of my own design, the same size and make as the one I had removed from the lock, with one exception : mine was hollow like a tube, with a steel rod that I could put through it and use as a punch. This tube I screwed into the socket I had taken the other from. I inserted the rod, and, with one or two heavy raps on the end of it, punched the wheels from the place the maker intended they should do duty. I then could unlock and lock it again, more quickly than the man who knew the combination. A duplicate of this spindle was captured by the late Superintendent Murray at my house, No. 123 East 081 182 LANQDON W. MOORE. Twenty-'Mnth Street, New York, on the night of Oct. 23, 1877 ; but unless some lock expert has since told the police what that tool was made for, they have never known — until now. After I had gon^ through the operation of throwing the bolt back and forward several times, I removed the spindle and put it in my closet. I then took the lock to pieces, and left the parts lying on my secretary. Just at this time Harry Campbell called to see me ; we left the house and walked down to near the Jersey Ferry. When opposite Taylor's Hotel, Detective Edward McWil- liams arrested Campbell and myself on a warrant charging us with being fugitives from justice. While passing C. C. Fox's saloon, on our way to police headquarters, I said to Mo Williams, "I will give^ you two thousand five hundred dollars if you allow Campbell to get away." He replied : " I would like to have the money, but cannot accept your proposition. I must do my duty as an officer." Upon our arrival at headquarters, I for the first time saw Chief Reynolds and old Ham Best of Buffalo, N. Y. Being introduced, they expressed themselves as highly pleased to make my acquaintance. I was then shown the extradition warrant from the Governor of New York on the Governor of New Jersey. This warrant charged us with being fugi- tives, and with burglary and larceny from a dwelling in Buffalo of twenty-seven thousand dollars' worth of bonds and jewelry. After the Jersey officers had gone through the usual form of searching us, I said : " You detectives will probably want to search my house. If so, I will save you the trouble of swearing out a search warrant, if you will allow me to accompany you to the house, and remain there while the search is being made." To this proposition ■ they readily consented. I sent a message to notify some of my friends that I was under arrest at the station. Then Reynolds, Best, Mc Williams, and myself went to my house. I admitted the party with my latch-key, and my wife ushered the officers into the parlor, from which we walked through into the extension room, where lay the skeleton of the lock as I had left it. Not knowing what it was, the detectives cassed it without taking FALSE GBARQES AT BUFFALO. 185 any notice 6i it. Eeynolds and Best went down the stairs to the dining-room, leaving McWilliams and myself in the parlor. When my wife came to me, I said quietly, " Tell Maggie [the servant] to throw those things lying on my secretary into the sink in the rear of the yard, and you had better clean out the safe." Maggie did as requested, and prevented a " valuable detective find " being made known to the world. While the Buffalo detectives were looking over the crockery ware in the dining-room and kitchen, several thousand dollars in cash and diamonds were taken from the safe and transferred to the pocket of Mrs. Moore's dress. After the searchers had looked the basement and cellar well over, they returned to the parlor. This they viewed, and also the extension room, without noticing that the lock wa& missing. Ascending the stairs, the first object that attracted their attention was the safe. A broad smile spread over their faces when they asked to have it opened. I unlocked and opened it, calling their attention to the fine finish on the inside. The lady had left nothing else worth looking at. After going through the house, without finding what they were looking for or disturbing one article, or removing carpets and cutting open beds, they returned to the station, where several friends were waiting my return. One and all of them advised me not to leave New Jersey without making a fight for my liberty. " In doing that," I said, " I can only gain a little time. This I don't want, as I can be ready to go to trial in three days." , I then turned to the Buffalo detectives and said : " I will go with you to Buffalo, and make no fight here; for if I should obtain my release in New Jersey, you would still hold the warrant, and arrest me whenever found in New York. We are indicted at Buffalo, N. Y., for robbery, and it is there we must be tried before twelve men — not here through any quibble a lawyer might raise." I gave instructions to my friends about what I wanted done in my absence, and told them the names of all the people who were in my company the Sunday of the robbery. I was then taken below, and locked up with my good and 186 LANODON W. MOORE. true friend Harry Campbell, remaining until near the time the evening train left for Buffalo, when we were taken out of the " box," and up to the chief's oifice. When irons had been put on us, I took out a repeater watch, and the same diamond stud which I had on when I was arrested for the Concord robbery, and gave them to my wife, saying, " I will have no use for these trinkets while in jail." When Best saw what I had done, he objected to my leaving this collateral, and attempted to get possession of the articles. This he was not allowed to do. The Jersey authorities said to him, " You do not claim to have lost any property answering this description, and you cannot take it from this lady." We were put, irons and all, into a hack, and, followed by some friends who had another hack, were driven to the depot. After bidding my friends good-by we departed. When a few miles away, I was told that if I would promise to make no attempt to escape, my irons would be taken off. 'As it was much easier to make the promise than to wear the irons, it was given. Later, I asked to have the irons removed from Campbell. When I saw they objected, I said, " You can either take them off him or put them on me again, for he is no more guilty of this robbery than I am." After I had pledged my word Campbell would not leave the party, his irons fell, off. The detectives had no sleep that night, and passed the time in telling of the fine detec- tive work they had done in tracing the stolen bonds to us. They expressed much sympathy for my wife and myself, and tears came in their eyes when they said they scarcely had the heart to break up such a nice home, so soon after my marriage. They said they had a clear case against us, and if convicted I would be sent to prison for a long time ; but if I would give them twenty-five thousand dollars in cash \they would settle the case for me. There would be no prosecution, and Harry and I could return to our homes. I said : " Officers, do your duty. This talk makes me tired. We are innocent men. I will fight you with one hundred thousand dollars before I will give you one dollar to settle for a crime some other people have committed." On our arrival in Buffalo, Reynolds led us up to his oifice. FALSE CHARGES AT BUFFALO. 187 There we remained only a short time before starting for the jail. While on our way there, the officers tipped us off right and left in true " fly copper " style. When we entered the jail, the keeper gave us a withering look that would anni- hilate an honest man ; and after going through our pockets, our pedigrees were given to him by the detectives — not by us. These were written down in the big book for future reference. The SherifE was told to keep a sharp lookout for us, as we were " just too slippery for anything," and if he turned his head to spit we would give him the slip. He gave us a hard, cold look, and said we would not get away from him. He silently led the way to a special cell which had ear-holes for the use of the keepers. The next morning I read in the papers of the brilliant detective work Reynolds and Best had done in following up the invisible clue that led to the important arrest of two of the most daring and dangerous robbers this country had ever known. The newspapers gave a rehash of the Concord Bank robbery." This was a little side issue, calculated to prejudice honest people against us. It would be an easy matter to convict, after the people had been educated up to the point of saying " guilty." The reports went on to tell of the fine, brownstone-front house I owned, and the elegant furniture, mirrors, carpets, and other luxuries, including my horses and wagons, the detectives had seen there. My home and surroundings, they said, were such as only a bank robber could afford. The rules of the jail were laid down to us. We were to keep our cell clean and do our own chamber work. Each morning we were to form in line with the rest of the jail birds, and march across the yard. After our return to the jail, we were to be allowed one hour in the corridor, pro- viding we obeyed all the rules, not otherwise. This routine was gone through with again, at three o'clock every after- noon. Three or four days later, while on one of these afternoon return trips, I saw two pretty girls looking at Campbell and myself through a port-hole in the keeper's office. This hole was about twelve by sixteen inches, about eight feet from the ground. Thinking we were being " stood up " for identification, I said to Campbell, " Follow me." 188 LANGDON W. MOORE. I then left the ranks, followed by Campbell, walked directly in front of the hole, raised my hat, and said, " Girls, do we look like the men you saw coming out of the house that was robbed in this city last August ? " At this, both girls burst out laughing and said, " You do not, and are not the men we saw." I then thanked them, and said, " Don't let Ham Best make you swear we are, when the case comes to trial." When this was said, the girls were shoved away from the slot in the wall, and we returned to the jail to face an angry- keeper, who said we had forfeited the privilege of the cor- ridor. He looked us up. I afterwards learned that Reynolds and Best had brought the girls to the office to identify us, and were with them at this time. When the officers saw what I had done, they became furious, and accused every one connected with the jail of betraying them by " tipping " this " stand up " off, to me, and preventing them from having us fully identified. By " greasing the wheels," I learned that one keeper's duty was to hold his ear to an air-hole leading to our cell and listen to our conversation. As we talked of other matters and said nothing about this case, he had nothing favorable to report, nothing that might be used against us at the trial. Then another was put in his place, and after being on duty a few days, he, too, reported that we were not like other men, and were too sharp to talk over our troubles for other people to hear. This thing was kept up during my stay in jail. At the expiration of two weeks, my case was called for trial. In the meantime my friends had retained a well- known Buffalo lawyer, named Cook, to defend me ; and when I entered the court room I found fourteen witnesses, who had come from New York and Jersey City to tell the story of my innocence. After we had had a little hand- shaking, the court was called to order, and I was commanded to stand up while the indictment was being read. We pleaded " not guilty." The County Attorney stated to the court that he was not ready to try the case. He asked for a postponement until the next term of court, telling of the absence of two impor- tant witnesses. It struck me he must have had those pretty girls on his mind at this time, as they were the only ones FALSE G BARGES AT BUFFALO. 189 who saw the two men leaving the house the day of the robbery. My counsel demanded that I should be tried at once. He said I had been put to great expense in bringing my wit- nesses there from New York and Jersey City. All of them, he stated, were men of wealth and highly respectable. After the lawyers had sparred a couple of rounds, the judge reserved his decision for a few days; and when bail had been fixed at forty-seven thousand dollars, I was committed in default. My counsel had asked that bail might be fixed at a reason- able amount ; and when this sum was named, he said it was excessive. The judge brushed him aside, declaring no less sum would secure my attendance in Buffalo when the case was again called for trial. It so happened, this robbery had been committed the first Sunday after my marriage, and I had given a dinner at the Mansion House, Bayonne, N. J., on that day. I had invited several highly respectable persons, and those were my wit- nesses then in Buffalo. They were, of course, to testify to the fact that they had dined and wined with me at the Mansion House at about 2 p. M. This was about the hour the house of a resident of Buffalo had been robbed. I made no effort to obtain bail, and knew nothing of what was being done in that direction until two days later, when I was taken to court, and a bond for the amount was fur- nished by Sheriff Merseles of Jersey City. But I was released only to be re-arrested by the Sheriff of Buffalo, as I was leaving the Court House, on a civil suit, which had been entered by the owners of the stolen property, who sued for forty thousand dollars. In this case surety was placed at eighty thousand dollars. As I was being taken back to jail, I met Sheriff Merseles and ex-Judge Talcott. I said, " Sheriff, I am going back to jail on a civil suit." Judge Talcott stepped forward and said, "Let me see those papers." After reading them he said : "This is another one of Ham Best's 'skin games.' Bring this gentleman back into the court." The judge retained the papers ; and when we entered the coiwt, h§ walked directly up tp the little judge sitting oa. 190 LANQDON W. MOORE. the bench, and said, " Judge, is my name good on a bail bond for one hundred thousand dollars ? " Being answered in the affirmative, he handed up the papers, saying : " Make that bond for that amount, and I will go on it myself. I do not know Mr. Moore, but I do know most of the gentlemen who have come here in his behalf, and from them I know him to be an innocent man. This seems to me to be a clear case of persecution on the part of the Prosecuting Attorney and Ham Best." The judge on the bench did not see fit to raise the bail to suit Talcott, and the eighty-thousand-dollar bond was promptly furnished. Before leaving the court, I offered to indemnify my bondsmen in the full amount, and was told they did not require it. The man who had retained Lawyer Cook in the criminal case arranged with him to procure counsel to defend the civil suit. Cook selected Grover Cleveland to assist him and conduct that end of the defence. I then saw Campbell, and that night returned with my friends to Jersey City, in time to enjoy a Christmas dinner with a few friends at my home. The next month I was again notified to appear for trial, and the trip was made with all the witnesses who had pre- viously attended court. After we had remained several days, the District-Attorney asked to have the case postponed until the next term of court, saying the officers had made every effort to secure the attendance of some very important witnesses and had failed. My counsel made a strong de- mand that I should be tried at this term, and not made to take a journey of five hundred miles only to be told the Prosecuting Attorney was not ready to proceed with the case. But the judge granted another delay, stating that the District-Attorney must have his case ready for trial at the next term of court. I then saw Grover Cleveland, and, in talking the matter over, he said he wished to question some of my witnesses, because the result of the criminal case would govern the civil suit. He wished to see how strong the evidence was for the defence. That night I went with the witnesses to his office. I saw him in his private room, and told him my friends were in the outer office. They were then called into the room, one by one, and questioned. First came my bondsman, J. M. Mer- FALSE CHARGES AT BUFFALO. 191 seles; then Mr. Mitchell, a wealthy business man of Jersey- City; then Beldon Clark, the manager of the Bowery Thea- tre, New York; then the minister who married me; he was followed by Mr. Lansing, a stable-keeper with whom I boarded my horses. They had all either been guests at the dinner or otherwise in my company that Sunday afternoon. After Mr. Cleveland had questioned the fifth one, he turned to me and said, " How many witnesses have you?" I replied, " Fourteen." " Don't want them all," said he. " I can win the earth with these five." After seeing Campbell the next morning, and making things as easy as possible for him, I, with the party, returned to New York. Since that time the story has often been told of game sup- pers and of private cars being chartered to take my witnesses to Buffalo an.d return. This I know nothing about. I only know that I furnished the money to pay the bills, and the trips were made go-as-you-please. I saw my Jersey City counsel, Hon. Charles H. Winfield, and through him I filed an application for the removal of the cause for the civil suit from the Northern to the Southern District of New York. This would bring the case to Albany, and give the plaintiffs the long journey. With this petition I filed a bond for eighty thousand dollars, which was furnished by two New York business men. This made, in all, two hundred and seven thousand dollars of bonds on that one charge and its side issues. The plaintiffs were given twenty days in which to file an answer to the petition for the removal of cause.- After the lapse of some time, during which I was engaged in other robberies, I met Sheriff Merseles, and walked down to his ofiice with him. We found a letter from Lawyer Cook stating the plaintiffs had allowed the petition for the removal of the civil suit co go by default. Grover Cleveland's con- nection with the case then came to an end, and I was only held under the original forty-seven thousand dollars on the criminal case. I was soon notified to appear for trial, and my witnesses and Campbell's made the journey. My counsel, whom I had also engaged to defend Campbell, asked that my case should 192 LANODON W. MOORE. be called first. This was objected to by the County Attor- ney. He had desired to try Campbell first, as the case was thought to be stronger against him than me. Not a word was allowed to leak out as to what defence CampbeU could make. When his case was called, the only evidence the prosecution was able to offer against him was given by a man named Lamb, who kept a broker's office under the First National Bank, Jersey City. He testified to the purchase of a fifty-dollar 7-30 bond from Campbell, several weeks previous to the arrest; that he had since sold the bond in Wall Street, and all trace of it had been lost. He then pro- duced his book, by which it appeared that he had entered the purchase of a bond in series and numbers corresponding with one of the fifty -dollar 7-30 stolen bonds named in the indictment of Campbell. After being asked a few questions by the defendant's counsel, he stepped down. The District-Attorney called for Chief Reynolds, but he was not to be found. He then - called for Ham Best, and again there was no answer. I said, " I will find him for you." The court waited until Sheriff Merseles and myself brought Best into court. Just a moment before, I had been told the place where he was in hiding. When asked if he had any more witnesses for the prose- cution, he answered, " No." The prosecution was then closed. For the defence, several witnesses testified to seeing Camp- bell in Brooklyn on both Saturday and Sunday, the latter being the day of the robbery. The railroad time tables were then shown to the judge and jury, proving that Campbell could not have got to Buffalo in time to commit the crime. I introduced a silent witness in the printed annual report of the Secretary of the United States Treasury, Hugh McCul- loch. In this report it was stated that on several occasions two bonds of the same series and same denomination and bearing the same numbers, had been redeemed at the Treas- ury Department, and that the numbering machine had been known to repeat while the bonds were going through. Evidently the Treasury people had no faith in David Keene's statement about those altered Concord bonds which b» to go to the store early the next morning, before Elder was out of bed, and look the place over, while purchasing some seed, and see if the money the hotel-keeper had seen was left in the drawer during the night. They were there bright and early the next morning, and bought some seed. When the man went to the drawer to make change for a twenty-dollar note they had given him, he was followed by Burtis, who saw him unlock the drawer and take out a large bundle of loose bills, without disturbing several other packages which were seen to be in the back part of the drawer. After the change was given, the drawer was locked. They returned and reported to me all they had seen. I told them to go to the store again that night, watch the place, see it closed, and ascertain if any person slept there. QUICK WORK IN CHATHAM. STRMET. 245 This they did, and at ten o'clock that evening I was told by them that one man and a boy remained in the store during the night. At four o'clock the next morning, they were at the corner of Chambers and Chatham Streets, and at five o'clock they saw the man and boy come out of the store, lock the door, and go to an eating-saloon near French's Hotel for their breakfast. They returned to the store in twenty minutes from the time they had left it. It was reported to me also that there were two locks on the door, and that, after unlock- ing the door and going in, the man hung the keys on a nail over the desk, in front of the money drawer. I made a visit to the store the following morning at six o'clock, and found four men and a boy busy feeding several thousands of birds. I made a small purchase of seed when my " pals " entered, and began pricing some of the birds. While change was being given me, I stood against the desk talking to the man. One of my hands rested carelessly upon the blade of one of the keys. A second later I put this hand in my pocket, and removed a thin piece of wax which I held in the palm. Then, placing another piece of wax against the palm of my hand, I rested my hand upon the blade of the other key. During this operation, I in- quired the price of several parrots that hung in cages placed in such a position as to cause the man to turn his head from the keys. After taking the secoild impression, I put the wax in my pocket, and ■ gave the signal to my " pals " to remain in the store until I had gone out. I then went to the door, and, watching my opportunity, I placed a piece of paper over each key-hole and pressed it down with my thumb. This gave me the size of the barrel and the length ,of the blades of the keys. I then left the store. On looking at the wax, I saw that the keys were very fine, and that the impression of the tumblers was perfect. With- out waiting for the other men to come out, I went home, and, from a small lot of blanks I kept in stock, I selected two that would answer my purpose. These I fitted to the wafer impression ; and that night, after seeing the store closed and the man and boy go to the eating-house for their supper, I tried the keys and found they would throw the bolt. While doing this I stood with my back to the door, facing the men who were with me. We then re-crossed the street, 246 LANODON W. MOORE. taking a position from which we could see the man and boy when they returned. At that time all the gas in the store was turned on, and everything inside could be seen by persons passing along the street. When the man and boy entered, they turned down all the lights but one, and by this one we saw them prepare for bed. After " making a date " for a meeting at four o'clock the next morning, I went to my home in Eighty-First Street. We were all on hand again in the morning, in time to see the man and boy come out. Before they -had gone fifty yards from the store, my " pal " walked down the street, unlocked the door, and entered the store, closing and locking the door behind him and leaving the lower key in the lock, to prevent a surprise in case some of the other employees came to the store and made an attempt to enter with a dupli- cate set of keys. Finding the door locked on the inside, they would shake the door to wake up the man and boy. While this was being done, my man would make his escape from the rear of the store through into another street. He had been in the place not more than five^ minutes, before I saw the man and boy come out of the eating-house. I crossed the street, went to the door, and heard the key working in the lock. I gave the danger signal for the man to come out, and was told he could not unlock the door. " Then pull the bolts," I said. He did this, and pulled open both doors with a bang. I said " Go." At this time the man and boy were less than a hundred feet away, and must surely have seen him leave the store had this not been in one of the most public thoroughfares in New York at that time of day. The man and boy came to a sudden halt near the store, looking up and down the street and then at the door. They entered, and the man ran to the money drawer and found it had been forced and three thousand seven hundred dollars in cash stolen. As this job was done in Captain Jordan's precinct, I expected to hear from him. I not only did not hear from him, but saw no account of the robbery in the papers. CHAPTER XX. GEEAT ROBBERY OF AN EXPRESS CAR. HOW, WITH THE ASSISTANCE OP A COACHED MESSENGER, THE merchants' UNION EXPRESS COMPANY WAS ROBBED OF ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-PIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS. Early in March, 1868, Putnam Brown, an express messenger in the employ of the Merchants' Union Express Company, put up the job to have Charles BuUard and Ike Marsh rob the express safe under his charge, while on the way from Buffalo to New York. Brown usually carried, he himself said, a large amount of money, United States bonds, and jewelry. The valuables were delivered to him in canvas bags, securely sealed, and he locked them in the express safe. The number of bags varied from three to seven on the trips ; but he had no way of ascertaining the amount each bag contained, as some parties would beat the company by not stating the full values the sealed packages contained, in order to avoid paying extra charges on large amounts sent from the West through to New York. Brown proposed that BuUard and Marsh should go up the road to Rochester, or any other place above Albany where the train stopped, and there wait until the train pulled into the station. He then would open the door of the express car and admit them, they to board the train from the opposite side of the station, taking special care no person saw them enter. It often happened, Brown said, that some of the express people would beat their way through to New York in the express cars, saving railroad fare. These, and no others, were allowed in the car with him. If one of them was aboard when the train arrived at the station agreed upon, he would leave the car, run down to the second pas- senger car, and hand over a note stating the reasons why the job could not be done that night. Brown explained that the train was due in Albany early in the morning, and began 247 248 LANODON W. MOORE. to slow up half a mile from the station, so that BuUard and Marsh could jump off without the risk of being seen by any one. He only had charge of the express safe from Buffalo to New York, and returned to Buffalo in an express car which was in charge of another express messenger. He waited at Buffalo until one of the regular messengers was either sick or off on leave of absence. This, he said, hap- pened as often as three times a week; and as soon as he was next notified to make the journey, he would wire Bullard and Marsh in time for them to reach whatever place they might name. At this time neither Bullard. nor Marsh had any money; but after hearing Brown's story, they arranged to meet him the next time he came to New York. This was told me, and I was let into the job. I was to lay out the work in detail, furnish the capital, and secure a team to carry the two men away across the country to a place of safety after they had left the train with the stolen funds. I told them that if this messenger would do as he had promised, there would be no difcculty in robbing the express safe, and getting into their possession all the money and valuables it contained. I pointed out that, on the arrival of the train in New York, the robbery would be discovered and reported to the general office. The express people would send at once for Allan Pinkerton, who did all the detective work for the company; and, if he was not in town, George H. Bangs, his general superintendent of the New York agency, would take charge of the case until " the old boss " could reach New York, when he would take personal charge of the matter and send his men to ■ beat over every inch of the ground from Buffalo to New York. I said that every livery stable would be visited to see if a horse had been out the night of the robbery, and, if so, who the person was who hired it. If told there was a team out and a stranger had it, his description would be given by the stable-keeper, and in this way the team might be traced to me through a picture furnished the police by a " stool pigeon " in the Concord Bank job. This would not, of itself, warrant a conviction, but would be quite enough to hold me and have the case sent before the grand jury. As the jury probably did not meet more than once in three or six months, I didn't care to have Allan Pinkerton get on my trail; for if he did, he GREAT ROBBERY OF AN EXPRESS CAR. 249 would never let go his hold so long as the Merchants' Union Express Company would pay the bills and travelling ex- penses for himself and men. Nothing short of the recovery of the stolen funds and the conviction of the thieves would satisfy either Pinkerton or the express company, for they never had been known to compromise with any one who had stolen a dollar from the company. This company was, however, a new one ; and I calculated that if the Cincinnati Express made all its connections, and the valuables were transferred from their safe to the care of Brown, so that we could get them, then, in case of arrest, we could give the company its choice between a favorable settlement and bankruptcy. I asked BuUard and Marsh how long they had known the messenger. They replied that they had made his acquaint- ance in Toronto, Can., the previous year, at the time he was looking for this situation. I then arranged with them to go and look the job over as soon as they saw the messenger again. They were to go up the road above Albany to any station the messenger might select, and wait there until the express train came along. If everything was all right, and there was no person in the car with him, he should admit them and they would ride in the car with him to Albany, to see for themselves the number of money bags he then had in his safe. This trip was made; and when the train arrived at the station where they were to meet the messenger, he left the car and handed them a note, written with a blue pencil, stating that one of the express people was then ixi the car. He told them to return to New York, where he would see them and explain how this person happened to be in the car that night. When this note was shown me, I said, " I want to keep this, as it is signed ' Put.' " Brown abbreviated his name in that way. I then gave them a piece of black wax, and told them to give it to the messenger, at the same time asking him to take the impression of the safe key on his next trip. He was also to write the niimber of the safe on a slip of paper and give it to them with the impression. Another trip up the road was made; and again, when the train pulled into the station where they were waiting, the 250 LANGDON W. MOORE. messenger left the train and handed them a note, which informed them that two children of the Buffalo express agent were in the car with him, having a free ride to New York. When this note was given me, I put it in my pocket. On both of these trips BuUard and Marsh, after being handed the notes, boarded the train and returned directly to New York. When I saw them, I was told they thought that the messenger had weakened, and they did not believe any person was in the car with him on either of the trips they had made. I told them that if the messenger was afraid to go on with the job, he never would have committed himself so far as to give up the wax impression of the key of one of the safes under his charge, with a note written in blue pencil, signed " Put," giving the number of the safe which this key fitted. When this impression was given BuUard and Marsh by Brown, they furnished him with another piece of wax to be used in the same way as the first, in case that safe had not been returned to Buffalo and another had been put in its place. Brown was expected to see them that day at 2 p. M., and give them the second impression, with the number of the safe, as he had previously done. As they still doubted Brown's nerve, I said, " Stand the messenger up for me to take a look at him, and I think I can tell you if he means business." It was then arranged that after Brown called upon them, they should walk with him down Third Avenue, past Seventeenth Street, where I was to stand on the corner so that I could see them when they came along. Brown had already been told there was in the job a third man, who was to furnish the money and* the team to carry them away after the robbery. It was near three o'clock when I saw BuUard and Marsh coming down the avenue, accompanied by a stranger whom I knew, from a description they had given me, to be the messenger. As they passed, neither looked towards me, but I noticed the stranger looked me over from head to foot. As I had seen aU I cared to know, I entered the saloon, and remained there until I saw BuUard and Marsh return. Then I left the saloon, and walked down Seventeenth Street with them. Marsh gave me the wax impression of the key, with the number of the safe. This information, also, was written in blue pencil and signed " Put." GREAT ROBBER Y OF AN EXPRESS OAR. 251 When I had examined the impression and found it to be as good as any expert could have taken, I said, " You have ' stood me up ' to this messenger at the same time he was being ' stood up ' to me." This they denied. They declared that " Put " saw me half a block away*>and said : " Who is that man standing on the corner ? I think I have seen him before." They then told him they, too, had seen me there before, and thought that was my " hang-out place." I was asked what I thought of the messenger. " Do you , think he means business ? " I replied : " Yes, this man is out for the ' stuff ' and will allow the job to come off. What he may do afterwards I cannot say, for he does not look like a man w^ho is dead game, or one who would stand the fire while he is being roasted alive by old man Pinkerton." Another trip was made ; and when the train stopped at the station where they were to see him, Brown came out and gave them the " tip " that he was alone in the car and for them to get aboard. When the train had started, the interior of the car was looked over and the door on the side of the car was partly opened, to see if it was possible to enter that way. By taking hold of the handle of the door with one hand and leaning out as far as possible, when the train was running along, they saw this could be done. Then with the right hand and a sharp, strong knife, one could cut through the outside of the d.oor, opposite the fastening, making a space large enough for a man to put his arm through and open the door. This was to be done to make it appear that robbers had eikered the car in that way, while the messenger was asleep. The safe was opened on this same trip, and the con- tents found to be only three bags, as .Brown had previously stated to them. They rode with him to Albany, and when the train slowed up left the car without being seen. They hurried to the station, got aboard again, and came to New York. When I called to see them and heard all they had to tell, I said, " Now this work must begin in earnest by giving the messenger a lesson in what he shall tell the express people and detectives while being questioned by them after the robbery." Brown's first task, when he called at Marsh's house that 252 LANG DON W. MOORE. day, was to lie down on a pile of old clothes and go to sleep. He pulled a bed quilt over him, in imitation of the buffalo skin used by him in the car ; and as soon as he was supposed to be asleep, BuUard and Marsh put on their masks, opened the door from an adjoining room, and walked softly to where he lay- One of them caught him by the throat, while the other put a pistol to his head and said, "If you open your mouth or make any noise, I will blow a hole through your head large enough for a pigeon to fly through." He was then handcuffed with his hands behind him, his legs' were tied, a buck and gag were put in his mouth and a bag was thrown over his head. They went through his pockets and took out a bunch, of keys and what money he had. The money was put back, one of them saying, " We don't want that." They then went to a trunk that was to represent the express safe. This, after a rattling of the keys, was opened, and the money bags were taken out and put in two black glazed cloth bags. While this was being done. Brown was to work the bag from over the corner of his eye and watch every movement of the robbers. When the safe had been robbed, they returned to him and fastened him with ropes to some baggage. Then, after looking at the hand- cuffs, and seeing the buck and gag securely fastened in his mouth, and the bag pulled well down over his head, they waited for the train to slow up, when both«of them left the imaginary car — as he thought, at Poughkeepsie. After this rehearsal Brown was asked to tell all about the robbery — first, as he would tell it at the express office, and, later, as he would tell it to Pinkerton's man Bangs, repeat- ing it again to Allan Pinkerton himself. This he did in detail, not forgetting to tell how he had been able to get a peek at the robbers when they were robbing the safe. He was the:fi handed a written description of the two men he had seen in the car. One was to be a large, stout man, nearly six feet high, and weighing more than two hundred pounds, with very large hands and feet. The smaller man was to be not more tha-n five feet eight inches high, and would weigh about one hundred and fifty pounds. Brown was to say that they kept their faces hidden all the time in their masks, and he had only been able to get a partial view GREAT E OBBEB Y OF AN EXPRESS CAR. 253 of their eyes through the eye-holes in their masks. Their eyes, he thought, however, were black. This description he was to commit to memory, and on his next trip he was to go to the same house and take another lesson. In three days he returned, and was asked to tell the story of the robbery. This he did in detail, the same as on the day after he had taken his first lesson. He was asked to give a description of the two men he had seen rob the safe, and he repeated it in the exact words of the written descrip- tion. This paper was then destroyed. He was put through another rehearsal, and asked to tell the story of the robbery to Bangs. He was then cross-examined by the express people and Bangs, and half a dozen questions were asked him before he had time to answer one. They were all answered correctly, one by one. After he had told the story of the robbery, without the slightest variation from the^way he had first told it, he was informed that upon the arrival of the train at the uptown station in New York, some one might see that the side of the car door had been cut, and either make an entrance to the car or call upon him to open the door. If this was done, he was to make all the noise he possibly could ; but if no one came, he was to remain perfectly quiet until the car reached the Chambers Street station. Then, if the driver of the iexpress wagon did not see him open the door and deliver the safe to him as usual, he would make an investigation, discovering that the door had been cut and the car entered. When the alarm was sounded, or when they called out to him to open the door. Brown was to groan terribly, and make all the noise he could ; but when they had entered the car, he was to appear unconscious and breathe like an old, broken- winded horse. Then when the g^g was taken from his mouth and the irons from his wrists, and his' legs were untied, he was to remain in the same condition until some one ran over to the Girard House, brought back a glass of brandy, and poured it dowu his throat. Then he was to gasp for breath and appear in great distress. After they had bathed his temples and chafed and rubbed his hands for a few moments, he should appear to partially recover and make the effort to get on his feet. But he must not succeed in this attempt for at least twenty minutes, and then only with the assist- ance of some one. 254 , LANODON W. MOORE. When asked about the robbery, he was to appear dazed, and unable to give anything but a broken account of it. When taken to the general office, he was to seem frightened and nervous. Then he was to tell the story of the robbery the same as he had told it to BuUard and Marsh. He would have to repeat it to Bangs and Pinkerton, and possibly to others, a hundred times. It must be told the same way each and every time ; likewise the description of the robbers. If asked whether he had seen any person hanging around the car, either at Albany or any stop they had made on the way from Buffalo to New York, he was to say " No." When asked how he came to neglect his duty and go to sleep, he was to say he was not feeling well, lay down, and fell asleep, without intending to do so, after the train had left Albany. Bullard and Marsh then told him he might be arrested at sight, taken to some jail up the river, and there detained for a few days. Some other prisoner might be put in the room with him, while drunk or sober, and, being told what Brown was in for, would express much sympathy for him, and offer to render him every assistance possible as soon as he was released himself, even going so far as to break him out of jail. He would tell of the many big jobs he had done, how many narrow escapes he had had, and how easily he had been able to fool the detectives. He would probably go so far as to tell Brown that they had no case against hira, and would have to " turn him up " in a few days, unless the case was put into Pinkerton's hands — then nothing would save him, as Pinkerton always sent all the men who fell into his hands to State Prison. Brown was told that, if he found himself in such a fix, he must say nothing, allowing no one to draw him into conver- sation about the robbery. If sent back to Buffalo to take his car, he must ask for another man to be put in the car with him. Whether this was done or not, he might be certain he would be " piped " from the time he first told his story at the express office. Then, again, he might be detained in New York to assist Pinkerton in the hunt for the robbers. If this was done, he might expect to be taken to all the hotels and dives in or about New .York, to see if he could "spot" the thieves, buring this he "would be often asked to take a drink. If so, ORE AT BOBBERY OF AN EXPRESS CAR. 255 lie must drink lemon soda and not whiskey ; for the invi- tation, he was told, would not be extended through friend- ship, but for the purpose of getting him drunk, with the hope that he might drop a word that could be used against him. " You are the one," he was informed, " they will first fasten their suspicion upon ; and they will dog you day and night, and watch every movement you make, seeing who the persons you talk to are. At no time must you carry about your person more than thirty or forty dollars. You must not buy yourself anything in the way of jewelry, and only such clothing as you actually require from time to time. After they have tried and failed to trap you, they may put one of their female detectives after you to try to pick you up. Don't allow this, for you must be on your guard at all times. Do not allow them, in case the whole ' mob ' is arrested, to come to you with the story that one of the party has ' squealed,' and implicated you, and that they don't want to send you to prison ; if you only tell all you know about the robbery and turn State's evidence, they will get you out, send all the other fellows to State Prison, and give you back yoxir job and a few thousand dollars besides. This same story will be told the others about you, to make one of them ' squeal ' on you. This is one of old man Pinkerton's strongest cards. If the party is arrested, and he makes this play and fails to take the trick, he will fall all to pieces. If any persons are arrested for this job, and you are taken to identify them, look them carefully over, and ask to have them walk around the room. Then, after hearing them talk, say, ' No, that is not the man I saw in the car that n^ght.' If you meet either of us in the street after the robbery, you are to pass us by as you would a stranger. If you are in New York the night after the job is done, you are to pass up West Broadway to the corner of Canal Street at seven o'clock. Continue to do this every night until one of us can connect with you without the risk of being seen. If we find you are being followed, no attempt will be made to speak to you, and silence shall be the signal that the sleuth- hounds are on your trail. You must report at the office every day after the robbery, the same as you are now doing, until you receive notice your services are no. longer required. This you may expect at any time after the job is done.; At 256 LANGDON W. MOORE. no time, either before or after your discharge, must you turn to see if you are being ' piped ' ; for if you do, it will be looked upon as evidence of guilt by the detectives. Stop every man you meet in the street with whom you inay have a business acquaintance, and have a little chat. In this way you will confuse the detectives, and keep them busy looking after the gentlemen they may have seen talking to you." It was then agreed the messenger should allow his criminal partners to dispose of all the bonds, which they were to convert into cash, giving him his " full bit " in greenbacks, worth at this time about seventy cents on the dollar. He was then told to commit to memory all the instructions and tips they had given him, and see how much of this he could repeat to them upon his next visit. He then left the house, and that night returned to Buffalo. In three days he called there again. When he was asked to repeat the conversation and instructions given him on his previous visit, he did it nearly word for word ; proving, not only that he had been an attentive listener, but that he had a retentive memory. He was then put through another rehearsal of the robbery, the same as on his two previous visits, with a 'slight variation this time. After the safe had been robbed and the robbers had examined him carefully to see he was securely tied, a small slice of bar soap, about the size of a three-cent piece, was placed near his lips, and he was asked if he could work that into his mouth and make a little sea-foam. This he did, and soon the froth was running out of the corners of his mouth, as it would from a mad dog. When he was released, he asked if it was essential to the play that he should make a soap tub of his mouth. He was told it was, because this would be noticed by the first man who came to him and cut the gag. This man would be willing to swear the messenger could not have lived twenty minutes longer, had he not been discovered in the last agonies of death. "All right," said Brown, " only make the next piece smaller, for I can get a good deal of froth from a very small piece of soap." He was then questioned about the robbery in detail ; and his story and answers being satisfactory, he was asked to repeat the instructions given him. When this was done, he was told all were ready to proceed with the work, ORE AT ROBBERY OF AN EXPRESS CAR. 267 They then arranged to be at a certain station one hundred miles above Albany, there to wait until he came along; and if everything was all right he should admit them to his car. They were to ride to the next to the last stop the train made before reaching Albany, when they would leave the train. He was to remain perfectly quiet until the train arrived in New York, unless some one came to the car and called his name. Then he was to make all the noise he could in a quiet way. That night we left New York. Bullard and Marsh went through to the city where they were to meet Brown, while I and a fourth man, " Old Reliable," stopped off at Albany. I had taken him along with me to hire the team. He was to deliver it to me at a certain point and remain there until my return, after I had taken Bullard and Marsh away at the conclusion of the job. Then he was to take the team back to the stable, and I would not have to show up to the stable- keeper. This man I was to pay out of my " bit," not allow- ing him to see or know who the real robbers were. The following day, the horse and sleigh were hired and delivered to me late in the evening. I drove it under a shed across the track from the station ; and as no one had seen me, I remained there until I heard the train coming. I then left the shed and walked to where I could be seen by Bullard and Marsh when leaving the express car. They did not leave the train that way, but stepped off the passenger car, came to me and said, " Some one was in the car with Brown, and the job could not be done to-night." I told them to go on to New York, and I would see them the next night. I then drove the team to where I had left " Old Reliable " and found him doing post duty. The team was then taken to the stable by him. We took a stroll around town until the next train came along, when we two returned to New York. When I next saw Bullard and Marsh, it was agreed they should get aboard the express car at the station where they had seen me and ride through to Albany. When the train began to slow up at the first crossing, they should jump the car, enter a carriage I would have waiting near by, and, while being driven to the depot by me, they could transfer the two black bags in which they would have the funds to a sole- l^athef trmk wbich I wyuW teke alon^ for the purpose, 258 LANGDON W. MO OSS. The trunk was to be checked through to New York, so that they and the stolen funds would arrive in New York as soon as the messenger. One of the party was to take a position where he could command a full view of all that transpired at the time the robbery was first discovered, and the other was to get the trunk. This trip was made, and when the train arrived at the crossing where I was waiting with the team, they jumped off and came to me. They said there were only three bags in the safe. These they would not take, as we had agreed to " accept " not less than four or five bags from this company. They got into the carriage, put the burglar bags under the seat, and were driven near the depot in time for them to go on to New York in that same train, taking the trunk with them, but leaving the bags to be brought on by the man who had hired the team. When I returned the team to him, I put the bags in his charge. He then drove to the stable; and not caring to carry them about the streets with him while waiting for the next train for New York, he left them in charge of the stable man, supposing they were both locked. When he returned for the bags, he saw that the stable man had one of them open. He was examining the handcuffs and the buck and gag. When my man saw this he said, " I have to deal with some pretty dangerous customers in my business, taking mad people to the insane asylum." He then picked up the bags and left the stable before the keeper could ask the second question. When this had been told me, I said it would never do to have the job done near Albany; and after discussing the mat- ter Avith BuUard and Marsh, the latter said one man could do the job. He would go up to Albany, and if he saw every- thing all right he would get into the car with Brown, cut the door, put the valuables into the bag, tie the messenger up, and, when the train reached the bridge which crossed a small creek one mile above Yonkers, he would drop the bag from the car, where it could be seen by BuUard, who was to be under the .bridge when the cars came along. As soon as they passed above him, he was to rise up and see the bag fall to the ground. Marsh made this trip to Albany, while I drove Bullard up the road one mile above Yonkers. Here we left the road GREAT ROBSERT OF AN EXPRESS GAR. 2S9 ■with the team, drove over the hill, and selected a place to leave the horse out of sight of any persons passing that way. We then crossed the marsh to the Hudson River Railroad track, nearly half a mile away. There we found the bridge Marsh had selected. , At this time it was low tide, and I saw that, if the tide was up, a person would either have to swim the creek or walk dbwn the track to near the station and take the risk of being seen with the bag. When Marsh had selected this place to drop the bag, he had given the tide no consideration. When this was explained to Bullard he said: "If Marsh drops that bag, I will collar it and swim the creek and put it in your hands on dry land. You can carry it to the wagon, for we must be over the Spuyten Duyvil Creek bridge and in New York before the ' squeal ' is made." As soon as we saw the tide begin to rise, I crossed the creek, and Bullard found a soft spot near the bridge, while I returned to the team. There I waited until near four o'clock. I then crossed the salt marsh to a point near to where Bullard was, and selected a hole where I could bury myself in sea-weed completely out of sight. Here I remained until I saw the Buffalo express train go by. Bullard watched the west side of the express car, while I kept my eye on the east side door , and when I saw him walk down the track a short distance, I supposed the bag had been seen by him and he was going to pick it up. Such was not the case. He had seen no bag fall from the car, and had walked down the track to make certain Marsh had not been able to do the job alone. Then he returned to the side of the creek opposite where I was standing, stripped himself clean to the pelt, walked into the creek waist high, then, holding the bundle of clothes above his head, swam the creek on his back. This was about the twentieth of April, and the water was very cold. Bullard took a chill which he was unable to shake off for several days. At this time we had the impression in wax of five keys to as many different safes which had been under Brown's charge from the commencement of the job, with the number of ,each safe. These, with the notes the messenger had handed them from time to time, were put in a tin can and sealed up tight, and the can was sent to Boston in care of a personal friend of Marsh. This person was to keep it until it was called for 260 LANGDON W. MOORE. by either Marsh or myself, and the custodian was not to know the nature of the contents. This step was taken for prudential reasons, in case the messenger "squealed" on any of the party later on. While waiting for BuUard to recover his usual good health, we had decided to have the job come off in New York City, for a start of one block and the turn of a corner of the street were as good a "getaway" as twenty miles over a country road would be. It was then agreed they should see the messenger and arrange with him to get aboard the express car at Albany on his next down trip. This would be on the morning of the " first day of May. When the train reached Forty-Seventh Street, New York City, they were to leave the car and enter a carriage, which I was to have waiting around the corner, and be driven to my house in Eighty-First Street. I then sent my man to hire a team in Brooklyn, some two miles from the ferry, with the understanding he might not be back with the team until the following day, as he was going with his family to visit some friend down on Long Island. This team he was to drive to a livery stable near Eighty- Third Street on Third Avenue, New York, and have it put up for the night, leaving word to have the horse fed and ready for him at four o'clock in the morning, as he was going to his home at Drakesville, N. J., that day. I saw my friend when- he drove the team to the stable that night about nine o'clock; and when he left the stable I took him to my house, which we entered without being seen by any one. I gave him a room. I then saw Maggie Murray, the servant of the house, and told her to have something^ very nice for our breakfast in the morning, because it was the first of May, and I would get her a bunch of Mayflowers, if the breakfast was ready at precisely seven o'clock. The Buffalo express was due in New York at about 6 A. M. This would give me time to return to the house from Forty- Seventh Street, and let BuUard and Marsh in without the risk of their being seen by the servant, who would be busy with her work in the kitchen. The next morning the team was delivered to me at 4.15 A. M., and I drove slowly around Central Park with my friend until I saw it was time to go to my post in Forty- Seventh Street. Then, after arranging about the re1;wa pi GREAT ROBBERY OF AN EXPRESS CAR. 263 the team to my friend, I drove to the place where I was to meet Bullard and Marsh. I waited some time, and, seeing that the train was late, I drove across Ninth Avenue. I found that a sewer was being put in ; no teams could pass up the avenue, and it would be impossible for the men to jump the train at the corner without the risk of being seen. As I was returning, I saw the train coming around the turn at Fifty-Ninth Street; and when it swung around the curve, I saw two men cross the tracks one of them carrying a bag. Not knowing they were Bullard and Marsh, I remained at my post until the train passed by where I was waiting in Forty-Seventh Street. Seeing no one leave the cars, I drove rapidly to Fifty-Ninth Street, but could not catch sight of the two men I had seen cross the track. I then drove very fast to near my house, turned the team over to my friend, and hurried home, where I arrived in time for Maggie Murray's seven-o'clock breakfast. No one came to me that day, and I knew nothing about the robbery until I read in the papers that the Merchants' Union Express car, while on its way from Buffalo to New York, had been entered by masked robbers and robbed of nearly two thousand dollars. Nearly twelve hundred dollars of this amount was in silver. I saw that this would, after paying all expenses, leave us about three hundi-ed dollars apiece; and I paid no further attention to the matter until Sunday morning, two days later, ^when a note was sent me requesting me to call at Marsh's house. I called there in the afternoon, feeling pretty sore to think the job had been spoiled for so little money. Seeing no one there but- Marsh, I asked where Bullard was, and was told he had gone to see his people at Milford, Mass. Marsh said they had been informed by the messenger, while on the way down, that the avenue was impassable from Forty-Fifth to Forty-Ninth Streets. As the train was late and they saw a good opportunity to jump the train at Fifty- Ninth Street, they made the attempt to do so from the east side of the car, but discovered that the conductor was look- ing along the train. They then went to the other side of the platform, and left the express car at Fifty-Eighth Street. The conductor had also crossed, and was looking at them as they were walking to the sidewalk. He said something to them they could not understand, at the same time trying to 2B4 LANGDON W. MOORE. get a look at their faces. After the train had passed they crossed the avenue, when they saw my team crossing the track at Forty-Seventh Street. It was while doing this that I had seen two men cross the avenue, either at Fifty-Eighth or Fifty-Ninth Street. They then took a cross-town car, and were well on their way home before I could get to where I had seen them. Marsh then handed me a bundle of greenbacks, bonds, and silver, saying, " Here is the ' stuff.' " I said, " Split this up," but was informed that that had already been done, and ten thousand dollars had been taken out for the detectives. That was my share. Marsh said. I counted it, and found the total amount of the robbery was one hundred and forty-five thousand dollars. Forty-one thousand of it was in railroad bonds, the remainder in green- backs, United States coupon bonds, including seventeen hundred dollars' worth of gold-bearing coupons sent on to New York to the sub-treasury for redemption, and twelve hundred dollars in silver coin. My "bit" of the coin I left to the sweeper who had cleaned up the room after they had broken the seals and cut the shot bags open. I then took charge of all the way bills and worthless papers that had fallen into their hands, and returned home more satisfied than I was when going the other way. When " Old Reliable " called to see me Monday morning, I gave him his " bit." He, too, had read the papers, and was more than pleased when he had counted his share. I then gave him my share of the United States bonds, and told him to go down town and sell them to the first broker north of Cortlandt on Greenwich Street. When the bonds were offered to the broker, he said he did not care to make the purchase himself, but if he would leave them there he would send them to the Stock Exchange, and have them sold; and if -he would call at the office at one o'clock, he would pay him the full amount of the sale, after deducting a small commission for himself. The bonds were left, and when he called at the office at the stated time the motoey was handed him without question. It was nearly three o'clock before he came to my house, and I had come to the conclusion I had been given a wrong " tip " and that a circular had been sent to the brokers and bankers giving the numbers of the stolen bonds, and that GREAT ROBBERY OF AN EXPRESS CAR. 265 my friend had been arrested while in the act of selling the bonds; still, I knew it would be impossible for the express company to tell what had been stolen, as I had the way bills, and they would have to communicate with all their agents along the line before they would be able to tell the amount of their loss. The numbers of the bonds could only be obtained from the persons who expressed them. However, I was well pleased when my friend rang the door bell and was admitted to the house. Some four or five days later, I saw BuUard and Marsh. I told them I had disposed of all my bonds at the full market price the day after they had been given me, and had allowed my friend who sold them for me to make the difference between a "fence" and a market price. They had done , nothing with theirs, and asked me to dispose of them, as they feared to let any one know they had done the job. I then sent my friend to see two men who were known to pur- chase stolen bonds. Neither of them had the courage to ' buy, because, they said, " There was blood on them," and if any one of the bonds was traced to them, they would have to stand trial for the robbery, as possession of the bonds was presumptive evidence of guilt. However, they asked a few days to consider it and to make inquiries of the parties with whom they did business, ascertaining whether they would be willing to handle them. The following day word was received that they would take the bonds conditionally, my friend to bring them three or four thousand dollars' worth; and when these had been sold, they would pay him his money, and so on until the lot was disposed of.- As the risk of being beaten out of three or four thousand dollars was less than one would have to take if the bonds were taken from them and sold to some other party, it was decided they should handle the " stuff," and this in the full belief that the J9b had been done in the true Western style. My name was not to be mentioned — neither was BuUard's nor Marsh's — in connection with the robbery, and the men who purchased the bonds were to know no one in the transaction but my friend. That night I received word from the detective to whom the ten thousand dollars had been paid, requesting an inter- view at 3 p. M. the foUovdng day at the corner of Fifth Avenue and the street which had just been cut through from 266 LANG DON W. MOORE. Fifth to Eighth Avenues, just above the museum. I saw that something was wrong, as I was not to be known in the matter to any one outside the parties who tied the mes- senger up and my friend. I called on BuUard and Marsh, and asked if they had given me away to this detective. They answered that they had not. I then told them of the meeting I was to have that afternoon with the detective, and requested them to be on the hill at Sixty-First Street, near the horse-car depot on Third Avenue, where I could see and signal them if anything was wrong. Should I want one or both of them, I would wave my handkerchief above my head. At this time there were no buildings in that part of the city., I went to the place thirty minutes ahead of time, and waited to see who came. When I saw that my man was alone, I went to him. He then asked where BuUard and Marsh were. I told liim they had left the city. He then said: "Here is the ten thousand dollars they gave me. The old man won't take this from them." I said: " What do you mean ? Give it to me ; that will buy a brick house." He then gave me the money, and told me that two other detectives were at work on the job with Pinkerton, and the " old man " would not trust either of them. They had been seen to enter the express office the previous day, where they were closeted with the express people for a long time. I told him this was all Dutch to me, and he must explain fully what he had been talking about. He then said that BuUard and Marsh had told him I was in the job ; that the " old man " was afraid to take the ten thousand dollars from them ; for him to see me and give up the money, and I would know what to do with it. I then waved my handkerchief, and when he saw me doing this he said, " Whom have you with you ? " I pointed to BuUard and Marsh, nearly half a mile away. I then returned the money to him and told him to give it back to them himself, and tell them the same story he had told me. When he had done this, Marsh said to me, " What are we going to do ? " I replied, " Give me that money, and I will settle this business." GREAT ROBBERY OP AK EXPRESS- CAR. 267 I walked with the detective around the corner, and gave the money back to him. I then wrote a note to one of the detectives who had called at the express office, saying, " Tell your ' pal ' to make no more inquiries until he sees me to-mor- row afternoon at Fifty-First Street and First Avenue, at five o'clock sharp." This note I signed " Chas. Adams." Hand- ing it to the detective, I said, " See that this note is delivered to the address before 10 A. M. to-morrow." We then parted, the ten-thousand-dollar man going down town, while we strolled up the avenue. I learned that the two detectives who were supposed to be working on the case with Pinkerton were at loggerheads with BuUard and Marsh, and they must be " fixed." We then made up a pot of thirty- five hundred dollars. This Marsh was to keep; and if I sig- nalled him to come to me after he had seen me with the detective to whom I sent the note, he was to come, hand the money to him, shake hands, and bury the hatchet without argument. Again I was ahead of time, and when I saw my man walk down Sixty-First Street, I " piped " him from a distance. When I saw him at the place of meeting and alone, I went to him and asked him what he was doing at the express office, for he had no business there meddling with Pinkerton's business. He then said, " BuUard and Marsh did that job, and I am going to settle them if the express people will offer a liberal reward." I asked, " Did you mention any names to those people ? " No, he did not. " Well, what do you want ? " " Five thousand dollars, and we will draw out of the case, and leave them and Pinkerton to fight it out." " You can't get five thousand." " Then we will get the men." " Get them, then, and I will bid you good day." But before he would consent I should go away, he asked how much he could get. I said, " Three thousand, if you and your partner will shake hands with Charley and Ike, and be good friends; and I must make five hundred dollars for doing the business." It was then agreed that I should tell them they must give him thirty-five hundred, five hundred of which he was to return to me whenever I saw him again. 268 LANGDON W. MOORE. I then signalled for Marsh to come to us; and when he was not less than twenty feet away, they began to growl at each other. I then told Ike to stop and return to where he had come from, for I did not bring them together to fight, but to shake hands and be friends. When the detective saw I meant business, he quieted down and expressed a wish to be friendly with both BuUard and Marsh. I then told Ike to hand him that bundle of money he had in his pocket. As soon as he had done this, and the- money had been counted and found to be thirty-five hundred dollars, they shook hands, buried the hatchet, and swore eternal friendship. One half of the amount was to be given to this detective's partner. We were then told about his visit at the express office, where it had been agreed that if Pinkerton failed to arrest the thieves, the case was to be taken out of his hands and given to them ; he was to call at the office in a few days and ascertain what progress Pinkerton or Bangs was making. He then agreed to report the same to me. This detective, at the time, entertained no suspicion I was in the deal, supposing I was only acting the part of a mutual friend. We then separated, the detective going to meet his partner and to divide the money equally with him. I told Marsh and BuUard that he promised me five hundred for my trouble. This claim was never pressed, and no part of it was ever paid. In a day or two, I saw the detective's partner. He said : " That thousand dollars you sent to me I ought not to have taken, as I am a good Catholic. Besides, I have a nice family growing up, and if anything was said about it I fear it might bring disgrace upon my children." He had only received one thousand dollars out of the thirty-five hundred given up to his " pal " to be equally divided. I allowed him to remain in ignorance of the fact that he had been put in the " hole " seven hundred and fifty dollars, and said, " If you have conscientious scruples about keeping the money, give it back to me." " Oh," he replied, " I cannot do that, for I have paid off a mortgage on my house with the money." He then said that Detective Elder was looking for me, and would arrest me at sight on the Norway Bank job ; that the Superintendent had ordered him to bring me in ; that all at headquarters were GREAT ROBBERY OF AN EXPRESS CAR. 2G9 guessing who the express robbers might be, and that the "ha- bitual turn callers " and "stool pigeons" had Bullard and Marsh mixed up in the affair. At this time all the United States bonds had been disposed of excepting fourteen hundred dollars in fifty and one-hun- dred-dollar 5-20 coupon bonds and the seventeen hundred dollars' worth of coupons. Charles Bullard. CHAPTER XXI. THE EOBBEES ELY TO CANADA; A REMARKABLE EIGHT AGAINST PINKERTON IN .TORONTO. As several people knew where I lived — not from me but from those who ought to have been my friends by a family tie — I decided to take no more chances. I arranged to meet BuUard and Marsh in Toronto, Can., June 1. That night I left New York for Canada with Harry Martin, taking the bonds and coupons along. . These Martin had tried to sell for cash to the parties who had disposed of the other bonds. They would not pay cash; and as he was to go to Canada with me, he had brought the " stuff " with him, stating that he would sell it in Canada. When we reached Hamilton, he left the train and I went on to Toronto, with the understanding he should follow the next day and see me at the Rossin House, ' where I intended to stay during my visit in that place. I saw nothing of him during the next day; and on the following morning I read in the Toronto Globe that a man giving the name of Henry Martin had sold five hundred dollars' worth of 5-20 bonds to a broker in Hamilton the previous day, and after he had left the office it was dis- covered that these bonds were part of those stolen from the ex- press -company. Before the broker's people had time to notify either the express company or the police, the man of whom they had purchased the bonds returned to the office and wanted to sell nine hundred more of the same kind. These they declined to buy, telling him the numbers of the bonds he had already sold them corresponded with the numbers of some of the bonds stolen from the Merchants' Union Express' Company, May 1. They then compared the bonds with those described in the circular the express company had sent to the banks in all the places throughout the United States and Canada where this company had a branch office. As soon as Martin saw that the numbers of the bonds he had sold bore the same numbers and were of the same series as those on the circular, he said, " I bought those bonds in 270 THE ROBBERS FLY TO CANADA. 271 good faitli while in New York, and if you are not satisfied with your purchase, I will return you your money." He was given the bonds and returned the money. Leaving the office, he saw he was being followed by one of the clerks. After walking around the town for some time, he discovered an old building. He entered it, and dropped all the bonds he had on him jthrough a hole where the laths and plaster had been broken through. On leaving the building, he saw the clerk had been waiting at a safe distance until he should return to the street. In the meantime the broker had noti- fied the express people and the Chief of Police, giving a full description of the man who had offered' the bonds for sale. The officers had started out in full force to capture him. This they failed to do until they saw the clerk who had been "piping" Martin. My friend was at once pointed out to them, and they arrested him and took him to police head- quarters. They searched hjm, and no bonds were found about his person. The search then began in earnest. The old build- ing was carefully gone through from top to bottom, and nothing found. The party had returned to the station-house, beaten but not satisfied, when the Chief said there was but one place in the building where the prisoner could possibly have hidden the bonds vsdthout their being discovel'Bd by them, and that was a hole in the plaster about four feet from the floor. He might have dropped them through that hole. If so, they would have fallen to the floor. He then returned to the building, and broke away the laths and plaster between the hole and the floor. There he found the bonds. Martin was committed to jail. I then made inquiries as to who were the best lawyers in Toronto, and found opinions varied, both as to criminal and civil practice. I called upon Cameron and McMicheal, and engaged them to defend Martin. McMicheal wired to Hamil- ton, asking when the examination would take place, and be- fore I left the office I arranged to see him at his private house at nine o'clock P. M., when he should have returned from Hamilton. I told him I did not wish to be known in the matter to any one but Martin. As soon as it was noised about Hamilton that Cameron and McMicheal had been retained to defend Martin, down came a Pinkerton man to Toronto. He called at the lawyer's office and made inquiries where he could find Martin's friends; 272 LANGDON W. MOOSE. saying lie was one of them, but had been sent on to New York for money to be used in the case, and in this way had missed connections with the party. He asked the name of the man who had been to the office, and was told by the lawyer he had not asked the name of any one. The detective then asked the lawyer when he had last seen the party who re- tained him. Was he then in the city? If so, he must see him and give him the money he had brought from New York; and if he failed to find him, he then would leave the money with the lawyer, to be given to the party when he should call again, as he would have to leave town that night for fear they might try to connect him with his friend Martin. During all this time the old lawyer was silent. He was asked to give the description of one of the men who called to see him in the interest of Martin. He told the detective that his was not an intelligence ofBce, but if the caller had any message to leave he would deliver it to Martin when he saw him. Finding he could not get any information from the lawyer, the detective went away. That night I called at the lawyer's house, and was told of the visit of the Pinkerton man. I then told the lawyer we had a tough party to fight ; that the man who called at the office was not a friend of Martin but one of Pinkerton's men. It was agreed I should go to the office no more ; but when I wished to see him, I would call at his house late in the even- ing, and take good care not to be seen when I entered. A day or two later, when the case was to come up for a hearing, I sent Fred Sturge to Hamilton. He was to enter the court house before Maijtin was brought in, and take a posi- tion where the prisoner could see him when he entered; but under no circumstances was he to speak to or recognize him. It would be quite enough to satisfy Martin ; for when he saw him, he would then know I was still at Toronto and would retain the ablest criminal counsel money could procure. Martin, when he was brought into court, did see Sturge; and McMicheal then went to him and told him he had been retained in the case by a friend of his, who had called at his office as soon as he saw his arrest in the paper. After the usual confidential talk between counsel and prisoner, Martin giving his counsel all the information he cared for him to know, the case was called. THE ROBBEBS FLY TO CANADA. 273 The broker testified to the fact of the purchase of five hundred dollars' worth of the bonds, his discovery that the bonds were among those stolen from the express company, the return of the prisoner to the office, and his own refusal to buy nine hundred dollars' worth more of the same kind of bonds, which the prisoner at the bar offered for sale ; that he had returned to the prisoner the bonds he had pur- chased from him, and received his own money in return. The witness then identified the bonds shown him as those he had purchased and returned to the prisoner. The clerks were called, and testified to the part they had taken in the matter. The Chief of Police told the story of the arrest, the hunt fon and the finding of the bonds in the old, unoccupied building which the prisoner had been seen to enter, and in which he had remained fully twenty minutes. The prosecution then rested its case, and asked that the prisoner should be fully committed to jail for extradition. The defendant's counsel demanded his release, declaring that the prosecution had failed to produce one particle of evidence to connect the prisoner with those who had com- mitted the robbery. Why was the messenger who was in charge of the express car when the safe was robbed, not here ? It was because the prisoner in no way answered the description given by the messenger of either man he had seen in the car the morning of the robbery. They dared not, he said, put the messenger on the stand, knowing him to be an honest man and one who would prefer to lose his situation rather than tell a lie — which he must do unless he testified that the prisoner was not one of the men who robbed the express safe. The possession of a part of the stolen bonds was no evidence of guilt, for the banker himself had purchased some of them in good faith. Had the prisoner then left the city, the banker might now be occupying an unenviable position. No, said the counsel, like an honest man the defendant returned to the banker's, and, when told the bonds he had sold were stolen, expressed great surprise, and cheerfully returned the purchase money. This was the act of an honest man, and one who had bought and sold those bonds in good faith. The lawyer asked the court to weigh well the evidence, consider the fact that the defendant was a stranger to the herd of Yankee detectives present^ and 274 LANGDON W. MOORE. in a strange land ; and he asked for his immediate discharge. The judge reserved his decision, and remanded Martin to jail. While this was being said, Sturge was seen by Pinkerton's men to speak to Martin. At nine o'cJ.ock that night, I called on the counsel, and learned that there was little or no hope of preventing Martin's extradition, unless the messenger, after seeing him, testified that he was not one of the men who committed the robbery. This the lawyer thought unlikely; for when the officers saw that he failed to identify, the messenger would be sent back to the United States without allowing any one to know he had seen the prisoner. When I returned to the hotel, I sa'w Sturge, who told me of the real nice fellow who had made his acquaintance while on the way from Hamilton to Toronto. This man, he said, had just come from New York, and knew all " the boys " there; was a "pal " of Mark Shinborn, had plenty of money, " opened a bottle ." on their arrival at the hotel, and invited him to ride out with him the next day, which would be Sunday. Sturge had told him that he had a friend staying at the hotel; whereupon the stranger assured 'him that the invitation extended both to him and all his friends then in Canada, as the stranger had no one with him, and wanted to make the acquaintance of all the good fellows who had come from New York under cover like himself. I told Sturge I could not accept the invitation, as I had a previous engagement to dine with BuUard and Marsh at the Brockton House. I asked him to drive out with his friend to this house not earlier than one o'clock, when I would look the friend over. In future, I told him, he must be more careful ; not to allow strangers to pick him up. " Oh," said he, " he is no stranger, for I feel I have known him for years. He is all right, and you will say so when you see him." When I asked him what house his friend was staying at, he said : " I brought him to our hotel. He is one of ' the boys,' and I was taking no chances of his getting away from me." I then looked over the register, and found he had given the name of " Peters, New York." Sunday forenoon, Bullard, Marsh, and myself had gone to the Brockton, and were having a quiet smoke in the bar-room, THE ROBBERS FLY TO CANADA. 276 when Sturge and his friend di'ove up to the housfe. They left the carriage and entered the bar. Peters called for a bottle of Mumm's extra dry, before noticing that there were other persons in the room. When he saw Sturge talking to us, he said, " Ask your friends to join us in a^glass of wine." We were then introduced to Mr. Peters of New York; and when the wine had been drunk, one of my party called for another bottle. I gave Sturge the signal that I wished to speak to him. I left the room, and was soon followed by Sturge. When out of ear-shot, I said : " This man you have with you is one of Pinkerton's men, and his name is Sullivan. Go back into the house and treat him the same as before I told you, for he must have no suspicion that I have discovered who he really is." Seeing the old man was terribly rattled, I said : " There is no harm done, so far, but in future bring no more strangers to me. Leave me to deal with this one myself." He then returned to the bar, and was soon followed by me. I said I was not feeling well, and the wine made me sick. After excusing myself, I again went outside, followed by Marsh. I then told him who this stranger was, and cau- tioned him to be on his good behavior. He returned to the bar, and BuUard came to me. When I had told him what I had told Sturge, we returned to the house, and found that Peters ' was being treated in a brotherly way, not being allowed to pay for anything. When dinner was served, I took him under my charge and saw that every attention was paid him, especially when the wine was being served. His glass was kept well filled; and when I saw that the party was feeling pretty well and gei>- ting funny, I proposed we should return to Toronto. This fellow seemed to have taken a great fancy to me, and invited me to ride to town in his carriage, as he did not want me out of his sight a minute. He had enjoyed himself splendidly, and never before had he met such a jolly set of fellows. Not until I had promised to see him at the hotel that night could he be shaken off, even for a few hours. But during these hours, I. had posted both BuUard and Marsh what course they would have to pursue with the detective, in order to throw him off and not allow the least suspicion to enter his head that his identity was known, 276 LANGDON W. MOOBE. That night Sturge received his first lesson how to detect detectives and protect himself and friends. When I next saw Peters, we met as confidential friends in exile; I allowed him to wine and dine me, and take me carriage-riding whenever he chose, and the friendship became so close that I often found him near my door early in the morning, before either Sturge or I was up. When I would open the door, he would say, " I am glad you are up, for I am awful hungry, and can only enjoy my breakfast in your company." He always pretended he had only just come to my door when he heard me shove the bolt; but I had known him on several occasions to listen for a long time after we had entered the room at night. He would be there again at five o'clock in the morning, hoping against hope that he would hear the story of the express robbery talked over by Sturge and myself. In about ten days from the time Peters had picked 'up Sturge, my wife came on from New York and told me she had been arrested, upon her arrival in Buffalo, by Chief of Police Reynolds, who had seen her at her home in Jersey City at the time of the Buffalo case, and by one of Pinker- ton's men, whose name was Bangs. They had ta^ken her to the office, where she was searched very carefully by a lady, who found one thousand four hundred dollars on her person. This, she said, they had given her again without making known to her the cause of her arrest. She told me that, during the five days previous to her leaving New York, there had been four of Pinkerton's men watching the house; and when either she or Maggie Murray left the house, two of these men followed. They had even gone so far as to follow Maggie into the grocery on the corner, and to try to get into conversation with her. I then told her about the nice fellow her father (Sturge) had brought to the hotel and put on to me. At the same time this fellow had sent Bangs after her, and he had " piped" some of the Sturge family to our house. I went to the telegraph office and wired Chief Reynolds of Buffalo as follows : — / If you have any business with me, come to the Eossin House, Toronto. I shall remain here three days. i L. W. MOOEE. THE BOBBERS FLY TO CANADA. 277 He wired back, " I have no business with the man who tamed the buffalo, unless he wishes to see me." I then made Peters acquainted with my wife, introducing her as a friend who was in exile like myself. With such little acts of courtesy, I made myself more solid with him than ever. Things were now getting interesting, and I was being "piped" most of the time to see whom I connected with. BuUard and Marsh had been known to leave Toronto dead broke a few months previous. Now they had returned, and Marsh and his wife were staying at the Queen's Hotel. He had, upon his arrival at the house, handed the clerk a sealed package, which, he said, contained fifty thousand dollars, and asked to have it put in the safe. BuUard had gone to another hotel, and he, too, had left with the hotel clerk a sealed package said to contain twenty thousand dollars in United States bonds. BuUard's jewelry consisted of a very fine chronoraeter and a very heavy, long chain that had cost two hundred dollars at Tiffany's, New York, and a nice diamond pin; while Marsh wore in his shirt two large diamond studs and a cluster diamond pin the size of a sun- flower, and he carried a high-priced, one-fifth-second watch and chain. He also brought with him a trotter and a Kimball buggy, gold-mounted harness, and lap robes; and he might have been seen with a different suit of clothes on half-ardozen times each day. They had not seen the messenger, to speak with, since the night of the robbery, and the only money he was known to have was the forty dollars they had crammed into his pocket before they left the train. His share in the robbery they had brought to Canada with them, with the. understanding Marsh was to keep it for him until he severed all connection with the express company, when he would see them in Toronto and get his " bit." In the meantime Marsh was to see he wanted for nothing that a few dollars would buy. Fearing the messenger might get dissatisfied, a friend was sent to New York with a letter containing a one-hundred- dollar note from Marsh. This man saw the messenger, handed him the letter, and asked if it required an answer. He was told it did, and to see him again that night, when the answer would be ready. When this man returned to Toronto, I learned that the messenger was perfectly satisfied, 21& LANGBON W. MOOBE. and was in no way anxious about his money. He preferred that Marsh should keep it until such time as he could come for it himself. On no condition must it be sent to him, as he had no safe place to keep it. He said he had profited by the lessons given him, and had carried out his instructions to the letter. The sea-foam act was the hardest part of the play ; for, he said, in doing the trick he had nearly worked the gag out of his mouth. When he heard his rescuers at the door, he shut his jaws and held the gag between his teeth until the string had been cut. They did not discover that he only held one end of the buck in his mouth. He never supposed there was so much sympathy in the world as was expressed for him, not only by the express people, but by Bangs and Pinkerton, who had rendered him many little acts of kindness while going the rounds of the hotels and dives in New York in search of the robbers. Not a shadow of suspicion rested on him. They had told him of the arrest of Martin while in the act of disposing of some of the stolen bonds at Hamilton ; but as he in no way answered the description of either man, it was thought best he should not Sep him, inasmuch as the possession of the bonds was considered enough evidence of guilt to warrant Martin's extradition. About this time BuUard and Marsh bought out the Turf Club House frc^m Jim Carson, and went into the rum busi- ness. I had been a visitor at this house, and continued to go there after it changed hands. When I entered one morning, I saw a stranger who appeared to be very much engaged in reading the Toronto Globe. At the same time, I saw that he was looking over the top of the paper and taking in every- thing going on in the place. After walking up and down the room a few moments, I called for wine. While this was being opened by Marsh, I saw that the stranger's eyes were not on, but were looking over, the paper. I walked over to him, slapped him on the shoulder, and said, " Come, join me in a glass of wine, for Bangs is in town, and you have seen him." The man lost not only his self-control, but his breath. He followed me up to the bar, where he said, " You know me ; don't give me away to these men, for Bangs sent me here to ' pipe ' them, not supposing there was a man in the town who ever saw me before," THE BOBBEBS FLY TO CANADA. 279 While drinking the wine, I " made a date " with the fellow at the Farmer's Hotel. He returned to his seat and finished reading the news. After " tipping him off " to Marsh, with the understanding they were to treat him the same as Peters had been treated, I left the house. That night I met my new-found friend, and had a sociable chat. He told me he had been taken wholly by surprise and thrown off his guard when I slapped him on the shoulder. He was so intent watching and listening to what was being said by the persons in the room, that he was not aware he was looking over the paper. I told him never to allow this to happen again, for wl^at I had done another might do. We had never met before that morning, and when we separated that night it was with a mutual understanding. A day or two later, Peters came rushing into the reading- room at the Rossin House and asked me to come with him, as he had been followed to the hotel by a man who was then on the corner of the street. He wanted me to see him; perhaps I could tell him who this man was. I followed him through the billiard-room and out through the cigar store to King Street. During this time he appeared very much worried and excited. " There he is," he said, " over on the other corner. Do you know him ? " " Yes," I replied, " that is Bangs, one of Pinkerton's men." When I told him this, he became more excited than ever, and said : " That man is after me, and there are two more men here with him ; but I can't go away until I see Mark Shinborn and George Bliss, who are my 'pals.' Be- sides, I have got all the ' stuff ' ' planted ' three miles out of town, and' every time I have made the attempt to raise the ' plant ' I have been followed by these men." I told him to keep perfectly quiet, not appearing to notice them, and to carry nothing about his person or in his baggage that might be used as evidence e.ither against him or his " pals," and to go to his room and remain there until Bangs went away. I knew that this was a " stand up," as Bangs had never seen me or I him before ; but I had his picture, big whiskers and all, before I left New York. As a decision was to be rendered iii MEtrtin'? case very 280 LANGBON W. MOORE. ,sooii, I saw McMicheal and told him that the messenger would not be brought on to identifjj^ Martin, as they thought they had other evidence enough to take him across ; that the papers had been sent on from "Washington, and the detectives were here to take him over the line as soon as the decision was made public, which would be in a day or two. " Nonsense," he said. " No one knows what the judge's decision will be until the case is called again." I replied: " Ask me no questions, for this is not the end of the fight. When Martin's case is called, go there; and when you see I have told you what has already been agreed upon, make no appeal to a higher court, because it will take longer to get a final decision than' it will take to bring this case to trial in the States. When the messenger is put on the stand,, it will be seen that Martin is an innocent man." I then called up two of my men. I sent one to register at the Queen's, he to watch Bangs and see who connected with him. The other I sent to Hamilton, to look the express people and Pinkerton men over, when they should come to take Martin, away, and see where he was taken after crossing the line. I thought while they were doing some fine detec- tive work on me, I would do the " shoo-fly act " on them. Wliile they were watching us, I had men following them. In this way I learned every move they made. I then fitted a key to Peters' room ; and whenever he left it and was seen talking to me, my detective would enter his apartment. I soon had the pleasure of knowing he was a regular correspondent of Pinkerton and George H. Bangs, and from time to time I got many " straight tips." When Martin's case was called, the decision was rendered against him, as I had told his counsel it would be; and he was given in charge of Bangs and company, they to take him to Dutchess County Jail at Poughkeepsie, where the messen- ger said the robbery had been committed. While on the journey to Poughkeepsie, there was another on the train who had an interest in Martin's welfare, and this man saw the party with Martin leave the cars at Auburn, N. Y. He followed them to the jail, where Martin was left, hidden, as they supposed, completely out of sight, where neither his counsel (Howe and Hummel) nor his wife could find him. When the interested persons learned that Martin had been brought over, and had failed to reach Poughkeepsie Jail, they THE SOBBSBS FLY TO CANADA. 281 caused inquiries to be made at the Merchants' Union Express office and at Pinkerton's " all-seeing-eye " oiiice in Exchange Place, but they could find no one who could tell them any- thing about Martin. All professed not to know he had been extradited, and to think he was still in Canada. I then sent my wife and her father to New York. They were to go daily to Howe and Hummel's offibe. After they had been followed there a dozen times by Pinkerton's men, who had a " pipe " on my house in Eighty-First Street, my wife should go to see Captain Jordan and make a complaint against the Pinkerton men, declaring them to be a gang of pickpockets, who had made several attempts to pick her pocket when she took the car, and who sometimes were so bold as to head her off and block the passage when she was leaving the car. She was to state that she carried about her person a large amount of money, because she did not dare leave it in the house lest they might break in and steal it when she was away; that they could be seen hanging around the house at all hours of the day and night, knowing her husband to be away. These instructions were carried out; and it was then arranged that she and her father, with another person as a witness, should go to the counsel's office at ten o'clock the following morning. They were to leave the cars at the first itreet above Howe and Hummel's office, and walk past the i font of the Tombs to the office of the lawyers. There they were to remain some twenty minutes, then walk back past iihe front of the Tombs and get aboard the car on the same corner where they had left it, and in plain sight of the Sixth Precinct Station-house. The next morning they took the trip, accompanied by Mr. Allen as a witness ; and when they left the car at the place -agreed upon, the four suspicious characters who had followed them from the house left the car also, and in doing so created quite a push. All of this was seen by the Captain, who was on the lookout for just such people. My. party then went to the lawyer's office and stayed .there some twenty min- utes. The other fellows remained watching outside until they should come out. In the meantime the Captain had not been idle. He had called up half a dozen officers in citizens' clothes, and had given them instructions to station themselves where they 282 LANGhON W. MOORS. could command a full view of Howe and Hummel's office. When they saw an old gentleman and young lady leave the office, walk past the Tombs, and get on board the car, they must close in and get on the car too. If they saw any sus- picious move on the part of the " mob " of pickpockets who were following this lady, they then should a-rrest all the men that the lady and gentleman pointed out to them ; for they were suspicious persons, who had been following the lady night and day. When my friends left the office, they walked leisurely past the Tombs, in order to allow the detectives to see they were being followed and to give them the opportunity to spot the men. When my wife stopped the ear and made a weary effort to get aboard, two of the " mob " ran around the end of the car and fronted her on the opposite side, while the other two were pushing against her, in this way blocking up the door. When the detailed officers saw this, they " nailed " the four men, pulled them off the car, and asked Mr. Allen and the lady to come to the Tombs and make a charge against them. They were run into the Tombs police court, where they saw Judge Dowling on the bench. When the judge had disposed of a drunk case, he turned to the officers who had brought in the suspicious characters and said, " What are these men brought in here for ? " Mr. Allen made the charge against them of disorderly conduct, and of being suspicious characters. When the lady had told her story, the judge asked the prisoners their names. These were given, but not as an honest man would tell them. He then asked them where they resided. This question they declined to answer. He then asked them what their occupation was. This they also declined to answer. Then, after waiting a moment, the judge said : " I will sentence each one of you to Blackwell's Island for thirty days, and I think by that time you will be willing to tell what your true names are, where you reside, and what your occupation is. Officers, remove the prisoners. JVext case ! " The prisoners were hustled out of the court, put into the , fHE ROBBERS FLY TO OAJSTADA. 283 Black Maria, which, without waiting for more passengers, carried them to the Island ferry. In one hour and fifty minutes from the time they were arrested, they found them- selves wearing the convict uniform on the Island. They had squealed, kicked, and protested while this was being done ; and when they found themselves locked in a cell, they begged to be allowed to explain how it had all happened, who they were, and what their occupation was. This the keeper did not care to hear. If they had anything to tell, he said, they should have told it to the court, and not try to give him the " confidence racket." It was two or three days before they could find a messenger to carry word to Bangs that they were on the Island. When this message reached the Pinkerton office, the old man Pinkerton was in Washington. He was sent for to come on to New York at once, as several of his opera- tives were in serious trouble. He returned, bringing the express company's counsel with him, and obtained a writ of habeas corpus, issued under his affidavit that these men were highly respectable and in his employ at the time of their arrest. They were then taken before the court in New York from which the writ had issued ; and after their identity had been established beyond a question of doubt, they were liberated. They had had a five days' visit to Blackwell's Island, and were not sent back to , Eighty-First Street to do post duty again, but were transferred to a place where they were not so well known as they were in Eighty-First Street, at the Tombs, and on the Island. Mrs. Moore returned to Toronto, and reported all that had transpired while she was in New York. She said Howe and Hummel had made several unsuccessful efforts to have Martin brought on to Poughkeepsie, and that he was still in Auburn Jail, where the counsel for the express company claimed he should first be put on trial for bringing stolen property into the county. They had a witness to testify that he had served Martin with a dinner in Auburn the day previous to his arrest, and that he must have had the stolen bonds on his person at the time he passed through the town on his way to Canada. Peters was still in Toronto, and had not been away from the hotel a single night since his arrival. When he saw me 284 LAWGDON W. MOOBE. writing one or more letters, he would always make some excuse to come and speak to me while I was addressing the envelopes. In this way he obtained the names of all the persons I had been writing to for my personal amusement. When I saw him on duty, I would address several letters, some to the governors of States, others to State and United States senators. After I had enclosed a blank sheet of paper and the letters had been sealed, I would then put the stamp on and allow him to see me drop them in the mail. My regular mail was written in my roo^; and after the post^ office was closed for the night, my letters found themselves in the postoffice box without being seen by Peters. We were the best of friends, and on several occasions when I knew him to be writing out his regular report, I would send for him to come to me in the office. I would then have a funny story to tell him, and ask him to join me in a glass of wine. Thus I would hold him in conversation until my man passed through into the billiard-room; and this was the " tip " that he had entered Peters' room, and not only looked over Peters' half-written report, but had read whatever letters on his table required an answer. In one of these letters, he read : " You must be mistaken. It cannot be possible this man is in communication with so many leading men in the United States. There is some- thing wrong. Question him and ascertain if he has ever read French novels." Buy one, give it to him, and report his answer to me-" In another he was told of the arrest and sentence of four of the Pinkerton men to. the Island, and the trouble Pinkerton had been put to before he could get them liberated ; that the whole business, from the hour the robbery was committed up to that time, seemed more like a French romance than a reality. In one of Peters' answers, he said: "This man Moore is a very easy-going fellow, and seems to take no notice of any- thing, but there is one thing about him — he won't talk about criminal matters ; but in time I have no doubt but I shall be able to obtain his entire confidence, for he is only satisfied when in my company, and he has not the least suspicion of my identity." Peters also reported that BuUard and Marsh had bought out the Turf Club House, and the pair might be seen out on the road any day behind their trotters; that he and Moore THE BOBBERS FLY TO CANADA. 285 made several calls at the house each day ; in fact, he spent most of his time in Moore's company, and had been following out his instructions to the letter, and had presented Moore with a half-dozen novels, none of which he would accept, but that his wife had selected one of them for her own reading. One day, about the twentieth of July, Peters came into the reading-room where I was, and asked me to go up to his room. He appeared frightened and under a terrible strain of excite- ment, trembling violently. When we had entered the room, and he had locked and bolted the door, he went to the wash- stand and opened the door. A puff of smoke came out that nearly filled the room to suffocation. He then pointed to the slop-jar. I looked and saw that it was half full of burnt paper. He said, " What do you think that is ? " I answered, of course, that I didn't know. By this time he was more excited than ever, and said: " What will my ' pals ' say when I tell them I was pursued so close by Pinkerton's men that I could not 'plant' the 'stuff' and had to run for my life to my room; and all there is left of fourteen thousand dollars in good 5-20 United States bonds remains in the ashes you see in that jar, and that is not all, for they have plenty more left." I said, " When you found you were followed, why did you not come to me, for I would take 'a chance to lose my life any time for that amount of money." Oh, he was so frightened he had no time to think of any- thing — only to destroy those bonds, that they might not be found upon his person and held as evidence against him. " I want you," he went on, " to assist me in getting rid of the ashes, for I -have been told experts have a process by which they can tell what these ashes were made from." The ashes were then put into a handkerchief ; and when we were leaving the room, I expressed deep sympathy for Peters, and said : " You are an American and so am I, and both of us are exiles. If ever the time comes when you want a true friend, call on me." To please him, I went with him to the lake and saw him cast the ashes upon the waters. From that time on, he was known to BuUard, Marsh, and myself, only as " Slippery Jim." A few days later, my wife went to the depot and took the 286 LANQDON W. MOOBE. train for New York. I met her a few moments before the cars started, and was prepared to satisfy her that this man was a Pinkerton operative, and that he was dead on to me. I had purchased a long duster a few days previous, while in his company. When he asked if I was going away, I said, " No." This duster I had given to my wife when I told her I would see her at the train. I said I thought she would also see " Slippery Jim " sneak aboard, if she kept her eyes open. When the train was about to start, and " Slippery " had not shown up, I walked through the cars. Sure enough, he was there. He expressed great surprise at seeing me. I said, " Come with me. My wife is aboard and going to New York." We passed through to where she was. At this time I was wearing the duster, and " Slippery " was all smiles, thinking I was going over the line in disguise and "on the dead sneak." But when he saw the train had started and so had I — for the door — he followed me and saw me leave the cars. Calling out to me, he said, " Ain't you going ? " " No," I replied, " good day. Pay every attention to my wife that one friend should to another." " Slippery " dared not give himself away by leaving the cars, so he returned to my wife, a disappointed man. He rode with her to Hamilton, whither he had been called on confidential business. After expressing much sympathy both for her and myself, and hoping she would have a safe and pleasant journey to New York, he left the train. He did not return to Toronto until evening. Upon her arrival in New York, she had the furniture all boxed up and sent to Crow's storage rooms in Lawrence Street, and with the furniture was sent my tool-chest. This contained a complete set of burglar's tools. Any safe I could not open with them, I could not open at all. During her absence in Canada, her mother had taken charge of her house ; and when she next came to Toronto, her father and mother came with her. I soon after this got the " tip " that Bangs had been to the store-room and examined the contents of the chest, even going so far as to measure the tools and to order a show-case costing sixty dollars. This case, with the tools in it, he was THE BOBBEBS FLT TO CANADA. 28t going to put on exhibition in his Exchange Place office. On further inquiry, I ascertained that one of the men in Crow's employ was known to have been "tipping" everything he saw off to Bangs, since the conviction of Stebbins, the bag- gage master on the Boston and New York express train, for being in collusion with the thieves who had thrown from the train the express safe and afterwards robbed it, while on the way from New Haven to New York. I was told not to leave my tools there a day longer, unless I wanted to lose them, for this man Bangs was liable to call for them any day. " Leave the tools where they are," I said, " for Bangs will never take them away before the day of my arrest, for fear I might send for them. Then, if told they had been captured, I would become suspicious, and all the work that had been done on the case would be thrown away." When Mr. Bangs' men had finished their work of visiting all the livery stables along the line from Buffalo to New York, and had sent in their reports, I learned that a stranger had hired a team in Albany very early in the morning during the month of April. When he returned to the stable, some three hours later, he had left in charge of one of the stable men two black bags, which this man had opened, finding handcuffs, a buck and gag, and some rope. When the man called for the bags, he said something about taking crazy men to the lunatic asylum. I learned, also, that the detec- tives were expecting the stable man to identify Martin as the man who had left the bags at the stable and taken them away. My " shoo fly men " were watchful and diligent, and not a Pinkerton man could drop into Toronto or leave the town without the " tip " being given me. As it was now about the first of August, and I had hired a furnished house on the hill, among the blue-bloods, and was going to leave the Kossin House in a few days, I thought I would have a little fun at " Slippery Jim's " expense. I went to the office and asked to have my bill made out, as I could not stand it any longer. The clerk asked me if there was any trouble ? I said : " Yes, you have got a thief in the house. I have not only caught him around my door late at night but early in the morning, trying to get into my room. You know I have been very careless at times and allowed him to see you hand me large amounts of money from the vault." 288 LANGDON W. MOORE. The clerk was as excited at this as " Slippery " had been in the bond burning, and asked who the man was. I said: " He is here under the name of Peters, but his right name is Sullivan. He is not only a hotel thief but a dan- gerous confidence operator, who has worked himself in upon me without my suspecting that he was not the man he had represented himself to be. You ask him what his business is, and you will find he won't tell you." I was told if that was the only reason I was leaving the house, they would soon remedy it. A boy sent to Peters' room found he was not in, and came back with the informa- tion that he had taken his key with him. I then went into the reading-room, and took a seat where I could see " Slip- pery " when he came in, about 10 A. M. He had not more than entered the office, before the clerk beckoned for him. I managed to get near enough to hear the clerk ask him if his name was Sullivan, and what his business was in Toronto. " Slippery " declined to answer this, whereupon he was told to settle his bill and leave the house, as his character was known. This was the first and only time I ever had seen " Slippery " rattled. He could not speak, and went silently to his room without seeing me. I then left the house and crossed over to the Revere House, on the opposite corner. "Slippery" soon entered, grip in hand. He said, " I have left the other hotel because I find I can get better suited at this house." Not one word was said about the deal the clerk had given him. Still, he was the picture of despair. I really regretted the part I had taken, and said, " I am sorry you have given me such a cold shake, but I hope we will see each other as often as ever." He assured me sueh a thought had never entered his mind as parting company with me. I had not intended to give " Slippery " such a rough deal quite so soon, and would not have done so, had he not come to me two days previous and asked the loan of one hundred dollars, saying he was being followed by three men so close that he could not get out of town to where his "plant" was, but as soon as he could get there he would return the money. I said to him, " You have a nice watch and chain there ; let me see it." He took it off and handed it to me. THE ROBBERS FLY TO CANADA. 289 After looking it over, I said, " Yes, I will loan you a hundred on this." " Oh," he exclaimed, " I can't do without my watcfi. You know you told me if I ever wanted a friend to come to you." " Yes," I said, " that was friendship, but this is business ; and I can't see you wearing a gold watch while you have a hundred dollars of my money in your pocket." When I saw the effect of my refusal, I said: " You don't want monev. Come with me and take a 'ball,' and you will feel better.'"' BuUard and Marsh had left me to deal as I thought best with this and other Pinkertpn men who came to the town, and I was keeping them posted. As no one appeared to take any notice of them, they could go and come as they pleased, while I was being kept under the " eye-that-never- sleeps " from the time I left the hotel in the morning until I returned at night — unless I had a little private business to attend to, when I would shake off my followers at pleasure and make them do some hustling before they struck the trail again. This was done in such an easy and careless way as to create no suspicion in the minds of " Slippery " and the others detailed to " pipe " me. When the furnished house I had rented was vacated, I settled my bill at the hotel ; and while I was giving Bangs' men a long tramp, my family left the hotel and moved into the house, without allowing any one to know whither they had gone. When I returned to the hotel, late in the even- ing, they left me ; and when my " shoo fly " gave me the tip the road was clear, I left the hotel and went to my family. The following morning Bangs' men were there, and cov- ered the hotel early, waiting patiently until I should come out. When it was three o'clock in the afternoon, one of them entered the hotel with a note and requested that it be sent to my room. He was told that I and my family had left the house the previous day. My man had taken this all in, and reported to me that he never saw men so rattled as the three were when the messenger returned with the note, say- ing I had left the hotel. It took them fully thirty minutes before they recovered their wits. Then began the inquiry for the hackman who had taken the family away. This man was soon found ; but as he was a friend of mine, they failed to obtain any information from 290 LANGBON W. MOORE. him. The depot was then visited, and no person could be found there who had seen any person answering the descrip- tion of the party leaving the city in either direction. It had been the usual custom of these men to allow one o;f them to trail me from the hotel; and after he had followed me for a while, he would drop back and another come to the front, and so on until night. This was easily done while " Slippery " was at the hotel; but now that he was away, no one could tell when I was up in the morning or retired for the flight. All the " piping " had to be done from the outside, for fear I might become suspicious at sight of a stranger lounging about the hotel for any length of time. These men had no rest, and scoured the town from end to end, knowing that if Bangs was informed they had allowed me to slip away, it would cost them their situation; and they were a sorry lot of men to look upon, when no trace of either my family or myself could be found. I allowed the hunt to go on for two days, for my friends' and my own special amusement. I then went tb the hotel, and thence to the Turf Club House. There was joy among the Pinkerton men when I was seen on the street again. I made no secret of it, and told all who cared to inquire where I then resided. From that time a " pipe " was kept on my house, both day and night, without my consent. Once in a while I would leave the house late in the night and take a three or four mile tramp around the town, to give these fellows a little exercise. I saw that they earned their wages and kept themselves in good condition. The only rest they had was when they saw me going out to take a ride with " Slippery," who was very near and dear to me, when he was putting out his money for hack hire and wine suppers. I can cheerfully say he was the most liberal man I had the pleasure of knowing while I remained in Toronto. Martin still remained in Auburn Jail, and no one was allowed to visit him, except his wife and counsel, for fear it might defeat the ends of justice. Bangs had held out every inducement for him to " squeal " on me, even going so far as to offer him his liberty and five thousand dollars in gold, if he would make against me an affidavit just strong enough to warrant them in arresting and holding me for extradition. This was reported to me; and when I had told BuUard and Marsh, it made them nervous. They thought we had better jump the towHt THE BOBBERS FLT TO CANADA. 291 " I know this man," said I, " both outside and inside a jail, for it was he who was locked up in Buffalo Jail with me in 1866." " Is this Harry Campbell ? " they asked. "When I told them it was, Bullard said, " Oh, he is all right, and you can go to sleep on it." Bangs had not been idle, and in time he had sent to Maine a man who was told all about the Norway Bank job. This man had also seen a party in Boston who was at that time a confidential agent of Pinkerton's. Thence he went to South Framingham, and informed himself on the Concord robbery. He made a study of my previous history under a master who was a very old friend of mine, and through him I learned every move this fellow had made and was making. When they had informed themselves who I was, they began to close in upon us, and made an effort to enlist the officials at Washington in such a way as to have them shut their eyes while they chartered a small steamboat on the American side, and took a pleasure trip across the lake to Toronto. At the first favorable opportunity, they would kidnap the whole party, run vis aboard the boat, and carry us over to the American side, before we had been missed by our friends in Toronto. This little job miscarried, for they found that I, too, had friends in Washington. The Secretary of the Treasury had not forgotten the service I had rendered him in '67. They determined to take their chances and do the trick alone, without asking aid of any one. They arranged that the job should be done early in the evening, when the risk of failure would be less than during the day, as there would be fewer people on the street. When this enterprise was " tipped off " to me, I posted Bullard and Marsh, and we agreed to make things very hot for the party who attempted to send us as freight out of Canada. Things ran along in this way without any visible change until well into September, when Bangs' men kept dropping into Toronto one by one. Every new arrival was reported to me ; and when I saw he had force enough to capture the three of us, if found together, I concluded it would be best to separate, and not be seen together near the lake after dark. Then, if he split up his forces, as he must do, we could do him up in detail and expose t^he whole plot tp ttl§ Xoronto author}ti§§, 292 LANGBON W. MOORE. Up to this time, not a word had escaped from either party. The detectives believed no suspicion had ever entered our heads vs^ho they vs^ere, or what their business was. "We allowed them to think we were to meet a surprise party some fine evening. But when they saw we did not go near the lake early in the evening, as we had been in the habit of doing, to get a breath of fresh air, they became discouraged and seemed to lose nerve, almost" giving up the kidnapping. They asked aid of the city authorities to assist in making the arrest. This was " tipped off " to me on Thursday, and also that the arrest of the whole party was to be made at six o'clock P. M., just one week from that day. I made this known to BuUard and Marsh, and told them to take their choice — make a stand or run away. I myself would make the fight there in Toronto ; and if they would stand by me and make no talk to any one, I would do up Bangs, and not leave him a leg to stand on. They prom- ised to stick to me anpl see the thing out. I then sent word to New York to have the burglars' tools all taken out of the chest on storage at 2 A. M. the following Wednesday, and the chest loaded down vsdth paving stones. I knew that Bangs had arranged in his programme that they be captured at 6 p. M. Thursday, and that he had prepared a long article for publication in Friday's morning papers. At the same time, the Toronto papers would be out with a double header. Jim Griffin, who was then living at St. Catherine's, in exile for the robbery of the Royal Insurance Company of New York, had been enlisted and entered the service of Bangs, and had come to Toronto, bringing his trotter. Gray Eagle, with him. His part of the transaction was to spend most of his time at the Turf Club House with BuUard and Marsh, being an old friend of theirs, and so get into their good graces that no suspicion would attach to him, if, when the arrest was made, he was scooped up and thrown into jail as one of the party who had robbed the express safe. I had sent to New York and had " Put " Brown, the mes- senger, brought on. I met him ten miles out in the country, the Sunday previous to the arrest, and arranged with him to meet Marsh that night and get his " bit." Then he was to go into hiding until the Monday following the arrest, when he should come to Toronto, saying he had seen the arrest of TBE BOBBEBS FLY TO CANADA. 293 these parties in the New York papers, and had come on, at his own expense, to identify the thieves, and render the express company any service that lay in his power to bring the robbers to justice. The fact that tliey had discharged him from their employ would not prevent him from doing an act of justice. This was the first time I had ever met the messenger ; and when I asked him if Marsh and BuUard had not given me away to him on Third Avenue, he said : " Yes, it was while we were coming down the avenue, and you were standing on the corner of Seventeenth Street. You were ' tipped ' to me at the same time I was being ' stood up ' to you." That night his " bit " was given him by Marsh and BuUard. What was said at that time about his being "put in the hole," I cannot saj^ ; but I do know he held me blameless, for none of the funds, except my own share, was ever in my possession. He looked to them for his money as a right he was entitled to. Griffin with his trotter. Marsh with his, and BuUard with his twenty-year-old colt, might be seen out at Brockton every afternoon until the following Tuesday, when I learned that the express people had paid Griffin one thousand dollars in cash, and had agreed to use their influence with the insur- ance people whom he had robbed to allow him to return to the States. I then consented to open a little game of faro for Griffin, knowing him to be a faro-bank fiend. The tools I tlien had at my house. They had been expressed to me from Hart's in New York, ajnd had come through the custom- house. I had a receipt for some forty odd dollars I had paid as duty when they were delivered to me. So, Tuesday night, I opened up for Griffin and gave him as big a limit as he wanted. In less than an hour, I had won all the loose money he had been paid to betray his friends, besides his collateral: At this, BuUard and Marsh loaned him money to redeem his pledged articles. They did it against my wishes, for my object was to break him, and force him to ask the company for mare money. If the company refused, he would make a kick and give the whole thing away. I had told BuUard and Marsh what the business wa^ that had brought him to Toronto ; but they would not believe that their old and dear friend came there for the purpose of betraying them to Bangs. 294 LANGBON W. MOOBE. I had a suit of Canada gray sent home, and made every- thing ready for the whitewashed cell, which was then being prepared ^or me. On Wednesday night I took two hun- dred dollars in old American silver, and fifty dollars in old copper coin, with seven hundred dollars in 7-30 bonds, which had been stolen and paid to me for a gambling debt, and buried the lot under a plank sidewalk about one mile from my house. The coin had been stolen from a banking- house in Toronto by a New York " mob " of " bank sneaks." When one of them cut open the bag, and took out three or four packages and opened them, they thought they had got a bag of coppers and not the gold they expected, so, without further examination, they " planted " the bag. One of the party came to me and told me what they had done. He offered to sell me the two hundred and fifty dollars in pennies for one hundred dollars in greenbacks. I bought the bag and its contents, and sent a friend of mine, then staying at my house, to see where the "plant" was. That night I raised the " plant," took it to my house, and found only fifty dollars in pennies. The other two hundred was in old, rare American coin. I took this friend with me to see where I replanted the "stuff," so that if I was extradited he was to raise the "plant," go to Maine, and bring his wife as a witness in my behalf when the trial came on. The woman occupied the upper part of my house in Eighty-First Street, and was in my company late in the evening of the robbery. Thursday morning I gave Sturge the " tip " to leave the city, unless he wanted to be arrested that day, as he surely would be if found in town at 6 p. M. My other friend, who was staying at the house, was also notified to go into hiding. Sturge left for New York. The other man took to the woods. I then went to the Turf Club House, where I found Griffin; and when I saw BuUard and Marsh, I was asked what I had that suit on for. " This will stand lime," I said, " and you will wish you had one like it before the week is over." I saw they were both very nervous, and I reminded them of our agreement, that each and all of us should shout " Murder " at the top of our voices when the arrest was made. This would bring together a crowd, and prevent our being kidnapped, if an attempt at that was made. I remained at the house until 4 p, M., wbw the^ told me thejr woul4 THE ROBBERS FLY TO CANADA. 295 remain no longer, but would go out to the Brockton House and wait there until the officers came for them. I saw that, as the time drew near for the arrest, they were getting very shaky. Nothing I could say seemed to encourage them to stop and take their medicine. They drove away, after telling Griffin if any one called for them to say they had gone to the Brockton. I remained inside the house until twenty minutes of six, when I saw Griffin go outside and take a seat on the steps. A few moments later, I, too, went out on the sidewalk, and at six o'clock I saw two hacks coming up the street. When they were within fifty yards of the house, I crossed the street and saw the hacks drive up in front of the house. Eight men jumped out and ran into the house, arresting Griffin on the way and pulling him in with them, but not before I had seen him "tip me off." A rush was made for me. Before the officer was near enough to put his hands on me, he said, " You are my prisoner." " Hands off," I said. " Who are you ? " " I am a city detective." " Show your badge." He did. When Bangs saw the delay, he, too, made a break" across the street ; and when we came together there was a scuffle, and he pulled out. I then crossed the street, and when near the door he came for me again, with several others. A rough-and-tumble was indulged in ; and when things were quieted down, and I was left in charge of the city officers, I saw that my new suit of gray was pretty nearly all torn off me. I then shouted " Murder " three times and entered the house. The door was closed behind me, but in less than one minute the house was surrounded with more than five hundred peo- ple. Bangs was the sorest man in Toronto, because I had been allowed to shout "Murder," and block his kidnap game. The people tried to force the doors. I heard them shout, " Here comes the alderman, and he will make them open that door, or he will break it in." When this official, asked to have the door opened. Bangs gave the command not to open it for any one. Jim Carson, the man of whom BuUard and Marsh had 296 LANGVON W. MOOBE. purchased the place, had been left in charge ; and when the second demand was made to open the door, he said, " The alderman commands you to open the door, and you must obey or he will break it down." The door was then opened, and the alderman came to me and asked who had torn my clothes. I pointed to Bangs and his men, and said, " Those fellows tried to kidnap me, and run me on board of a boat to carry me across the lake to the American side." They were told they could not do those things there, and the alderman asked to see the warrant for the arrest. He read the four names of the men the warrant called for, and asked where the other three men were. "Here is one of them," said the officer, pointing to Griffin. " The other two have not yet been arrested." The alderman then called the city officers together and said: " Take these two gentlemen to police headquarters, and I shall hold you personally responsible for them. I will be sure you do your duty by going with you myself." This was a sorry turn of affairs for Bangs, especially when he saw I was no stranger to the alderman. We then entered the hack, and, accompanied by the alderman, Griffin and I were taken to the police station. "We were locked up together; and at about nine o'clock we were sent to jail, three miles out of Toronto. There we were searched in a workman-like manner, and so close that a grain of mustard seed about our clothes, would not have passed unnoticed. The search occupied one hour. Evidently they had expected to find my clothes padded with stolen bonds. They seemed greatly disappointed when only a few dolkirs in Canadian money were found. We were taken to another room, where I saw my wife, her mother, and Mrs. Marsh under arrest. Their pockets were turned inside out, and some fourteen thousand dollars had been taken from my wife. I said to her, " Get a receipt for the money without interest, for they will only have the use of it for a day or, two." I was commanded to remain silent, but paid no attention to the officers. When I was told that BuUard and Marsh had already been locked up. Griffin and I were hustled out of the room, taken to a distant part of the prison, and locked in a room together. There was neither gas nor tallow candles there. CHAPTER XXII. PLAYING A WINNING GAME. AFTEK THE RELEASE OP THE PRISONERS, PIKKERTON ACKNOWLEDGES DEFEAT MY AGREEMENT WITH THE EXPRESS COMPANY AND RETURN TO NEW YORK. As soon as we were in the cell, Grriffin began to kick, saying lie did not have a dollar to employ counsel, and that BuUard and Marsh had treated him meanly in not telling him they were in the job ; for had he known that, he never would have come to Toronto. He would let them know they had no " chump " to deal with. In this way he passed the first night, without my making any effort to comfort him. He next tried to get me to talk, by saying he would not be in my place for all the money the company had lost, for when the others found themselves in a tight place they would " squeal " on me. Then, again, he would try to draw me into conversation about the express robbery, and in this way he passed his time until Monday morning, when he said : " Oh, but won't they give your house a turning over ! They will rip up all the carpets, and turn the house inside out, and if you have anything hidden there it is all over with you." Up to this time I had made no reply to his talk ; but now I said, " They cannot search the house too close to suit me." At about ten o'clock we were taken to court for exami- nation. We were heavily ironed and- well guarded. No papers had been allowed to reach us, and no friends admitted. We knew nothing about what had been going on in the outside world. The messenger had been brought to the jail in disguise, and we had been called up and told to take our place in a cage such as would be used for wild animals. This was placed some ten feet from the iron-barred passageway lead- 297 298 LANGDON W. MOORE. ing to the outside door of the jail, and stood near the centre of the room, with a wide passageway around it, which would allow them to exhibit any one from all sides. When they saw we did not take our place inside the cage, they tried to drive us in. "We all headed the other way, not unlike a drove of hogs, and went in every direction except through the cage door. They coaxed, begged, and threal> ened; and not until they had explained the object of our being caged up like wild animals, did we enter. Then we , saw the Governor of the Jail — this was the name given to a jailer in Canada at that time — come to the barred passage- way, followed by three men who wore slouched hats pulled well over their faces and were well muffled up. I faced the men, and recognized Bangs and the messenger Brown. To the others,, I said, " Look and see who those men are, and tell me later if you know them." Griffin was with us, and I did not eare to have him know they were not all strangers to us. After they had looked at us some time between two sets of bars, the Governor of the Jail said : " That will do. Take them back to their rooms." Marsh and BuUard went one way, and Griffin and I returned to the cell we had occupied. We knew the mes- senger was then in Bangs' company, and we knew no more until my counsel came to me. He told me the ladies were still in custody, and that they were expected to be present in the court in a few moments. He said that the pdlice had taken charge of the Turf Club House, and had put in keepers both there and at my house. I was informed, also, up to the time of our arrest Bangs had no thought that we had retained counsel, and had no knowledge of the fact until he went to the office of Sir John Hilliard Cameron to retain him to conduct the prosecution's case. He was told that the lawyers had already been retained by the defence. He then went to the office of my counsel, Matthew Cameron and McMicheal, and there was told the same thing. Bangs exclaimed, "What! have the highway robbers bought up all the best legal talent in Toronto, and this before they had been arrested ? " It was too much for poor Bangs, and he found himself in distress again. He had to take "Hobson's choice" — Law- yer Harrison or none. But Colonel Kichardson, the express PLAYING A WINNING GAME. 299 company's counsel at Auburn, N. Y., had come over to assist him in conducting the case. Griifin was called out, under the pretence that counsel whom his friends had employed wished to have a private talk with him before the case was called. My " shoo-fly " men were there, and saw him enter a room where only Bangs and Richardson were. There he remained for nearly half an hour. They came out together, and Griffin was heard to say he would be hanged before he would go back to the jail again and be locked up with a man who had not spoken ten words in "three days. Griffin even threatened that if they did not " turn him up " he would give the whole thing away. We were in the court room when this " crook " returned and took his seat beside us. He said: " They have got Moore, for they have found a banker here in town to whom he sold a thousand-dollar compound-interest note stolen at the time of the express robbery. This banker and his clerk have just seen him and identified him as the man who 'sold the note, and they will swear strong, because they say he is the man who put up the job to have them robbed when the bag of silver and pennies was stolen." I had sold this man a thousand-dollar compound-interest note which was among the stolen funds, but I did not sell it until I had altered the numbers. I had also put up the job to have him " touched " for a bag of gold, which, however, did not pan out better than silver and pennies. I took no notice of this talk, so he. turned his attention to BuUard and Marsh. He told of the many things he would do for them when he got out. When the ladies were brought in, all attention was paid to them, not only by us but by a court room packed with specta- tors. Harrison and Richardson, counsel, took their seats, with Bangs beside them. When Justice McNabb had taken his seat on the bench, we saw his assistant was the alderman who made the officers open the d»or at the time of my arrest. The court was called to order, and the express company's counsel told the court the story of the robbery. He called a witness, who testified that the amount known to be in the safe of the Merchants' Union Express Company when it was robbed by masked burglars, while on the way from Albany to New York on the morning of May 1, was one hundred 300 LANG DON W. MOORE. and sixty-five thousand dollars, most of which was described in the circular he then held in his hands. When this had been shown the justice, he produced the books of the com- pany, and it was seen the amount he had named was correct. When this had been said, 1 turned around and looked Bullard and Marsh squarely in the face. I then knew I had been kept out of my portion of twenty thousand dollars in cash, for only one hundred and forty-five thousand dollars had been acknowledged to me. The next witness who was called testified to being the first person who entered the express car upon its arrival at the Chambers Street station, New York, and to finding the messenger in irons, with legs tied, and a buck and gag in his mouth. He had found him just in time to save his life, as the froth was coming out of his mouth, and he was gasping for breath. For this kind of evidence we cared nothing, as it had no bearing on the case as far as the identity of the robbers was concerned; and I think some of us took a nap until Bangs should put the messenger on the stand. It was hoped, of course, that he would fail to identify any of the party. Soon Putnam Brown was called. He entered the room from the clerk's office, and one look from him satisfied me he had gone to pieces. But when he had told the story of the robbery, without the least variation from what he had been taught to say when he had taken his lessons in New York, I felt I had a right to hope I had been mistaken in my judgment. When the company's counsel asked him, in a slow and deliberate way, if he had ever seen the robbers since the night they had put him in bodily fear, he answered in a clear, cold voice, " Yes." "When and where did you next see them after the robbery ? " " On King Street, here in Toronto, two days before they were arrested." " When, if ever, did you next see them ? " " At the jail, and in this court this morning." " Look and see if you can see them here now." " Yes, sir, I do." "You ylriW now point them out to the court." The messenger then deliberately pointed out Bullard, who PLAYING A WINNING- GAME. 301 sat on one side of me, and Marsh, who was at the end of the bench, sitting beside Grif&n. Harrison then said, " You mean Marsh and Bullard ? " " I don't know their names," said tlie messenger, "but I do know that those are the men who robbed the express safe." After their identity had been fully established, a strong effort was made to have Brown say he had seen me near the express car, somewhere along the line from Buffalo to New York, during the month of April. " No," Brown said, " I never saw that man until I saw him in the jail last Saturday." When asked if he was sure there were only two men engaged in the robbery, he said he was. . Bullard stood the identification like a veteran ; btit Marsh turned more colors than a rainbow, and exclaimed, " We will get twenty years." Harrison then asked that the whole party be committed to ■ jail for further hearing. The justice failed to see why the ladies should be held longer, as neither by evidence nor claim was it intimated that they had taken any part either before or since the robbery. Bangs pressed Harrison to con- tend for their commitment, saying they were just as guilty as the men. When Harrison had exhausted his argument, the Camerons had something to say about why the ladies never should have been arrested. If Bangs was allowed to make war upon women and children in the States, he could not do that sort of thing there. The lawyers demanded their discharge, and, to the evident disappointment of Bangs, Justice MoNabb expressed much sympathy for the ladies and discharged them. They then came to us, and I was asked, "• Can they do anything to you? " I said, " No." " Are you sure ? " " Yes, be patient and I will beat this party." I then told my wife to go home, look the house carefully over and see what the detectives had taken away, then go to my counsel and get him to make a demand for the money taken from her. As they would allow no one to visit us, she must report^ to my counsel, and he to me, anything I ought to know — such things as might be of mutual benefit to the party. S02 LANOHON W. MOORE. Griffin was called out of the court, presumably to see Ms counsel. He failed to return ; and when we were remanded to jail for ten days, he was not in the party. Even then, BuUard and Marsh had not lost all faith in him, and thought he would come back before the case was called again and get his discharge in the regular way. I had learned that Bangs' men in New York had driven in an express wagon to Crow's storage rooms at 6 p. M. the day of our arrest for the chest of burglars' tools, which he had instructed his men to put into his sixty-dollar show-case in the Exchange Plac^ office. They were to throw open the doors early Friday morning, and allow the tools to be exhib- ited to all comers and curiosity seekers. In this way, he thought to advertise himself and give the New York police a black eye. The boom he had prepared for the press before he left New York was not published Friday morning; for when his men were taking the chest down stairs, they became suspicious on account of its heavy weight, and thought they would open it and take a look at the contents before putting it in the wagon. They found the tools had been taken out, and the chest was filled with half bricks and paving stones. The storehouse men were then "tipped ■" to carry the chest to the spot they had brought it from, and to say nothing to any one about the detectives having been there. Bangs' show- case remained empty ; no big, black eye had he been able to give the police of New York, for no scoop had been effected. This was too good for Crow's men to keep, and it soon became known that Bangs had a show-case for sale or to let. Some two months later, when we became friends, he begged of me to sell him those tools; and when asked why he was so anxious to buy, he said it was to prevent his men from having the laugh on him. What ever became of his show- case, I cannot say. No person was allowed to visit us, except counsel. The money taken from my wife had been returned to her, also her diamonds. The faro tools had been seized at my house, in the same box and packed in the same way as when delivered to me at the custom-house. The officers had also taken away a large lot of silverware, marked " R. M." This, they said, was stolen. It was not, as I had purchased it in New York some two years previous. I told my counsel to make no effort to get these things back at present. Bullard PLATINa A WINNINO GAME. 303 and Marsh and the latter's wife had been stripped of all their diamonds and jewelry. The detectives had also captured three one-thousand-dollar 5-20 bonds from BuUard. These he had bought in Wall Street, New York. The receipt for them was seized, too. The express people in- tended to take them to the States with BuUard and Marsh, when extradited. The moment they had been identified, the pair gave up all hopes of ever getting this property back again ; and before we left the court, they had instructed Sir John to make out a bill of sale of the Turf Club, conveying it back to Jim Carson, the man of whom they had purchased it, with all the furniture and fixtures and whatever stock there was on hand, for the sum of two thousand dollars — less than half what the place had cost them. Jim was their friend, and paid the money to their counsel cheerfully. The sum was retained by the lawyer for counsel fees. The horses and wagon§ were then sold for six hundred dollars, or about thirty per cent of the original cost. As the pair could use no money in jail, the lawyer also retained this, and they were left with- out a dollar. During the ten daj^s of our remand, a committee on prisons from New Jersey visited the jail, and, while being shown around, were brought to the corridor where we were allowed to remain out of our cells during the day. This was barred at the end, and the door was kept locked. There were two guards, one of whom was a Bangs man. Whether he was there to watch the other fellow or not, I don't know, but he did a good deal of tramping on the outside of the barred entrance to our apartments whenever we were out of our rooms. When the visitors stepped up to look through at us, he said, " Stand back ! no one is allowed here while I am on duty." When I heard this, I looked to see if it was to be another "stand up," and then I saw Sheriff Midmer of Hudson. County, New Jersey. I was recognized by him at the same time. He asked of the Governor of the Jail permission to speak to me. I went to the bars and had quite a chat. ' He then called the Governor and said : " I know this man. Anything. you can do for him, I will esteem a special favor to me." 304 LANGDON W. MOORE. I had never spoken to the Governor before ; but now I took advantage of the situation, and painted the Pinkerton Detective Agency blood-red. When I next met the Governor, we were friends, and every courtesy was shown me while I remained under his charge. When the ten days expired, we were again taken to court, and found the room packed with spectators. Major Beards- ley and E. P. Ross, the President and the Treasurer of the Merchants' Union Express Company, young Lawyer Seward of Washington, Allan Pinkerton, and Bangs were there. I had requested my counsel, at the previous examination, to ask that the car door be brought on, along with the safe that had been robbed, and the numbers of the different safes the messenger had had under his charge during the months of March and April. When we were seated and the court had been opened, the conductor who had charge of the train took the stand. He testified to seeing two men leave the express car, on the morning of the robbery, at a point near Fifty-Eighth Street, New York City. They were carrying with them one large glazed tiloth bag; and when he passed them, he had asked what they were doing on the express car. They made no answer. He was asked to look at the prisoners at the bar, and see if he could identify either of them. He looked us carefully over, and said, pointing to BuUard and Marsh, "Those two men resemble the men I saw leave the express car; but as I saw only their backs, I cannot swear they are the men." The car door was then brought in and examined. The company's experts explained how the entrance to the car had been made, by cutting away the wood from the side of the door and undoing the clasp while the messenger was asleep. This witness had my sympathy before he had passed through McMicheal's and Sir John's hands. He became so mixed up that he could not say how the entrance had been made, whether through the end, side, or top of the car. The key that had been used to open the safe was then shown to the court. Here the prosecution rested their case. My counsel asked for my discharge, as, he said, not a particle of evidence had been offered to connect me with the robbery. Bangs then took the stand. He testified that he had PLATING A WINNING GAlks. 305 secured Maggie Murray, my servant girl, who was living at my home in Eighty-First Street, New York, May 1. By her he would prove I was not at home at any time during the night of the robbery. He said she was then on the way to Toronto, but that upon her arrival at Auburn she had been taken violently ill, and would not be able to continue her journey for several days. He then produced a despatch he had just received from her physician, stating that she could only continue her journey at the risk of her life. When Bangs was questioned by my counsel as to how long Maggie Murray had been in his employ, he replied, " For the past three months." Poor Bangs ! He had swallowed the hook, bait and all. I then stood up and said : " Your honor, Maggie Murray has been in the employ of my wife for the past three years, and during the whole time has never remained away from my family one night. She is now at my house, here in Toronto,^where she has been ever since my family came here, some three months ago. If you will hold the court open twenty minutes longer, I will produce her in this court." There was no buzz-saw sound in the court room while this brief statement was being made. The justice said, " If that is so, I will keep the court open until eight o'clock, as I am determined to get at the truth in this matter." I beckoned to my wife and told her to jump into a hack, go to the house, and bring Maggie Murray to the court inside the time I had named. " Don't allow her," I said, " to change her clothes, but bring her as you find her, for time is precious." It was a good mile to the house and back, but my wife got there all the same, returning to the court with Maggie, one minute inside the twenty, by several watches. She was called to testify. Every one pould see she never was in court before. The counsel for the express company said she was an impostor, and not Maggie Murray. They had the real Maggie Murray in Auburn, and would bring her on to testify, as soon as the doctor would allow her to be moved. " My true name is Maggie Murray," she testified, " and I never have been by any other name, and I never will." She took out of her pocket a bundle of letters, and handed three 306 LANGDON W. MOOSE. of them to the justice, saying : " Two of them I received from my mother in Ireland to-day. The other is from my Jersey City cousin, who had so much fun with the detectives." She then told the story of the May morning breakfast ; and when asked how she knew it was the first of May, she answered : " Don't you know what the first day 6f May is in New York ? It is a bigger day there than the- Fourth of July, for almost everybody moves out of their house on that day and into some one else's house. The street where we lived was full of furniture all the forenoon." She then told the story about the detectives following her every step she took. When asked if she had ever seen any of them since she came to Canada, she said : " Yes, there goes one of them out at that door. Look ! and there goes another, sneaking out of the other door. They don't feel so big as they did before they were sent to Blackwell's Island." She then told how some of these fellows had followed her to Jersey City one day, when she went to visit the cousin who had sent her the letter she produced in court ; how the girls had made it up between them to have some fun with the detectives. She and her cousin were about the same size, and could wear the same clothes. People said they looked very much alike. When night came, they changed clothes, and her cousin ■W^as to be Maggie who worked for Mrs. Moore. She then put on the cousin's clothing, and when the cousin left the house, she saw the detectives follow her. She herself went out and followed them to the ferry. She saw her cousin go on the boat, with the fellows close at her heels. When she sat down in the ladies' cabin, Maggie went in and took a seat opposite. Pretty soon one of them spoke to her cousin, but she made no answer, only giggled. He kept talking to her; and when the boat was in New York, she saw them leave it together and walk up Cortlandt Street to Broadway, where they took the Third Avenue car, near the Astor House, for her home. When the rest of the fellows saw tliis one had made a " mash," they went away, and she got in the car and rode to Eighty-First Street with them. She saw the fellow go to Mrs. Moore's house with her cousin ; and after he had bade her good night and gone away, she went to the house herself. Her cousin told her they wanted her as a witness to swear that Mr. Moore was PLA TING A WINKING GAME. 307 not at home on the night of the thirtieth of April, or until after ten o'clock on the morning of the first of May. She had promised to do it if he would give her ten dollars. She was not to tell her mistress ; for if she knew she was telling things, she would not keep her in the house a minute. She said, "Here is the ten dollars, five for each of us." They had promised, she said, to give her ten dollars a week so long as she would keep them posted. The two girls, Maggie went on to testify, had then agreed that the Jersey City cousin should stop at the house until they saw the fellows hanging around the next day. Then her cousin should go home, and see that she was seen by one of' the men to leave the house. When the man who had given her the ten dollars came to her, she must tell him her mistress had seen Mm walking to the house with her, and had got mad and discharged her. She would have to get a situation somewhere else. The next day, Maggie said, she got a letter from her cousin, stating that the fellow had made her promise not to go away, and he would send her ten dollars every week until Moore was arrested. Then she must tell all he asked her about the family. " Oh," said Maggie on the stand, " we had lots of fun with the ten dollars; but my cousin was the detective's Maggie Murray and not I." If they said Maggie Murray or her cousicf was in Auburn they lied, and don't believe them. She guessed they would not want their Maggie now as a witness, after seeing how they had been fooled by two green Irish girls. This was the first time the defence had been heard, and the statement had the effect of changing the minds of most of the spectators, who had been taught to look upon the American detectives as men who would not tell a lie. This Irish girl had, by her quick wit and ready answers, not only ' silenced Bangs by proving him to be a perjurer, but changed public opinion to such an extent that one of the Hamilton papers, in referring to the matter, said the honest people of Canada had more cause to fear the so-called American detec- tives than they had the alleged express robbers. Maggie's name was in everybody's mouth in Toronto for several days. To help the thing along, Sir John had asked for a warrant' for Bangs' arrest, ^yWk Maggi? was giving her testimony ; 308 LANGDON W. MOORE. but when the warrant was issued, it was discovered that Bangs had skipped. When this was known, Sir John called, "Bangs, Bangs, oh, where is Bangs ? " This "brought down the house," and the expression became a byword on the streets. The next morning, Bangs entered bonds in the sum of five hundred dollars to appear and stand trial at the next term of court on the charge of perjury. While this was going on, my wife came to me and said, " Colonel Wood is here from Washington." I turned around, and not only saw the Colonel but S. M. Felker and two of his brothers, who had charge of the west- ern division of the Secret Service of the Treasury Depart- ment. Wood then came to me, and told me he had come to Canada after a counterfeiter. While waiting for a decision of the court, he saw that our case was to be called up that day, and he and Felker thought they would take a run down to see if I wanted any help as part payment on the recovery of the bond plate. I said, " No, Colonel, keep your hands off, and see me do up this party in less than twenty days after I am ' turned up.' " He then asked Marsh if he could do anything for him for the service he had rendered him in a Paterson, N. J., case. Marsh said nothing could save him, as both he and BuUard had been fully identified by the messenger. At this time, there was no love lost between Colonel William P. Wood and Allan Pinkerton; and subsequently a complaint was made at the Treasury Department that Wood was there in the interest of the express robbers, and not for the purpose of extraditing a counterfeiter, as had been represented. It WHS stated that he had enough other men there to do this work without any assistance from him, and the department was asked to recall him. No attention was paid to this request, further than to let the Colonel know that his pres-' ence in Toronto annoyed Bangs and the express people; he should remain in Canada as long as he felt his services were required. If I asked aid from him, he was to render me every possible assistance in a legitimate way. The justice seemed to enjoy the turn of affairs equally as well as the spectators, and appeared to be in no hurry to close the court. He asked my counsel to consent that I be PLAYING A WINNING GAME. 309 remanded for four days. That would give Mr. Bangs suffi- cient time to bring his Maggie from Auburn ; and as every- body, except those who were there in the interest of the express company, seemed to enjoy the fun, my counsel con- sented, after speaking to me. We were all remanded to jail for four days longer. From the time Griffin was turned out, I had been with Bullard and Marsh, and was allowed the privilege of the open corridor. Marsh's health was miserable at this time, and he suffered terribly from rheumatics. When he was not being crippled, or going through the operation of being pricked with a bunch of live hundred needles, he was watch- ing the spiders running in and out of his cell door. In this way he solved the problem what the end would be, the same as Robert Bruce had done. The next day after the remand, my counsel's brother, who was in Cameron and McMicheal's office, came to the jail and told me Mr. Bangs had come to the office and asked my counsel if they would arrange it so that he could have an interview vdth me, or all of us. The object of this meeting, he said, was in the interest of all parties. , "Yes," I said, "I will meet this man, provided you will come here in advance, and fix things with the Governor to put Bangs in one room, and you in another near him, ^th- out his knowledge. When I am being taken to Bangs, the Governor shall point out to me the room you are in — the meeting to take place at two o'clock to-morrow." I then returned to my " pals " and told them of the meet- ing we were to have with Bangs the following day. When the time came to see Bangs, Bullard and Marsh said it would be better I should see him alone, for fear they might drop a word that could be used against them when the case came to trial. I then went to Bangs, and on the way the Governor met me and said, " Your counsel is in this room." I said, " Come with me to where this man Bangs is, and hear every word that is spoken." He then opened the door, and I saw Bangs seated at a table, with a book and a lot of papers spread out before him. ■ I said, " Do you wish to see me ? " " Certainly," he replied, " I came here for that purpose." " Please excuse me for one moment," I said ; and I stepped 310 LANG DON W. MOORE. to the room v, aere my counsel was, and asked him to come with. me. ' When we had entered Bangs' room, I said : " Mr. Bangs, you know this gentleman, my counsel. Any business you may have with me, you can now do with him, and it will be the same as if it had been done with me. It is not that I fear what I might say, but what you might swear I had said. I will bid you good day." I then left the room, and returned to the one where I had seen my counsel. I waited there until my counsel came to me, and told me that for fully five minutes after I went away Bangs sat as still as a statue and stared at vacancy. He then picked up his papers and book, and left the room without uttering one word. The lawyer was as much sur- prised as Bangs at the turn things had taken, because he had come there, as he supposed, to draw up some kind of an agreement leading to the return of a portion of the prop- erty and the discharge of the other men'. It was the best thing he ever saw in his life. He felt certain Bangs would say he had posted me what to say, and there was where the laugh came in. When I returned to my " pals," I told them what I had done. They ag:i;eed I had made Bangs my enemy for life. At the end of four days, we were all taken to court. The first step was to ask counsel when he would be ready to call his witnesses for the defence of BuUard and Marsh. My counsel then asked for my discharge, and I was set at liberty. I told him I would not be able to get all BuUard's and Marsh's witnesses there in less than ten days, and to ask that they be remanded that length of time. This was done, and they went back to jail. I then sent on to Boston to have the sealed can brought on. I next saw the man who had a " peek " on BuUard and Marsh when they gave the messenger his lessons at Marsh's house. This man was so placed that he not only saw what had been done at each rehearsal, but had heard every word spoken before and after each lesson. I next found a man, who, by the way, was an old friend of the messenger, and learned that he was an important witness for the defence. Not a person, not even the prisoners or mj counsel (whom I had requested to remain in the case), was allowed to know what the defence was to be, but it was supposed aa attempt would be made to prove an aUH, PLAYING A WINNING GAME. 311 Colonel Wood still remained in Toronto, and the first man to congratulate me upon my discharge was " Slippery Jim." When I asked him why he had not come to court when the examination was going on, he said he did not dare to, for fear he might get picked up, as it had been hinted around the town that he, too, might be one of the robbers. While we were waiting for the expiration of the ten days, Reno and Anderson were brought on from Windsor to have their final hearing in Toronto at a high court. The charge upon which they had been arrested was the robbery of Adams and Company's Express safe, and shooting the messenger, with attempt to kill, on some railroad in Indiana. I attended this trial, and saw about what a man had to expect when he fell into the hands of Pinkerton and Bangs. This trial lasted several days, and for safe-keeping they were sent to jail with Marsh and BuUard to spend the night. I had never seen the men before, but it did not take me long to discover they were being sacrificed for the want of proper counsel. When the case ended, they were delivered into the hands of Pinkerton, by whom they were taken to Seymour, Ind.; and a few nights after they had been locked in the jail, an engine, with one car attached, arrived in that town. Fifty or more masked men left the car, went to the jail, broke in and took Reno and Anderson out, and lynched them on the limb of a beech tree, where others had been lynched before by the same party. When BuUard and Marsh were again brought into court, it was the general opinion they, too, would be sent over the line, with a fair prospect of pulling hemp. When the case was called, my counsel asked me if I had any witnesses for the defence. I said, " Call that man," pointing to a gentleman near me. At this time my co.unsel had not the slightest suspicion what the defence would prove. I had told this witness to tell the whole truth and leave me out. He then took the stand and testified to seeing the messenger in Marsh's house, and to looking at him while he was bucked and gagged, and had handcuffs put on his wrists and his legs tied. When he had said this. Marsh and BuUard called me and asked, " Is this the way you are going to get ug put ? You are helping Bangs to convict us." I said, *' Not of robbery," and left them, 312 LANGDON W. MOORE. The witness told the story of the three rehearsals, the lessons and instructions which he heard BuUard and Marsh give the messenger before the robbery. He stated the day, hour, and date of each tehearsal. This story the witness told over and over many times during the eight hours he was on the witness stand, and he did it without a break or a skip. All the legal talent employed by the express company, assisted by Pinkerton and Bangs, could not shake either his testimony or himself. When he left the stand, the prisoners' stock was on the rise. My counsel saw, the moment this man took the stand, that it was larceny, or a breach of trust, I would prove, and not an alihi. I would show they were guilty of a non-extradita- ble offence. It revived his courage, and both he and Sir John were well pleased to see I had saved them from defeat by not attempting to prove an aliM; for an alibi half proved they knew to be the worst kind of evidence, and sure to end in failure. Besides, this was the first case of the kind they or any one else had ever had where men who had been fully identified for robbery were not extradited. The public had taken little or no notice of the case since Maggie had given Bangs a knock-out, but now the people were all attention. From the first hour this witness had been on the stand, the court room was packed. The next witness called for the defence was a business man, well known to many people in Toronto. He testified that he had known Putnam Brown, the messenger, for sev- eral years; that Brown came to him three days previous to the arrest of the prisoners, and asked him to take to the express office five thousand dollars in greenbacks. This he was to send by express to Brown's father in New York. The messenger said he did not want any one to know he had so much money. The witness had done as requested, and had mailed the receipt to the father. The books at the express office in Toronto, and the receipt which the father had signed when the money was delivered to him, would establish this fact.- He then said the messenger came to him again, while under the influence of liquor, the day previous to the arrest of the prisoners. This time he had given him some fourteen hundred dollars in Canadian money, and had asked to have it locked up in his chest for safe-keeping. He had done so, and there the money had remained until a few PLAYING A WINNING GAME. 313 days ago, when the messenger's father came to him from New York and said that " Put " had sent him for the money left in his charge. The father gave the witness a letter of introduction from his son, and in this letter " Put " had given his reasons for not calling for the money before leaving the city. The wit- ness handed the justipe the letter and the receipt " Put's " father had given him for the money. The letter was shown to the express officials who were present; and when it had gone the round of their counsel and the detectives at work on the case, it was returned to my counsel. The express company's attorneys made a total failure when they attempted to tie this witness up in a knot, for all his answers came off the reel quick, sharp, and to the point. Bangs had not known, till then, that we were aware the messenger was in New York; neither did he know we had got the "tip" two hours after our arrest that the messenger had been arrested while drunk, and locked up in the station house, where he was given another lesson and instructed to identify the prisoners. To make certain he would do this, he had been taken to the jail, and forced to admit before wit> nesses that BuUard and Marsh were the robbers. When the messenger had left Toronto, he was driven thirty miles in a wagon to a point at which he had taken the train for New York. The moment he had crossed the suspension bridge, he was put under arrest and taken to within twenty miles of New York. The party there left the train, took a team, and carried him to White Plains, where he was com- mitted quietly to jail, and, as they supposed, was hidden out of sight. They erred in this, as in Martin's case; for the same " shoo fly " who followed Martin to his , hole had been on their trail, and saw the messenger taken to this jail. After the officers left the town, he, as a stranger, visited the jail, and saw that " Put " Brown had been locked in a room. He then left him and returned to Toronto. This was known to my counsel, and Sir John had made several inquiries as to the whereabouts of the messenger, as he wanted to have him recalled. Finally he said, " Bangs can't trust his own witnesses, and I guess he had him locked up somewhere." He asked 3U LANGDON W. MOORS. that Bangs take the stand, hoping he would testify that the messenger was not then in jail. Bangs walked all around the trap ; but as he had not forgotten the lesson the Irish girl had given him, he did not walk iato it. Neither Bangs nor the express people would admit knowing where the mes- senger was, or had been, since they had last seen him in Toronto. All this was very amusing to the justice; for the first thing I did after my discharge was to make his acquaint- ance, through the Washington officers, and I had reported to him from day to day every move made by Bangs and his men out of the regular way, so that he had come to know them as well as I myself did. Sir John, when he found no one connected with the prose- cution would tell him where the messenger then was, said: " If you will not tell me, I will tell you and the court. He is now in White Plains Jail, where some of Bangs' detectives put him several days ago." He then asked to have the express company's door-opening expert put on the stand for the defence. After this gentle- man's attention had been called to three cuts on the inside of the door, where Marsh and Bullard had, by instructions, allowed their knife to slip, he was asked to explain how it would be possible to make those cuts from the outside, before the door had been opened ? This, he admitted, could not be done. He said he had not seen them before, and was con- vinced it had been done by some person, in the interest of the prisoners, since he last examined the door, a few days previous. It was shown by several persons that the cuts were, there when the door was first brought into court. " These cuts had been made," said Sir John, " by the men for self-protection, to be used as evidence in case the messen- ger did as the Yankee detefjtives instructed him to do — identify them as the robbers, when no robbery had been com- mitted. The messenger was the one who opened the salfe, and put the money and bonds in their bags for them to carry away." The next witness called proved to be a silent one. Sir John handed to the justice a sealed can, saying : " You will please break the seal, and in this can you will find several wax impressions of the keys of the express safes which were under the messenger's charge during the months of March PLATING A WINNING GAME. 316 and April, with the numbers of each safe the keys belong to. There is a note attached to each impression, written by Put- Qam Brown, the messenger, and given to the prisoners long before the night of the so-called robbery. You will also find several notes that- he had given them from time to time, explaining why he could not let them into the car the night they had agreed upon to do the job." The justice then opened the can, and took out five notes and as many impressions, with the numbers of the safes the keys that made the impressions belonged to. Both notes and numbers had been written with a blue pencil. After the justice had examined the impressions and read all the notes, he asked if any of the express people present could say they had not been written by the messenger. One and all had been signed " Put." No one, either then or later, would say they were not writ- ten by him; and when the impressions of the keys were shown the express people, they admitted, not willingly, that the numbers attached corresponded with the numbers of some of their safes. Then the key that belonged to the safe which had been robbed was compared with the several im- pressions, and it was found to be the same pattern and size in every way, but the impression of that key was not among the number. Up to this time, several attenppts had been made to buy me off and get me to pull out. Still another offer was made while the impressions were being examined. I said : " If you will cause to be published in to-night's paper and the morning Gilohe a statement from the officers of the express company, exonerating me from all complicity in the robbery, I will put no more witnesses on the stand. If you don't do that, I will put on the stand two more, take the stand myself, and tell what I know." This was consented to, and I told my counsel to close the case for the defence. The fact was, I had no further evi- dence to offer, and the case required none. I had kept the justice posted beforehand what I would prove from day to day. The prisoners were remanded to jail for ten days. The court would then give its final decision. That evening and the next day, the article was published in the Toronto papers. It cleared me and made me whiter 31f5 LANGDON W. MOORE. than snow. When it was known by the express people I had pulled out, they requested, through my counsel, an inter- view with me. I met them with Colonel Richardson at my counsel's office the following day. When I saw Bangs in the party, I said, " If you have any proposition to make, you will have to send that man out of the room." This was done. They then told me that, if they could get back seventy- five thousand dollars, they would withdraw the charge, have Marsh and BuUard discharged, and no further prosecution. I said : " No, I will not buy those men from you, and will fight you for them; but I am authorized to offer you the forty- one thousand dollars' worth of railroad bonds taken from your safe, with all the private papers that were carried away, if you will deliver Martin to me here in Toronto at ten o'clock on the moi-ning the justice is to render his final deci- sion in the Marsh and BuUard case, giving me a written agreement releasing me from all claims, both criminal and otherwise, which the Merchants' Union Express Company,.-, may now have (or may have had) against me, since the be- ginning of the world to the signing of this document. This must apply to'Martin, the same as myself, must be signed by the president and the treasurer of the company, and sealed with the company's seal, bearing two clasped hands. My counsel must be given power of attorney to act for the company in the matter." This was agreed to, after they saw no better bargain could be made. Their counsel drew up the papers. When they had been read to me, I took exceptions to some of the word- ing, for he had left a hole for the express company, large enough to drive one of their teams through. He then drew up another agreement, no better for me than the first. This I also objected to, and said, " Come with me to the other room, and I will dictate to my counsel the agreement I shall require." Up to this time I had been alone with the president and the treasurer of the express company and their counsel. We then went to the outer office, and I told my counsel to draw up the papers; I would dictate to him what I wanted inserted. This he did. When I came to the action of tort, their counsel objected to that word being put in the agreement. PLAYING A WINNING GAME. 317 " This word must go in," I said, " or the bargain is off, and everything remains the same as before you came here." After a consultation with the express people, he consented " tort " should appear in the papers. When the documents had been completed, they were read to all of us. I said, " That suits me." " Yes," said the counsel for the express company, " I should think it would ; for it is not only copper-fastened but iron-clad, and would place these gentlemen in an unenviable position, if given to the world." They then left the document, signed and witnessed, in the hands of my counsel, with the promise that they would send to Auburn, where the company's seal was kept, and have it sent on at once, when it should be attached to both docu- ments. They then gave my counsel permission to act for them ; and as I could not go to New York myself and get the bonds and papers, I bargained with my counsel that he should go to New York with his wife. They then could see the " big village " they had heard so much about, but had never yet visited. They journeyed thither, accompanied by my wife, and upon their arrival there they stayed at the St. Nicholas Hotel. My wife went to the place where the " stuff " was " planted," raised the " plant," and carried it to them. This was worthless to all except the rightful owners, and had been left with me to dispose of, either by burning or sending it back to the express company. After remaining in New York three days, they returned to Toronto. When the seal arrived, the papers were completed and left in the hands of my counsel, to be given to me on the morning of Martin's arrival. At the same time, the bonds and papers were to be returned to the officers of the express company, and not through Bangs. When I saw that I had been doing business with gentle- men, I told them I could recover seventeen hundred dollars' worth of gold-bearing coupons that had been stolen with the rest of the property, if they would pay their face value in greenbacks. This they agreed to do. These coupons I had " planted " in my yard, after doing them up in tin foil. On my release, when I looked for the small package, I found that the officers, while digging up the yard, had left a hole unfilled where the "plant " had been made. I merely kicked the side of the hole under the fence, wheji I saw the tin foil. 318 LANGDON W. MOORE. I picked it up ; and after it had been examined, I carried the coupons to my counsel, to keep until the day following the decision. When it was reported in New York that I might be seen daily talking to Bangs, the friends there of Bullard and Marsh said: " I told you so. He is out, and will do nothing for them, but will make himself solid with Bangs." All who could not be brought to think as they did were told to put up or shut up. Just before the final decision was to be given, one of this party ran up against " Old Jack," one of the solid men among the New York detectives. When he had been told the story of my leaving them in the hole, and joining hands with Bangs' force, he said : " I have known this man for many years, and he is not the man who stands on the comers of the streets and shouts what he will do, and what other people are doing. None of you know him, and I tell you there will be a hog-killing match before he gets through with Bangs." The detective was laughed at, and was asked, if he had so much confidence in me, why he didn't put up his money on a sure thing. * " We will bet you," they said, " all the money you and his friends want to put up, that he will never come to the front for them, and they will be brought over, with every prospect of being convicted." The old detective then pulled out one thousand dollars, saying, " I will bet you any part of this money that he puts those men on the street; at liberty, before he leaves Canada." No one put up a dollar. It was then decided that those shouters should send to Toronto, not the wickedest man in New York, but John Allen, a man whom I had never seen, to look after BuUard's and Marsh's interests. He arrived in Toronto a few days after their last committal, came to me like a man, and told me of the talk that was being made in New York among the prisoners' friends. I said : " You came from their friends. I can tell you nothing to-day as to what the final decision may be, but come to me at ten o'clock on the morning of the day the decision is to be given. It will be rendered at one o'clock'. At ten I may give you a message to carry to the New York friends of the prisoners." PLAYING A WINNma GAME. 319 Bullard and Marsh, from the moment of their identification by the messenger, had given up all claims to the property taken from them at the time of arrest, and had offered to give it to any one who -would take the chances, come to the front, and make a fight for it. They did not want it to fall into Bangs' and the express people's hands. When Felker, whom they had previously known, expressed a willingness to do this, they gave him a bill of sale for the 5-20 bonds and all the diamonds and jewelry taken from them, with an order on the court for the same. Two days before the final judgment, a few small bets were made at even money that the prisoners would not be extra- dited ; but all the money put up on this point was con- sidered as good as lost, for most of the people thought the justice lacked the backbone to discharge the men. As he was being questioned as to his final decision by the sharpers, who were always looking for the best of everything, he had been heard to remark that the prisoners eventually might b& taken over the line. He said this only the evening previous, to the decision. Then the sharpers came for me. One would bet fifty in gold and another a hundred, that the prisoners would be taken across, and that they would not be discharged by Justice McNabb. These men I bet to a standstill at even money; and when I went to the Turf Club House in the morning, Carson shouted, " I will bet you a hundred they are not discharged by the justice, but that he commits them for extradition." When this fellow was asked to put up, he would only bet fifty, which I scooped in. Still, he had a " straight tip," as he was a politician. Martin had arrived in Toronto early in the morning, and I had him in my room at the Revere House at 7 A. M. I allowed no one to know, except the express people, that he was not in Auburn Jail. I had told him to walk down King Street at half-past one, when he would meet Bullard and Marsh, who, after their discharge, would be on their way to the Turf Club House. On the night of my discharge, I had gone to the place where I had "planted " the silver, coppers, apd 7-30 bonds, and found some one had been there before me and raised the " stuff." Just before ten on the day the decision was to be rendered, my friend who had gone with me to see where 330 LANGDON W. MOORE. ^ the " plant " was made, came into the Turf Club. When I questioned him as to what he had done with the money, he said he had raised the " plant" the night after my arrest and had gone to Quebec, where he had sold the coin and 7-30 bonds. Then he went to Maine, and had brought on his wife as a witness for me. I asked him if he had not seen my dis- charge in the papers some weeks previous. He admitted he had, and also said that he had met a Boston detective in Montreal who was there in search of a man who had jumped away from the States. As I was well acquainted with this detective, he had brought him on to see me. My friend did not offer to " turn up" the proceeds of the sale, so I asked for it, and was told he then had only one hundred and fifty dollars left. The remainder he had spent on a big time with some friends he met in Montreal. Fifty of this was given me, and the rest still remains unpaid. Yet this man was a " crook " whom I had found broke in Canada. I had taken him to my house, where he lived with me free of charge for nearly three months previous to my arrest. I saw John Allen and said : " Tell no one until you return to New York what I am going to tell you. It is now ten o'clock. BuUard and Marsh will be discharged and set at liberty to-day, some time between the hours of one and two o'clock. If they are not discharged at that time, then you may know I do not know what I am talking about. This 1 want you to tell to the men who sent you here. Tell them, also, that if they are not discharged they have been betrayed by me." John Allen promised not to breathe to any one what I had said to him. I then .told Charles B. Haight what I had told Allen. He expressed himself as well pleased, but doubtful of the result. I had so arranged it that in case I entered the court room and walked across the floor with my hat on, no pressure should be brought to have them discharged on that day, but they should be remanded for two days longer. This would give me a chance to win big money. I had interviewed BuUard and Marsh, told them of this, and asked their con- sent to the delay. BuUard consented, but Marsh saidi " Can you get us out to-day?" " I can.-' PLAYING A yf INNING GAME. 321 " Then do it, and I -will be your slave as long as I live. A delay of two days may be fatal." I said: " Look at me. When you see me enter the court with my hat off, you may know you are going to be dis- charged." Just before the final decision, the express people, to make sure of the prisoners being committed for extradition, sent a friend to offer the justice live thousand dollars in gold, to be paid the moment they arrived on the other side of the line. When I got this " tip " I went to him and said : " Make them put up the money, and we will split it up in three parts. Then do as you have a mind to, afterwards." He admitted to me and to Felker the offer had been made, but could not imderstand how it had been made known to me. At 1 p. M. the prisoners were brought from a private room, and entered the court, followed by me, hat in hand. When the court had been opened, a demand -vfas made for their discharge. At this time the court was packed with • spectators. No one was present representing the express company, excepting their attorney, Harrison. When the prisoners were told to stand up, the justice reviewed the evidence, both against and for the prisoners ; and when this had been done, he gave them one of the most terrible tongue-lashings I had ever heard one man give another. BuUard whispered to me, "Our star of hope is extin- guished." Allan Pinkerton came into the room, followed by the ofiicers of the express company. The rear of this procession was brought up by Bangs and his men, who had come to take the prisoners over the line. They all had entered just in time to hear the last part in this act, and were all smiles. The justice came to a halt, not out of respect to them, but turning it over. in his mind if it would be proper for him to tell them and the spectators of .the attempt at bribery. Then he said : " I am sorry the extradition treaty between the United States and Great Britain is so framed that it will not permit me to commit two such notorious thieves as you have been proved to be to jail for extradition, and send you back where you belong. "You are now discharged! " A shout went up, not from the persons, connected with 322 LANGDON W. MOORE. the express company, but from those who had not lost confi- dence in English justice and fair play. BuUard and Marsh left the court, while I remained to see the effect this decision had upon the express people, Mr. Pinkerton, and Bangs. They looked at one another for a moment, then silently left the room, pictures of despair. I went out, not, however, before I recognized an officer who had been brought there by the stipendiary magistrate from Windsor. I slung him a fifty-dollar-note, and said, " You can make more money by being the discharged prisoners' friend than their enemy." " All right. Where can I see you at six o'clock ? " " At the Revere House." While on my way to the Turf Club, I met BuUard and Marsh, talking with Martin. He was less surprised to see them at liberty than they were to see him, for they believed he was then in Auburn Jail, and that Howe and Hummel were still making the fight to have Martin brought on to Poughkeepsie. Without the aid or knowledge of any person, except the express people and their counsel. Colonel Richardson, I had Martin brought back to the place he had been extradited from, and this without the use of a United States gunboat or extradition papers. I now went with this party to the Turf Club, as Marsh's wife still remained there. He, too, thought to stay there for a few days. I saw my counsel, and learned that the railroad bonds and private papers with which I had purchased Martin's release had been given to the express people that morning, and they had attached the Merchants' Union Express Company's clasped-hands seal to the document. These two papers were delivered to me. Returning to my hotel, I found that Martin's presence in Toronto had created quite an excitement. All the knowing ones were guessing how this had been effected, and the Washington secret-service men found themselves as much in the dark as any one, until I saw S. M. Felker. He asked me if it was true that Martin was then in Toronto. " Yes, sir, he is now in my room ; and I don't propose to have him shown up to you people without his consent." I next saw Colonel Wood, and to him I told the story how PLATINa A WINNING GAME. 323 I had been able to have Martin brought back. He thought I ought to have allowed him to do the business for me. It would have been done, he said, in such a way as to prevent either Martin or myself being arrested again, on this same charge, as soon as we crossed the line. "Wood was angry this had been done without consulting him, and he made so much talk that I said: " If talking could do it, you could whip the world. When I am in possession of other persons' bonds, cash, or worthless papers, and they want them more than I do, and they have a friend of mine in jail, I am as competent to effect a settlement and cause his release as any one — and this without shouting my business on the streets, or paying percentage to any one who claims to have a patent process by which such simple matters can be arranged with safety to all parties." At about five o'clock I got the " tip " from my " shoo fly " at the Queen's Hotel that the express people, Pinkerton, and Bangs were then in a room at the hotel, with the Windsor stipendiary magistrate. I went to the Turf Club, saw BuUard and Marsh, and told them I had reason to believe there would be a warrant issued by this magistrate for their arrest ; and if they should be again arrested, they would be taken to Windsor and com- mitted to jail. They questioned the right of this magistrate to issue a warrant, now that they had been discharged by Justice McNabb ; and not till I told them did they know that this stipendiary had jurisdiction all over the western part of Canada, and could commit prisoners to any jail he might select. It was some time before I could prevail upon them to go with me to the park, where they should remain at the Carr Howell until I could see my new recruit, who had been paid the fifty dollars. I left them there, and they promised to remain until I should come to them in one hour. I returned to the Revere House, and was told by my wife that a tall gentleman had asked to see me on important busi- ness, and that he had said he would go to the Turf Club, where he thought I might be found. I then went to the Turf Club, and was told by Jim Carson that BuUard and Marsh had returned to the house, and he had just taken them out of the rear door as the officers entered the front door with a warrant for their re-arrest. 324 LANGDON W. MOOBE. I left the house and saw my man, who told me he had been looking all around for me ; that the warrant for their arrest was in the officers' hands, and that he had been detailed to arrest the men. " Now you get them out of the way," he said, " for if any of our men see them, they will be arrested." I went back to the Carr Howell, but could find no one; and after waiting nearly one hour, I returned to the Turf Club. Carson could tell me nothing more than he had told me be- fore — only that the house was then surrounded by the ever- vigilant Bangs men. Thence I went to the Queen's Hotel. Here I saw Bangs, and asked him to join me in a glass of wine. While we stood at the, bar, Mr. Pinkerton came in, accompanied by the express officers and Colonel Richardson. Bangs then introduced Mr. Pinkerton to me. I asked the party to join us, and I made the call for another bottle. Mr. Pinkerton excused himself, saying he never drank, but would take a cigar ; and aftet we had drunk, he said: " Mr. Moore, you have out-generalled me. I don't know but you might do so again. If the fight was to be made over again, I would not wait so long before I made the arrest, for this is my first defeat." ' I said: " Mr. Pinkerton, you chose your own time and I the location. You have been doing business with Western hoosiers all your life, and never struck the Atlantic coast be- fore. Come down there and I will show you how we do business,," He then said: " Mr. Bangs, you have repeatedly told the express people and myself you owned this man. Don't you talk to him any more, for he will get more out of you in five minutes than you can get from him in six months." He then said to me, in the hearing of all present, " You must have got very close to some one- in my employ who is close to me; and I will discharge every man on my force, but that I will get to the right one." While this tall^ was being made. Bangs looked to be the most unhappy man I had ever seen. When Pinkerton had gone away, he told me it was suspected he had been giving his Pinkerton business away to me. This was a most unjust suspicion, for neither by word nor otherwise, knowingly, had George H. Bangs given me any information that might be used against either the express people or Mr. Pinkerton. PLATING A WINNING GAME. 325 They had simply been entered in a race where the pace was too hot for them; and when they could find no one among the party who ■jvould sell himself for gold, they went all to pieces and were demoralized. Mr. Pinkerton discharged several of his operatives. " Slippery Jim " and Bangs were not among the number, and he never could discover how I had been able to anticipate every move made by him and his men before and after the arrest. I heard nothing from either BuUard or Marsh during the night. While on my way to the Turf Club the following morning, I met Bangs, and we two walked down King Street together, arm in arm. While on the way, he asked me if I had ever served time or been convicted of any criminal offence. " No, sir, I have not." He then said: " You are just the man we want to take the superintendency of our New York office. The salary is twenty-five hundred dollars, and we will give Martin twelve hundred a year. All we will ask of him is to be as true to us as he has been to you." I said, " Neither Martin nor myself would send a man to prison for all the money either you or Mr. Pinkerton ever saw." I was then told that the express people, through Mr. Pink- erton, had offered a reward of five hundred dollars in gold for the arrest of Marsh and BuUard, but that he supposed they were then across the line, where I had sent them. From him I went to see the justice, and got an order on the Chief of Police for the delivery to me of the faro checks, two faro boxes, lay-out, case-keeper, silverware, and all property captured at my house on the day of my arrest. With this order I went to the Chief. I found him very sore. I told him I had come for all the property taken from my house. " I have no objections," said he, " to giving up the silver- ware to you, but the gambling tools you cannot have. Those I will confiscate." I then handed him my receipt for duty that I had paid at the custom-house. He read it and said : " I "don't care for that. They had no right to allow gambling tools to be brought into Canada." " Then if you don't care for that receipt, perhaps you may pay some attention to this order from Justice McNabb." 326 LANGBON W. MOOBE. When lie had read .this, he, without making any reply, delivered the goods to me; not, however, all that had been taken from the house, for when I looked the property over, I found a small unset diamond and several trinkete were missing. I asked for them. He said: " None of my men took them away ; and if any one did, it must have been some of the other fellows. None of my men are thieves." I then called upon my counsel, and from him I received seventeen hundred dollars in greenbacks, paid him by the express people for the coupons I had sold them. After taking the faro tools and silverware home, I went to the Turf Club, where I saw Mrs. Marsh and Carson. She could teU me nothing about, her husband, and the poor woman was worried nearly to death, for fear he would again fall into Bangs' hands. Carson thought they had jumped the town. Martin was still in Toronto, and wanted me to take a run up to Hamilton, as he was anxious to see the jailer, who had treated him very kindly during his stay there. He also wanted to get even with the Chief of Police, who, he said, had perjured himself at his examination. " How to do this I don't know," Martin said to me. When we arrived at the jail, everything was made satis- factory between him and the jailer, and they parted friends. I then said : " Come with me to the police office. There you must ask for the Chief; and if you^ see him, ask what he has done with the rest of the bonds he found in the old building and did not ' turn up.' If he is not in, leave the question to be asked by those you find in charge. When you have said this, leave the place, and you will find the express people after him in less than three days. Then you will get square with him." When Martin had done this, he went to the banker who had caused his arrest, and made inquiries for the missing bonds. The banker could tell him nothing. He then left Hamilton for his home in Brooklyn. I returned to Toronto, where I found that the story of the missing bonds had reached the ears of the express people, who were anxious to find Martin, and have him make oath as to the amount of the bonds he had hidden in the old house. They then would bring suit against the Chief for the recovery oi the property, and a criminal suit for retaining stolen property in his han(fc. PLAYING A WINNING GAME. 327 Martin then was at his home in New York, and the matter was allowed to drop — not, however, until the Chief had made an unenviable record for the part he had taken against Martin in the bond matter. On BuUard's and Marsh's discharge, Felker presented his order and bill of sale for the three 5-20 bonds, (iamonds, and jewelry to Justice MoNabb, and the property was delivered to him. One or more of the diamond rings taken from Mrs. Marsh were returned to her. The 5-20 bonds, he afterwards told me, he turned over to the express company, while Marsh's cluster pin was sold for seven hundred dollars in gold. This money he paid me, it being the amount I had loaned him to pay both his and his men's expenses while they had been in Toronto waiting for the final decision. On Martin's return to New York, he made known his discharge to his counsel, Howe and Hummel. I had met the express people and Pinkerton several times during the first four days after the prisoners' discharge, and had been told by both Pinkerton and Bangs they would give me one thousand dollars in gold for the information that would lead to the arrest of the two men. I had told them I would give up the men, if they would take them over into Indiana and lynch them where the other express robbers had been lynched. " I will give you the money if you will get them to come down to Windsor so that we can run them across, and we will take them to Indiana and hang them on the old beech tree where Reno was hung." When I had left them, I reported this to Justice McNabb atid to Colonel William P. Wood and Felker. Both Felker and I called at the Turf Club several times during each day, and were told by Carson that no message or letters had been sent there for us. When the fifth night came after their dis- charge, my "shoo fly" came to me with the news that BuUard and Marsh had just been brought to the Queen's Hotel under arrest, and that they were to be taken to Wind- sor on the night train. They were seen to take the cars properly guarded and well ironed. Then I learned they had been captured in Jim Carson's mother's house, where they had been since the night of their discharge. When the officers entered the room, they found them heavily armed with pistols, knives, and an old musket, which had been loaded to the muzzle by Carson, not with powder, but with salt. 328 LANGDON W. MOORE. I went to Windsor with Felker, and the next day called at the jail, where I saw them. I questioned them as to the reason why they had not remained at the Carr Howell until I came back. They told me they thought they would take a run back to the Turf Club, and return in time to meet me ; that when they entered the house they got the " tip " the officers were then outside -waiting to arrest them. They made a break out of the back door, followed by Carson, who said : " Come with me, and I will put you where you will be safe, in my mother's house. I will send Moore to you." I was then told that several letters had been given to Carson for me, and that he had told them all had been delivered, and that I did not want to see them again. I said, "I have asked Carson and Mrs. Marsh a hundred times if any word had been received from either of you, and was always told there had not." They said that Carson- would not give them away for the public reward of five hundred ; but as soon as it was raised to one thousand, he had " turned them up," and "vyould skin them out of everything they had left in the house. I was then asked if I could do anything for them. I said ! " My counsel shall continue in the case, and carry it to the Queen's Bench in England, and it will probably be six or twelve months before a decision can be reached. I know no one here, but during that time a change may be made, and I am certain it will be beneficial to you. If this case is taken out of Pinkerton's hands by the express people, and you are turned over to Wood and Felker, then you will get a square deal." In a few days I returned to Toronto, where I found only " Slippery Jim " doing duty in the interest of the express people. I went with my family to Hamilton, followed by this man. After being there five days, an attempt was made to blackmail me by a Canadian detective, who threatened to give me away to the custom-house officers unless I gave him fifty dollars in gold. When I asked him if greenbacks would not do as well, he said, " No, I want the gold ; and if you do not give it to me, I will have you arrested and your trunks searched, for I know what is in them as well as you do." " Go to your master," I said, " and tell him to give you PLAYING A WINNING GAME. 329 the money, when the sale is made of the missing bonds found by him in the old house ; and if you don't go away from me, I will have you fired off the police force for attempting blackmail." > When I took the train for the Falls, he, too, got on, as well as my friend " Slippery." I had my trunk sent to the hotel near the Falls, on "the Canadian side. Then my friend " Slippery " entered the carriage with myself and family, and we were driven to the hotel. In less than one hour I saw this detective talking to the clerk in the office ; and knowing that he was " tipping off " " Slippery " and me, I went to the clerk and told the story of the fellow's attempt to black- mail me while in Hamilton. He was seen about the hotel no more, but made his headquarters at a small house near the bridge. Here I remained until the house closed for the season. During my stay there, I learned that I would have to pay duty on the gambling tools, on my return to the States, the same as I had paid when I had taken them from the custom- house in Toronto. It was then agreed that " Slippery " and myself should carry them over in our pockets. This, we found, would require two trips. It was done, and they were then put into a bag carried for the purpose, and left at a hotel on the American side. As my family baggage con- sisted of eleven trunks, and I had purchased only three tickets to New York, " Slippery " came forward and assisted me with his ticket. The trunks were then taken over, three or four at a time, and checked to New York. The time occupied in doing this was three of the last days I remained over the line. They were delivered to me in New York without extra charge. The Canadian would-be blackmailer had seen the trunks sent over, just in time to be too late to get his work in, as " Slippery " had told sevei;p,l of his friends among the custom-house officials on the American side of the fellow's attempt to blackmail an American citizen then at the hotel. I did not like the idea of " Slippery Jim " knowing when I crossed the line, for fear he would give me away to the Norway Bank people. I was satisfied he had known of that affair for months. At no time, from the first of our ac- quaintance, had he admitted he was a Pinkerton man, but had always expressed himself as much opposed to them ; for they were the only men he feared! 330 LANGBON W. MOOEE. He now softened, and told me J. had nothing to fear, for Mr. Pinkerton never allowed any of his men to interfere in a case where he was not employed, and neither would he work for a reward. He then proposed that I should go with him to some lively town on the Union Pacific, and open a hotel, saying that he had become thoroughly disgusted with a business where the means employed justified sending innocent men to State prison. I can truthfully say this man was true to the agency, and the only " tips " I got from him came through his corres- pondence, which was seen by my " shoo fly " while I was entertaining " Jim " below stairs at the Rossin House, and afterwards at the Revere House, in Toronto. This man journeyed to New York in company with myself and family, and continued to be my friend, visiting my house until April, 1869, when he had severed all connections with detectives, and was going, to California. He said he had saved up twenty thousand dollars while in the business, and brought more ruin and disgrace upon half-guilty people than he would do again for all the money in the business. If one thing pleased him more than another, it was the fact that he had never taken the stand to testify against any person during his career as a detective. This, he said, was not from any conscientious scruples he might have had at the time, but because the agency did not want him shown up, for then his usefulness would be gone. . ^ I had, upon my return to New York in November, bought out the lease, stock, fixtures, and furniture of the Harlem Hotel, on One Hundred and Twenty-Fifth Street. I closed the house for repairs ; and when these had been made, I had my furniture, which had been stored at Crow's, brought to the house. On December 24 I put my shingle over the door, and opened up the Woodbine for business. Early in the spring of '69, I received a letter from S. M. Felker requesting me to call at Earle's Hotel the following morning, as he wished to see me on important business. When I called on him, I was asked if I knew that BuUard and Marsh had been brought over by Wood and himself. When I inquired how this had been brought about, he said the express people had l^ecome tired, and had taken the case out of Pinkerton's hands, turning it over to them. The prisoners then consented to come over, on condition they PLATING A WINNING GAMK . 331 should be taken to some jail near New York. They were then in White Plains Jail, along with the messenger. Felker asked me if I knew I had been indicted in the city of New York for the express robbery; and when I told him I did not, he said : " Yes, Marsh has been brought down here, taken before the grand jury, and a true bill has been found against you. The express company's counsel wants me to arrest you, and I have promised I would do it as soon as that paper they had given you was destroyed. The counsel then asked if I had ever seen the paper; and when I told him I had not only seen it, but read it also, I was told to arrest you, and, if the paper was found on your person or in your house, to destroy it. They then would make you put up or go to prison." To this Felker had replied : " The man who fought the battle in Canada against you and Pinkerton, and brought you all to a standstill, and dictated the wording of that document in your presence, knows the value of it as well as any man who lives, and will not carry it about his person or leave it in his house. Until you get possession of that document and I know it is destroyed, I must decline to make the arrest. You must put the warrants in some other officer's hands. But if he is arrested, he will make you fight it in open court; and you have no need to be told what the end will be, when that is read to the court and jury and given to the press." After the counsel had been told this, he concluded it would be better to let the matter rest for a while and have the indictment put in a pigeon-hole, where it has rested ever since. It should be resurrected to prove that what I have said is true. I was told that Bullard,and Marsh wanted to see me, but did not dare send for me after what had been done in Canada. I did not know but this was a job worked iip by Wood and Felker to get me to visit them in White Plains Jail, arrest me as soon as I entered, and lock me up quietly, the same as had been done with the messenger, and after- wards with BuUard and Marsh. Not one word had been said in the papers about their being brought over. Not to give Felker a chance to play any detective tricks, I con- sented to go with him to the jail, providing he would speak to no one on the way, and would remain near me all the time I was in jail. 332 , LANGDON W. MOOBE. We then went to White Plains, and the' first man I saw when the door was closed behind me was Putnam Brown, the messenger. He was playing " seven-up " for a quarter with another prisoner. At this time all the prisoners were allowed out «f their rooms, and were only locked up at meal time and at night. I saw BuUard and Marsh in front of their room looking down at me. Felker and I went to them ; and when I asked Marsh why he had gone before the grand jury in New York and had had me indicted, he told me he had done it against his will, but at the earnest request of my New York counsel and " the old man," to prevent my being taken out of the city in case the express people had me arrested. I said, " These men are no ^friends of mine except when they can make money out of me; neither is the man who furnished the evidence for the prosecution." I was feeling pretty sore at what Felker had told me. Marsh asked if I owned a horse and wagon. " Yes," I said. " Will you come, old man, and take us away some night?" A few mornings later, when the jail was opened up for business, it was found they had made their escape some time during the night — this without assistance from me. They were never after arrested on that charge. Before leaving the jail, I had a long talk with the messen- ger, and he complained bitterly of the way BuUard and Marsh had put him in the hole, as he had received less than ten thousand for his " bit." To get even, he had identified them, and he was willing to remain in jail so long as he could keep them there. Some time after their escape, the messenger was " turned up " ; and for five years, that is, up to the time of his death, in the spring of 1892, he lived on ten dollars a week given him out of charity by one of the biggest-hearted and truest friends he or any other unfortunate castaway ever had. In the fall of '69, by special request, Felker and myself met the officers of the Merchants' Union Express Company and their counsel, who had plotted to have me arrested a few months previous, and was told by them that they were informed BuUard and Marsh had plenty of money. If they would give up ten thousand dollars, they would guarantee PLAYING A WINNING GAME. 333 no further prosecution. I tried to effect a settlement; and after spending a week's time, I learned that the charge of breaking jail would still be hanging over them. Besides, the Boston detectives were after them red-hot for the robbery of the Boylston Bank in Boston, and their only safety was in getting away. Pinkerton, the express people said, had put in his bill for time and expenses while working on the case, and this amounted to forty-two thousand dollars. They had refused to pay it, but would fight it out in court, and make him prove every day's time spent on the case, and every item of expense charged. I said, " Ten thousand dollars of this money has been spent for wine, women, and carriage hire, while trying to get me drunk and make me talk." « Will you testify to this ? " " Yes, sir, in bulk but not in detail." " Then we will never pay him his bill," they said. I was afterwards told that a settlement had been effected, a discount of ten thousand dollars having been allowed by the agency when the payment was made. CHAPTER XXIII. WHAT MY DOUBLE DID FOE IE. MAINE OPPICEES ARREST ANOTHER MAN FOR ME AND ARE OBLIGED TO LEAVE TOWN TO ESCAPE ARREST SETTLEMENT OF THE NORWAY MATTER. One evening, about two months after I had opened the Woodbine, I was called from the house into the bar-room to see a man who said he wanted to see Mr. Moore. I told him that was my name. He said there was a gentleman outside the door who wished to speak to me, and he asked me to go out to see him. He appeared nervous and excited, and I saw by the look of his eye he was either a " crook " or an officer. I took no chance, but asked to be excused for a moment. I walked through into the house, and told my partner to go into the bar and represent himself as Mr. Moore. He did so, and at the request of the man he went outside the door to see the gentlemen who were so anxioils to see me. The man closed the door, and my partner was put under arrest by the three men. One of them was the officer on the beat, and he saw at once that they had been a little too previous, and had ar- rested the wrong man. This officer said, "This is Mr. Sturge, his partner." They released him, and after an apology for their mistake they went away. They then saw " Dutch Dan's " wife, who had known me for years, and told her a "funny story." To better her husband's condition in prison, she agreed to point me out to them the following morning. They put her in a hack, and drove to One Hundred and Twenty-Fifth Street and Fourth Avenue, and hung around there for me to make my appearance on the street. At that time there was a very wealthy man living near my house who bore a very close resemblance to me, and by chance he happened along the street while the old dame, who wore glasses and was near-sighted, was waiting for me. 331 WHAT MY DOUBLE DID FOR ME. 335 She pointed him out, and said, "He is Moore." He was then arrested and taken to police headquarters. When the Superintendent of Police saw him, he said he thought a mis- take had been made, and that the man was not Moore. They insisted that the man was Moore, and the one they wanted. They produced the extradition papers and warrant for his arrest, and demanded he be locked up. The Superintendent then called in several detectives,- all of whom said they had known me for years, and that the man under arrest was not Moore. He was discharged without ceremony, but against the protest of the men from Maine. I had been notified of the arrest; and while this was going on, I walked over to Eighth Avenue, waiting for results. When the gentleman was released, he swore out a warrant for kidnapping against those who had run him in ; and before the warrant could be served, the evening papers came out with an article stating that an infamous attempt had been made that day to kidnap a respectable gentleman, by C. C. Sanderson and Deputy Sheriff Wormell of Norway, Me., who charged him with being the man Moore, who robbed the Savings Bank at that place in 1867. The result was that Sanderson and his deputy were obliged to skip the town to avoid arrest. The matter then ran along without any new development until late in the spring of 1869, when I received a letter from one of the trustees of the bank asking if I would use my influence and help him recover a portion of the stolen money, as it belonged to hard-working people who could not afford to lose it. He said most of the deposits were made by farm hands and poor girls who worked in the mill, and varied in amount from five to two hundred dollars. He told of the terrible distress the loss had caused these people, and one and all of them would look upon it as an act of charity for any little assistance I might be willing to render him that would lead to the recovery of the money. As soon as I received the letter, I went to a respectable citizen in Jersey City, Mr. C. C. Fox, showed him the letter, and asked him to go down to Norway, Me., and inquire into the statements made by the bank trustee to see whether they were true or not. I gave Mr. Fox one hundred dollars, and told him to make a full investigation. When he came back, he said that all the statements made 336 LANGDON W. MOORE. by the trustee were substantially true ; that the people were all poor, and that the loss of their money was very severely felt by them. I then dictated a letter to the trustee, telling him the party had no money at that time, and were not able to make good the funds ; that I knew them to be reliable and men of their word ; that I would be willing to advance the money and take the responsibility of paying him half the amount _in cash, giving him a mortgage on my property in New York ior the remainder, payable in one year from date. To do this would compel me to rob Peter to pay Paul. In return, he was to give me the extradition papers, which had been issued for the arrest of Haight and myself, and all the evidence used by ^he government in the conviction of Young. He wrote me back that he knew men who knew me ; that he did not want to take a mortgage on my home, but that if I would pledge my word that I would pay the. money in twelve months, he would accept the pledge and would see that I was troubled with no further annoyance or prosecution. I then wrote to him, pledging myself to pay the money. That incident was nearly two years after the robbery was committed. I had never been arrested for the Norway job, nor had I at that time any fear of it ; and if I had been arrested, I was satisfied that they could not convict me of the crime. , Seven months after this, I notified the bank trustee to make up the account with accrued interest, and I would settle the bill. This he did, and I sent the money down by C. C. Fox, with a true copy of the document I had received from the express company. They, too, like the Merchants' Union Express people, objected to signing this paper because the word " tort " appeared in it. He finally con- sented to leave the money, if they would give him the extra- dition papers for myself and Haight, the horseshoe, the trunk, and the piece of glazed cloth which had been used at the window to darken the room. They agreed to refund the money to Fox if he should bring these articles back to them, in case I was hot satisfied. When Fox returned, I refused to accept such a settlement, and he returned to Norway with the things, delivered them mp to the trustee, and was paid back the money. He then WHAT MY DOUBLE DID FOR ME. 337 told the trustee I refused to fulfil the agreement unless it was carried out according to my wishes. Fox said for me that this was purely a business matter, and, as my liberty was at stake, I did not propose taking any chances. The bank people had taken my word for the payment of the money, because they were compelled to, but I was not under any obligation to take their word in the matter; for if a change was made among the officers in the bank, I might not then have any one there to protect my interest. Fox was asked to remain there until the next day, and a meeting of the officers of the bank was called that night. They refused to sign the document, but would give me a receipt in consideration of one dollar, releasing Haight and myself from all claims the Norway Bank then had against us. Fox left the money, and returned to New York with the extradition papers, trunk, horseshoe, and cloth. I was satisfied with these and the receipt, for I could make it very unpleasant for any one who arrested either Haight or myself when it should be known people were selling the Governor's extradition papers to men who had robbed their bank. CHAPTER XXIV. CLOSE CALL FOE THE GALLATIN NATIONAL BANK. A PRIVATE DETECTIVE PLACES SOME PEIBNDS DANGEK- OTJSLY NEAR TO WALL STREET SECURITIES. Early in the spring of 1869, at the request of a private detective who " tipped off " the secrets of the agency where he was employed to me for a consideration, I went to the Gallatin National Bank, Wall Street, New York, to look it over and see if it would be possible to rob it, providing a suite of rooms could be hired in the building. When I entered, I saw the doors to the vault were open atnd the cashier was busy. This gave me the opportunity to examine the construction of the vault and the interior of the banking- room, and, without waiting for the cashier to finish his business with the customers who preceded me, I left the bank without attracting his attention. I went upstairs, and found the room directly over the vault occupied. I ascended to the third floor. Here I found a front office, with a small room in the rear, to let. I then left the building, joined my detective friend, and gave him instructions to go to the bank and hire those rooms with the money I furnished him. I told him, if the question was asked as to the nature of the business he was to engage in, to say he was going to open a private detective agency in that neighborhood; that the rooms suited him and were near the moneyed institutions, where most of his work was to be done. He was young, well educated, a good talker, and of pleasing address, with plenty of nerve ; so he found no diffi- culty in coming to terms with the bank people, who thought a private detective agency over the bank would give additional security to their valuables. Upon the payment of three months' rent in advance, ■ the keys were given him, and the receipt for rent he brought to me. CLOSE CALL FOR THE GALLATIN NATIONAL BANK. 339 Tlie rooms were then put in order, with a Yale lock on the rear room, where the janitor must not be allowed to enter. The floors were carpeted, and office furniture was put in that gave the place a business- appearance. When all was ready, I called there late one afternoon, after the detectives from headquarters had all left the street, for the purpose of ascertaining whether I could reach the office without being seen by the janitor or other persons occupy- ing rooms in the building. I found no difficulty in reaching the office ; and when near the time for the janitor to go his rounds to see that all the people had left the building before closing up for the night, I, with my " pal " and the detective who occupied the office, entered the rear room and locked the door. "We remained there while the janitor entered the outer office and tried the door. This he found locked. He then left the room, and was heard to go downstairs and leave the building, locking the street door behii^d him. When we heard him go out, we opened our door and com- menced to investigate the interior of the building. We found we could ascend to the roof by the use of a ladder kept near the scuttle for the purpose. Then with a rope ladder we could make our escape from the bank to the roof of an- other building, and so on to the next street, in case we were discovered or surprised iwhile at work, and forced to get away.. We remained in the building during the night, going from one office to another, being careful not to disturb anything. When it was time for the janitor to open up in the morn- ing, we stationed ourselves where, without the risk of being seen by him, we could hear him when he entered the build- ing and ascended the stairs. As soon as he passed up to the third floor, we left the building. The lock on the street door could only be unlocked from the outside, as it was a tumbler lock with a barrel-stem key; and the only way one could leave the building, after being locked in by the janitor, would be either by taking the lock off or by pulling the bolts and opening both doors. We had discovered, during this visit to the bank, that it was possible to beat the vault two ways — one through the doors, the other through the top, which could be done by removing a portion of the floor directly over it. When our night's work was done, the floor could be replaced without the risk of its being discovered by those occupying the office. 340 LANGDON W. MOORE. To do this would require several nights' hard work ; and if, while it was in progress, a discovery was made of the attempt, then my detective would, out of courtesy, be called in to investigate the matter and arrest the robbers — if they should be so foolish as to go there again after he had given them the "tip" to stay away ! While this work was being done, the detective was to have some important enterprise on hand that would require him to be at his office every morning in time to enter the building with the janitor. He was to remain during the day, and hold himself in readiness to answer any calls the bank people might make upon him. During the next few days, the agency man carried all the tools to his office without our assistance. While doing this, he discovered that the bankers who occupied the office directly under him left more money and bonds in their safe over night than there were in the bank. When this was told me, I sent my "pal" to investigate, and he reported to me that he had found everything as the detective represented. I then went to the office, and as I passed up the stairs I saw the safe wide open in the bankers' office, but saw no large amount of money or bonds lying around loose. When I told them I did not care to open up this safe on specula- tion, as it would spoil the bank job, they declared they had both seen a hundred thousand dollars in money and bonds locked in the safe over night, and had seen it there when the safe was opened in the morning. Nothing I could say or do would satisfy them the bank was the better paying job. I was told that they did not care to work night after night until an entrance could be made through the top of the vault, when more money could be made by beating the bankers' safe. I finally consented to tackle that one. A few days later, at 3.30 p. m., my "pal " entered the detective's office, soon after followed by me; and when it was near time to close up the building for the night, we entered the back office and locked the door. There we remained until about eleven o'clock, when we came out, went down the stairs, and entered the bankers' rear office. We saw it would be at the risk of our liberty to attempt to reach the safe unless we crawled there on our hands and knees ; and we were forced to do this to reach the safe, which he had for safety placed between two large windows CLOSE CALL FOR THE GALLATIN NATIONAL BANK. 341 running down to near the floor, thus making it impossible for a person to stand and work at the door without the risk of being seen by people occupying the buildings on the opposite side of the street, who could see every object in the room by the light of the street lamps, should their attention be attracted that way. Here in front of this six-foot safe, on our knees, we jacked the outside plate open far enough to allow the bolts to be worked out of their sockets. The doors were v opened far enough to allow a thorough examination of the contents, and the removal of the imaginary millions and the bankers' tin cash box, seen by my detective when the place was closed for the night. We then shut the doors, and with the valuables and tools crawled back into the rear office. We had done the work by the light furnished from the street lamps ; but now the dark lantern was brought oiit, and our ill-gotten gains were counted up. They amounted to but one hundred and five dollars in available funds. The valuable papers were left for the owners. The money was divided among four of us. It was less than one third the amount it had cost to furnish the office, to say nothing about the risk we had assumed during the fifty minutes we were at work on the safe, while the lazy detective was lying off in the entry smoking a cigar. We went up to the scuttle, and marked it in such a man- ner with the jimmy as to lead the officers to suppose an entrance to the building had been effected that way. The rope ladder was carried to the bankers' office and left there for the benefit of any person who might think he could trace it to the original owner; and at six o'clock in the morning we gathered up all the tools and secreted them about our persons, closed and locked the agency office, and took our position where we could see the outside man pass up the street. The moment he gave the " all right " signal, the top and bottom bolts were pulled and the door was opened, just as the janitor in the adjoining building opened his door and began sweeping the dirt from the steps. Then we left the build- ing, and, without stopping to close the door, walked quietly down the street without attracting the attention of the janitor. The detective passed around the block, re-entered the building, and was seen by the janitor when he entered his 312 LANODON W. MO ORE. office, where he remained until the robbery was discovered, when he was called down to make an official investigation of the break. While this was going on, many other bankers on the street heard of the robbery and went to the office to look the job over. When they saw what the burglars had been able to do with that safe, they one and all came to the concjlusion they must have some additional security for their valuables ; for as things then were, they were at the mercy of a gang of bank robbers. Before going away, the detective saw several of them cut a piece from the rope ladder and. take it away with them. No suspicion attached to the detective agency, and he continued the business. A few days later two other notorious thieves were given the bank job by him, without my knowledge or consent. These men and laimself , late one afternoon, locked themselves in the rear office ; and while the janitor was making his rounds before closing the building, he tried the door where they were secreted, and found it locked. He then rapped and called to those inside to open the door. After waiting and listening for a while and receiving no answer, he went away, satisfied, as they supposed, that everything was all right. Not so, however ; for before they had time to leave the room he returned, accompanied by two police officers, and demanded of those inside to open the door. As they did not comply with his request, he gave orders to the officers to break open the door. With one blow of the club the sash in the upper part of the door was broken. The detective then hurriedly unlocked the door, jumped out, and demanded of the officers their authority for breaking into his private office. " I pay rent for this office," said he, pointing to the janitor, " and I will make this intrusion cost you your situation." He then told the officers that the two men who were then with him were the special operatives he had called in to assist him in making the arrest of a gang of burglars, who, he had been informed, would make an attempt to rob the bank that night. " There has already been one safe broken open and robbed in the building," said he, " and I do not propose to ^Uow the bank to be robbed while I occupy rooms above." Seei^g the police were unable to protect the moneyed institutions in CLOSE CALL FOR THE GALLATIN NATIONAL BANK. 343 that vicinity, he had taken the matter into his own hands, and would abide by the result. The janitor was thoroughly frightened at the prospect of losing his situation, and begged for mercy, saying the cashier of the bank, after the last robbery, had told him not to lock up the building at night until he had entered and looked through every room in the place. He had heard a noise in the private office, he said, and thought it might have been made by some persons who had secreted themselves there for an unlawful purpose. He was very sorry for what had been done. The officers he exonerated from all blame, as he had called them to his assistance. The officers then made an apology, and offered the agency man all the assistance he might require to make the arrest. They were told they had blocked the whole business, because the bank robbers, who had a watch on the bank, had seen the janitor call the officers into the building, and would become frightened and make no attempt upon the bank that night. The detective, after cautioning the officers to keep a sharp lookout upon the bank, concluded it would only be a waste of time for him and his men to remain in the building longer. The officers being of the same opinion, they all left, the officers and janitor going down the street, while the two " crooks " struck a bee line for their hang-out place in Prince Street, where they told some friends the story of their narrow escape from arrest. This was reported to me the following day ; and when I questioned the detective as to the truth' of the story, he admitted taking the "crooks" to his office, the discovery by the officers, and the bluff he made to prevent arrest. Up to this time, I had always found this detective reliable and trustworthy; now that he had deceived me by taking other " crooks " into his confidence at my expense, I told him to close the agency, send the furniture to the auction room, and, with the proceeds of sale, to go "West. He did so, and I have not met him since. CHAPTER XXV. SOME PEOSPECTS AND A TOMCAT. HOW A DOMESTIC ANIMAL TUSriOSrOWN TO FAME SAVED BBEKSHIEE COUNTY PEOPLE TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY THOUSAND DOLLAKS. In June, 1869, my Wall Street "pal" and I left New York to make a tour of inspection among the New England banks. Our first call was at the Townsend National Bank, Townsend, Mass. Arriving there at 5 p. m., and seeing the bank door open, I entered and found the vault door closed. After looking through the rooms and finding no person in the building, I went behind the counter and tried to open the vault door, but found it locked. I then examined the door and found it could be beaten. When the weather' was- cold enough to keep people in off the street, it would stand a blast. Going out of the building, I passed to the rear of the bank, where I saw a man at work in a saw mill some ten rods distant. Upon inquiring, I was told the mill was run day and night by two or three sets of men. As I could learn nothing further about the bank that night, we con- cluded to go on to Milford, N. H., and look the bank there over when it was opened in the morning, and to return to Townsend later in the season. At Milford I saw that new work had been put in the bank since Harry Howard's visit some years previous, when he blew open the outside doors to the safe and captured about twelve thousand dollars in special deposits, which he found outside the burglar box. We crossed over to Francestown. Here I saw that a new granite vault had been built in the bank. Thence, we jour- neyed over to Rochester, N. H., where I found the bank well situated in a small brick building, standing alone, some forty or fifty feet away from the nearest house. We remained in the town and watched the bank that night, and saw that tlifr 344 SOME PROSPECTS AND A TOMCAT. 345 people who occupied the houses near by did not close their windows during the night. Unless they were closed, it would be impossible to do the job without creating an alarm by the ■explosion. I followed the cashier in, when he opened the bank in the morning, and saw him put his finger in a hole in the outside vault door, throw back the bolt, and open the door. He then opened the inside vault door and that of the burglar box. I went to the hotel, saw my "pal," and told him I could and would do the job as soon as the weather was cold enough to make the people living in the vicinity of the bank close their windows; that it was useless to look any further; that the job suited me, and the capital of the bank was five hundred thousand dollars; to be patient, and we would satisfy ourselves as to the amount of available funds this bank had on hand, some night during the line storm in September. This being satisfactory, we returned to New York, where we were to remain until the weather was favorable for the break. Some two weeks after our return, I read in a Boston paper that an attempt had been made to rob this bank by a gang of burglars who had charged the vault with so much powder that the explosion caused a general alarm; that when the villagers went "to the bank, they found the windows blown out and the building shattered, but the only effect upon the vault had been to blow open the outside door. They then started in pursuit' of the burglars, and gave them a hot chase as far as Dover, where all trace of them was lost. The lock on the outside vault door had been out of order for nearly three years, and the hole through which the burglars had charged the door was the one the cashier put his finger in to lock and unlock the door, as seen by me. From the description given of the men, I was satisfied one of them was the man whom I had taken there with me, and, upon inquiry, my suspicions were confirmed. Two weeks later he came to my house and made the attempt to square himself for his treachery, by telling me that if the job had come off, Hope and the whole " mob " had agreed to give me my " bit," the same as if I had been on the ground when the work was done. I said : " When I consented to take you with me, I 346 LANGBON W. MOORM. believed you to be a square man, who had split out from Hope and his ' mob ' because, as you said, you could make no money with the party, and for two years had been trying to get to work with me with the hope of getting big money. I would have found it for you; but before the work could be done with safety, you, a traitor, betrayed my confidence, and went there with Jimmy Hope and his 'mob,' and made a failure. If, as you say, you told him it was my job, he is as tricky and treacherous as you are; and it is men of your stamp who cause honest men to say there is no honor among thieves." We then parted, never to meet again until the summer of '1884, when he was sentenced to three years in the Massa- chusetts State Prison at Concord, where he found me in charge of the clothes department. The Hope party soon after made the attempt to rob the Townsend National Bank. Here, too, they overcharged the vault and alarmed the town. They were given a hot chase to Lowell, when the team they used was found; and in searching the house where the man who hired the team had been staying, the officers found one half of a Boston paper that had been torn from and matched the piece found in the bank; it was left there by the burglars. A Boston private detective, who knew one of the party, seeing money in the case, put his nose to the ground, gave chase, and with the true instinct of a bloodhound trailed this man to his home, corner of Sixth Avenue and One Hundred and Twenty-Fourth Street, New York. When the house was searched, fourteen thousand dollars in United States 6-20 and 10-40 coupon bonds were found bidden away in a black bottle. The cork was taken out, and a satisfactory explanation made that caused the detective to leave the trail, return to Boston, and annoy this party no more. They soon after took to the road again, with a keg of powder and a coil of fuse, and made the interior of a bank in Oldtown, Me., and of the Framingham National Bank, look like a china shop after a bull had gone through it, without reaching the funds. Some people have supposed I was en- gaged in the Framingham job, for no other reason than that it was near my home in Natick. Such was not the case. During the month of August I took another trip East; and while on the way from Springfield to Boston, I overheard SOME PMOSPECTS AND A TOMCAT. 347 two men, who occupied the seat in front of me, talking. One of them told the other that a friend of his had eight thousand dollars deposited in the County Treasurer's safe, and from the conversation I learned they came from the western part of Massachusetts. Upon my arrival in Boston I consulted Colton's pocket map, which I carried with me, and selected Lenox as the place where the deposit was made. While on my return to New York, I visited that town with a friend and called at the County Treasurer's of&ce, where I saw a Hall safe at the end of the counter, with the doors open in such a way that no person in front of the counter could see how the inside of the safe was constructed. To feel this place out, I handed the gentleman I found behind the counter a one- hundred-dollar note, and asked him for small bills in exchange. While the money was being counted, my friend left the room and took the impression of the key that had been left in the lock of the iron door leading into the room. After receiving my change, I joined my friend; and together we looked through the interior of the building, going out of the rear, where we found another iron door. I looked at the lock, then at the impression, and came to the conclusion that the key that would open the office door would unlock that one also. The building was one hundred and fifty feet deep, and every window on the first floor had iron shutters. Once inside, a person could make all the noise he chose, as there was no house within ten rods of the Treasurer's office. After looking the village over, we returned to New York, when I fitted a key to the wax impression and got a kit of tools ready. A man was sent to Albany to get a team, and drive over to Lenox. He was to do the outside work, and drive us to Albany after the job was done. While this man (known as Tom) drove over the road from Albany, another (known as Mose) and I reached the town; and after select- ing a place for the team to remain in an open field half a mile outside of the village, we went into the town, where we waited until the hotel closed. At one o'clock in the morning, the outside man took his station at the front of the building near the office, where he could command a full view of the street; while Mose and I went to the rear door, put in the key I had made, threw back 348 LANGDON W. MOOBE. the bolt and entered, closing (but not locking) the door behind us. We went to the office; and with the same key- that had admitted us to the building, I unlocked this door, and we walked in and took possession of the office, raised the window, and swung back the bar on the iron shutters. This was done to give us the opportunity to communicate with the outside man, and at the same tirhe open up a hole for us to pass through in case of a " tumble." The door to the safe was noiselessly jacked open in a few moments, and we discovered a burglar box extending across the bottom of the safe. When Mose saw this he weakened, and said, " You cannot open that with these tools." I replied that if I could not open it with the tools I brought, I would pay all expenses for the trip, at the same time taking a small wedge out of my vest pocket and inserting it in the crack at the top of the door. With a copper sledge I forced it in, and opened up a crack wide enough to allow the powder to be forced into the box. Before half a charge had been put in, a " dead tumble " signal was given, by striking three heavy blows against the iron shutters with the butt end of a loaded whip, which made noise enough to alarm the town. A danger signal to a burglar who is inside must be answered at the first call, and he must come out ready to make a fight for his liberty, so Mose and I bolted through the window. Seeing no person but Tom, I asked him what the trouble was. He pointed across a lot filled with shade trees, and said : " Don't you see that man looking out of the hotel window ? He has been watching me for twenty minutes." I looked in the direction he pointed, and saw a dim light in the room, with what a nervous man might take to be a man's head in the window. I told the men to remain where they were while I went over and took a look at the watcher, who, upon close inspection, proved to be a big tomcat sitting bolt upright, lapping himself while sitting on the window-sill, with a grate fire in the room behind him. For nerve, this man Tom had established a record second to none; and yet, after watching the cat for a long time, he gave the danger signal without making an effort to discover what his man was doing at the window at two o'clock in the SOME PROSPECTS AND A TOMCAT. 349 morning. He has since got a mark and killed a man, just as this cat killed our chances for getting big money that night. When I returned and reported what I saw, I asked Mose for the powder, for I was going " to load her up." He told me he had thrown it all away by scattering it in the grass, fearing it might be found on him in case he was arrested. "We then returned to the office, and I put in a paper fuse and lighted it, while he stepped outside. 1 took my place behind the safe, hoping the puff would spring it far enough to allow me to force it open with the jimmy and wedges. After the explosion I examined the door and found it had not moved, and I was about to le^ve the room, when Mose entered, and commenced pulling out the drawers in the top of the safe. In one of them he found some bills, and he was taking them out, when I said^ "Put that money back ; this is burglary, and it shall not be larceny for the sake of a few dollars." He put it back. We left the building, went to the team, and started for Albany; but before we had gone four miles, one of the wheels came to a standstill, and, upon examination, it proved to be a case oi hot box. Mose and I got out and started for Albany, while Tom drove the team to the village hotel, and left his wagon and hired another, which he promised to return the following day, when his was sent for. He came on and * picked us up, carrying us to West Albany, where we arrived at 11 A. M. Sunday. Mose and I returned to New York, while Tom drove the team back to the stable, and made arrangements with the stable-keeper to return the hired wagon and bring the long, black, two-horse under- taker's wagon back to Albany the foUoM'ing day. The hostler was sent with the wagon, and the moment he reached the hotel he was arrested, charged with being one of the party who made the attempt to rob the County Treas- urer's safe some time during Saturday night. Being ques- tioned, the man told a straight story, and was allowed to send word to his employer, telling him of his arrest, and asking him to come and get him out of jail. The owner of the team saw his counsel, and they drove over to Lenox together, and had the hostler brought into court for examination. While this was going on, the Treasurer was examined as to the amount of valuables the safe contained on the night 350 LANODON W. MOORE. of the attempted robbery, and he stated there were in the safe at that time two hundred thousand dollars in United States coupon bonds and sixty thousand dollars in currency. He produced the " stuff " in court. The money and bonds, he said, were a part of a loan of three hundred thousand dollars that had been raised for the purpose of building some new county buildings in Pittsfield. The securities had been deposited there, for safe-keeping. As no person could be found who had seen the prisoner in the town before, he was discharged, after the undertaker who owned the team told the story of letting the funeral wagon to a stranger for the purpose of bringing in from the country a dead body, which was to be given a splendid city funeral by his many friends. The tax-payers of that county have good reason to feel thankful to that tomcat, for to him alone is due the credit of preventing the big boodle from falling into our hands. CHAPTER XXVI. TOO MANY "CEOOKS" SPOIL THE BEOTS. BURGLAR " MOBS " WRAJSTGLING IN NEW YORK OVER THE WOLPBORO', N. H., BANK, WHILE ANOTHER SLIPS IN AND ROBS IT. The Wolfboro' National Bank of Wolfboro', N. H., was looked upon by " crooks " as anybody's game after Saturday night, July 3, 1862, when Howard blew open the fireproof door of the bank safe, and captured five thousand dollars in cash which he found outside the strong box. He then drilled a one-fourth-inch hole through the outside plate of the burglar box, and, after working two hours, discovered that the drill waS revolving on its centre against a chilled steel plate, in which he conld make no impression, and he was compelled to leave the job unfinished. He then placed a card marked " Bank closed " in the window, arranged the curtains and blinds the same as he found them, picked up his tools and plunder, and, leaving the bank, entered his team and drove over the road to Hookset, where he boarded the early Monday morning train for Boston. As the glorious Fourth came on Sunday that year, it was not celebrated until Monday, and the robbery was not discovered Tintil Tuesday morning ; but from that day to this the officers have never been able to ascertain who the person was who did that job. Early in the fall of 1869, Jimmy Hope sent two of his men there to look at the b^nk, and when leaving the town they were passed on the road by a well-known English "mob" who were on their way to the bank for the same purpose. Upon the return of these men to New York, they told the story of their visit to the bank to a friend, and he gave the job away to another " mob " which was well known to both of the other parties. They by chance all met in the machine shop where the tools were being made for all three of the " mobs " to do this job. A wrangle ensued, and hard 351 352 LANGBON W. MOOBE. words passed between the parties. This little incident was reported by the tool-maker to a fourth party; and he, while the other fellows were trying to ascertain which party had the oldest claim and best right to the job, slipped in and " pulled off the trick." One of the party was sent to Fisherville, where he hired a team and drove over to Alton Bay, by day, with instructions to return to Fisherville - by night. This was done for the purpose of learning the road. When he had done this he went to "Worcester and wired the other two men an " O K " telegram telling them where he was staying. They left New York that night with the tools, and met the other man in Worcester the following morning. He was told to return to Fisherville, hire a team, drive to Alton Bay, and put the horse in the stable, where he could have a good night's rest and be well cared for. He was told to pay his bill at eight o'clock the following night, and drive to near the depot, where they would meet him upon the arrival of the last train from Boston. The connection was made all right, vidthout attracting attention, and all got into the wagon with the tools, and drove twenty miles to Wolfboro', arriving there at eleven o'clock p. m., without accident or meeting any person on the way. The summer hotel had been closed for the season, and the horse was driven under the hotel shed and hitched. At midnight the tools were taken out of the wagon, and the three burglars started for the bank. The man who hired the team was given his position at the corner of the bank, where he could command a full view of the street and near- est houses. The other two then went to the side window leading into the room where the safe was, forced the window, and entered the bank. The blinds and curtains were ar- ranged so that no light could be seen from the outside. The dark lantern was brought out, and the work began by drill- ing two five-eighth-inch holes through the door into the bolt- case. These holes were opened up into a slot, the jack was placed across the door, and the screw started in fifteen minutes from the time they entered the room. A few turns of this forced the outside plate of the door open far enough to allow the bolts to be worked out of their sockets, and the door was opened so easily that it would not have awakened a person, had one been sleeping on the top of the safe. TOO MANY " CROOKS" SPOIL THE BROTH. 353 The interior of the safe was looked through, and the box examined. Here a one-fourth-inch hole five-eighths of an inch deep was found. It had been drilled by Howard. On examination, the hole looked fresh, and shone like polished silver. A drill made by the same man that had made Howard's drill was inserted in the hole, and an attempt was made to finish up his work. This was found to be the toughest kind of a job, and would occupy too much valuable time. The braces were taken down, and a steel wedge seven- eighths of an inch long by one-fourth inch wide, one- eighth inch thick at the head, and drawn to a needle point, was started at the end of the hinge near the bottom of the door. This was struck three times squarely on the head with an eight-pound copper sledge, before a seam was opened up large enough to admit of seven ounces of fine powder being forced into the box without the use of the air pump. When this was done, a paper fuse was put in, and the tools, with the exception of a sectional jimmy, were taken out and given to the outside man, with instructions to carry them to the team, drive the horse out into the road, and be all ready to start the moment the other men came to him. One man then took his position in front of the bank, where he could command a full view of the street, and was told to keep a sharp lookout upon the house on the opposite side of the street nearest the bank. The other then entered the bank and waited until the " all right " signal was given, when he lighted the fuse and closed the outside safe doors to deaden the sound. He had just taken his place at the side of the safe, when off she went with a boom that sounded likp a forty-two pounder. The explosion filled the room with smoke, opened the outside doors with a bang, sent the door of the burglar box flying across the room, and scat- tered the money and valuables in all directions. While the funds were being gathered up and put in the old black bag, the outside man gave the danger signal — one, two, three — to come. This by rule admits of no delay ; but here was a case where the money was in sight, and the man reasoned that if he could get away without the money he could with it, so he kept right on picking it up and put- ting it into the bag. Seeing the call was not answered, the outside man climbed ~ up to the window, stuck his head in and shouted: " Cojjie 354 LANGBON W. MOORE. out ! There is a ' dead tumble,' and the people in the house opposite are all up and flashing signal lights to the watchman on the steamboat at the end of the pier." The fellow on the inside did not scare " worth a cent," but kept right on about his business until he had gathered up all the funds the box contained, with the exception of a few pennies which lay scattered about the floor. When he left the bank, he saw the other fellow running away up the street like a deer. He called to him, " Stop and come back, or j^ou will be counted out at the finish when the ' stuff ' is divided up." He stopped ; then came back. When asked where he had seen the lights, he pointed to the house on the opposite side of the street, saying, " They have put out the lights and are looking out through the windows at us now." This man had simply lost his head, got rattled, and imagined he saw a torchlight procession marching through the street in front of the bank. He was given the bag and told to go to the team and remain there until the other man had satisfied himself that everything was as it appeared, all right. Hearing no noise and seeing the house remained in total darkness, he, too, after a few moments, wenti to the team, jumped in, picked up the reins, and sent the horse flying out of the town at a ten-mile gait. At six o'clock in the morning they had gone twenty miles and passed through Alton Bay without meeting or seieing any person since leav- ing that town the previous evening. Now that all danger was past, the horse was allowed to jog along slowly ; and when not more then four miles from Alton Bay, and while ascending a long hill, one of the wheels refused to do its duty. Examination showed it to be a case of hot box. While the man who had hired the team drove up the hill to a farmhouse, cooled the box, and had the wheels taken off and greased, the other two men took to the woods. They swung around a circle of two miles and en- tered the road, and were on the tramp when the man with the team came along and picked them up. They were carried to Boscawen, forty-five miles away from Wolfboro', arriving there at 11 A. M. The horse was taken to the stable and arrangements were made to have him well cared for until the following morning, when he was to be taken back to Fisher- . ville, where he bad been hired. The burglars had not en- TOO MANY "CROOKS" SPOIL THE BROTH. 355 tered the village together, and did not recognize one another when they met at the hotel table for dinner that day. They boarded the afternoon train for White River Junction, where they changed cars for Troy, N. Y., and remained at the latter place one night. The following day, Sunday, they made the journey to New York by the Hudson River road without accident. A few days after their arrival in the city, no less than five ten-per-cent detectives came around for their " bit." . They said there was a man sleeping in the building above the bank on the night of the robbery. He thought he heard the ex- plosion, but, hearing no other noise, guessed he must have been mistaken, so he turned over and went to sleep again. I was well aware suspicion would attach to me ; for ever since the Concord job I had been held responsible for every robbery committed in New England, because some Boston detectives knew no other man but me. That, in fact, is the reason why so many robberies have been committed without the arrest of any person, or the recovery of a single dollar stolen by other men. I was not surprised when I saw a well-known private detective from Boston enter my place of business, the Wood- bine, disguised in a long circular cloak. He purchased a cigar, took a seat at the table, picked up a paper, and pretended to be reading it. At the same time he was watching every person who entered or left the place. The " tip " went around, and the boys played the "shoo fly" on the professional detec- tive on the occasion when he brought the stable-keeper from FisherVille to the house, hoping he might be able to induce him to identify me as the man who hired the team. This detective got his " tip " from the disappointed bank robbers who " got left " with a big kit of tools on their hands. In 1891 a Boston detective gave this aged story to a Boston paper, stating that I was in the job with Haight and Campbell, the man who years afterwards was arrested for a crime com- mitted in Rhode Island. He could not be convicted then, but was betrayed by the men he was working with, and was taken to New Hampshire, where he was tried, convicted, and sen- tenced to State Prison for ten years on the Wolfboro' robbery. CHAPTER XXVII. AEEESTS AT ROCKLAND, MINE. AN E'XTEA hazardous BANK JOB AND THE TEEACHERY OP AN EX-CITY MARSHAL LAND A LARGE PARTY IN PRISON. Early in March, 1870, by appointment, I met Ra,nd, Josli Daniels, and C. B. Haight in New York, and was told by them that they had a big bank job in Rockland, Me. The job had been put up to them by Addison Kaiser, the City Marshal, who was a good man, all right, and would do the outside work for the party. They asked me to go with them and look the job over. They said they were there in the fall of 1868, and had made the attempt to rob the bank. The Marshal had furnished them with a key by which they entered the telegraphic office adjoining the bank. They dug a hole through the partition wall leading into the bank vault; but when they entered the vault they were surprised to find a large burglar-proof box standing opposite a large fireproof safe, in which they had been told the bank's money was kept. While the Marshal was doing the " piping " for them on the outside, they were banging away with, a heavy sledge upon the box ; but after working all night, the only impression they were able to make upon it was to knock the knob and dial-plate off. They left the job, after stealing forty-one dollars in pennies, which they found in a box on the top of the safe. At the same time there were five hun- dred thousand dollars inside the burglar box, and I could have captured it, had I been there, they said. I told them it was early in the season, the job could wait, and I would see them again. I did see them again, and was told that not only the Marshal was in the job to have the bank robbed, but that Alden Litchfield, one of Rockland's largest merchants, who was doing business near the bank, had put up the job with the City Marshal to bring a party there who could do the work, and that they were both anx- ARRESTS AT ROCKLAND, MAINE. 359 ious to have it done. It ran along until some time in April, when I consented to go into the job — providing, first, they would arrange to have a boat there to take us down to New Brunswick after the robbery had been committed; and second, that the party should agree to let Josh Daniels, whom I knew to be a very sick man, " stand in," but remain at home. He could render us no assistance whatever, and if on the ground would be only so much dead weight on our hands. Haight I had known for some time ; and he had given me a full description of the interior of the bank and its surroundings, with a fair description of the burglar box I was expected to open. I said, " If everything is as you have described, I can do all the work in two hours, if not disturbed." They then communicated with the Rockland parties, and all agreed Daniels should stay at home and get his full " bit," the same as if he were on the ground. They all prom- ised to furnish a boat to take us down to New Brunswick April 25. This being satisfactory, Haight and myself left New York, and arrived in Boston early the next morning. When we called at Rand's office we found him out ; and while waiting for him to return, I met Daniels, who said he preferred to go with us — that the job was his, and that he did not think he would be entitled to a full ",bit " unless he was on the ground at this time. Rand joined the party, as it had been pre-arranged ; and he, too, agreed that Daniels might be of some assistance, as Kaiser and Litchfield were his personal friends, and had originally given him the job. As Haight saw things as they did, I consented to continue the journey to Rockland. Upon our arrival' there, we were met at the boat by Kaiser and Litchfield, who, as soon as thej'- saw they had been seen by Daniels and Haight, left the pier, followed by the rest of us in single file to Kaiser's house. I then had his team hitched up, and was driven to Camden. I remained there during the day, and that evening the team returned and car- ried me back to Rockland, where I met my party, in company with Litchfield, John Black (who was an uncle to Kaiser), and John Graves, also a relative of Kaiser's. I was then told by Haight and Daniels that Kaiser was not then City Marshal, having been removed a few weeks previous, and no 360 LANGDON W. MOOBE. other man as yet had been appointed in his place ; that the night -watchman was a friend of the ex-Marshal and Litch- field, and that he would do whatever they said. I was also told they had made every possible effort to secure a boat, and had failed so far; bxit thought that Graves, who was a sailor, would, be able to furnish the boat, providing he was put in the job and allowed to sail his own craft to New Bruns- wick and return. He was then seen, and agreed to have the boat ready for the following night. The party then separated, Haight, Daniels, Rand, and my- self going with Litchfield to his house. We were taken to a room, with two beds in it, in the upper part of the house. We remained, having our meals brought to us, until the fol- lowing evening, when we left the house singly and went to the place of meeting, about half a mile out of the city. There we saw Graves, who told us he had been unable to get the boat he had named on the previous night, as it then was being repaired, and would not be ready to put into the water for one week. He had heard of another one that he thought more suited to take the party in. This one he would see on the following day, and, if possible, have it there at 10 p. M. the next night. We then returned to Litchfield's house, where we passed the time until the following night, when we met Graves and Kaiser, and were told this boat, too, was out of the water and undergoing repairs, which it would take at least ten days to complete. I had not liked the job from the time I first saw Litchfield and Kaiser, and so I stated to my " pals " ; but I was told the men were all right; that Daniels had been selling them " queer " for years. They begged to be given one more day to find a boat. This was given them, and we returned to the same room we had occupied the two previous days. At nine o'clock the next night, we met again at the same place, and were told they had scoured the shore from Thom- aston to Camden, but could find no boat suitable to take the party away. I then proposed to return to New York until such time as one could be procured. This did not suit my " pals." I offered to let them have my tools to do the job with, and I would take the midnight stage for Augusta, declaring myself out of the job and asking for no part of the proceeds, ABRESTS AT ROCKLAND, MAINE. 361 Finally, some one of my " pals " insinuated that I had "weakened." I said: " This is not a question of nerve, but of judgment. You brought me here to do this job, and have failed to keep your agreement about hiring a boat. We are here on a penin- sula, with no way of escape but by land, and the only way this can be done is by going to Augusta, forty-five miles; the whole Eastern country would be notified of the robbery, and it would be an easy matter to intercept us before we got there." They then proposed to take us away by teams, Kaiser to furnish one and his uncle, Black, another, while Graves was to get one at the livery stable, where he was well acquainted. We then separated, my party going to the room. There we remained until the following evening, when we met the three men with the teams. After they had promised faithfully to take two of us to Augusta and the other two to Belfast, I said I would go and look at the bank, which I had not seen up to this time. We then left the teams and the men who were to take us away, in the woods, and went to the bank. We passed up the stairs; and when we came to the door lead- ing into the telegraph office, Haight opened it with the key Kaiser had furnished him when they had made the first attempt. This room was dark, and Haight led the way behind the counter, when he brought out the lantern and said, " See, here is where we dug through." At the same time he ripped off some of the plaster. I said, " It is too late now to postpone doing the work, for what you have done will spoil the job." I then looked for some article to put on the floor to deaden the sound should a brick by accident fall upon the floor. Seeing a dress Ij'ing on the counter, I, without examining it, laid it on the floor, under where the digging was to be done, and commenced bricking the side of the vault. When the first layer was taken out, I received the signal to stop work. I then heard the mail coach drive up on the other side of the street, when I stopped for several minutes. This I had not bargained for, as Haight, Eand, and Daniels had repeatedly told me no one could be seen on the street after 11.30 P. M. I then rigged a telephone from the front door to the vault, so that the outside man could signal us if anything happened on the street. 362 . LANGBON W. MOORE. In the meantime Kaiser and Litchfield had seen the night watchman, and told him they were going to smuggle some liquor into Ropkland that night. They arranged with him, for one hundred dollars, to stay at the upper part of the town. As he was a poor man and not paid by the government to pro- tect its interest, he consented to keep out of the way. The entrance to the vault was soon made. I then exam- ined the interior of the vault, and saw the fireproof safe as described by Haight; also the burglar box. This I com- menced to work on at once, and at no time during the next three hours had we ten minutes for steady work. People were passing on the street all the time, and the employees in the lime-kilns were going to and fro directly under the win- dows. It was past three o'clock when we got the box loaded up with three-fourths of a pound of powder; and everything had been ready for some time to touch the match when we got the signal that the street was clear. It was nearly four o'clock and was quite light. I cautioned Haight about touching off the fuse, as some of the powder had been spilled. I took my stand near the side of the entrance to the vault; and instead of minding the caution, after touching off the fuse, he dropped that and the match to the floor. The result was that the powder ignited and the explosion was instantaneous. The table was tipped over, the lantern upset, and Haight knocked down. We were in total darkness. He cried- out to me that he was killed. I took him down the stairs to the sidewalk; and when I stood him up against the building, I saw he had a wound on the face. It was not bleeding freely, and he was not much hurt. He had simply lost his courage. I said, " Brace up," and at the same time I looked around for Daniels and Rand. They were nowhere to be seen, but I did see the night watchman talking to the porter who was sweeping off the sidewalk in front of the Thorndike House, not more than fifty yards away, on the opposite side of the street. They had heard the explosion, and also heard some broken glass fall to the sidewalk. While I was there they did nothing but look at us. When I saw they made no alarm, I said to Haight : " Stop here ; we are going to get ' pinched,' and nothing can save us from prison unless I can get that money and get far enough away to ' plant ' it — then we may buy ourselves out if the arrest is mad©," AEEESTS AT ROCKLAND, MAINE. 363 I then went up the stairs to the vault. I found it full of smoke, and the atmosphere was suffocating. There was no way for this smoke to escape except through the hole made by us. I put a wet sponge in my mouth and a wet hand- kerchief over my face, went to the box, and cleaned it out without the use of a light. There was a box in the safe; but as I found it was heavy, and did not know what it contained, I made no attempt to take it away. The smoke was so thick that it was as much as I could do to stay in the vault half a minute. Returning to the street, I saw the watchman and the por- ter were still in the same, position and looking at us. No one had rendered me any assistance, and Haight and myself started for the teams half a mile away, I carrying the tools and the bank funds in a meal bag slung over my shoulders. When we had gone half way to the teams, I saw Daniels and Rand sneaking out from behind the corner of a house. I was so disgusted with them that I did not speak to them until we reached the team. Then I asked which one was going with me. I received no answer. Then I asked Haight where he was going. He said to Kaiser's house; and Rand said Graves had promised to take him to Belfast. Rand asked me to take one thousand dollars out of the bag and give it to him, as he was going to purchase a horse in that vicinity. This I refused to do. Daniels then started for Litchfield's house. I said, " Will no one go with me and the money ? " Haight then said, " See, my coat is covered with blood; but if no one else will go, I am going where the money goes." Rand then drove away with Graves; Haight got in with Black, and I with Kaiser. We started for Augusta. It was now as light as day, and before we had gone one mile a man passed us who was well known to both Kaiser and Black. When we had come to a large piece of woods some four miles from the town, Kaiser stopped and refused to go any farther. He called his uncle to a halt. I then said:- "The funds of the bank are in this bag; there may be ten thousand and there may be a million dol- lars — whatever there is, I will give you my ' bit ' of it if you will take me to Augusta as you promised to do." "I will do it," said the ex-Marshal; but Haight spoke up 364 LANGBON W. MOORE. and said, " I brought. this man here, and he has done the job, and would you now rob him out of his share of the money for doing just what you promised to do? " I said, " Haight, I will stand pat with any bargain I can make with this man to fulfil his part of the agreement." They then refused to go any farther, but said they would during the day bring us something to eat. This was to be left at the side of an old stump^ where we entered the woods, and at eight o'clock that night they would come with the teams and take us to Augusta. They then went away, while Haight and I went a half- mile back into the woods. The " stuff " was taken out of the bag, and the available funds were separated from a large bundle of papers, which I did up carefully, putting them in a hollow stump, sticking a piece of brush in the hole as a landmark. The intention was to notify the bank people where they could find them when I arrived in Boston. It rained most ,of the time during the day. I heard a great many wagons passing along the road, and I told Haight I was satisfied something was wrong. At 7.30 o'clock that night, we went out to where we entered the woods from the road, but failed to find the food that Kaiser said, he would leave there for us to eat. We found some crackers but no cheese, which he agreed to leave. Although we had eaten nothing for thirty hours, neither of us could touch these crackers. I then told Haight I thought it would be well for us to go ■ down the road half a mile, and see that everything was all right when Kaiser and Black came to take us away. He took offence at this, and said, " You have been suspi- cious of these men all the time, and for no other reason than that they are friends of mine." I replied: " Litchfield allowed us to leave his house last night without our supper, and we have eaten nothing since Kaiser and Black refused to carry us away as agreed, and he now leaves a bag of dry crackers for us to eat. I think it is about time we should look to no one but ourselves for assistance." Finally Kaiser came along, and Haight got into the wagon. I asked where Black was. He said he was waiting for me a half-mile farther on, at the cross road. I did not like the way things looked. I was suspicious that something was AliEESrS AT ROCKLAND, MAINE. 365 " wrong, and had a mind not to get into the wagon. I said I would walk along behind, but after going a short distance I consented to ride. I had heard Haight ask Kaiser if he had brought anything along to drink. He handed Haight a quart flask of whiskey, and Haight muzzled it like a hungry calf. I said to him, " You better touch that light, as you will want all the brains you have got before morning." It was now about 8.15 o'clock, and very dark. We had not gone half a mile, when suddenly fifty or sixty men sprang up, as it seemed, out of the earth, armed with muskets, pitchforks, clubs, and dark lanterns. Three or four grabbed the horse by the bit, others pulled Haight out, while several rushed at me. One man carried an old queen's-arm, about six feet long. He put the muzzle at my head. My silk hat was knocked off, and it was jumped on in the mud. As the lanterns were flashed in my face,, I looked straight at the man with the queen's-arm and asked him if he had ever killed many men. This probably saved my life, as it turned the laugh on him. I afterwards learned he was a rank coward. Anyway, he then took the gun down. I had not seen Haight taken away, and after the irons were put on me I was taken back down to the woods to where we had entered the road. The order was given to get the ropes ; it had been their intention to lynch us on the . spot. After the money and bonds had been counted, in the morning, they were all put into the bag, With a stick we dug a hole and "planted" the bag, with the intention of leav- ing it there; and when things quieted down, some two weeks later, one or both of us would return for it and carry it on to New York, after Kaiser, Black, Graves, and Litchfield had been given their " bit." Just before we started for the road, Haight declared he would not leave the money there, but ■ would take it along with him wherever he went. I said, " They will never allow you to take it to State prison when we go there." He had the money bag when they came upon us, and they got that the first thing after he was pulled out of the wagon. They had returned to the woods in time to open the bag; and John T. Berry, the president of the bank, had just fin- 366 LANGLON W. MOORE. ished counting up the funds, when the call was made for the ropes. He then asked me where the rest of the property was, saying that he had all the " corn." I then said, " Gentlemen, you are all strangers to me; take me to where I can see who I am talking to, and I will answer any question you may ask." Mr. Berry told the much-excited crowd to put away their ropes and take us down to Rockland. When we arrived at the little wooden lockup, I saw a great crowd in the street ; every person seemed determined to get a look at us, and when the door was opened we went in on the run. Seeing a cell door open as I entered, I stepped in, and had dropped my ivory-handled Moore's na- tional I'evolver in the bucket at the head of the bunk, when I was told to come out of there; that I need not be in such a hurry to be locked up, for I would get plenty of that before I got out. The cuffs were then taken off and I was searched. I found that they had Litchfield, Daniels, Graves, and the night watchman all locked up ahead of us. As soon as the robbery had been reported to the bank officers by the night watchman, after we had gone away, a message had been sent to Sheriff Gross at Camden; and when he arrived on the ground, it was decided to telegraph to Chief of Police Sav- age at Boston to send down two experienced detectives to run down the robbers. As Savage's men were all busy at .the time, he sent down Private Detectives Chapman and Dearborn, and they arrived there just in time to prevent Warden Rice from bringing " Dutch Dan "■ over to see if he ~ could identify us. We had got this "tip" just in time to tell the Sheriff what our true names were, and so prevented the detectives from telling the story of our identity. Dearborn was very fresh, andj to let the bank officials know he was well posted, asked me whether I would rather stand trial for the Rock- land Bank robbery, or be taken to Norway and tried for that job. I told him there was little choice, but I should prefer being tried on the Norway robbery first, providing these people would abide by the decision rendered in that case. At that time the acquaintance between Chapman and my- self began. They talked a good deal about having me sent over to Norway, not knowing that the case had been settled six months previous. The bank people had paid little or no abhests at noCKLAi^t>, mains. sgo attention to this talk, as they were satisfied I should be held and tried for the Rockland robbery. Some curious things came up, while we were there in the little lockup. The Mayor came in to see me, and told me it was a pity that the telegraph operator's dress had been spoiled ; that she felt the loss very severely, as she was going on a visit to her folks, and that the dress had been sent to the office that afternoon from the dressmaker's; that it had cost her thirty-five dollars. I then asked him if he had a piece of note paper. He furnished some, and I wrote an order on the Sheriff for thirty-five dollars, payable to Mayor Kimball. The money was to be given to the young lady who lost her dress. The •Sheriff honored the order, as he had some private money which had been taken from me when I was arrested. In the meantime the night watchman's wife and little chil- dren were crying around the place, lamenting the fate of the husband and father. I sent for the authorities, and told them that the watchman knew nothing whatever about the robbery, and was entirely guiltless of any complicity in it. They finally consented to let the watchman go, and his wife offered up the most beautiful prayer in my behalf that I had ever heard. Four days after our arrest we were taken to court. There I saw * Black, who, upon his return to Rockland the day previous, had been arrested. Haight, Litchfield, and myself waived examination. Then Daniels jumped up and said, " Put me down waived, too." Litchfield, Daniels, Haight, and myself were committed to Belfast Jail, in default of twenty-five thousand dollars bail, until the next term of court. The man we had met the morning of the robbery had told the story of seeing Kaiser and Black carrying two strangers away from the town ; and when the ex-Marshal returned to his house, at 10 A. M., he was arrested on suspi- cion, and was so frightened that he went all to pieces and "squealed" on the whole party. They then went to Litch- field's store and arrested him, and then to his house, where they found Daniels. He, too, was taken into camp, and Graves soon after fell into the net. Rand had taken the boat from Belfast to Portland, and the officers there stopped and questioned him; but when he had given them a nice 370 LANODON W. MOOUE. little horse story, he was allowed to continue his journey to Boston, where he got the " tip " that the officers were looking for him. Without stopping to pack his trunk, he " jumped " to Montreal. During the day, the ex-Marshal had told where he had left Haight and myself in the woods, and the arrangements he had made with us to take us away at eight o'clock that night. The townspeople were then let into Kaiser's "squeal," and they had been leaving the town by the way of Thomas- ton, in single teams, during the afternoon. It was these wagons I heard passing during the afternoon on the back road, and this was the way tlie surprise party was made up that scooped us in. When they found the funds in Haight's possession, it gave them a dead open-and-shut case on us. Kaiser, Black, and Graves were held as witnesses in a small amount of bail, which was furnished by the prosecution, and they were liberated. We were taken by the Sheriff of Knox County and his deputies to Belfast Jail, and put into Sheriff Calderwood's charge. They then locked us up and put three keepers in the jail to watch us. Beds were put up in a room that opened into the prison and was in plain sight of the rooms we occupied. While one man with a repeating rifle paced up and down in frodt of our rooms, the other two occupied the other rooqi, where they had firearms enough to stock an arsenal. They did. patrol duty, four hours off and four on, night and day. Even then, the Sheriff did not feel secure; and he set a post in the ground some thirty feet from the jail, and rigged a large stick of timber from the post to the centre of the heavy oak door opening into the jail, to prevent the door being forced open, in case we got out of our rooms and did up his watchmen, Devens, Lamb, and Black — who, by the way, was no relative to the ex-Marshal. The county at this time allowed the Sheriff three dollars a week for our board, and to make it more binding, we each paid the Sheriff three dollars more to feed us from his private table. At first only two of us were allowed out of our rooms while meals were being served, and not then until one of the guards had walked around the jail and examined it carefully to see no one had made the attempt to break in during the night. This was kept up for a few weeks, when an extra set of bars was put up at the windows. We were ABEESTS AT ROCKLAND, MAINE. 'All then allowed to come to the. table together; and during the eating we were watched by the Sheriff, his- son, and the watchman, to see that we did not swallow our knives and forks, and use them afterwards to break jail with. In the meantime they had learned Rand was in Montreal; and County-Attorney Rice of Knox County had procured from Governor Joshua L. Chamberlain — Thomas B. Reed being Attorney-General of Maine at this time — requisition papers upon the authorities of Canada for the. arrest of Rand. With this document Attorney Rice and Sheriff Gross went to Montreal, and demanded that Rand be arrested and deliv- ered into their hands, to be extradited at pleasure. Upon their arrival, they had wired that they had seen their man. Then Sheriff Calderwood came to us and broke the news gently that Rand would be with us in two days. I laughed at him, and said, " Rand will have to be con- sulted and his consent obtained before they can bring him over the line." He guessed not, as the Governor's warrant would com- mand respect anywhere. I then told him it was not worth the paper it was written on, and that I thought every school boy ought to know that there were but seven crimes for which a person could be extradited. These were murder, and attempt at murder, forgery, and uttering forged paper, piracy, robbery, and arson. When these officials returned, they were told by Calderwood what I had said, and they were " given the laugh." They became my bitter enemies, and I was made to feel their power when I, a few days later, made application for a reduction of bail. It was increased to double the original amount. Ex-Chief Colonel William P. Wood came to see me, and I employed him at ten dollars a day and expenses to collect the evidence and put the case in shape, so as to allow me to call upon the Secretary of the Treasury to have the pledge they had given me redeemed. In a little over forty days, he filled a small satchel with letters from leading officials at Washington, to be used for my especial benefit at the trial. At this time Colonel Whitley was chief of the Secret Service division; and through jealousy because I had^tuot called upon him for the redemption of the pledge, he opposed Wood in every move he made. Daniels was very sick at the time Wood came to the 372 LANQHON W. MOO&M. prison; and when Wood, told liim he could do nothing for him, as he only came there in my behalf, he, too, turned on me. • The District-Attorney was sent for, and was closeted with Daniels for the greater part of a day. When I went to Rockland for trial, I found Daniels had given my pedigree away, and it had been published in the National Police Crazette, which I saw circulated largely among the people when I entered the court room. Two months previous, while Haight and I were in jail at Belfast — for the robbery of the Lime Rock Bank — a deputy sheriff came there to us, and stated that the Norway Bank made no claim on us, but that the county had a bill of four hundred and forty-seven dollars costs for prosecution, and that unless we paid it the county would take the case inrto court. We did not have money enough to pay the bill, and I gave him what money I had,' with my watch and chain and a ruby charm. Haight borrowed from his friend Daniels his watch and chain, and we gave him those to make up the remainder, reserving the right to redeem the collateral at any time within six months. We went to prison, however, and never redeemed them. During my stay in jail, several old friends called to see me, and this created a jealousy among my "pals." In the end they joined Daniels, and owned up to making the first attempt to rob the bank, saying they knew nothing about the business, but I was an expert at robbing banks, and had opened this safe as easily as most men would an oyster; and if it had not been for me, the bank could never have been robbed. The attempt had been made no less than five times by other parties before I came there. All this was made known to the public, and instead of making the people more bitter against me, it had the effect of turning their thoughts the other way, so that, in the end, I had more friends than all the others put together. They were pleased to get the information, but despised the men who furnished them with it; and when we were taken to Rockland the last week in September for trial, several ladies and gentlemen came to the front and button-holed the authorities in my behalf. Daniels at this time was scarcely able to stand. He was taken to court, and not being able to undergo the pressure of the trial, his case was continued. HJfe was taken to the hotel while the other cases were being called and tried. AEBESTS AT ROCKLAND, MAINE. 373 It had been decided to try Haight and myself first, as principals; and when they had disposed of us, they would then try Litchfield as an ^accessory. I was told, before our case was called, that Wood had the previous night read the letter of the Secretary of the Treasury - to the District- Attorney, and that he believed the letter a forgery. He had wired to the Secretary, asking him if he had written the let- ter; he had answered back that he had written it, and if they were not satisfied with that one, he would write them another. I was very angry when this had been told me, for neither Wood nor my wife and friends had seen me when the case was called and the indictment read. To the usual question asked Haight, " Are you guilty or not guilty ? " he pleaded " Gtiilty." This I had not ex- pected, but I saw it had all been pre-arranged, as a letter was handed Judge Barrows that proved to come from Haight's people, stating that his mother lay at the point of death, and the shock would be too great for her if he was sent to prison for a long term. Wood, had "made me tired" when he allowed the District-Attorney to read the Secretary's letter, as I had intended to spring those letters on the court when my case was called, and to ask for a continuance until the next term of court. This would probably have been granted, and in the meantime the case would be getting shop-worn. The delay would give my friends a chance to drop a penny in the slot. I was sore at what had been done, and I Jumped up and said, " I, too, plead guilty " — just as Wood, my wife, and friends entered the court. No one could be more surprised at what I had done than my counsel, who withdrew the plea. When the judge asked me if I wished to withdraw my plea of guilty, I said, " No, sir, it all goes." My counsel then filed a demurrer and plea nol. contend. I asked permission to retire from the room where I could see and hear all there was going on in the court. Haight was given a seat in the court beside his beautiful wife, and in this way he thought to create sympathy. My wife then came to me, saying : " Oh, dear, what have you done ? You have spoiled everything Wood and I have done for you. See here — look at all these letters from the best people in Washington, Boston, and New York." She then handed me the Secretary's letter to read. 374 LANGBON TT'. MOOBE. I said : " You should have shown me these letters before the District-Attorney was allowed to see them. They can do me no good, now that their^ contents are known to him. Put the letters back in your satchel, and don't allow any person to see them until I come home — then, and not before, will I read any of them." Alden Litchfield's case was then called, and he entered a plea of not guilty. Addison Kaiser, the ex-Marshal, then took the witness stand, and testified in full to Litchfield's complicity in the robbery. His testimony was corrobated by John Black and John Graves, two relatives of the Marshal. The officers testified to finding and arresting Josh Daniels in Litchfield's house. This closed the case for the prosecution. . Litchfield took the stand in his Own behalf, and made a total denial of having taken any part in the robbery, or of having any previous knowledge the bank was going to be robbed. He said that Haight and myself never were in his house, and that he saw both of us for the first time in the lockup after our arrest. During his cross-examination, any one could see he was in distress, especially so when he caught the eye of the Attorney-General, Thomas B. Reed, who was then in court to assist County- Attorney Rice in the prosecution, if his services were required. The only part I saw taken by him was done by note. Mrs. Litchfield then took the stand, and testified to substantially the same as her husband. This witness closed the case for the defence. His counsel, Mr. Jewell, made a good argument and a strong plea for the defendant, whose character, he said, would compare favorably with that of any man among them. His resources seemed to be without limit, when he created a character for the miserable creatures who had testified against him. ^ The District-Attorney's work had all been done by the witnesses for the State ; he had only to call the attention of the jury to the evidence and the fact that one of the robbers had been found in Litchfield's house, heavily armed, at the time of his arrest. Judge Barrows' charge to the jury was fair and impartial. He gave the prisoner the benefit of the doubt, if one could be found to exist ; but the twelve men of the jury could find none, and returned a verdict of guilty in less than one hour. ABBESTS AT BOCKLAND, MAINE. 375 Litchfield, during this time, had been given the " tip " in some mysterious manner, that tlie jury were hung up, and would never agree upon a verdict of guilty. He was dancing around the room, all smiles, saying, " I told you so." But when the court and the spectators came in from dinner and were seated, the door was opened, and "the twelve good and true men " came in, and when asked the verdict, said Alden Litchfield was guilty as charged in the indictment. When he heard the word " guilty " spoken, he went all to pieces, and gasped for breath. He looked wild- eyed, and I thought he was going into one of those fits that he had rehearsed so often for this special occasion while he was in Belfast J*ail. His counsel, seeing the terrible con- dition his client was in, came to his rescue and filed an application for a bill of exceptions, and the judge granted a continuance of the case until the next term of court. This would give his counsel time to argue the exceptions before the Supreme Court; and he and Daniels were remanded to Belfast Jail. Here Daniels died, a few weeks later, with consumption. Charles B. Haight and myself were sentenced to seven years in the Maine State Prison, to work from bell to bell in the interest of the State. Sheriff Gross then gave us into the custody of Warden' W. W. Rice, who, with his son William, had attended court every day, anxiously waiting for the opportunity to show the people how quickly they could couple us together with leg-irons and handcuffs, and dump us into an express wagon, which they had there for the purpose of conveying us to the State prison at Thomas- ton, three miles away from Rockland. The time taken to do this was less than thirtjr minutes, the quickest record of any man entering that prison after receiving his sentence. CHAPTER XXVIII. LIFE IN THE MAINE STATE PRISON. A waedbn's spite prevents my seeing oe sending MESSAGES TO MY WIFE FOE THEEE LONG YEAES. Having been hustled into the prison,.we were given, in exchange for our citizens' clothes, a suit of red and black, divided from the centre of the cap to the bottom of the pants, one side red and the other black. I was then taken to the third cell on the lower division, about twenty feet from the guardroom, and locked in. This hole I occupied for years. It was about seven feet high, four feet ,wide, and seven feet long, with top, sides, and ends — except a small barred door — built of rough split granite that in some places projected several inches out into the cell. There was in the cell an iron bed-frame, slatted with hoop iron. One side of it was hung upon two hooks against the wall, allowing the bed to be slung up to cool against the stone during the day, and at night one could let it down so that the front would rest on two legs. The frame was six feet by thirty inches wide, and, when down, gave only standing room between that and the wall. The bedding consisted mainly of a straw tick, well filled, and a straw pillow. I can't say anything about sheets and pillow cases. There was a comforter, a stool-table twenty-eight inches high, thirty inches long, and sixteen inches wide, a one-quart tin dipper, an iron knife, fork, and spoon, pepper and salt boxes, a black junk bottle filled with the cheapest kind of molasses, and a slop bucket. This was my first introduction into a State, prison. Early the next morning some person came silently to my cell and slipped a pan of greasy hash through the bread-hole in the bottom of my door. I picked it up, smelt of it, and found it to be a fair sample of boarding-house hash, such as I had never been able to eat. I put it on the table. Soon after, a man, dressed the same as myself, came running 376 377 LIFE IN THE MAINE STATE PBI80N. 519 past my door, with a basket of bread on his arm. He fired one of the loaves at the bread-hole in the bottom of the door, but missed his aim and the bread rolled three feet away from the door. After he had served all the men in this division with bread, and while on his run back to the kitchen, he gave my loaf a kick, and sent it flying through the hole into the cell. He then came along with a four-gallon watering-pot, with the sprinkler out, and tried to play a stream of coffee through the bars of the door into the mouth of the tin dipper which I held in my hand. He made the remark that I had never " done time " before, because I " muffed " the dipper and spilled the coffee on the floor. I must be more careful the next time, he said. In a day or two I was taken out to the carriage shop and set to work at a bench planing boards. The shop was built of stone, and was two stories high, two hundi'ed and fifty feet long, forty feet wide, with low ceiling, dark and dismal, with benches along on both sides. There was a convict at work at each bench, some making wheels, and some at work on express, grocery. Concord, and Portland Fancy wagon bodies. During the time I was looking around the room, the officer was laying down the rules of the shop to me. First, I must speak to no one unless compelled to, and then only after I had stood at my bench with my hand raised above' my head until I could call the officer's attention. If he nodded assent, I could leave my bench and speak to the man I wished. I was to work faithfully from bell to bell, from 7 to 12 A. M. and from 1 to 6 p. M. Ten hours constituted a day's work in summer ; but in winter, when the days were short, we would only have to work from the time it was light enough to see across the shop until it was so dark we could scarcely distinguish one person from another fifteen feet away. When I entered the shop, I must go straight to my bench, take off my jacket, and go to work. Of tools he gave me but one, and this was an old, worn-out jack-plane, cast aside by the other convicts. I shoved it in silence ten hours a day for thirty days. During this time a plate of hash had been slipped under my door every morning, before the bread and coffee had been given out, and I supposed every convict in the prison was 380 LANGD.ON W. MOORE. having hash, bread, and coffee for breakfast, until the wing man came to me with a bill for thirty plates of hash, at ten cents a plate. I was told that Pat, the head cook, had sent the hash with the consent of the Warden, in order to make a dollar for himself. It seemed he could do this when any one came who could afford to pay for extra food. I asked him if I was the only person in the prison to whom hash had been given. He said I was, with the exception of Haight, and that he had stopped taking it when Pat presented, his bill. I then paid the bill, and gave the order to stop my hash. Previous to my sentence, the Warden had informed my wife that all convicts sent to the State prison were allowed to furnish their own cells if they chose to do so. He gave her the size of the cells and the bed-frame. She then gave an order for a hair mattress, Brussels carpet, two feather pillows, and a pair of English white double blankets, dishes, and table cutlery, including a silver-plated caster, besides a camp chair, sheets, and pillow-cases. Early in November she came on from New York, stopped over at Rockland, paid for the things, and ordered them sent to the prison. She and the goods arrived at the prison about the same time, and I was sent for to go to my cell. Here I met her and the Warden. He, after looking the things over, allowed them to be put into the cell, after the other things were taken out, and I returned to the shop. That night I was sent for to go up to the guardroom, and was shown by the watchman into a small room, where I found my wife and the Warden seated a yard apart. A third chair the Warden placed four feet away, facing both of the others. He looked to see neither of us had anything concealed in our mouths or hands, and then allowed us to shake hands and kiss each other, if we wished. After that, ■I was told to sit over in the third chair. My wife was also seated, and for one hour we talked about everything but what we wished to talk about. He sat there and listened to every word spoken, not turning his eyes from us during the whole time. At the expiration of the hour, the curtain was low- ered ; I was sent back to my room, after being told I could see my wife agaiii the following night. At the request of the Warden and his wife, it was arranged she should stay at their house during all her visits LIFE IN THE MAIifE STATE PBISON. 381 there during the next few years; because, if she went to the hotel, she would, they said, be pointed out to every person in the village. At this and all future visits, she remained at the Warden's house two or three days, and paid hotel prices for the accommodation. At this time convicts who had money were allowed to keep a small amount about their persons, for the purpose of purchasing such articles as were sold at the grocery store in the village. They could also order milk from the milkman, to be delivered in their cells daily. This was billed, payable once a month. The State furnished writing material to each convict once in every three months; but by purchasing it from one of the Warden's, boys, who went around to every convict in the prison on Sunday with paper, envelopes, and stamps, a con- vict who wished could write a letter every Sunday. The boy would go around and collect the mail at 6 p. m., and carry it to the Warden's house for him or his wife to read. This, like all other privileges, could be forfeited if one per- sisted in breaking the rules. The prison mail was delivered but once a week, and that after Sunday service in the chapel. All the letters must be folded, put in the envelope, and addressed, and a stamp put on, but the envelopes must not be sealed. All eatables ordered in the morning would be delivered in the cell that day, and must be paid for, either in cash or by order, in the guardroom, before a delivery was made. At the expense of the State, each division in the prison was allowed one copy of Harper's Weekly. It was delivered to the first convict on the division; and when he was through reading it, he would stick it in his door, so that the night watchman would, when he came around,' pass it to the next cell, and so on down, until every one on the division had seen it. Then it was picked up and carried outside. Few others, except story and religious papers, were allowed in the prison, and these only after being carefully looked through to see that, they contained no contraband news. I saw my wife the following night; and after going through the same examination as on the first night, 1 was allowed to take my seat, we doing all our talking in the pres- ence of the Warden, who was seated in the same position as on the previous night. What was done at these two visits 382 LANGBON W. MOOBE. was repeated without variation during all her future visits. If she happened to come there when the Warden was not at home, she would be compelled to remain until he returned before she was allowed to see me. Several of the prison officials boarded at the prison, ate their meals in the kitchen, and occupied sleeping-rooms over the guardroom. The convict baker did alt the cooking for the officers, and he was allowed to feed one convict in the prison from the officers' table, being paid by the convict for it. The money he got for extra work he could put in his own pocket. As soon as this was made known to me, I arranged with the baker to send to my cell two square meals each day, at a price satisfactory to us both. I also ordered a quart of milk to be delivered in my cell daily. There were a few women prisoners, who occupied rooms in the women's department over the guardroom, and might often be seen looking out of the windows during the day by the men in the shop. Talking was not allowed in any of the shops, except the carriage and blacksmith shops, and there only when two or more men were working together on the same job. I advanced rapidly in my work, and was soon put to work with convict Allen, making Portland Fancy wagon bodies. I not only learned to make these, but was told all the mysteries and miseries of the prison. I had never seen either Rory Sims, Dave Bartlett, or Fairy Maguire, the masked burglars who had robbed the Bowdoin- ham Bank. These desperadoes had effected an entrance to the cashier's house late one night, and made the attempt, by' putting the muzzle of a pistol at his head, to force him to give up the keys to the bank. Finding he would not do this, one of the party took the baby out of its mother's arms by the heels, and threatened to dash its brains out against the wall, unless the cashier gave up the keys, went with them, and opened the bank. This the cashier finally did, but not until the mother pleaded with him to go and save the life of their child. Judge Barrows had referred to these men when I was sentenced, saying there was no parallel be- tween the two cases, as it had been shown by the government witnesses that I came there to rob the bank without using force or putting any person in bodily fear. If I could not do this, I would have had nothing whatever to do with the Llt'I! IN THE MAINE STATE PEISON. 38^ robbery, but would have retuined to New York. This fact he had taken into consideration when I was sentenced to seven instead of fifteen years. There Mas no change in the food of the prison from one year's end to another. For breakfast and supper it was a dipper of rye coffee and a loaf of bread, which was often sour. For dinner, it would be salt fish, cooked with the bones, skin -and scales, and some unpeeled potatoes, with a small slice of salt, pork, or baked beans, stewed beans, salt junk and potatoes, or stewed pease. This was the bill six days of the week, with cold brown bread for dessert ; but for the seventh day we were given bone-marrow and gristle soup. The bones were bought from the butchers in Rockland and Thomaston, and brought to the prison on soup day. The cooks would break them up with axes, then put them in a large iron boiler with some rice and water, and the old kettle would be set to boiling. At the tap of the bell at noon, the men would march into the prison, pick up a mush dish full of this stuff, with a ration of brown bread, take it to their cells, and eat what they could. At one o'clock, while on their return to the shop, they would leave their mush dishes at the slide leading into the kitchen. I worked in the wood shop a hundred yards' from the gate; and the moment this bone-wagon entered the yard in summer, the men had no need to be told what they were to have for dinner that day, for they could smell the old bone cart coming. Holidays were the same as other days, with one exception, that of Thanksgiving. Then if Mr. Dorsey, a philanthropist who resided in Providence, R. I., sent the money down to pay for a turkey dinner, it would be given ; otherwise the convicts would be fed on corned shoulder, cabbage, and potar toes, at the expense of the State. They were allowed one hour in the yard or paint shop, while on other holidays they were kept locked in their rooms. The State furnished all the molasses and vinegar the prisoners wanted. They could leave a bottle by the side of their door when they went out to the shop, and find it filled upon their return. Each convict was furnished with a small lamp, wibh oil. All lights must be put out at 9 p. M., unless by special permission from the Warden. No objection was made to any convict having an oil stove in his cell at his own expense, and he was allowed to cook anything he chose 384 LANGDON W. MOOBE. to purchase from the store. Those who had a stove and no money found great difficulty in getting anything to cook. All library books were given out or exchanged on Sunday. It was seldom any person visited the prison. The number of prisoners was anywhere from one hundred and forty-two to one hundred and sixty-five. Very few among this number had friends who cared to call and see them; and not ten among the whole lot had a dollar in money,, as the work was all carried oo by the State. A thorough harness maker acted as officer and instructor for the convicts in the harness shop, and pulled off his coat and went to work with the convicts. The same was done in the carriage shop by Officer Davis, a practical carriage and sleigh maker, and by Officer Dunbar, who had charge of ihe wheelwright end of the shop. The officers in the paint, shoe, and blacksmith shops worked as hard as any of the convicts. In this way they set a good example for convicts to follow. Blake, a life prisoner, was put in charge of the carriage trimming shop, with " Dutch Dan " for one of his helpers. This man Blake and a life convict named Littlefleld, who took care of the Warden's trotters outside of the prison walls, roomed and ate their meals in the hospital. Charles B. Haight also took his meals there, and was allowed to spend his evenings, Sundays, and holidays with them. Every night, at nine o'clock, the night watchman would go to the hospital and escort Haight to his room in the prison, and lock him up for the night. The State made no provision for more delicate kinds of food for the sick, who were compelled to fare and share alike with the well men, with the exception that Blake or Little- field could draw the rations for the number of convicts in the hospital, take them there, and cook them for themselves. This should never have been allowed. There was a great deal of dissatisfaction among the convicts, when they saw the hospital run in the interest of Blak-e, Littlefield, and H9,ight, whom I have seen dance, sing, play the banjo, eat, smoke, work, ot do anything they pleased, as no officer was present, during my stay in the hospital. Late in December the prison inspectors always took account of stock, with the assistance of the prison officers and convicts; and for several years previous to 1874, it was ' shown on paper that the prison was earning, over and- above all expenses, nearly five thousand dollars a year. IIFE m THE MAINE STATE PRISON. 885 ' The washroom and bathhouse were both in one rooiii, and for bath-tubs the convicts were given the half-barrels and casks used by the washermen when washing the convicts' clothes. Here, on every bathing day, could be seen two or three men, sitting around the edge of the half-cask, bathing their feet; and two might be seen doing the same thing in a half -barrel, with their pants rolled up. When the men of one division were through bathing, the tubs would be turned over, and the water turned out ; then four or five pails half full of fresh water would be put in for the next batch, and so on, until all who wished to bathe ' were given a foot- soaking. In the winter no path was opened for the convicts. At times, after a heavy snowstorm, they would have to wallow through snowbanks above their waists, while on their way to the bucket-ground, an eighth of a mile away from the prison. Sometimes one of the men would lose a cowhide shoe in the snow, and have to stop and dig it out. On such trips they were not accompanied, either summer or winter, by an officer, but they were looked after by the officers on the wall. Three stoves were used to heat the carriage shop and two to heat the prison. The men suffered terribly with the cold at times. During the winter grocer Litchfield's case was argued before the Supreme Court. The decision of the lower court was sustained, and he was sentenced to four years and a half in State prison. He was put .to work in the carriage shop, making wheels. Convicts who refused to work were put in the lazy cells, away from all other prisoners. They were allowed to remain as long as they chose to live on four ounces of bread and a dipper of water, given them every twenty-four hours. One man stood this kind of treatment six months, and when he returned to the shop looked about as well as those who worked at the bench. The Governor and the Council .visited the prison once or twice each year, as did also the members of the Legislature. Any convict who wished to speak to the Governor could, by making his request known to the Warden, do so. The Coun- cil usually remained at the Warden's house one night, and would always walk around the prison in the evening and g8d ■ LAmboN w. Moons. talk to the convicts. This they would also do during dinner hour. Often they would go to the shops and talk to the men there. The Warden who preceded Rice in office had been killed, when about to leave the carriage shop, by a convict, who cut him in the side of the neck with a plane iron. This man's blood was spattered all over the door leading to the cellar. The stains were allowed to remain for years, and were pointed out to visitors. The inspectors were supposed to visit the prison every three months. Things ran along nicely for me for three years, and at the expiration of that time I had learned to make any kind of wagon or sleigh produced by the shop. Then my trouble commenced. The Warden and the inspectors discovered the State was losing money boarding the officers for three dollars a. week; and as they would pay no more, they were given notice to find board and lodging elsewhere. When this was done, I was compelled to fall back upon such stuff as could be purchased at the store. The Warden's son was allowed ten per cent upon all such purchases. It happened that Hank Hall of New York had deposited one thousand dollars in cash, to be given to any man who would get " Dutch Dan " pardoned out. As this could not be done without some reasonable excuse to take to the Gov- ernor and Council, he was allowed to write a letter to the president of every bank he had looked over in Maine, giving each of them a full description of the interiors, as well as the outsides, of their institutions. . He also attempted to show the weakness of the work, and how the officials could make their banks absolutely safe against the attacks of burglars. This was soon noised about among the bankers all over the State, and made " Dutch Dan " very popular. As soon as the " coppers" who were to get the one . thousand dollars were able to get in their work, and after Dan had been fur- nished with a model prison record, he was pardoned, without a single protest being made public. Seeing what was done in this case, I thought it might be done in mine; and as no opportunity had ever been given me to speak a word to my wife privately during any one of her visits, I decided to communicate with her privately. This I did by writing twenty words on the outside of the envelope in a space that could be covered by a postage stamp. I LIFE i:S THE MAINE STATE PRISON. 387 • would then put the stamp on and see that everything appeared regular. When these letters reached her, all she had to do was to put the envelope in water, and in a moment the stamp would be taken o£E and the envelope laid aside until the next letter came. In this way, in a few months, she received my instructions to raise twenty-five hundred dollars. When she had done this, she was to visit me, with- out mentioning the fact to me what she was going to do or telling me she had the money. With this she was to go to the Warden's wife, show her the money, and ask her where was the best place to put it to do me the most good. in effecting my release. She saw five men who agreed to put up five hundred dol- lars each; but just at this time Ned Lyons made his escape from Sing Sing Prison. He heard one of the men talking the matter over with some outside party, and knew that if this thing got noised about, the chances were against my being pardoned. I had not spoken to him for years, and we were not friends; but he went to my wife and put twenty-five hundred dollars in her hands. He then accompanied her to Bath, Me., where he remained while she came to the prison to see me. In her anxiety to let me know she had raised the money, she foolishly wrote on the border of the New York Ledger, which she was allowed to send me weekly, these words : "AH right. I will be there the second week in March." This was seen by the Warden before he allowed the paper to be sent to me in the prison. That night, upon her arrival at the prison, I was called up and shown into the room where I always went to see her. Here I saw her seated with the Warden, as on all previous visits. Not a word was spoken about the attempt being made for a pardon or the money, but this she managed to let me see in a small roll inside the cuff under her sleeve, without attracting the attention of the Warden. I was given the usual hour, during which I noticed the Warden seemed nervous, restless, and more watchful than ever before. The following night I was again called up into this room. Seeing my wife was not there when I entered, I asked the Warden where she was, and was told she had gone back to New York. I asked why she had done this. He answered by asking me if he had not always been liberal with me in 38S LANGJbON W. MOORE. my correspondence. I replied that he had never given me any cause to complain. He then told me he had sent for my wife to come to his office at ten o'clock that morning, and asked her to tell him all about our private correspondence, who the man was that had taken the letters out of the prison for me, mailed them to her, and brought her answers to me in the prison. She had assured him she never received any letters from me except what came through the regular way. He then told her that unless she made a full confession and told him all about it, she could never see or hear from me again while I remained in prison under his charge. He had even locked the office door, thinking to intimidate her. Then he was told by her she had always taken him to be a gentle- man, but now she saw her mistake; she asked him what kind of a reception I might expect, when I came home, from a wife who would come there and betray her husband, even admit- ting letters had passed between us without^ his knowledge or consent, which had not been the case. " Now," he said to me, " I shall tell you the same as I told your wife : that unless you make a full confession to me and tell me who it was that carried out your letters and mailed them and brought her answers back to you, and make an apology to me for what you have done, you can never write to or receive a letter from your wife or any other person while you remain under my charge. Neither can you receive visitors or be allowed money or anything else that may be sent to you by your wife or any other person." I replied : " My wife is not under your control, since you unlocked the prison door and allowed her to escape from your office. She has committed no breach of discipline. If one had been committed, I alone would be responsible to you for the acts of my wife while under my control, and you will never receive either a confession or an apology from me. This you can write down in the prison book in large letters, that every one who can see may read my answer to you." I had served out but half of my sentence at this time, but I returned to my cell, determined to worry him a little while he was torturing me. I had a little money on me at this time, and made the attempt to make some small purchase by order at the store, but was told by the deputy I must see the Warden. I waited patiently several months, and continued to buy LIPE in the MAINE STATE PBISON. 389 paper, envelopes, and stamps. I wrote a letter to my wife every Sunday, knowing it would not be mailed. No letters from her were ever allowed to reach me, and I was forced to live strictly on prison fare. This soon brought on dyspepsia, and I was compelled to see the doctor and get permission from him to be allowed hardtack. This I ate, without taking any other food, for ten months, and worked every day at my bench. At the expiration of that time I was well, and could eat any kind of food. I still continued to write a letter to my wife each Sunday. In these letters I would give a full and detailed account of everything that occurred in the prison, not forgetting to tell what inhuman treatment the Convicts received at the hands of the officers. When a death occurred in the prison, I would state that another brutal and licensed murder had ■been committed in the Maine State Prison. Then I would give a full and detailed account of the cause of the man's death. These letters were collected with the others on Sunday and taken to the Warden's house, where they were read by him and his wife. A new inspector was appointed, and he, with Mr. Wilson and Mr. Prince, came to the prison in December, 1875, to take account of stock. This man was a practical business • man, who would not mark rotten and worthless lumber at a figure first-class lumber could be purchased for. One night, when they were about half through taking account of stock, the night watchman in the guardroom discovered the carriage shop on fire, near the end where all heavy work was made. ,He gave the alarm, and at 11.20 P. M. the steam fire engine, W. W. Rice, was on the ground in front of the shop, and between it and the prison. This was the first time this machine was tested ; and as there was a limited supply of water, she made a very poor showing before the Warden and the inspectors. No one questioned that the fire was set by some one who resided outside the prison wall. The Warden and his boys got " rattled," and transferred all the convicts from the south wing through the kitchen into the north wing, fearing the stone walls of the prison would take fire. The guardroom was filled with spectators, all anxious to assist the ofiicers in looking after the prisoners. After the shop with its contents was burned flat to the 390 LANGDON W. MOOBE. ground, we were all taken back to tlie south wing and locked sLn our cells, where we remained several days, until some benches could be put up in the lower shop, which was used for a storage room for carriages. All the tools were destroyed. I, with the rest, was furnished with new tools. I had the pleasure of seeing the members of the Legislature looking over the remains, previous to their appointment of a committee to ascertain the cause of the fire. They sent men there to tak6 a correct account of the stock left after the fire. This they found to be a difficult job; for when it came to the harness shop, it was found that all the sides of harness leather had been cut and prepared for the stitchers. The stock In the shoe shop received the same attention. I was sent to the yard to select enough lumber to make fifty wagon bodies. This I did, and it was sent outside to the mill and sawed. Other men in the wood shop did as I did. In this way, a correct account of stock was prevented from being taken. In the end it resulted in criticism upon the mana- gers of the prison; for it was found that the loss by fire amounted to nearly fifty thousand dollars, and that, instead" of the prison being run at a profit to the State, it had actually been carried on at a loss. No message or letter had passed between me and my wife for two years. She had visited the prison several times, in the hope that the Warden would relent and allow her to see me. This he would not do. She had always furnished me with my underclothes and footwear, but these were now all worn out, and little was left except the seams. The legs and sleeves of the underwear were covered with patches, and no two patches were of the same color. My pants and boots were all worn out; and every time I walked through the snow or slush, my feet would get wet. The officers had been told to make no talk with me. The Warden's wife, while visiting some of the convicts in the prison on Sunday, came to my cell on three occasions and asked me to stop writing such scandalous letters about the management of the prison. This I refused to do, unless I could be treated the same as other convicts were treated. During all this time, I worked faithfully; and it was ^id by every official about the prison, the Warden included, that I did better work than ever was done in the prison before. When I had been there three years, the travelling salesman LIFE IN THE MAINE STATE PBISON. 391 for the prison came to me, and asked me to stamp my initials under the hind sill of every wagon I made. " For," said he, " I have often hitched together as many as a dozen wagons in a string and started with them out through the country; and at the first stop I made, a crowd would col- lect and walk up and down the line until they came to one of your wagons. They would price it, and a sale would be made at an advanced price of fifteen or twenty dollars above the highest asked for any of the other wagons in the string." He added that he had never yet taken one of my wagons out of Knox County to be sold. This was why he requested me to put my mark on all my work. I continued to do this up to the time of my discharge. The inspectors always attended service in the chapel, whenever they remained at the prison over Sunday; and often when they were there, a few village people would come in, go to the chapel, take seats, and look at the convicts when they filed in. Hefe these visitors would remain until, at the close of the service, the convicts were marched out into the yard and away to the prison, eighty yards from the chapel. A deputy always stood in the yard between the prison and the chapel, for the purpose of looking over the convicts' clothes, to see they were not so ragged as to attract atten- tion from either the inspectors or visitors; and he would always, when he' saw a convict in rags, send him back to the prison, and tell him his clothes were not fit to be seen in the chapel. Early in the winter of '76, on one Sabbath morning, he ordered me back to "the prison, as I had often seen him do with others. I said, "If my clothes are good enough to go to the work shop, they are good enough for me to go into the house of the Lord," and I passed on into the chapel, where I saw the Warden, his family, the three inspectors, and several of the village people. After service, when the convicts were leaving the chapel, I gave the one behind me the " tip " to hold back a little, and leave an .open space between him and me. This he did, and I passed down the aisle until I came to the turn towards the door. The moment my back was towards the prison officials and the spectators, I dropped my cap, and then stooped slowly down, picked it up, and passed out into the 392 LANGDON IP. MOOBE. yard. The seat of my trousers and my underclothes were all out at this time, and hanging in strings. Before I reached the prison, the word was passed all along the line what I had done, and it was agreed that it would cost me my life. The next day, Monday, at 10.30 A. M., I was sent for to go to the guardi'oom, where I had not been for over two years. I was shown into the little side room, where I had met my wife so often when she was visiting me. Here I saw seated the three prison inspectors, who greeted me kindly with " Good morning, Mr. Moore." Inspector Wilson, the chairman, asked me if those were all the clothes I had. I said they were not, as I had a change of underclothes in my room. He asked me to go to my cell and get them, as he wished to see them. This I did, and when I returned to the room I laid the bundle upon the table and opened it, saying, " I have owned some pretty mean horses in my time, but I never owned one so mean that I' would allow him to wear such clothing as that." The different pieces were made up of patches of as many as a dozen different colors, the same as the ones I was wearing. Mr. Wilson said, "Let me see — you and the Warden have had a little misunderstanding about some private correspond- ence, I believe." I said, " The Warden may have made some trouble for himself, but none for me." He said, " You know the Warden is very stubborn, like yourself ; and I would like to see you both take a little back- water, shake hands, and be friends, the same as you were before this thing happened." " I have nothing to take back," I replied. ^' What I said to the Warden, more than two years ago, I meant then, and the same all goes now. Where is the Warden? Why is he not here ? " They told me he would not see me until they had talked with me. I said, "I should not 'think he would, after the cruel, brutal, and inhuman treatment I have received at the hands of this white-eyed monster called Warden." Mr. Wilson said that was a pretty hard name to call the Warden. I replied that the treatment I had received would LIFE IN THE MAINE STATE PRISON. 393 warrant me in calling him worse names than that. . I then gathered up my suit of rags, carried them to my cell, and returned to the shop. This was a surprise to all the con- victs, as they supposed, when I was called out, I was going to be sent to the dog-hole for punishment. In a few moments I was sent for to go over to the tailor shop. Here I was measured for a suit of clothes. When I turned to leave the shop. Officer Chase called me back and said they were not through with me yet. I was then measured for a cap. He next called the convict who made nothing but custom work, and told him to measure me for a pair of double-upper and double-soled sewed calf-skin boots, the best made in the shop. The convict said, " What, the ten-dollar boots ? " The officer replied, " Yes, that is my order from the deputy." I then returned to the shop, and said nothing to any one. That night when I entered my cell, I found two suits of fine, heavy, blue flannel, home-made underclothes lying on my bed. One of these I put on before eating my bread and coffee, and felt comfortable for the first time for more than one year. For fear the men in the shop should see the change of underclothes, I worked with my jacket on for four days; at the end of which time, when I entered my room at noon, I found a new suit of red and black, and cap to match, with the boots. These I put on, and wore them out to the shop after dinner. I was told by several of the convicts that they would be willing to walk in and out of the chapel naked, if they couid get such clothes as mine. From this tiine I was allowed one pint of milk each day, and all the Lorillard's best natural leaf bullion tobacco I wanted, as I could not chew the other three-cent plugs given out to the convicts — for that was the kind I used to buy by the box, soak in a barrel of water, and dip the lambs in, to kill the sheep ticks, when I was a farmer. During the summer of 1876, my wife came on from New York to see me and to ascertain when my time would expire. The Warden would neither allow her to see me nor tell her when I would be discharged ; but he did tell her I would probably have to serve out my full sentence. I made no inquiries as to what was going to be done in my case, but continued to work from bell to bell, and make no complaints. 394 LANGDON W. MOOSE. The Hew shop had been built, and the men were all at work, either building carriages or sleighs, the same as they had done in the old shop. Early in October the deputy came to me in the shop, and told me Haight was going out and w^ished to speak to me before he left the prison. I asked if he had been pardoned. He answered, " No, his time is out." I said: " We came here together, under the same number of years' sentence; and the way I reckon time, three hundred and sixty-five days and six hours in each year, I have thirty- six hours yet to serve, and suppose he has the same, as neither of us has ever been reported for punishment." He told me that, in reckoning time, the odd six hours always went for the benefit of the convict. I said: " You can tell Haight I do not wish to have any conversation with him ; that he owes me a thousand dollars, and, if he ever gets tliis, he can pay the money to my family. If he doesn't do this, he will always owe me the money." And with this answer the deputy left me. Two days later I finished up all the work I had com- menced, and took a seat beside my bench. Davis, my officer, came "to me and told me to go down in the yard and select the lumber to build six top-buggy bodies and seats for the same. I told him to tell the Warden my term of sentence expired on the same day and at the same time Haight was discharged, and that I should never do any more fine work for the State as long as I remained in the prison. At noon I was locked in my cell, where I remaiaied until some time during the afternoon. The deputy warden, a boy about twenty years of age, — Wendal P. Rice, a son of the Warden, — • came to my cell and asked me if I had sent such a message to the Warden as had been stated by my' officer. I told him I had. He endeavored to make me withdraw what he considered to be a threat against the Warden ; and when he found I would not do this, he unlocked the door and said I had better go out to the shop and arrange in some way with my officer to keep me in the shop, because he did not wish to keep me locked up in the prison. I returned to the shop. My officer asked me if I had arranged matters with the deputy. I said, " No ajrrangements can be made with me to build any more top buggies, phaetons, or sleighs for the State." LIFE IN THE MAINE STATE PBISON. 395 He asked if I would build some express wagons.- I told him I would do no more heavy work. He asked what I would like to do. I told him I did not intend to do much of anything more. I might consent to build a few Portland Fancy wagon bodies. He asked how many I wished to start at one time. I told him I guessed I could make two last me as long as I remained in the prison. I went out into the yard and selected lumber for two, marked and had it sawed, and commenced killing time. For the next few days my officer tried to persuade me to continue with my work, the same as I had done previous to the expiration of my sentence, with the good time off. He had often told me my work was worth from sixteen to eighteen dollars a week to the State, but now my bench was being run at a loss. I wish, right here, to make a break in my narrative to insert Warden W. W. Rice's authority for holding me. Here it is : — Chapter 140, Kevised Statutes, section 14: "He [the -warden] shall keep a record of the conduct of each convict, and for every month it appears by such record that such convict has faithfully observed all the rules and requirements of the prison, the -warden may reccunmend to the executive a deduction from the term of such convict's sentence according to, but not exceeding the following rule and proportion: for a convict under sentence of twq years or less, one day for each month of good conduct; three years or less, and more than two years, two days; four years, three days; five years, four days; seven years or less, and more than five years, five days; nine years or less, and more than seven years, six days ; ten years and less than fifteen years, seven days; fifteen years and less than twenty years, eight days; and for all other convicts, except those sentenced to imprisonment for life, ten days." Things ran along in this way until about the twenty-first of the month, when I saw the Governor and his Council, accompanied by the Warden, enter the carriage shop at the door opposite my bench. The Council I had often talked to before, but now I paid no more attention to them than I would to so many blocks of wood. They remained talking to my oflBcer and the Warden for about three-quarters of an hour. They then left the shop. The next morning Deputy-Warden Rice came into the shop, stopped at the officer's desk, and motioned for me to come to him. I did so, and he asked me out into the yard. I stopped there, but was told to come on into the prison ; that 396 LANGDON W. MOORE. ■ the Governor and Council had pardoned me when they were there the day before. I said, " If that is the case, I will go back and get my jacket and cap." " Oh, never mind them," he said, " I will send for them." I said I had already been kept more than two weeks after my time expired, and was not now in such a hurry to get out as to go and leave my clothes in there. I then returned to the shop and put all my tools in the rack, brushed off my bench, wrote out a list of all the things in my cell, raised my hand, aiad was given permission to leave my bench. I went across the shop to Gilman, a life prisoner, and said : " I have been pardoned. Here is a list of everything in my cell. I will tell the deputy to have the things trans- ferred to yours. If you do not find everything mentioned on this list, ask the deputy for them. I will tell him I have given all of them to you." I left the shop with the deputy, and was refused the privilege of a bath in one of the half-barrels, because, he said, I would not have time to catch the train. I went with him to a room over the guardroom, and was given, in exchange for my red' and black suit and striped shirt, a white shirt — that I had to spli,t down the back before I could get it on — a pair of high-water pants that were skin- tight, a vest that I had to rip up the back, and for an inside coat, the one I had worn there. It had been kept in pickle for me. The overcoat was the one I had had made by Bell of New York at a cost of one hundred and ten dollars. I had it sent to a man who promised to get me out of the carriage shop and into the harness shop, where I would not be compelled to stand on my feet from bell to bell. He got the coat, but I did not get the job ; and after waiting a year, I made a kick, and the coat was given up. For a hat, I was given one about four sizes too small ; it was scarcely large enough to cover the bald spot on the top of my head. I carried it in my hand to the Warden's office, where I saw him, and was asked to sign my discharge paper. He handed me a five-dollar note, saying, " We usually give discharged convicts but three dollars; but you have so far to go, the State allows me to give you five." I threw the money bacTi to him, saying I wouldn't owe the LIFi: IN THE MAINE STATE PBISON. 397 State of Maine one dollar, and I did not want any of their money. " It is nearly four hundred miles to New York," I said, "and I can walk it in thirty days." Saying this, I started to leave the office, when he said, " I have some money here that belongs to you." I asked him how much, and he said, " Twenty-five dollars." " Give me that money," I said, " for that is all mine, and should have been used to purchase suitable medicine for me when I have been sick during the past three years." He handed out the money, and told me Mrs. Eice wished to speak to me before I went away. I said Mrs. Rice had always treated me as a lady should, and. I had no objections to seeing her. I went to the house and bade her good-by. The Warden then took me in his wagon, and, while on "the way to the depot, said he disliked very much to have me go away holding any hard feelings against him. I replied : " You have held animosity against me for more than three years without cause ; you have denied me every privilege allowed other convicts. My family is as near and dear to me as yours is to you. My wife and child have on several occasions come on from New York at an expense of nearly fifty dollars, and yo-u would not allow my wife to see me or to communicate with me in any way during the two or three days she remained at your house while here. You even went so far as to forbid your officers speaking to me. For more than three years, no word has reached me from the outside world. When you foimd I would neither make a confession nor an apology, you tried to murder me by slow torture, by compelling me to wear, in dead of winter, clothes that did not cover my nakedness, as all can testify who were in the chapel the day I dropped my cap and put myself on exhibition, causing the inspectors to force you to furnish me with proper clothing. Now, if you will let me know when you are coming to New York, I will give you the hottest reception you have ever received." He then spoke of how much Mrs. Rice thought of my wife; they had even named a blooded colt after her. i said : " My wife may have felt flattered by such con- sideration, but I do not, especially when it has been pur- chased at the expense of an astrakhan blanket and hood which 398 LANGDON W. MOOME. cost more than fifty dollars, to say nothing of a suit of fancy blankets, a sole-leather trunk, and a valise made by Gibson at a cost of a hundred and one dollars. The clothes she sent to dress your first grandchild, when she was born, cost more than all the children's clothes worn by all your babies." Hundreds of dollars' worth of presents had been given by my wife to the Warden's family, she thinking it might in some way be of service to me. The only benefits I ever received from this were few and far between. Once in a while, a pie would be brought to my room at night, " on the dead sneak," by the little boy, and put through the bars of my door. That was all. The Warden remained at . the depot until he saw me get on the train, with my hat in my hand. In this way I trav- elled on to Boston, where I took the night express for New York, riding in the smoker. When the train reached Stamford, Conn., I saw John Haley and his " pal," Schoharie, enter the car. These men I had known for many years as mule, horse, and card sharpers. I was bareheaded, and all they could see of my clothes was my overcoat. Haley dropped into the seat beside me, and began questioning me as to where I came from and where I was going. I told him I kept a large country store down in Maine, and was going to New York to buy a bill of goods for cash I carried with me. He then gave Schoharie the " tip," and he came and sat down at the other side of the table. When he began to ask questions, I reached up and took down from the rack a small bundle, and held it in my lap. This they thought was a bundle of money. They produced a pack of cards, and asked if I ever played seven-up down my way. I told them I had never visited New York before, that my partner always had purchased the goods, and that before I left Maine I promised him I would play no cards until I returned home. They told me they were well acquainted with all the principal business houses in New York, and offered to show me around among them before making my purchases. After detaining them about forty minutes, I asked if they were well acquainted at the corner of Houston Street and Broad- way during the war. LIFE IN THE MAINE STATE PMISON. 399 " Oh, yes ; we were there every day." I asked if they ever knew a man by the name of Charley Adams. Then they both jumped up and said : " By Charley, I did not know you. Don't, for sake, give us away for trying to pick you up. If you do, we will never hear the last of it." I had the laugh on them, and sent them to look up some other victim. After the train crossed Harlem bridge, I jumped from the last car and landed on a broken stone road-bed. At the time, I did not know Fourth Avenue had been cut through. It was raining, and very dark at this time (five o'clock in the morning), but I found myself in the cut, and had to go back to near the bridge to a place where I could climb the wall, and so get over the fence. I then walked down the avenue to One Hundred and Twenty-Fifth Street and through this to Eighth Avenue, and on to One Hundred and Forty-Sixth Street, to where a policeman told me my family lived. Seeing a light at the window, I threw up some gravel stones. My' wife raised the window, and asked who was there. I said, " A gentleman from Maine, and he wants a pail of water, a bar of soap, and some towels, to wash himself with." She came down with a lamp, opened the door, but failed to recognize me until I told her who I was. At the time I was all broken down, and weighed only a hundred and sixty- five pounds, while my weight, when she last saw me, was two hundred and twenty pounds. I then, after being invited into the parlor, took a seat, and was asked to remain there until my wife could go and bring the children down. Then, for the first time, I saw my daughter, she having been born June 16, 1870, six weeks after my arrest. I had always refused to allow her to be brought to the prison before my privileges had been stopped, because, I said, she should never see me for the first time in a prisoner's suit of red and black. That morning I ate a square meal for the first time for more than three years. I had not tasted food after I left the prison until I reached home. In a few days I learned that the Governor's attention liad been called to my case; that he and the Council went to 400 LANGDON W. MOORE. the prison and asked to see the convicts' record book. It ■ was shown them, and they found a blank space under my name that would indicate a perfect record. The Warden was then questioned as to why he was keeping me. He was in a tight box, and did not dare show the letters I had written the past three years, giving a detailed account of the manage- ment of the prison. Had he shown the letters, I knew it would have caused an investigation, and I had stated nothing but facts that could be proved. But he did say enough to cause the Governor to tell him he- had exceeded his authority by keeping me there, when it was shown by the prison record my conduct was perfect ; that, according to his own statement, he had denied me every privilege allowed other convicts for years ; that his attention should have been called to this fact before ; that prisoners were not sent there to be tortured by him, or for the purpose of gratifying his personal animosity by keeping them there after the expira- tion of their sentence. My health was poor; and as the sun had shone on me but seldom for the past six years and six months, when I attempted to take a sun bath, I would become so dizzy and " rattled " that, after walking through the streets for a little while, I could not find my way home. Some time in Febru- ary, 1877, 1 travelled on to Boston, after selling at auction the furniture in my house at the corner of One Hundred and Forty-Sixth Street and Eighth Avenue, New York ; and between Boston and New York I passed my time, and renewed ray criminal career. CHAPTER XXIX. FORCING EEFOEIS ON THE WARDEN. THE GOVEBNOE's COmSTCIL ACTS UPON SOME SUGGESTIONS OP A PEISONEE. Foe the benefit of those who have an interest in prisons, I shall go more into detail regarding the prison in Maine. After I had been there some time, I was asked by Warden Rice how I found things; if they were as I expected to find them in the prison when I came there. I replied that I had formed no opinion previous to coming there; that I never allowed myself to form an opinion, or to talk upon any subject, until I knew from personal observa- tion or experience what I was talking about. Later, when this same question was asked me by the Warden and prison inspectors, I answered by saying: " I see no effort is being made in the prison for the reformation of the prisoners. I think men should be sent to prison for reformation, as well as punishment." I was told, plainly and distinctly, that criminals were not sent there to be reformed, but to be punished for crimes they had committed, and this it would be well for all to under- stand when they came there. The Warden told me he was often asked by people outside what he thought was the worst part of the convicts' punish- ment, and the part they disliked the most. He said he had always told these people it was being subject to another man's will. He asked me if I did not agree with him there. I told him I did not. " For," I asked, " how is it with the soldier or the sailor ? They have no will of their own, but must listen and obey, and are governed entirely by the will of other men; still, when their term of service expires, they will enlist or ship again, and so on, from time to time, to the end of their lives." On the Fourth of July, 1871, 1 was sent for by the Warden to come to his office. My wife had sent me a box of 402 LANGDON W. MOOBE. imported cigars, thinking I might be allowed to celebrate and enjoy a good smoke on that particular day. At this time smoking was only allowed in the hospital, and not in the prison. The Warden asked me what he should do with the cigars. I said, " Allow me to smoke one of them here; and as you do not smoke yourself, you can give the rest of them to your friends whenever they call to see you." While I was enjoying my forty-cent Regalia, he went to the vault and brought out a plan of the first prison built at Thomaston, and said, " You may think this is a hard prison to be in, after the way you have been living on the outside ; and I want you to look at this and see how the old settlers treated State convicts in Maine." I saw by the plan a hole, some twenty feet in diameter and thirty feet deep, had been blasted out of solid lime rock and covered over with heavy hewn timbers, with earth and sod placed over all, leaving only a manhole for the convicts to enter after their day's work was done. They were marched to the mouth of the hole, and made to descend a ladder to the bottom of the pit; then the ladder would be taken out of the hole, and the convicts would be compelled to remain there dur- ing the night, either cooking, eating, or sleeping, until it was time for them to go to work in the morning, when the ladder would be put down, and they ordered up out of the pit to the surface of the earth, on which they were set to work blasting out lime rock — the only industry carried on at the prison. These human beings were kept at work all day without any other food than bread and water, and very little better food than this was given them for supper and break- fast when they entered the pit at night. After looking the plan carefully over, and having every- thing fully explained to me, I was asked my opinion as to the change that had been made in prison life since the time that hole was used as a place of confinement for convicts. " Since I was a boy," I replied, " I have heard of cruelty being practiced in Russian prisons ; but nothing I have read or been told about the prisons there would compare with the inhuman treatment those men were subjected to who made that cavity in the rock their home, in the early history of Maine." When I had finished smoking my cigar, I returned to my FORCING SJE FORMS ON THE WABDEN. 403 cell ; and during tlie time I was on speaking terms with the Warden, I never allowed an opportunity to pass without bringing up the question of reformation of criminals. I always received the same answer from the Warden and the inspectors that was given me at the first time I called their attention to the matter. I had been told by the Warden, on several occasions, he should expect me to set a good example for the men in the shop, and that he should hold me partially responsible for the conduct of the men. I told him this was asking too much from me; that I was willing to do all I could for the benefit of all in an honest way, but would ac- cept no responsibility, as he and his officers, and not I, were paid to look after the convicts. During the winter of 1874, the Governor's Council and Mr. Wilson and Mr. Prince, the two prison inspectors, came to my cell one evening. Mr. Wilson addressed me with: "Good evening, Mr. Moore. How do you feel to- night? " Up to this time I had never allowed one word to escape my lips that I was not satisfied with the treatment I was receiving, but now I replied: " I feel like a toad under a harrow. How do you find the other men feeling in the prison ? " " Oh," he replied, " we find some sore-heads among them ; this we always expect." I said that if a man's head would not be sore there, it would not be sore if he were in hell. " You gentlemen," I added, "have been asking me questions for the past four years, and I have always answered them truthfully, and to the best of my ability. Now I would ask you a few ques- tions, if you have no objections; and as you are not jinder oath, you are not compelled to answer any of them." " Oh, yes," he said, " I am perfectly willing to answer any proper questions you wish to ask." I then asked him if the convicts in the Maine State Prison were treated like human beings. He answered he thought they were treated as well as in other prisons. " Is their treatment," I asked, " such as would promote reformation and improvement? " I was told men were not sent there to be reformed, but to be punished for crimes of which they had been convicted. 404 LANGLON W. MOOBE. " Don't you know," I asked, " that their treatment is such as to annihilate all feelings of self-respect ? " Inspector Wilson said to me, " You know Mr. Prince and myself are not here all the time, and only visit the prison once in three or four months." I then asked: "Are the convicts not kept in noisome cells? In coming here did not you gentlemen pass cells on this corridor, especially the one where Sims is allowed to keep his white mice, where the stench came out strong enough to make a hungry hog leave his supper ? " Several of the Council admitted this was true. I then asked, " Are the buckets ever washed out, or have the corridors or floors of the prison ever been washed, to your knoVledge ? " The inspectors could not say they had been; so I told them they never had been since I came to the prison, more than four yeai's ago. " We have been told," I said, " that cleanliness is next to godliness. Why, then, are not convicts here allowed to wash themselves before eating their breakfast, instead of being compelled to eat their bread, then go to the shop and wash themselves before beginning their day's work ? Here, every morning, a convict starts at the front end of the corridor, on the dead run, with a basket full of bread on his arm. When he passes my cell he will fire a loaf at that hole you see in the bottom of the door. If he misses his aim, the loaf will bound away out of my reach. There it will remain until he has served all the men on the division, and on his run back he will give the loaf a kick to near the hole ; and if he makes a good shot, he will send it flying through into the cell. He will then start on the half run along the corridor with his four- gallon watering-pot, without the sprinkler, and play in a stream of what they call coffee; this is hot, wet, and sweet. The men call it boot-leg. He pours it through the bars of the door into every man's cell, and what the convict cannot catch in his dipper falls upon the floor. This stream is never entirely shut off in going from cell to cell, as you gentlemen can see by looking along the corridor where the dirt aud molasses have been allowed to collect for years." They all admitted that the corridors were riot clean. I then asked Hon. F. C. Dow, one of the Governor's Council, if he allowed the daily papers in his house. FOBCING REFORMS ON THE WARDEN. 405 He said that he did. I asked if he allowed his wife and children to read them. He answered in the affirmative. I then asked if he did not think it was wrong to allow his wife and children to read the news of the day and what there was going on in the world. " No," he replied, " it is proper and right they should know what is going on in the world, and they could not get along without the daily papers." Then I said: " It strikes me that whatever could not injure an honest person could not injure a convict; and for all the prisoners here are allowed to know, the town or city they came from might be sunk in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The news would never be allowed to reach us here until the expiration of our sentence." It was admitted to me by the Council that the point was well taken; that their attention had never been called to these matters before; and they promised that they, with the inspectors, would see the Warden and talk the whole matter over with him, to see if something could not be done. I then asked all the gentlemen if they wanted to stop the use of tobacco in the prison. Every one of them answered in the affirmative, but no one could suggest a way of doing it without creating a great deal of friction among the convicts. " You gentlemen can do this," I said, " if you will tell the Warden to go to each convict and ask him which he would prefer, his tobacco or the weekly Boston Herald or Globe, the New York Tribune, Times, or Herald, or the Augusta Journal, and some Bangor papers you may select. As things are now, some little news may come to us by either hook or crook, and before it goes the rounds of the prison several prisoners will be reported for punishment for talking in the shops. All this would be stopped if men were allowed any of these papers, as there would then be no occasion to send bits of news along the line, for all could read for them- selves. This would make it much easier for the officers, and the prisoners would be more contented and do better work and more of it." I then called their attention to the sick in the hospital, and asked if the State made any provision for more delicate kinds of food for the sick, there, or did they have to fare and share alike with the well men ? 406 LANGDON W. MOORE. The inspectors admitted the only change there was made in the food furnished to the sick in the hospital was in the cooking ; and this was done by men who were allowed to room and eat their meals there, while they worked in the shops. I asked if they did not pay the prison doctor two hundred and twenty dollars a year for medical treatment for the convicts. They told me that was what he was paid. " And I understand you pay your chaplain one thou- sand dollars a year for spiritual teaching for these convicts." This was admitted to be what he was paid. " This is," I said, " about seven dollars a year for spiritual teaching for each man here, and nearly one dollar and a half a year for medical treatment for each convict in the prison. Now, if you will give me eight dollars' worth of medical treatmeiit yearly, I will undertake to navigate my own soul to heaven; if I founder on the way, I will stick up a danger signal to warn other poor castaways ; and that is more consideration than I have ever seen shown to convicts by philanthropists connected with this prison." Previous to this, the death rate in the prison was from five to ten yearly. Several convicts asked me, the next day in the shop, what the Council were doing so long at my door last night ; and knowing them as I did to be tattlers, I made no confidant of any of them, but kept my own counsel, waiting patiently for results and practical answers to my questions. They came in less than six weeks. A colored convict was put to work washing the slop buckets daily, a thing never done in the prison before. A small tub and two towels were put in each cell, and the men were supplied with water and bar soap. The corridors and floors of the prison were treated to a bath of soap and water, a change was made in the prison doctor, and the medicine the new physician found there was all destroyed, and a new stock put in. All convicts who preferred the Republican weekly papers I had named to their tobacco, were allowed to select the paper for themselves. No Democratic papers were allowed in the -prison. I was afterwards told by the deputy that about ninety _per cent of the convicts chose the papers in preference to the weed. During the summer, for the next two years, the. men were FORCING REFORMS ON THE WARDEN. m allowed out in the yard for half an hour every Sunday after- noon, when the weather was fair, to the disgust of some of the officers, who were compelled to do extra duty during the time the men were out. With the exception of Wagner and the man who was exe- cuted with him in the prison yard by the Sheriff and his dep- uties, there were but two deaths in the prison the two years previous to my discharge. Dave Bartlett, over sixty years of age, died of consumption ; the other person went to his room at night a well man, and was found dead in the morning by the officer when he unlocked the door for the men to go out to the shop. With one exception, that of change of food for the sick, my suggestions met with a favorable answer from the Gov- ernor's Council and the prison inspectors. No doubt the Warden would have been well pleased had these reforms been suggested by him, instead of by a convict who was not in harmony with his prison management. During the six years I spent in this prison, I was told several times by the head officers that they were compelled to feed the convicts on common food and a low diet to weaken them ; for if they were allowed to retain their full strength they might, in case of a riot, take possession of the prison, and all make their escape. With what few officers there were in the prison, this could not be prevented, they said. Although I was not allowed to receive or see any of the papers, I shall always feel very grateful to the gentlemen who made it possible for a little sunshine to enter the old bastile at Thomaston, Me. CHAPTER XXX. AN EXCHANGE OF BAGGAGE CHECKS. HOW A JBWELEY FIBM HAPPENED TO LOSE A VALUABLE TRUNK BETWEEN WOECESTBE AND NEW YOEK. Undee the protection of a Boston private detective, whose greed of gain was only excelled by his treachery to me as time rolled on, several important robberies took place in and near Boston. The day previous to my first prospecting visit to the Cambridgeport National Bank, Feb. 26, 1877, the Brigham robbery took place. This was followed by the Garey robbery, April 16; and on May 12 Ailing Brothers and Company's jewelry trunk was stolen from their travelling salesman. This salesman and his trunk were followed from the Tremont House, Boston, where he was registered, to the Bay State House, Worcester, by Raymond, Bigelow, Briggs and company. Seeing there was no opportunity to steal the trunk out of the hotel, while the salesman was visiting his customers among the jewellers in that city, the party decided to wait and follow him to his next stopping-place. Just before the afternoon express train was due, he was seen to leave the hotel and enter the Bay State House co'ach, with his trunk behind him. He was followed to the depot, where he bought a ticket for Hartford, Conn. Being late, he checked his trunk,- and before it could be put on board the train started. He got on, leaving his baggage to be forwarded by the next train. When it was found he had left his trunk, Bigelow went to a store on Main Street, and bought a large glazed cloth valise, while Briggs entered a grocery store and purchased a bag of salt and four dozen oranges, with a package of brown paper. 'While walking through a back street, the oranges, after being wrapped in the paper, were put in the bag, along with the salt. The bag was locked, and Raymond carried it to the depot, where he bought a ticket for New York. He Exchange of baggage checks at Worcester, Mass. THOMAS BIGELOW, alias " Barclay.' AN EXCHANGE OF BAGGAGE CHECKS. 411 checked the valise to that city. Early that evening, when the baggage-master was alone in the room, Raymond and Bigelow entered, and the former asked to be allowed to open his valise, as he wished to get something out. At the same time he showed his check and pointed the bag out to the baggage-master, who, after examining the check, handed the bag to him. The moment he did this, Bigelow engaged the baggage- master in conversation, turning him around and calling his attention to another part of the room. Raymond then walked across the room to where the salesman's trunk was standing, and set the bag down on the end of the trunk. While Bigelow was seeking information from the baggage- master, Raymond changed the check from the valise to the trunk, and the check from the trunk to the valise, sending that to Hartford and the trunk to New York. He then car- ried the valise back to where he had taken it from, and gave Bigelow the " tip " that the exchange had been made. They thanked the baggage-master for his kindness, bade him good- night, and left the room. A fourth man had remained outside, where he had seen all that had taken place in the room. There he did post duty until released by Briggs, and between the two they watched to see if the baggage-master examined the checks. He did not; and when the express train for New York came along, the trunk and the bag were put aboard. When the train started, the four " crooks " entered the smoker. Not knowing but the salesman might have business in Springfield that would detain him until this train came, they kept a close watch upon all who entered the cars at that place. Nothing, however, occurred that could in any way interest the thieves until the train reached Hartford, where two of the men left the train, and saw the valise taken from the baggage car and placed alone upon the truck, where it remained until the train pulled out of the station. One man was left behind to see that the salesman did not call or send for his trunk before the train reached New York, for, if he did, it might make it difficult for the party who presented the check at that end to explain how he came in possession of it. Upon the arrival of the train, the check was given to a baokman, with in^truQtioDS to get the trunk mA return to th§ 412 , LANGBON W. MOORE. front of the depot. This he did, being " piped " by the thieves, who saw the trunk delivered to him without question. When he drove to the front of the depot, Briggs got in and was driven to a hotel on Fourth Avenue, where he registered and had his trunk sent to his room. In the meantime Bigelow entered the hotel, carrying a large valise, registered, and engaged a room for the purpose of changing his clothes. After these men had been shown to their rooms, and the boy who piloted them up had returned to the office, Bigelow went to Briggs' room, broke open the trunk, transferred all the jewelry he found in it to the bag, returned to his room, and, after cleaning himself up, returned to the office. He paid his bill and left the hotel, carrying the bag. At the corner of Twenty-Seventh Street he was met by the other man, who had been " piping " the hotel while the shift was being made, and together they went to a hotel on Sixth Avenue, near Forty-Fifth Street, and engaged a room, when the " stuff " was looked over. Briggs, who had been left at the Fourth Avenue Hotel, was told to hire an express wagon and take the empty trunk to a furnished room in Fortieth Street occupied by Bigelow; and that night the trunk was to be taken away and destroyed. Had he done this, all trace of the trunk would have been lost. But while going for the express wagonj Briggs met Raymond, who told him not to go to the trouble of carting the trunk away and destroying it, but to go to the Fifth Avenue Hotel and get a hackman to take it to the Adams Express office and ship it on to Baltimore. While this was being done, the salesman sent to the depot for his trunk; and when the check was presented, the valise was delivered to the messenger, who carried it to the hotel where the man was staying, and delivered the bag to him. Seeing a mistake had been made and that he had got another person's baggage, he went to the depot, looking for his trunk. After going through the baggage-room without finding what he was in search of, he made inquiries, and learned that no other baggage but the valise had been left there upon the arrival of the express train from the East. He then wired to Worcester to have his baggage forwarded, and received a reply that it had been sent on by the night express. The police were soon notified and given a full description of the large, heavily-ironed black trunk, with a large letter " A " Air EXCHANGE OF BAGGAGE CHECKS. 413 printed in wMte on the ends. The trunk had been over the road a hundred times, and was known to all the baggage-men and many of the hackmen between New York and Boston, to say nothing about the thieves who had followed the sales- man over the road many times previous to this party striking the trail. Upon inquiry at the depot, the hackman was found who had taken the trunk and the man to the Fourth Avenue Hotel, where it was learned the trunk had been taken away by another hackman; but no one could tell who he was or whither he had taken the trunk. In the meantime the salesman, with the assistance of the officers, burst open the valise, and found the bag of salt carefully packed away among the oranges, which were beginning to decay. A search was then made by the police for the man who had sold the valise, the salt, and the oranges, to the man who had the bag. They were not successful in this,- however, and the hunt was soon given up. Not so, however, with the New York police, for they caused to be inserted in the papers a notice offering a reward for any information leading to the recovery of the trunk, with a request that the hackman who had taken it from the Fourth Avenue Hotel call at police headquarters. As this man seldom read the papers, he heard nothing of the inquiries being made by the police about the trunk until his attention was called to it by overhearing some other hackmen accusing one another of stealing a jewelry trunk with a big " A " printed on the ends. Upon inquiry as to the meaning of their talk, an explanation followed, and he was shown the notice in the papers. After reading this, he jumped on his hack and drove to police headquarters, where he gave the information that led to the recovery of the trunk at the express office at Baltimore by New York detectives, who returned to New York with it, and renewed their search for the plunder, and the thieves who had dared work a new trick on the police and railroad people. While they were running around among the " stool pigeons " for information, the " stuff " was sold to a " fence " for four thou- sand dollars, and the party returned to Boston. CHAPTER XXXI. A DETECTIVE FOR A PARTNER. theft of sbcitbities in temple place, boston, and an officer's interesting part therein. When I saw the private detective again, I asked if lie knew where we could make some money. He told me that a man named Frothingham, who had an ofBce over the Provi- dent Institution for Savings, on Temple Place, was settling up the estate of a party named Brooks, and there were two or three 'million dollars involved. The detective explained to me the way business was conducted in Frothingham's office, and just how the rooms were arranged. There were valuables kept in two boxes in a room over the main entrance to the building; the room could be entered through a door at the head of the stairs, which was never locked during the day; there was also another door leading into the principal of&ce, where Frothingham did his business, with a door leading from this into the first room. An old hair trunk, with brass corners and studded with brass nails, was kept there every day and deposited in the sa!;ety vaults in the savings bank below every night. The other box was only taken out of the bank twice a year, for the purpose of cutting off the coupons of the United States bonds and railroad securities. The office was on the second floor of the building, with the entrance on the Temple Place side. While the coupons were being cut, the hair trunk and box were often left in the room alone, while the man went into the adjoining room to wait on people who came in. The detective told me that Mr. Frothingham was putting up some houses at the South End. That night I went out and looked at them, so as to be able to talk intelligently about them, and one day I went up into his office to inquire if he had any houses to let. My object was really to see where the two boxes were. When I entered the small room, I saw two boxes open on the table, with a lot of bond^ 414 The return of the stolen books and papers to Mr. Frothingham, over the Provident histitution for Savings. A DETECTIVE FOR A PARTNEB. 417 spread out and a man busy cutting off the coupons. I asked the man if he had any houses to let, and he replied that he had not, but they could tell me better in the other office. I then passed through the door leading to the principal office. There I made the same inquiry, and was told they had none then, but that they were building some at the South End. As they were uncompleted, they were not ready for occupancy. He would be glad, however, to let me a house as soon as he had one ready. I came away from the place, and made a favorable report to the detective and the men who were working with me. Ray- mond then went and looked the place over, as he was to do the " sneaking " ; and like all tricksters, when he saw what a " soft snap " it would be to steal those two boxes, he came to my room arid told my other man that King, who owed this man three hundred dollars, had made a big " touch," and was looking for him all over New York to pay him his money. Raymond suggested to my other man that, as he had no money, he had better take a run on to New York and get his money before King made a play against faro bank. He said that this job would keep until his return. The man left for New York that night, and the following morning Raymond called at my room, and told me he had been put into something good fifteen miles out of Boston, and that he would go out and look at it that day. As soon as he left the house I, too, went out, and I found my confidential "kid," the name by which a young thief was known, and told him to go at 10.30 A. M. to the Provident Institution for Savings, and watch the door from the opposite side of the street. If he saw Raymond coming out with a bundle or box, he must go right over to him, and tell him that he must bring it up to my room, or I would make it hot for him. At eleven o'clock that day, who' should come dancing along Temple Place but this fellow Raymond and his girl, all ready to do the job — the girl to do the "stalling" and Raymond to do the "sneak" trick. In giving the "kid" instructions to watch the place, he asked me what he should do if private detectives who knew him well came along and ordered him off. I told him to tell them that it was all right, as I had put him there. When they were opposite the bank, Raymond and his girl 418 LANGBON W. MOORE. dodged into the entry, and ran up against the " kid." Raymond asked him what he was doing there. He said that he was " piping off " a man who had carried a cash box into the building. Raymond told him he knew aU about the place, and that there was nothing there. The " kid " replied that he did not propose to leave until he saw the bank closed. Raymond at this time had on his arm the girl's circular, which was to be used in hiding the box as he took it out of the building and walked down the street. At 4 p. M. the "kid" reported Raymond's treachery to me. The next morning the man returned from New York, and told me he had seen King and had been paid his money. I told him that Raymond had brought on his girl from New York to do the " stalling," and that it was his intention to do the job alone. If the amount was large enough, he would skip the country and put the detectives and us in the hole; and as he was not known to them, I would be held responsi- ble to them for their " bit." I then sent for the " kid," and arranged with him and Bigelow to do the job that day. At 10 A. M., July 11, we three went to the Common near Temple Place, and the "kid" was sent to "pipe" the bank, and if he saw Raymond near the bank, he was told to report to us at once. At half-past eleven I stationed Bigelow at the southwest corner of Temple Place and Tremont Street. The "kid" was at this time in the hallway opposite the bank, where he could command a full view of the entrance to the building. I then went to the bank, and walked upstairs, and listened at the door to hear if there was any noise inside. I could hear no conversation, nor could I, on looking through the key-hole, discern anybody inside. I then went down to the front door and raised my hat, which was the signal that no one was in the room, and for Bigelow to walk to the office and ask if they had any houses to let. When he passed me in the door, I signalled the " kid " to go to the room where I had told him the boxes were usually kept. When Bigelow had closed the office door, the " kid " entered the room, and took the only box there out into the street, turned into the passage-way leading to Winter Place, passed down Winter Street into Washington Street, and finally took a Harrison Avenue car to Decatur Street, where I had a room. I there opened the hair trunk, and found ten bonds, each A DETECTIVE FOR A PAMTNEB. 419 for 11000, numbered 1,642 to 1,651, on the Kansas City, St. Joseph, and "Council Bluff Railroad Company ; coupon mortgage bonds ; four bonds each for $100, numbered 5,181 to 5,184 ; scrip |70 numbered 16 ; registered income bonds ; one bond for 17000 numbered 21; bond for $600 numbered 019 ; scrip $6460 numbered 16 ; also certificate No. 61 for 129 shares capital stock Detroit, Lansing, and Northern Rail- road Company, in the name of Sidney Brooks ; scrip No. 33 for $10 ; also a $500 5-20 United States call bond ; and less than $100 in greenbacks, a lot of miscellaneous private papers, and a ledger belonging to the concern. I put the ledger and the papers in a trunk, and checked it to New York, where it was left on storage for a few days. The " kid " and myself went to Chatham Four Corners, leaving Bigelow to hunt up Raymond; for I feared he and his girl might make the attempt to do the job that had already been done, and get arrested if seen hanging around the bank. Raymond was found just in time to prevent his entering the building. The detective who put up the job was asked to see what tte report or " squeal " would be. The only description the man in the office could give of the person who came in and asked if they had a house to let, was that he was a large man with dark hair, and that he wore a long mohair duster ; further than that he could not identify him. Bigelow and Raymond joined us the next day. Thence we went to Newburgh. Raymond, when questipned about his double dealing, said that his actions looked blacker than they really were ; for he had no intention of doing the job when he and his girl met the " kid." Bigelow told him he was not entitled to a dollar, but that I had declared him " in " the same as if he had played no tricks. I then sent one of them to tell John D. Grady, a notorious villain and " fence," one of the blackest-hearted scoundrels I ever knew, that I wished to see him. To Grady I sold the $500 United States call bond for $350. The railroad bonds he would not purchase. The party then went to New York. The trunk was taken to Bigelow's room, and the papers and ledger were taken out, to be destroyed. I objected, saying, " Leave them with me, and I will return them to the owner." I then sent the " kid " to buy a large glazed cloth bag. 420 LANGDON W. MOOUE. Tiie ledger and the papers I put in the bag, and that night I sent him to buy a ticket for Boston, he to take the bag into the car and address it to " Mr. Frothingham's office, over the Provident Institution for Savings, Temple Place, Boston, Mass." The " kid " put the bag under a seat where I knew it would be discovered, and, as I supposed, sent to Frpthing- haoi ; but it seems that when the bag got to Boston, it lay in the baggage-room for thirty days, and, not being delivered or called for, was sent to the permanent storage-room. For two weeks Bigelow and Raymond tried to find sale for the bonds, but without success, as they were not quoted on the market. They were then divided up into four parts. Bigelow's portion. I purchased at his own price. These, with the "kid's" share, were left with Grady to dispose of. The " mob " then' split up, and I severed all connection with Raymond. A few days later the " kid " and myself returned to Boston by the way of Providence. There I found that Raymond had sold his share of the bonds for the same money I had paid Bigelow; and as the purchaser could find no sale for them, I bought them at the price he paid. These I sent to Grady, who now had all the stolen securities. When I met the detective, he asked me what I had done with the papers. I told him I had sent them back to Mr. Frothingham. He was vexed, and said I ought never to make a move of that kind without first consulting him. I was then tojd a reward of a thousand dollars had been offered for all the property that had been stolen ; and three hundred dollars of this was offered for the book and papers, which were of no value except to the owner. I then, at his request, went to the depot. There I saw the bag. This I reported to the detective; and as there was three hundred dollars in the job, we agreed I should write both him and his partner a letter purporting to have come from Canada, tell- ing them where the book and papers were, so that they could get the three hundred dollars reward. When he got the letter, he went and saw Frothingham, and asked him if the three hundred dollars' reward was still out for the book and papers; and when he was told that it was, he handed the letter to Mr. Frothingham, and asked him to go with him to the depot, as he would be able to identify the property. This he consented to do, and they went to the railroad office House at i88 Harrison Avenue, as it appeared in 1877. A DETECTIVE EOB A PARTNER 423 together. There they made inquiries about the bag, and -were told it had been seiit to the office where unclaimed baggage was kept. Mr. Frothingham said he had lots of work to do at his office, and asked the detective to go alone for the bag. This he did, and, securing it, took it up to Mr. Frothingham, who, after looking the papers carefully over and seeing that none of them were missing, counted him out three hundred dollars in new bills. After he had received the three hundred dollars, he asked Mr. Frothingham what rcAvard he would give for the re- covery of the bonds, and was told seven hundred dollars would be paid. The detective told him he thought he could recover the railroad bonds for ten per cent, as he had received a letter to that effect. This was another letter, purporting to have come from Canada, which I had written, stating that the bonds would be returned for ten per cent, and giving instruc- tions where communications could be entered into with the right party at Montreal. Mr. Frothingham said he had only been authorized to pay one thousand dollars for the return of all the property, and must adhere to the original reward of seven hundred dollars. Not to seem too anxious, the detective showed the letter to Mr. Frothingham and asked him to think the matter over, and he would see him again in a few days, when he thought he would be willing to pay ten per cent. In the meantime I had written Grady to send the bonds to me, as I had concluded not to dispose of them to any one except the rightful owner. He wrote me, saying he could not send them, as he had sold one for seventy-five dollars, and would give me five hundred dollars for the lot. I again wrote to have the bonds sent, saying they were not for sale. He then wrote to me telling me he had found sale for the whole lot for ten per cent and asked if he should sell them. Grady did business with this detective, and I had allowed him to see my letters to Grady and the answers. He then said he would write to Grady. This he did, requesting that the bonds be forwarded by mail to his house; for he feared that if sent by express, some neighbor might see the express wagon stop in front of his door and the delivery made. In three days I called, by request, at the detective's house, and I was handed the bonds, which, he said, had just been delivered to him. Mr. Frothingham was then seen by the detective, and was 424 LANGDON W. MOOBE. told the thieves had already sold one of the bonds ; that unless he paid ten per cent for the rest of them, all would probably be sold to the same party. He would only pay the reward, but would pay the detective's expenses to Montreal and return if he would go and recover the bonds. He said he would not go alone, but would accompany Mr. Frothingham there if he so desired ; and an agreement was made to that effect. I was then asked to carry the " stuff " to Nashua and give it to the detective, as he lacked the re- quired nerve to take the bonds out of Boston with him, for he then had them at his house. When I refused to do this, he got his " pal " to take them up to Nashua. When his train arrived there, he left the cars, and in the station met the man, who handed him the bonds. He put them in his pocket, and went into the car, where he joined Mr. Frothingham. After they arrived in Montreal, Frothingham was told to remain in his room at the hotel, while the detective went out; to recover the property. He loafed around the streets for two or three hours, to give Frothingham the idea that he was having a difficult time in finding the party, and finally he returned to his room, apparently greatly exhausted by his exertions. He told Frothingham that he had only succeeded in recovering three thousand dollars, but had been promised the rest as soon as the other parties could be found. He then made another trip, and soon returned with three thousand dollars more, saying he was promised the re- mainder in half an hour. He then left the hotel and took up his station on the opposite side of the street. There he stood and talked with some man he had picked up in the hotel. They were directly in front of Mr. Frothingham's window. When the detective saw he had been seen by Frothingham, he returned to the room and gave up the re- mainder of the nine thousand dollars. He asked Frothing- ham if he had seen the man he was talking to in the street, and was given an affirmative answer. This question was to give Frothingham to understand he had seen one of the thieves. The seven hundred dollars had been paid the detective before he made his first trip, and he told Frothingham to put the bonds in his bag. Frothingham said, " No, I dare not, for I have once lost them." A DETECTIVE FOB A PARTNER. 425 He asked the detective if he would be kind enough to keep the bonds in his custody while they were on their way back to Boston. The detective afterwards told me that he put the big envelope back in the same pocket in which he had carried the bonds from Nashua to Montreal, and brought them back to Boston. He said the old man knew no wrong, and believed every one as honest as himself. In January the interest on the bonds became due, and the coupon of the missing Kansas City, St, Joseph, and Council Bluff bond was sent on to Boston for collection. The pay- ment had been stopped; and as soon as the coupon was presented for collection, Frothingham was notified, and he employed John S. Hunt to investigate the matter and dis- cover, if possible, the history of the missing bond. He gave the detective fifty dollars, and started him on to New York. Hunt traced the bond to a lawyer in Brooklyn, who said he had bought it of Broker Dick in New York. John D. Grady had sold the bond to the latter for seven hundred dollars; and he, in turn, had disposed of it to the Brooklyn lawyer in good faith. Hunt went over to Brooklyn, saw the lawyer, and satisfied himself that he had purchased it with honest intentions. He then went to the hotel where the broker was staying; but as the latter was in Albany at the time, he did not find him. He went up to Albany; but while he was on his way up, the broker was on the way down to New York. The officer travelled back to New York, and while "piping " the hotel I met him in the dining-room. He asked me what I was doing there. I told him I had been staying there for months. " How does it happen," said he, " that I find you staying in the house with a man I am looking for ? " " Whom are you looking for ? " I inquired. He said he was looking for the man called Broker Dick, and asked if I knew him. " Yes," I said, " for twenty-five years." He then asked where we could go and have a confidential talk. We went into the reading-room; and after I had prom- ised never to repeat what he said to me, I was told he wanted to discover the parties who robbed Frothingham. He had traced one of the stolen bonds to a lawyer in Brooklyn, who said he had bought it of this broker. He thought if he could get him, he could reach the parties; and if he succeeded 426 LANQDON W. MOORE. in doing that, he felt sure that he could bring the job directly home to a Boston detective. He then asked me to assist him ; and when he had told me all he knew about the matter, I sent out my scouts to hunt up the broker and to make an appointment where I could see him before he ran up against Hunt. That night I saw the broker and told him that Hunt, a Boston detective, was looking for him. I repeated what I had been told about the stolen bond being traced to him. He then saw Grady; and when he returned to me, I told him the best thing he could do was to make a "square bluff," acknowledge the purchase and sale of the bond, and claim he had bought and sold it in good faith. This, I was satis- fied, would settle the business.. In the meantime I wrote a letter ,to the interested detec- tive, telling him what I had been told by Hunt, and that our only safety was in seeing Frothingham and asking him what kind of a man he had sent to New York to trace the missing bond; that he was drunk, and telling Tom, Dick, and Harry all his business. To make the story more binding, he was to show him my letter, signed with some other man's name. When Frothingham read it, the detective was to ask him if he was going to break faith with him. This was for the purpose of having Frothingham recall Hunt. The plan was carried out, and Hunt was recalled. The excuse made by Mr. Frothingham, on Hunt's return, was that Mr. Brooks, who owned the stolen bonds, was then in very feeble health, and he had come to the conclusion that he had spent all the money he cared to for the recovery of the bond. Subsequently, while I was being tried for the Garey rob- bery, an effort was made to have Frothingham swear that I was the man who did the talking with him at the time the robbery was committed; but, as -the detective had said, Frothingham was an honest man and could not tell a lie. CHAPTER XXXII. LAIE DUCK AT DEDHAM. A TIMID " CROOK AND A EAILEOAD ACCIDENT SPOIL A POST-OPFICB JOB IK 1VIA.SSACHUSETTS. On the night of Aug. 7, 1877, an attempt was made to rob the Dedham post-office, by myself, " Big Jim," and George R. Briggs, alias " the kid." During the summer the Boston detective called my atten- tion to a little job that he thought might be done at Dedham, either at the County Treasurer's office or at the post-office, where, he said, I could get nearly two thousand dollars in money and stamps. I went out there, examined the posir office, and bought some stamps. While the postmaster was changing a twenty-doUaj? note, taking the money out of a drawer in the safe, I had an opportunity to see how the inside of the safe was constructed. I left there and went to the County Treasurer's office, which was near the bank, walked into the office, saw the safe, and, from all I could see and learn, decided that there was no money left there over night. I went back to Boston, and reported that I had decided to do the post-office job. One evening, in company with the " kid " and a man whom John D. Grady had introduced to me in New York as one of the most reliable men he had ever known, I went by rail from Boston to Dedham, carrying the tools in a small satchel. Not wishing to be seen by the conductor, I walked through into the smoking-car, lay down on a seat, put the ticket in my hat, and went to sleep, with one eye open for business. The " kid " did as I had done, and so did the other man — with the exception that the latter failed to put his ticket in sight of the conductor; so that when the latter passed along he took the ticket out of my hat, also out of the "kid's" hat, and passed along to where the other was lying down and roused him up. In doing so, he held the lantern in his face while the man went through his pockets for the ticket. 427 428 LANGDON W. MOOBE. We left the train at Dedham. It was tlien that this man, whom the conductor had seen, became angry and found fault because he had been shown up to the conductor while neither the " kid " nor myself had been seen. This caused a delay and a postponement that night. We returned to Boston the . next morning. A few nights after this, we went back to Dedham, each of us taking good care that the conductor had no cause to hold the lantern in his face. There was an alley-way leading from one street back to the rear of the posi>office. At the side of the post-office building toward the depot was a dwelling-house, which was set back a short distance, with an open space between. At the front of this open space were some bushes. At the end of the alley-way there was a fence which separated the house lot from the open space in the rear of the post- office. The " kid " went to the front, and lay hidden under the bushes, having a full view of the street in front of the post- office. He was told to be careful to keep himself out of sight, in case the watchman should by any chance walk behind the building or enter the front yard of the house. The signal had already been arranged with a string, one end of which was held by the " kid, " and the other end by the other man, who was near me when I put a stick — •_ I think of cord wood — against the building under the window. I stepped up on that, put a jimmy under the window, pried it up far enough for me to get my hands under, and then shoved it up so I could climb into the post-office. I then told the man in the yard to take the stick away and keep back out of sight from the front of the alley-way, and said to him that one pull of the string meant to stop working, two pulls meant to go to work again, and any number above two meant to come out, as there was a " tumble." These signals should be given me on the window. After this man had taken his position and the signal passed between him and the " kid " that the entrance had been made, I closed the window, walked over to the safe, and examined it by passing my hands over the door. The room was so dark at this time I could not distinguish, the outlines of the safe; and when I had visited the post-office this door was open, and I had not seen how the front of it was con- structed. I found it was a smooth-faced door. I mean by LAME DUCK AT DEBHAM. 429 that, that there were no bands around the edges or crossing its face that would form a panel. I could use no light without being seen from the street, so all the work had to be done in the dark. It so happened that there had been an accident on the railroad that night. There was some repairing to be done on the engine, and men were at work on it near the depot. In using their lights, they would flash them in front of the pos<> office, illuminating the front part so that I feared they might throw my shadow on the walls at the time the watchman was passing by; and if he saw this, he would request me to vacate the room at once. I drilled a hole in the safe door where a vacancy should have been found large enough to hold the amount of powder that would be required to blow the door open. I dared not put in a full charge, for fear the explosion might be heard by the men who were working on the engine at the depot. I put in but two ounces, hoping this would start the outside plate open far enough to admit the point of the jimmy, when I would raise the plate, shove back the bolts, and open the door without the risk of creating an alarm. I then went to the window, raised it, and looked for the man who was to guard the back passage-way and signal me in case of an alarm from the front. He was nowhere in sight. ■ I then gave a low whistle, and received no answer. I unbolted the door, walked out, went to where I had sta- tioned him, and made sufficient noise to awaken him had he been asleep, but I could not find him. In looking for him, I ran across the signal string. I pulled it, but received no signal. I then telegraphed to the "kid," lying under the bush in the front of the house. From there I got a return signal. I then followed the string down, holding it in my hand all the while, until I came to a post, where I found the string tied; but my man was no- where in sight. I then walked to the fence and signalled to the "kid" to come to me. I made inquiries of him whether he had at any time seen the other man after he had taken up his position. Then the hunt for this individual began". We found him, at last, at the rear 'of a stable and over a high fence, at least fifty yards from where he had taken his position when I closed the window and went to the safe. 430 LANGBON W. MOOBE. During this time, the watchman had come down the street and stood near the post-office building; he remained there un- til between four and five o'clock. From there he went, I think, to the livery stably near where our man had been in hiding. The watchman had been in the habit of calling some one up. At this time, any one passing up or down the street could be plainly seen by the workmen from ■ the depot. I then entered the room, touched a match to the fuse, stepped to, the side of the safe, and saw the puff, and heard the explosion, which was hardly loud enough to awaken our bold compan- ion, had he been asleep on the top of the safe. I then examined the door, and found the charge had not done its work. In leaving the place, I picked up the bag of tools, and we got over the fence in the rear of the house adjoining the post-office, crossed through an orchard back of the house, to prevent our being seen by the people who were working at the depot. After taking the road to Boston, there seemed to be a general alarm and ringing of bells; a signal, we thought, to call out the people and announce that an attempted robbery had been discovered. It was then that our man showed his courage by running to Boston like a deer and beating us in by over an hour. The " kid " and I walked on until we came to a piece of woods. We stepped in, and, after marking the spot, buiied "big jim" tkacy, the runaway. LAME DUCK AT DEBUAM. 431 the bag, as we did not think it safe to carry it back to Boston that morning. When I saw the detective, I reported to him the failure, and the doings of the man his friend Grady had introduced to me; also the accident which had rendered it impossible to do the work, as the men at no time were far enough away to make it safe to put in sufficient powder to blow the safe open. He then told me that he was sorry that the job was spoiled, because it was nearly two thousand dollars out of our pockets. I saw the runaway when I reached our room, but he disappeared the next forenoon, and I have never seen him since. CHAPTER XXXIII. CAIBEIDGEPOET NATIONAL BANK. CAEEFTJLLY ARRANGED AND ■WBLL-EXECTJTED " SNEAK JOB, IN WHICH A DETECTIVE HAD A PART. The Cambridgeport National Bank was robbed in Sep- tember, 1877, by L. W. Moore, " Big. Ned" Rice, alias E. C. Moore, and George R. Briggs, alias " the kid." At the request of a Boston private detective, I, with Tim O'Brien and Murphy, made my first visit to the bank February 27 of that year. I saw it was the cixstom to leave the vault doors and the door to the bui'glar box open during business Jiours. In the box I saw several tin cash boxes left there by depositors for safe-keeping. The cashier's day-fund cash box was placed within three feet of him, on a stool directly behind him. The vault was not more than ten feet away from him, and to reach that a person would first have to enter the president's room and " sneak " up to the end of the counter. While the cashier's attention was called to the front of the room, one might cross the open space between the counter and the vault; and when once inside, even should the cashier turn around, he could not be seen. As no person could enter the president's room during cold weather without being seen by the cashier, the windows being kept closed, I concluded to wait until warm weather before I paid the bank another visit. During the summer I paid other visits t'o the bank, and found the windows in the president's room open. I went to the rear of the building to see if it was possible for a person to get into the yard in the rear of the bank vdthout being seen. I saw this could not be done, as people who occupied the houses on the next street had a full view of the yard from the upper stories of their houses; and if one of them saw a person getting into the bank window, the alarm would be given. Besides, several Bohemian glass blowers were at work o 3- D3 3 - ,,j*» sf^^w"^ :^^il^™sstf<^> i> ^>^ X. X <: CAMBBIDGEFOBT NATIONAL BANK. 435 in a shop directly in the rear of the bank. I had been seen and spoken to by these men when looking over the fence; and to square myself, I went into the shop, examined some of the work, and after they had given me a list of prices I went away. A million and a half dollars were in this job, and they must be got. As none of the six men who had then been given the job were man-killers, another party was brought on from New York. I visited the bank with one of the men; and after I heard what he had to say, I refused to be one of the party, if, as he proposed, force was to be used ; for I never wanted money badly enough to harm a person or put him in bodily fear while getting it. If I could not get it without doing this, I would be content to remain always without money. This man was the one who early in October knocked down and attempted to kill Asa Breed, a bank messenger from Lynn, robbing him of eight thousand dollars. To protect the Cambridgeport cashier from the cold-blooded villain, I made arrangements with " kid " Briggs, who had known him while they were doing time in prison, to go over to Cambridgeport the next day and cover the bank from 12 A. M. to 1.30 p. M., during dinner hours, as that was about the only time the cashier was left alone in the bank. I told Briggs I had no objections to any one's getting the money; but if a hair of the cashier's head was harmed in securing it, I would give the whole party away. I kept this man there for three weeks at my own expense, watching to see that the other follow did not get in and knock the old cashier out while the job was being done. • The matter ran along in this way until nearly the middle of September, when I was introduced to " Big Ned " Rice, alias E. C. Moore, by the detective, and he was let into the job, to do the " stalling." That is, he was to engage the attention of the cashier while the other burglar or burglars went through the bank. I then made him acquainted with the " kid." After talking with him some time, we came to a mutual understanding. The next morning, in order to perfect the scheme, we went out to Notre Dame Academy in Roxbury, and asked to see the Superior of the convent. She invited us into the recep- tion room. Rice told her that he wanted to place two orphan children in the academy, to remain there during Ids absence 436 LANGDON W. MOOBE. in Europe, which would cover a period of some six or eight months. After making inquiries about the price of board and tuition, we secured a number of copies of her prospectus, and we took away from the house three documents giving the rates for everything. We were then prepared to go over to the bank. Main Street, on which the bank is located, is at all times a busy thoroughfare, and in the forenoon especially so. The bank building is really a structure of itself, although adjoining other buildings. On one side is an old-fashioned, two-story brick block, which reaches to Essex Street. On the other is a line of low wooden buildings, while the brick building in which the bank is located is four stories high. Over the bank are offices and halls, the entrance to which is by a flight of stairs running to the street door. From the first landing of these stairs, there is another flight, which leads to the back yard; so that one, to go from the street to the yard at the rear of the bank, must go up the front flight, cross the landing in two steps, open a door (then seldom locked), and go down the other stairs, where he must unbolt a wooden door, a few feet from which he has to unfasten an iron door that is secured by a swinging bar. , From the rear of the bank rooms, three windows look into this rear enclosure ; and a cashier, from his position in the front room, can only see one of them. This ground had been carefully looked over both by Briggs and myself, as we had gone up one flight and down the other, and examined the fastenings on the doors. Two days later we went there. I stationed Rice on the corner of Essex Street, and " kid " Briggs in a newspaper store opposite, where he could see people pass in and out of the bank. I myself went into the hotel up the street. I sat down, taking a position from which I could command a full view of the bank while smoking my cigar and carelessly looking over the Boston papers. My object was to count the men passing in and out of the bank. If five went in and only four came out, I knew that some one still remained there besides the cashier. Finally every man who had gone in came out, and a mo- ment later I saw the president of the bank come out and go into the bank at the corner of ■ Prospect Street. I went out on the street and raised my hat, which was the signal to CAMBBIDOJEPOBT NATION A£ BANK. 43'7 " kid" Briggs (who was then on the street) that only the cashier was in the bank. Briggs then crossed the street, went over the stairs, opened both doors and entered the yard, stooped down while passing two windows, and entered the president's room by the third window, which we had seen was open before the men took their stations; then he stole along behind the partition to the end of the counter, where he could see, by keeping close to the floor, the cashier's legs, and so determine when he was in position to allow him to cross a six-foot spacwto the side, where the vault was situated. The time given him to get there was two minutes. Then the man at the corner of Essex Street, who was to do the "stalling," went into the bank, and engaged the cashier in conversation. I walked into the bank directly after him, went over to the desk which stood near the win- dow, and pulled out some papers, which I pretended to be looking over. I then saw the " kid " cross the space, walk up to the vault, and enter. At this timS^I held a burglar alarm in my hand; so, in case the " stall " did not turn the cashier sufficiently to let the man safely out of the vault, I could ring the alarm at once and ask him if I could sell him some of them. While I was in the bank, an old lady came in, went to the president's room, found the door locked, and then went over to the water cooler, which stood on the counter nearly opposite the vault door, to get a drink. The " stall " was talking to the cashier all the time. I was afraid the old lady might see the man, who was then in the vault, packing up his load; and I walked to the water cooler, put my body between her and the counter, so that she could not see what was going on in frpnt of her, and helped her to a drink of cool water, which, just at that time, seemed hot to me. She then went out, not having observed anything wrong. I returned to the desk, and watched for the man who was then in the vault, and I finally caught sight of his eyelash as he vsdnked from around the corner of the door, the signal that he was ready to come out. I just moved my foot on the floor, to give the " stall " to understand that the man in the vault was ready to vacate, and that he must turn the cashier's attention in such a way that the cashier's back would be to the open space which the man with the plunder would have to cross to reach the president's room. If I saw he 438 LANGDON W. MOORE. failed to do it, then 1 was to set off the burglar alarm, from where I stood, which would surely turn him. In the midst of the noise and while I tried to sell the alarm to the cashier, the man in the vault would make his escape. When I scraped my foot, I saw the " stall " shove the documents that he had got at the convent through the little pigeon-hole towards the front window, where he held them, pointing to the rates so that the cashier could see. I heard him say to the cashier that he could tell by the rates given how much of a deposit would be i^ecessary for him to make to defray the expenses of the board and tuition of the orphans at the convent during his contemplated sojourn in Europe. This was the subject he had been discussing with the cashier in an earnest, agitated, and nervous manner. He turned the cashier, however, and I saw Briggs leave the vault with a common green baize bag, such as lawyers use, full of boxes, and carrying one in his hand, not having room for all in the bag. I saw his shadow through the ground glass as he passed by the second window in the president's room, and in getting out of the third window he made a slight noise. I heard it; the cashier and the "stall" did not. The "kid," who had taken the boxes, crept along back into the building, closed the iron door, and shoved the swinging bar back into the socket. Then he shut the wooden door and pushed in one bolt. The other was so rusty that he couldn't move it. He walked upstairs, closed the door there, and went down the front flight to the sidewalk, leaving everything on the way exactly as he had found it. All this time I stood at the desk; and when I saw him on the sidewalk he only carried the bag, having put the remaining box into it before leaving the passage-way. I stepped out to the sidewalk to see that he got well away be- fore calling the " stall " out. I then went into the bank again. I was to relieve the ^' stall " when the " kid " got through with his work, and still detain the cashier by getting a note changed. There was no need, however, for me to have any- thing to say to the cashier, as the matter turned out, for the " stall " detained him as long as it was necessary, and then walked out. At no time did the cashier raise his eyes to me, and he seemed not to have the slightest idea that I had been in the bank. The " kid " walked down Main Street two blocks toward CAMBBIDOEPOBT NATIONAL BANK. 441 Boston. When be got there, a lager beer wagon came along. He asked the driver to give him a ride to Boston. The driver accommodated him, and assisted him to mount the seat. While on the way over the bridge, the driver asked him what he had in the bag, and was told they were a lot of boxes and books he was taking to a lawyer in Boston. They rode along together until they came to the corner of Charles and Cambridge Streets, when he was helped off the beer wagon. It was here, in a liquor store, he was to wait until we came to him to take the bag. As he was well known to the detec- tives in Boston, I feared that if he was seen with the bag he might get arrested. But at the saloon he hired a hack, which was standing near the corner, and drove to 48 Dover Street, where I had a room. When we reached the room he was there ; and when asked what he had done with the bag, he raised the covers where they were turned back at the head of the bed, and I saw five boxes placed so neatly that a person could be in the room for hours without suspecting there was anything hidden there. I saw that one of the boxes was open, and asked him why he had broken it open before we came. As Rice was a stranger to us, he might suspect the " kid " of trying to " weed out " some of the " stuff." This open box proved to belong to the cashier of the bank,. and contained nothing of value to us. The other boxes were then opened, one at a time, and the contents examined. There was one bond of the town of St. Johnsbury, Vt., for one thousand dollars ; five bonds Con- necticut and Passumpsic Railroad numbered 389, 390, 391, 892, 393, for one thousand dollars each; ten shares Connecti- cut and Passumpsic Railroad; ten shares Chelsea, Mass., National Bank; thirteen shares Nicholson File Company; fifty shares McKay and Bigelow Heeling Association ; United States 5-20 bond, July 1, 1867, No. 117,839, for one hun- dred dollars; United States bonds, July 17 and Aug. 5, 1861, twenty yearS, one No. 39,366, five hundi'ed dollars each ; four shares Cambridgeport National Bank mortgage notes ; insur- ance policies ; life insurance policy'.of the Mutual Insurance Company'; other mortgage notes, deeds, bank books, etc., in the names of S. B. Snow, Luther Slater, and Oliver J. Rand. A box owned by the Boston Lancers' Veteran Association contained two or three thousand dollars in available funds. The last box opened belonged to L. R. Paige. In this were 442 LANCthON W. MOOUE. found some ten thousand dollars' wortli of United States cou- pon bonds and nearly one hundred dollars in cash, and ten or twelve hundred dollars in railroad bonds, with a large, old- fashioned brass safe key of the tumbler style, with a tag attached. After counting up the " stuff," I put all the private papers ■ and boxes (which I had battered) into a valise I had in the room. All the available funds, bonds, and railroad securi- ties I put in my pocket. I then sent the "stall" down to the Boston and Albany depot to buy me a Pullman car ticket for New York, and also to check the valise for New York. "When I went down to the station, he met me in the pas- sage-way and handed me the tickets and baggage check. Not a word was spoken. The man who had done the " sneaking " had taken the first mail train out of Boston after seeing the " stuff " counted. This train was overtaken by my train at Spring- field, and then he got on the train on which I was a passen- ger. The man who did the " stalling " remained in the city that night, occupying my Dover Street room. I told the man who did the " sneaking " not to speak to me on the train under any circumstances, until we got to Stamford, Conn. Then, if he saw me get off the train at the station, he would know that everything was all right. I gave him the signal when we got to Stamford, and together we went to New York. The next day I sent him for the valise, and he brought it to my room in Twentieth Street. The next night after we got to New York, the " stall " came to my house, and I gave him all the railroad bonds and mis- cellaneous papers for safe-keeping, as it was not safe for me to keep them about the house. The battered boxes were put up in a bundle, and these the " stall " dropped into the East River, while crossing over to his home in Brooklyn. The bank people, he said, had " squealed " for sixty thou- sand dollars, but there was not more than twenty thousand dollars of this available to the thieves. I myself sold the United States bonds to a dealer in "crooked" bonds for ninety per cent, and divided the proceeds, equally among all parties concerned. Early in October, Rice, the " kid," and myself took a trip on to Providence. After looking, the banks over in that vicinity, I went on to Boston, where I remained several dAMBBIDOEPOBT NATIONAL BANK. 443 days. After giving the detective his '.' bit," I returned to Providence, and joined Rice and Briggs. After we had done Tip Connecticut, we returned to New York about the twen- tieth of October, and heard that the "kid" and myself had been put down by the "turn callers" as most likely to be the men who had done this job. CHAPTER XXXIV. Al^ ALIBI WITHOUT ELAWS. HOW A BOSTON JURY WAS CONVINCED I WAS IN NEW YOEK WHEN GAEBY'S BONDS WEBB STOLEN. The next day I met Raymond at the Buckingham, and was told he had a lot of diamonds he would like to exchange for United States bonds. He asked me if the " kid " had any for sale. I told him the last bonds the "kid" had seen were those stolen from Prothingham. That night we wined, dined, and played the bank together until five o'clock the next morning, when I went home, not suspecting treachery from Raymond. "Kid" Briggs had a room in my house at 123' East Twenty-Ninth Street; and on the evening of October 23- he left the house, soon followed by me. I had gone only a few steps, when I was arrested by Cunning and Thompson, two New York detectives. I then saw I was surrounded by Inspector Murray and his deputies. I was taken to a station- house near Thirty-Second Street and Lexington Avenue, where I remained only a short time before I was handcuffed to Sergeant Meekin and taken, I think, to the Tenth Pre- cinct Station. Thence, after being handcuffed to Meekin, I was taken to a down-town station-house, and before morning I was again taken in this same way to the old Fourth Pre- cinct Station-house, where I remained until the following day, when I was again chained to Meekin and taken to Inspector Murray's office. All this was before he was located at police headquarters. When I entered the room, I saw I was to be " stood up " for exhibition; and seeing two Boston detectives and Miss Evans with Garey of Boston, who had been robbed, in the rear office, I asked to have the door closed. This was not done, however, before they had been given the " tip." A line was formed by some half-dozen of Murray's men. When I saw that none of them wore a silk hat like myself, I asked to be 444 AN ALIBI WITHOUT FLAWS. 445 allowed to put on the same kind of a hat they wore. This could not be allowed, as theirs was the regulation hat, and the man in the silk hat had been pointed out. I then took off my new silk hat, which had cost me ten dollars two days before, placed it on the floor, and stepped on it with both feet, making it as flat as a pancake. I then said, " Open the door, and call in those people who have been instructed to identify me." The door was then opened, and the party came in, accom- panied by Inspector Murray. I saw that Miss Evans flashed her eyes along the line, and, not seeing the silk hat, seemed confused, and turned to Inspector Murray, who was near me. When I saw he had " tipped me off " to her, I said, " Look at me, for I am the man he told you to identify." The poor girl, after looking at me a moment, again turned to him and was given another quiet buzz. She was not sat- isfied, and asked if I would please walk into the other room, as she wished to see my back. Out of courtesy to the lady, I dragged Meekin, who was chained to me, up and down the room. Then, after this exhibition, I was taken to the Essex Market police court. There I met the " kid," and was told by him he had been arrested when leaving the house, previous to my arrest; that the Cambridgeport Bank people had looked at him, and that he had been " stood up " for identification to several other parties, two of whom were a hackman and a clerk at a hotel. Both of these men, he said, had identified him on the Ailing job. I also saw my wife. She, too, was under arrest; upon what charge no one could tell, and she was soon discharged. The " kid " was then taken into court and committed to the Tombs in default of heavy bail, on the charge of stealing Ailing Brothers & Company's jewelry trunk. My case was then called, and I was fully identified as the man who came into the store and entertained a young lady, while another man, who had previously entered the store, stole eight thousand dollars in four and one-half per cent United States bonds out of the pocket of Mr. Garey's over- coat, which at the time hung behind his counter. Mr. Garey then identified me as the man he had seen talking to Miss Evans while he was engaged with another customer at the other window with his back to the counter, I was then 446 LANGBON W. MOORE. committed to the Fourth Precinct Station-house for a further hearing. I engaged Howe and Hummel to look after my interest, and to defend the " kid " when his case came on for trial. A few days later, I was taken before a referee, and a further continuance was asked for and granted. In this way, I annoyed the Boston detectives, Wood and Hines, for two weeks, anci arranged a satisfactory defence by proving an alibi ■ — not one of the kind that is so dangerous, one only half proved. I was then chained to Sergeant Meekin and taken to Cap- tain Walsh's office, under the City Hall, there to remain while the referee called the case. • When I entered the office. Inspector Murray said : " Cap- tain, I want to leave this man here with you until the court opens. Look out for him." " Take off his irons," said the Captain. " Oh, I can't do that," the Inspector replied, " for this is Charley Adams." " Then if you can't, take him out of here," rejoined the Captain. He then took off the irons, and Sergeant Meekin seemed easier. The Inspector asked, " Do you know this man ? " The Captain answered, " Yes," and, turning to me, s^d, " Have they got you dead to rights, Charley ? " I answered, " No." " Are you sure ? " "Yes." Then the Inspector said, " Yes, I have got him dead, and fully identified by two witnesses." I said, " I will bet you a fifty-dollar overcoat, I beat this case with my hands down." "It goes," he replied, " I will bet you." " I will bet you fifty more," I said, and took out of my pocket several hundred dollars that had been given me, with- out his knowledge or consent, while in the station-house. " No, I will not bet you any more," replied the Inspector. The Captain said: "I have known this man for twenty- five years, and have seen him under arrest before. He will beat you. Your nut is not screwed on right." When the court opened, I was again chains i to Meekin AN ALIBI WITHOUT FLAWS. 447 and taken before the referee. As I had accomplished my object, my counsel, with my consent, told the court I was willing to go to Boston. The referee then committed me _for extradition, and gave me in charge of Detectives Wood and Hines. That night I was taken to Boston by the Fall River boat, and put under ten-thousand-dollar bonds. In default, I was committed to the Suffolk County Jail, where I saw Charles Sweeney, an'd engaged him to defend the case. I also retained Joseph H. Bradley, and in a few days sent him to see ex-Governor Gaston, to ask him what he would try the case for. The price named was two hundred and fifty dollars, and at this figure he was retained. Two days before Thanksgiving I was taken to court, where I for the first time saw ex-Governor Gaston. When I talked the matter over, I said: " Governor, there will be but one man in this court room who can tell which of the witnesses tell the truth, and those who tell a lie, and that will be myself, the prisoner in the box. I want you to follow my instructions when the case is tried, and if I fall I will find no fault with you." Bradley had seen me at the jail the day previous, and said: " No one can tell what a verdict may be, no matter what the evidence is. I know these people who have lost the bonds, and it is not too late to settle the case. To-morrow at this time it will be too late." I replied, " I paid you one hundred dollars for a retaining fee, to fight this case, and not to make a settlement." At the same time I laid two nickels on the bar of the door, and added: "I would not give those to walk out of here a free man to-night. If a settlement is to be made, I am competent to make it myself, without the aid of counsel." It was then agreed he should not show up in court while the case was being tried, as both Mr. Garey and Miss Evans were friends of his ; so I was one hundred dollars out before the case was called. The " sneak " of the " mob " usually goes light-hitched, and wears pump-soled shoes with the squeak taken out ; but I had entered the court with a heavy Irish frieze ulster on, and a triple-soled pair of boots. For a hat I wore a wide- brimmed derbjr, such as policemen wear. This I had sent to my hatter in New York, and had the brim ironed down flat. These things changed my appearance somewhat from the 448 LANGBON W. MOOBE. elegantly dressed gentleman who had been so fully described by Miss Eyans. As I got out of the Black Maria to enter the court house, some boys in the crowd shouted " Shoot that hat." When Judge Aldrich took his seat, the trial began ; and when the court closed for the day, both Miss Evans and Mr. Garey had told the story of _ the robbery, and had fully identified me as the man who had done the talking to Miss Evans when the bonds were stolen. The detectives who brought me on had told my counsel they had a surprise party for me ; and this proved to be in the person of a fine- looking, conscientious old gentleman, who would not swear positively I was the man he had seen talking to Miss Evans when the bonds were stolen, but that I resembled him very much. With this witness, and the testimony of Wood and Hines and a New York officer, the prosecution closed their case. It was now dollars to doughnuts I would be convicted, to all who were not let into the little surprise party I had in reserve for the prosecution. The next day when the case was called, my counsel drew the attention of the court and jury to the fact that he should call several witnesses who would testify to seeing me in New York at the time it was said the robbery was committed in Boston, a New York officer having seen me at One Hundred and Tenth Street, New York, about the time the bonds were stolen, when I wore no whiskers, as had been fully described by both Miss Evans and Mr. Garey when their testimony was given. My counsel then called Mr. Haulenbeck, a merchant tailor in New York, who had been my tailor for years. He testified, and showed his books to prove, that I had called at his store a few days previous to the robbery, and ordered a suit of clothes ; that when I had left the store, one of the pro- prietors asked him who I was, and he told him ; whereupon the other had said, " I thought he was a Catholic priest, as he is smooth-shaven and wears a ministerial diagonal suit of clothes, and a wide-brimmed soft hat, such as are usually worn by priests." And as they had a good laugh over the matter, it had fixed this fact upon his memory. Mr. Williams, another witness, testified to substantially the same thing. My counsel said he would next call the atten- AJSr ALIBI WITHOUT FLAWS. 449 tion of the court and jury to a silent witness he then held in his hand. He removed the wrapper from a large, leather- bound, hack-stable order book, with '^ Kenny " — the proprie- tor's name — stamped on the outside, along with the number in Fourth Street, New York, where the stable was located. After reading several call orders from other people, he came to one marked, " L. W. Moore wants a hack sent to his home in Eleventh Street to-day, at One o'clock, to take himself and family out on the road." It.was marked " Paid, eight dollars," and on the following day it was seen I had again called at the stable and ordered another hack, and the time this hack was to be at my house was 3 p. M. It was then seen that the date when the first call was made was the day on which the robbery had been committed in Boston. , District-Attorney Stevens carefully examined this old, greasy, thumb-worn book, but was unable to discover that it had been tampered with in any way. The judge, after looking it over a moment or two, was convinced that everything was regular, and that no alteration had been made. It was then handed to the jury, and passed along the line for their inspection. It was not .dollars to doughnuts, now, that I would be convicted ; for my stock had gone up to par value, and a few bets were made at even money that I ■ would be acquitted. The hackman was then called, and he testified he had answered both of these calls. He identified me as the man, and my wife (who was then in court) as the woman, he had carried out of town, to the club-house near Harlem bridge. He was positive about the dates, and, when asked how he could fix them, said: " I have been married fourteen years, and never during that time have I quarrelled with my wife. I had only worked for Mr. Kenny a day or tw;o when this first call was made ; and as it was my first out-of-town call after I went to work for him, I shall always remember it from the fact that on the following day, when the second call was made, I had, before leaving home, promised to take my wife out at nine o'clock that night to visit some friends, and, upon my return to the city, I saw it was half-past nine by the clock in front of the Fifth Avenue Hotel. After I had taken Mr. Moore to his home, and the hack to the stable, it was ten o'clock when I reached home, and my wife gave me the devil because I was so late. That's how I am able to 450 LANGBON W. MOOBE. fix the date. Perhaps some of you know how it is your- selves." My wife then, took the stand, and testified to the fact that this was the hackman wlio drove the hack on both of those occasions ; and with her evidence the case for the defence closed, after I had refused my counsel's request to take the stand myself. Up to this time I thought I was guilty; but ^after I had heard my counsel, Governor Gaston and Charles E. Sweeney, make their pleas, I believed that I was innocent. District- Attorney Stevens then made the grandest effort of his life for my conAdction. The judge charged the jury in a fair and impartial manner. They retired from the room, and I was sent to the rear. Governor Gaston came to nie and asked if I was satisfied he had followed my instructions. " Yes, sir, I am, and if I fall I will not blame you." I was then told if a verdict of guilty was brought in I would not be sentenced, because he had already filed excep- tions. In forty-five minutes the jury returned to the room, and I was taken to the prisoners' box and told to stand up and hear what they had to say for themselves. They were then asked if they had agreed upon a verdict. The foreman answered *' Yes." " What say you, gentlemen of the jury? Is the prisoner at the bar guilty or not guilty?" "Not guilty, so say we all." I was led away and given a seat in the rear. Here I re- mained some thirty minutes, when Officer Tyler said: " The court has not discharged you, and the sheriff is not here to do it. It is something I have never done before, but I will take the responsibility of discharging you myself." "While the trial was going on, I had seen several persons enter the court whom I had seen before, and I supposed I was being detained until the papers could be made out to commit me to jail upon some other charge. This was not th^ case, however, as no other victim could be found to identify me as one of the persons engaged in one of the many robberies committed in or near Boston that year. That night I returned to New York; and as it was Thanksgiving ' Day, I waited until the following morning before I paid Inspector Murray a visit. As I entered the AN ALIBI WITHOUT FLAWS. 451 office, I saw several of his men behind the counter who had assisted in making my arrest. I asked if Inspector Murray- was in, and was told that he was in the rear office; to walk in. As the door was open, I did so. Just as I entered the door, I saw a lot of burglar's tools piled up in the corner by the door. These I picked up, one at a time, and looked them over, and in doing so I made all the noise possible. " Yes," I said, " these are all my tools. They were stolen out of my house on the night of the twenty-third of October." The Inspector asked, " Do you claim those tools ? " I turned to him and said, " Yes, sir, every one of them ; and I will have you and the tools in the Marine Court to-morrow morning." He replied, " You are all you have been represented to me to be; for I never knew any other 'crook' who, if he knew I had his tools here, would have the nerve to come within half a dozen blocks of this office." All this time he had been sitting at his table arranging some papers, fully twelve feet from where I and the tools were. He then asked me to be seated, and I took a seat directly opposite him at the table. Up to this time not a word had reached New York of my acquittal, and I was the one to give him the information, when I asked for an order on his tailor for the fifty-dollar overcoat I had won. In justice to him, I will say that if the claim had been pressed, the bet would then and there have been paid. I asked what he had done with the one thousand five hundred dollars in bonds, and some other property that had been taken out of my house. This, he said, had been taken to the property clerk's office at police headquarters. He went with me, and it was returned, all except some cheap jewelry that had been purchased by the " kid " at a loan office on the Bowery. This I dared not claim, as I feared it might at some time, have been stolen. A revolver that had been found in my room, he said the District-Attorney then had, and he was holding it as evidence against the " kid " in case a new trial was granted. Shortly after this, the " stall," Eice, jumped away with all the miscellaneous papers and railroad securities of our Cambridgeport Bank job, and neither the " kid " nor myself ey^r r§ceiy?d ^ single dpllar out of th^m; nor hav? I §eea 452 LANGDON W. MOORE. him from that day to this. He was the man the Boston detective introduced me to as one of the best men in the country. After doing enough talking in New York, the following spring, about the Cambridgeport Bank robbery for some of it to reach the ears of Fields and Conner of the New York police force, he was arrested by them April 24, 1878, and fully identified by the cashier. He was extradited to Massachusetts, and was put in jail in Middlesex County. His house in Brooklyn was attached on a civil suit by the bank people. In less than six months he was discharged from jail without a trial, as the evidence of the cashier would not warrant a conviction; for the reason that he had already identified Ned Lyman, from a picture he had seen in the rogues' gallery at police headquarters, as the man who had done the talking at the time the bank was robbed. The Garey case cost me two thousand dollars, and not one dollar of this money was ever made good to me, by either Gus Raymond, who stole the bonds, or Cluch Donahue, alias Dr. Demmick, who did the talking to Mr. Garey while at the window. These two men at the time occupied a room at 44 Carver Street, Boston; and as soon as the bonds were sold, I saw six hundred dollars counted out and given to Raymond. This he and Jordan brought on to Boston and gave to the detective, who did a lot of talking for me while I was in jail and being tried, but who did not put up a cent for me. I learned, soon after my return to New York, that it was Raymond who had given us away on the Cambridgeport National Bank job; and when he saw they failed to identify either of us on that job, he took good care to see that Briggs was identified as the man who hired the hackman to carry him and the jeweller's trunk to the Fourth Avenue Hotel, and also by the clerk of the hotel. Inspector Murray was given the job by Cunning and Thompson, two New York detectives, and he hurried the case on to trial. While I was in Suffolk County Jail waiting trial on the Garey robbery, the " kid " was tried, convicted, and sentenced to five years in Sing Sing. Upon my release I went to New York and saw his counsel, Howe and Hummel, and they filed exceptions. I then saw him and told him what I tad done. Some two years later, these exceptions were allowed, and I saw him again and talked the matter over with him. At this time he bad only AN ALIBI WITHOUT FLAWS. 453 about seventeen months more to serve, allowing his good time off. It was thought best he should do his original time, rather than take the risk of a second trial, with the chance of being tried for the second offence, he having done time in Sing Sing before. Murray threatened to again bring this against him if I forced on the second trial. The following March, Raymond, who had given us away, was arrested in New York upon the charge of stealing the trunk. He was identified by the baggage-master at Worces- ter, as one of the men who had entered the . baggage-room when the checks were changed. He was extradited to Wor- cester, Mass., and while in jail at that place, sent his girl to Detective Radford and gave away one of the parties who purchased the stolen jewelry. This detective went on to Providence and searched the man's store, where he found about six hundred dollars' worth of the stolen jewelry. This he captured; and when he had skinned the man out of four hundred dollars in cash, he returned to New York and allowed the matter to drop. This man had previously given Rajonond, alias Arthur L. Berry, two hundred dollars for coun- sel fees before he was given away to the detective. Raymond was afterwards tried and convicted on this charge, and sen- tenced to five years in State prison at Concord, where I met him in April, 1880, and he begged of me not to give him away for " squealing " on the Providence man, Briggs, and myself. CHAPTER XXXV. IN NEWBURYPOET CITY HALL. DISCOVERED OPENING A SAFE, THE THIEVES ECN ONE WAY AND THE OFEICEES THE OTHER. As things at my home were anything but agreeable to me, I advertised and sold at public auction most of the furniture then in the Twenty-Ninth Street house. This had cost me, less than one month previous to my arrest, four thousand dol- lars. As the house was packed with curiosity seekers and the police, on the day of the sale, it sold for less than nine hundred dollars. Just before Christmas I had a serious difficulty with a man in Scott and Earle's Sixth Avenue dining saloon. I found one Herbert Thompson in company with one who was then a member of my family. In consequence of our vari- ance of opinion in regard to family matters, this man caused my arrest, and the following day I was committed to the Tombs in default of bail. I remained for two or three da^i's, when satisfactory bail was furnished. The following April, this coward, Herbert Thompson, went before the grand jury and stated that the cause justified the assault; and as no indictment was found, the case was dismissed. About the eighteenth of May, I journeyed on to Boston with three other " crooks." A Boston detective called my attention to a job he had at the City Treasurer's office at Newburyport, Mass. He told me there was an old-fashioned safe in the City Hall, in the first room to the left as one entered the building. If I could open it, I would get a large sum of money. I must take everything, all 'papers and books found in the safe, besides the money. The books and papers I was to give to him, and he was to return them for the reward to the original owners, through the sheriff of the adjoining county in New Hampshire. In that way he IN NJEWBURYPOET CITY HALL. 455 thought he might be able to make himself solid with that official. I think it was the twenty-first day of May, I, with two of the men who had come on with me from New York, went to Haverhill, leaving the other man in Boston. There I hired a team and drove to Newburyport, arriving there at about ten o'clock at night. I drove down High Street until I came to the street near where the old Dexter House had stood when I was a boy. I then turned to the right and drove in the direction of what used to be the old town pasture, to a street running parallel with High Street. I drove along this until I came to a pair of bars leading into a mowing field. I took the bars down, led the horse through to the back part of the field, out of sight of the main street, and hitched him. The men with me put up the bars, and we went down the street, and up past the jail to High Street, down this to State Street, and down State to the street leading past the City Hall. There was a dance or a public gathering of some kind in a building between State Street and Brown Square. Not wishing to be seen together, each man walked alone, and we all went into hiding behind the City Hall, and remained out of sight until after twelve o'clock, hoping that the place would close, and so give us a chance to do our work withaut alarming any one. Shortly aftpr twelve we opened a window at the side of the building, and I alone entered the Treasurer's office and walked behind the counter, where I found the safe in the northwest corner of the room. I casually examined it and found everything as the detective had represented. I loaded up the safe with five ounces of powder, attached the fuse, and returned to the window and gave the two outside men the " tip " I was all ready to blow it open. I waited a long time before receiving the signal. The moment it was given I lighted the fuse, walked to the front of the counter, and remained there until after the explosion. Then I walked back behind the counter, moved the lining of the door, and pulled out the drawer with the money in it. In doing so, I picked up a package which I supposed to be coupons cut from bonds. I had just put them in my pocket, when I heard some one call, " Halt, come back, you — stop where you are — Qome out ! " in a loud yoice, 456 LANGDON W. MOORE. I carried the drawer to the window, looked out, and asked the outside man what the trouble was. I saw he held a pis- tol in his hand. He told me there was a " dead tumble." I left the drawer on the window-sill nearest the safe, and jumped to the ground in time to see a man go round the other corner of the building. All three of us ran across the little square in front of the City Hall, and so back up into High Street and down past the jail, to where we had left the team. The horse was hurriedly driven back into the road, and all three of us got in and drove up to High Street. Going up this street we met another team, coming down, with a carriage lantern attached to the dasher. The nearer the carriage came to us, the larger and more brilliant the light seemed to grow. , As we passed, it appeared to be about the size of a full moon. To prevent being identified by this man at some future time, each one of us hid his face from view. It was after passing the team, that I was told by one of the men why I was called out. He said two officers had come up the side street from Water Street, and that they were near the building when the explosion occurred- They came hurriedljr around the corner to the front, when the man with me called " Halt." He then told me he had called " Halt — come back," to the other man in our party, who had started to run away.. He said to this man : " Davis, you wouldn't run away and leave that old man in there, would you ? If you had not come back, I would have opened fire on you." The other talk Avas made to the officers. At this time he held a pistol in his right hand, and, there being a light near by, it could be seen plainly by the officers. The moment they saw the pistol, they turned round the corner, ran to police headquarters at the old Citj'^ Hall, and gave the general alarm. They came back with reinforcements, entered the building, and then saw that the safe had been blown open. In their search they found a sectional jimmy, with two couplings. It was made of one-inch octagon steel, and had a short turn at one end to give ,leverage; the other end was drawn out to a chisel point. A lantern that was never in use, a bit stock, and some other, small articles, were also found. The kit of tools this jimmy belonged to was that which Inspector ' Murray captured at my house the year previous, IJV NEWBVBYPOBT CITY BALL. 457 and is now on exhibition at the " art museum " at police headquarters, New York, with an old Lillie combination lock, which, it is said, I once studied so as to be able to unlock it by the sound ejected from the spindle. All this time we were driving back to Haverhill. When we arrived in that city, it must have been between two and three o'clock. The two men got out and crossed the bridge, while I drove the team back to the stable, awakened the hostler, delivered the team to him, paid for it, " tipped " him, and followed the others across the bridge, where I found them waiting for me. We then walked away from Haverhill on the railroad, towards LavTrence. When near sunrise, I pulled the package of coupons I had taken out of the safe from my pocket. After we had exam- ined them and found they had been cancelled and were worthless, I buried them in the dirt at an embankment where a pile of sleepers had been laid to prevent a bank slide from falling on the tracks. We then walked to Lawrence and took the train for Boston. A night or two after, I reported to the detective all that had occurred, and asked him to go to Newburyport and try to get the jimmy that had been left in the room, either by paying four times its value or by persuasion, I did not care which, so long as he brought it away; for I feared it might, be traced to the man who had made it for me, and he for a few dollars might give me away. Then, if arrested and shown up, the stable man at Haverhill would surely identify me as the man who had hired the team. He was to ascertain if either one of the parties seen by the officers could be identified. CHAPTER XXXVI. TO EIGHT A WWm. HOW A 'WOECESTEE SILK DEALER WAS -ROBBED, AND AC- CUSED BY THE POLICE OE DOING IT HIMSELF. A EBW days later, I left the city with my " pals," and when we reached Worcester, one of the party, while walking up Main Street,' saw and admired some black silk in a show window. He came ,to me and asked if I would go and look at the place, and tell him how an entrance could be made, as he wanted to do something there before leaying the city that night. I looked this place over, and saw the rear windows were covered over with heavy wire screens, and the iron frames of these were fastened with screws to the casings of the win- dow. I then told him to go to a hardware store and pur- chase a large, strong screw-diiver, with which he could take out the screws from the bottom of this frame. He could then spring it open far enough to allow him to shove up the window till he was able to enter the store. He could then pull the screen back. into its place, and close the window after him, so that if the officer or another came along the passage-way in the rear of the store, he could not see what had been done. A few yards of window curtain stuff was purchased, and a ball of heavy cord. One man then " piped " the store un- til he had seen it closed; and at nine o'clock that night, the four men of the party went to the store. One was stationed at one end of the passage-way, and one on the corner of Main Street ; while another man went to the window, took out the screws, opened the window, and entered %he store, pulling the screen back in its place, and closing the window behind him. He then went to the front of the store, packed all the black silk he could find in two bundles, did them up in the window curtain stuff, and securely tied them with the cord. He then signalled he was ready to leave the place. TO RIGHT A WRONG. 459 As soon as I saw tlie street at the side of the store was clear, I went to the window, sprung open the grating, raised the window and took out the bundles. He came Out, closing the window, and putting the grating back in its place. The bundles were taken to the depot, and when the night express train for New York came along, we got on board and journeyed to New York together, in the smoker. This silk was sold to a " fence " in New York that afternoon for sixty cents a yard, " fence " price, and I myself bought one hun- dred and fifty yards of it at that price. This I gave away to my supposed lady friends. This robbery was not discovered until the following morn- ing, when the police officers made their investigation. Some three years later, I was told by one of them that, after looking the place over, he had come to the conclusion the man who owned the store had committed the robbery himself, as the two thousand dollars' worth of silk he claimed had been stolen he had never paid for. The victim took this method, as the officer thought, to cheat his creditors out of their money. This is only one case, in many I have known, where the victim loses not only his property but his reputation. The latter is not carried away by the thieves; but when the police make their investigation after a robbery has been committed, and fail to discover, or are not told, who the thieves are, they then act in a mysterious manner and put on a look as wise as an owl's. They say, " Oh, that fellow knows more about the robbery than any one else." I think it is quite enough for a man to know he has been robbed, without being left at the mercy of officers who only know what they have been told. My only object in telling this story is to right a wrong that was done this honest man by the police ; for with his credit unimpaired he might in time recover his financial loss, but his reputation, so mercilessly taken away by the police, never. CHAPTER XXXVII. SENSATIOML EPISODE IN CHICAGO. detective's part in hoodwinking an official ov the lechmere bank op cambridge. I NEXT went on to Chicago with the three men. There I saw the Boston detective, some time in June. I had just left the post-office, when I ran up against one of the men who had robbed the Lechmere Bank. When asked what I was doing there, I told him I was living there, and had been in the city two or three weeks. He then asked me if I had seen the Bos- ton detective. I told him I had not. " He is here," he said, " and is stopping at the Clifton House; and I am to meet him at the lake front, opposite the Exposition building, at six o'clock this afternoon." It was then arranged I should stroll along past this build- ing at that time, run up against this Boston detective, and pretend the meeting was accidental. The "crook" was to remain in the park along the lake front, where he could see the " meet " ; and after I had been talking with the detective twenty minutes, he then would pass down the street on the opposite side, where either myself or the detective would see him and call him to us. I was on time to see the detective take his station at the corner of the street. I then went to him, and pretended I had seen him from a distance leave his hotel, and had come to him. When I asked if he had~an appointment there, he said, " No ; I am only taking a walk." He then told me he had been to Newburyport, and had seen the jimmy lying on the table for exhibition, when he entered the room at police headquarters ; that he had taken it in his hands, and had told the officer in charge it was a nice one ; that he would like to have it, and would buy it at a fair price. He would have got it, he said, had it not been for a man who gave the officer the " tip " that he himself wanted it to put in a collection of burglar's tools which he was get- 460 SENSATIONAL EPISODE IN CHICAGO. 461 ting together. He was told by this officer the history of the jimmy and the burglary at the City Hall, when the burglars drove the officer away with guns. When he asked what the men looked like, the officer said they could give no descrip- tion of the burglars, except in a general way, as the officers were not near enough to distinguish their features. The man who drove the team with the lantern towards New- buryport reported that he had met three men in a carriage, driving rapidly away. He, also, was unable to give an intel- ligent description of them. When this had been told me, the detective asked who that man was, coming down on the opposite side of the street. He then called the man, who was Thomas Bigelow, and he came to us, pretending the meeting was purely accidental. When the detective had denied seeing this man since the Lechmere job, I put up my haiid and said, " That will do." After we had talked over old times with the detective for nearly one hour, he made a " meet " for the following day with Bigelow, and told me he was stopping at the Clifton. When I told him I was then at the Commercial, he said he would call and see me in the morning. He then left us, and early the following morning he called upon me at my hotel. He said, " I suppose you got Bigelow full last night, and he has told you all about what my busi- ness is here ? " I .replied, " Oh, yes; he keeps no secrete from me, you know." He then told me he had come to Chicago, with another officer, to get the " stuff " stolen from the Lechmere Bank that was of no value to the thieves. This, he said, the other officer was to return to the bank for a consideration; as this other officer was n'ot known to the thieves, he had come on as the go-between, and would get his " bit " out of the reward without coming in contact with the bank people, for he dared not be known in the matter. He then told me Raymond wanted to " squeal " on me on the Ailing job, but he had been to Worcester Jail and told him if he did not keep his mouth shut, he might be identified as the man who had stolen the two boxes out of the Lechmere Bank ; and that he had so frightened him that I had nothing to fear from him. He told me Jordan, who had called out the cashier to the 462 LANGDON W. MOORE. woman in the wagon when the bank was robbed, was then ih Portland (Me.) Jail for stealing a tray of jewelry, and that he was getting very uneasy and weak, and if any one " tipped him off" to the cashier of the Lechmere, and he should go down there and identify him, he would "squeal" on the whole party. The detective was trying to work the " stuff " back and get Jordan c/ut. He then told me that E. C. Moore, then in jail on the Cambridgeport Bank job, would get out if he kept his mouth shut; and if he did "squeal," he had arranged with his counsel to get the " tip " in time to notify me. He was going to have Bigelow and Carroll take the Lech- mere "stuff" over into Canada and give it to him, and he would give it to Rufus Wade, the officer who was to do the business for the bank. He did not care to have Wade know the party who had done the job, and he could not give them away. Now, up to this time, Bigelow had told me nothing about the matter ; but this brilliant detective, who stood in with most of the " crooks " in the East, had told me everything, supposing I had been told all about this bank job by Bigelow. When I left him and saw Bigelow, I was able to talk the matter over intelligently with him. He then told me that he, Carroll, O'Brien, and a lady had gone on to New York, where they met Raymond and Jordan, and they had gone on together to Boston, where the party met this detective, and he had given them the Lechmere job. Now, this same detective had given me this job while I was looking after the Cambridgeport Bank, and I had gone there with the " kid " and another man. Leaving them out^ side the bank, I entered, and saw the cashier busy counting some money that lay on the table near the window, directly . in the rear of the pigeon-hole, twelve or fifteen feet away. After getting a bill changed, he again returned to the table and took his seat. I then left the bank and signalled the " kid" and the other man to come to me. I told the "kid" the situation of the money, and the other man was to ask for silver for a note. When this was being given, the " kid " would pull the trick off, and I would cover him in and out of the room, so that he could not be seen by the cashier. He crawled along the SENSATIONAL EPISODE IN CHICAGO. 463 partition until he came to the door leading from the presi- dent's room in to where the cashier was. He then partially arose, took the largest bundle of money on the table, and crept back to the door, where I was standing, and I covered the door as he passed out into the street. He then went to my room, where we soon joined him. Instead of this " touch " amounting to thousands, it turned out to be five packages of one and two dollar notes, in .all amounting to two hundred and fifty dollars. The detective had only been given ten per cent of this steal. For some cause or other, the " squeal " was never publicly known, and I have often wondered how the cashier was able to balance his cash account that day. Bigelow now told me that three teams had beeii hired to do the job. The woman was given one of these, and when she got the " tip" from Carroll, who was stationed at the corner on the opposite side of the street, she drove in front of the bank ; and when Raymond and O'Brien had secreted themselves behind the entry door, Jordan entered the bank and told the cashier a lady in a carriage at the door wished to speak to him on a matter of business. He then left tlie bank, followed by the cashier. The two " sneaks " entered the bank, Raymond going to the vault, and O'Brien going for the cashier's money drawer. This, he said, O'Brien cleaned out, but Raymond grabbed the first two tin boxes he saw, and came rushing out of the vault, saying to O'Brien, " Come out ; I have got everything there is in the vault." He then left the room, and returned to their original hiding-place, where he was joined by O'Brien a few moments later. While this was going on, the cashier was counting over a lot of one and two dollar notes that the lady had given him, saying she wished to purchase a draft on some bank in Providence. When he had counted the money, he found it some two or three dollars short of the amount the lady had stated the roll contained. He then counted it over again, and still found it short. She then counted it and handed it back to him; and when this had been done several times, the cashier excused himself, saying he must return to the bank, as he could leave it alone no longer. He left the lady to do the rest of the counting alone. 464 LANGBON W. MOORE. She then drove away, and when the " sneaks " saw the cashier return to the bank, they left the building, and turned the corner to the right of the bank, where Bigelow and Jordan were waiting with the teams. O'Brien, he said, got in with Jordan. Raymond, who, he said, was so excited he could scarcely walk, tumbled into the wagon with him. They then drove to Boston, where they hired a room; and after O'Brien had returned one of the teams to the stable, and while on his return to the room, he met the woman alone with her team, trying to find the stable where the team was hired. He then left her standing in the street, while he drove the team to the stable. Carroll, he said, had promised to get into her team while crossing the bridge and take the team back to the stable himself; but, instead, had run away as soon as he saw the cashier on the sidewalk. The poor woman was obliged to look out for herself. As she was a stranger in Boston, she had been wandering about the streets for nearly two hours when she' was seen by O'Brien. When Carroll came sneaking into the room, he said a man had got on to him, and he was obliged to jump away to prevent the whole party from getting arrested.. They then went on to New York, and were met there the next day by the detective. They gave him his " bit," and were told a Chicago detective had seen them in Boston and " tipped them off " to the Boston officers, who were hot on their trail. As this Chicago detective did not know Ray- mond and Jordan, they would be safe in New York. Bigelow, Carroll, O'Brien, and the woman then returned to Chicago. There they had to " give up " to the officers, and when the detective returned, he was made to say he was only " kidding " the Boston officers when he told them it was a Chicago " mob " of bank " sneaks " who had done the job. This did not satisfy the bank people, and they had determined to investigate the matter. They then arranged with the Chicago officers that the moment the cashier and the officers reached the city, they should be notified; and as the cashier, had never seen Carroll, ' he was to be given a chance to see him first. While this was being done, the woman was to gather up a lot of clothes, fill a wash-tub half full of hot water, let down her hair over her shoulders, pin up her calico dress around her waist, roll up her sleeves, mount a stool, and see how much suds she SENSATIONAL EPISODE IN CHICAGO. 465 could make before the time set for the show. When the officers got the " tip," she was ready to receive company. The cashier had been told not to identify her at the house, but wait until they returned to the police station, for fear it might frighten the rest of the thieves out of town, and pre- vent them from arresting the whole party. They then went to the lady's rooms, and without cere- mony rushed in upon her and found her at the tub, hard at work, with the sweat rolling down her face, and a lot of clean clothes she had dipped in the tub to help swell the pile she had really been washing. The cashier looked at her for some time, then at the clothes, and signalled he was ready to leave. When they left the room, she jumped from the stool and changed her clothes, all ready, to skip in case she had been identified by the cashier after they had returned to the station. She waited. for the "tip" that meant either stand or run away. When the cashier reached the station-house, he believed all the officers had told him about the hard-working woman he had seen at the wash-tub. He said she resembled the woman he had seen and talked to in the wagon at the time the bank was robbed, but that it did not seem possible a poor, hard- working washerwoman like her could be a bank robber. He guessed she was not the woman he had seen and talked to. This ended the matter so far as she was then concerned • but when I next saw her, upon her return home after she had visited the Paris Exposition, I was told that the Bf, .( and Chicago detectives had skinned her, tlirough Jim Can out of every dollar she had made on the Lechmere Bank job. If that was what was called bank robbery, she wanted no more to do with it, or any other job where you had to give up all the money you made for police protection. I met this detective several times while in Chicago, before the party went to Canada. He told me if I ever had or could get any more 'black silk, he wished I would let him know, as he had a lady friend living in Detroit, Mich., who carried on a dress-making establishment. She would pay double the price we had been paid by the New York "fence " for the silk stolen in Worcester. Bigelow and Carroll were away from Chicago on this Canada trip three or four days, when they returned to Chi- 466 LANGDON W. MOOSE. cago. I was told by them that all the " stuff " stolen from the bank, that was of no value to the thieves, had been given up to the detective. He was to work it back to the bank through Private Detective Wade, who had been employed by the bank people to close up the matter with the thieves without further prosecution. The detective had sent to me by Bige- low a clipping cut from a New York paper, stating I was in Chicago with a Boston officer, trying to effect a settlement with the thieves for the property stolen from the Lechmere Bank. I was not known to the Chicago officers at this time, and could go and come when I pleased. It was not so with the men I had been working with. They were residents of the city, and were well known to the detectives. Before we had been there a week, one of the party was arrested, charged with being a vagrant without visible means of support. At the same time he had on his person several hundred dollars in cash. He was taken to court and put under bonds in the sum of five hundred dollars to appear for trial. Before the case was fixed, another of the party was arrested. He, too, was charged with vagrancy. He was admitted to bail in the same amount. In this way one was picked up after another, until the three were arrested, and put under five hundred dollars bail each. CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE WORK OF A WESTERN "MOB." EOBBBBY OF THE FIEST NATIONAL BANK OP ST. JOSEPH, MO. Seeing n'o prospect of all their cases being brought on for trial at once, and as it required time to have the cases pigeon- holed, and having a great curiosity to learn how a Western " mob " of bank " sneaks " did their work, I made the ac- quaintance of Carroll's " mob," which was made up of Jim Carroll, Tom Bigelow, Billy O'Brien, O'Brien's brother Pete, and Bennett. They went on to St. Joseph, Mo., to rob the First National Bank of that place. This is the story of that robbery. Carroll and Billy O'Brien had visited the city together a year or two previous, and Carroll had sent O'Brien into the bank to look it over and see 'if it would be possible for him to reach the vault, rob the safe, and return to the street, without the risk of being seen by the cashier. O'Brien went to the bank alone. When he entered he saw a package of money lying on the counter behind the screen, within reach. As none of the bank people seemed to pay any attention to him, he picked it up and left the bank, and joined Carroll and his party. He did not tell them he had stolen a package of money containing fifteen hundred dollars, while taking a survey of the interior of the bank ; but said he had been to the bank, looked it over, and found he could not do the " sneak," as he would first have to be covered while passing into the bank at the door and so on until he reached the corner of the two counters. He would then have to drop and run along on his hands and knees to the president's room, through that room, and so around into the vault ; and he would have to return that way. Persons having business with the bank might be seen running in and out of the president's room all the time during business hours, and the risk, he said, was too great. He would not make the attempt to rob the bank. They then left the town. 468 LANGDON W. MOORE. A day or two later Carroll read in a St. Joseph paper that a package of fifteen hundred dollars had been left on the counter behind the screen, and when looked for, it was found to have mysteriously disappeared. Carroll then accused the boy of stealing the money at the time he had been sent there to look the bank over. This was denied by the boy, who, Carroll believed, had put the party in the hole for their " bit." This was the O'Brien who had cleaned out the money drawer at the Lechmere National Bank. When he returned to the room, he was made by Carroll to turn his pockets inside out. He was thoroughly searched in the presence of the rest of the " mob," and when it was found he had no money hidden about his clothes, Carroll was told by the party that he himself required more watching than O'Brien. I had been told this by the boy, and also that he had " pinched ". the fifteen hundred dollars. The boy complained that Carroll made a Jack-in-the-box of him. " When he wants me for a ' sneak' job," said he, "he will open the cover of the box and tell me to jump- out, and when I have done the job he will tell me the detectives are looking for me, and I must jump back into the box again, then he will close the cover on me. I dare not break from him, for he knows too much about me, and has all the detectives in Chicago dead to rights." This was told to me, a stranger, in confidence, and is re- peated by me now for the first time. He then gave an intel- ligent description of the interior of the bank, and said he could do the " sneak " without difficulty whenever the cashier could be found alone in the bank, if proper assistance was given him by the parties who did the " stalling." The vault was directly in the rear of the cashier's counter, and some thirty feet away from where the cashier stood while waiting on his customers. Afterwards the party went again to the place and remained two days, three of the men staying at the hotel opposite the bank, while the others went to a hotel farther up the street. During this time it was seen the cashier remained in the bank alone during dinner hour, so this was the time agreed upon .to do the job. As the " mob " had been seen about the hotel and the streets, it was not thought safe to do the job then; and it was arranged that all the THE WOBK OF A WESTEMN " MOB." 469 party should go on to Atchison, Kan., except Carroll, and there remain until Carroll could return to Chicago, show up to the detectives, and borrow iive hundred dollars from his friend to be used by one of the "stalls" in purchasing a draft on New York. When the rest of the party went to Atchison, he took the train for Chicago, where he remained several days, hoping the " mob " would get tired of waiting for him to return, and dothe job; when he would claim and get his " bit " without any risk to himself. If, later, any of the party were arrested, he could establish an alihi by prov- ing he was in Chicago at the .time the bank at St. Joseph was robbed. This trickster did not know the men he had left behind; for some of them could be patient while making a waiting race, or until they saw all the party concerned in the job were on the ground, either to assist or act the part of a corner statue. Then, if they were away, they would be declared out of the steal altogether. Carroll remained away several days longer than would be required to make the trip. When he returned, he told the story of his wonderful escape from the police, who, he said, had a " pipe " on him, and prevented him from seeing his friend and getting from him five hundred dollars; but he had borrowed from another party ninety-seven dollars in one and two dollar notes. These he gave to Bennett, telling him to purchase a draft on New York for one hundred dollars with these notes, and to keep the cashier counting and re- counting them as long as possible. When he could do this no longer, he was to call the cashier's attention to them, while he himself counted them over slowly, when he would satisfy the cashier there was one hundred dollars in the package. "See here," he said; "I have two fictitious notes. The other man must detain the cashier with these as long as pos- sible, before leaving them with him to forward to a bank in New York for collection. This man you must follow into the bank; and while he engages the attention of the cashier, you must go to the desk and pretend to be busy counting over this money until you get the ' tip ' to relieve him. Then you go and do your business with the cashier, and de- tain him as long as possible, and give the ' sneak ' and the man who leaves the notes a chance to get away." The next morning, June 21, the journey was made from 470 LANGBON W. MOOBE. Atchisoii to St. Joseph. Seeing the cashier was alone in the bank, Bigelow entered at about 12.10 p. M., followed by the man who was to leave the notes for collection, as arranged by Carroll; and behind this man came "kid " O'Brien, leav- ing Carroll and the other O'Brien on the corner a block away to do their part of the work. This man Carroll was at this time considered the best corner " stall " in the West. Bigelow asked for silver in exchange for a five-dollar note. To get this, the cashier was compelled to make a half turn to the right. Then the man who was to detain the cashier with the notes covered the " kid " when he entered the door and went to the corner of the counter. Here the " kid " stooped down and ran along through into the presi- dent's room, where he straightened himself up, and stepped to the passage leading to the cashier's apartment. Seeing the cashier was then standing back to the^vault, he entered the apartment, and passed through into the vault, where the safe stood in the rear, with the door wide open, exposing to view nearly one hundred thousand dollars in greenbacks. Bigelow then left the bank, silver in hand. In the mean- time Bennett had entered. He went to the desk, and threw down the roll of money. There he stood in his shirt sleeves, with a pencil behind his ear, pretending to be busy counting the money. His coat he had left around the corner. Carroll had intended to "stand up" the man with the notes to the cashier as a note shover, and so draw his atten- tion to him that he would be able to identify him as the man who had, at the time the bank was being robbed, left two worthless notes with him for collection. Then when they were returned to the bank marked "worthless," as no such person signing them could be found, the cashier's atten- tion would be called to the matter. As the person who left the notes for collection failed to call for either the money or the notes, he, of course, would be put down as one of the party who had robbed the bank. Then if he failed to do Carroll's bidding in future, he could give him away on this job, and, without question, have him fully identified by the cashier. This man walked around the trap set for him by Carroll, but did not fall into it. He engaged the cashier's attention in a commonplace, business way, and thus entertained him without creating any uneasiness or suspicion, until he saw THE WORK OF A WESTESN ''MOB: 471 the " kid " leave the vault, bag in hand. Then, when he saw the cashier's look directed towards the man who was standing at the desk, money in hand, he, too, partially- turned. When he saw Bennett, he said, " I beg your pardon, sir, for keeping you waiting so long; " and as the man stepped aside, Bennett came up to the counter, threw down the bundle of bills, and asked the cashier to count them, saying he had been unable to count them twice alike. The cashier, after taking a good look at Bennett, began counting over the money. PLAN OF FIBST NATIONAL BANK, ST. JOSEPH, MO. C SAFE PREST.'S'ROOPf ',« VAiiLT 1 C y ;C 1 a Bank 5) 1 1 I O 1 n ic C/ISHIER ic 1 ■■•-i-.s 1 STREET C " • • O'Bwtu 472 LANGDON W. MOORS. At this time the other man had moved along to the end of the counter where the " kid " was Lagging the floor; and when he saw the cashier's attention was occupied, he mo- tioned the " kid " to stand up, and he would cover him and the bag so that he could leave the bank without being seen by the cashier. Bennett remained in the bank some fifteen minutes after the others had left; and when the draft had been given him, he, too, left the bank. He enclosed the draft in an envelope and mailed it to New York for collec- tion. He then went to a second-hand clothing store, ex- changed his clothes for a second-hand suit, saying he was going to work on a farm some few miles out of town for the summer, and, after receiving three dollars in exchange, left his custom-made suit, put on the other suit, which made him look like a tramp, and went to the depot, while Carroll and the two O'Briens walked up the railroad track, where they went into hiding behind some freight cars until Bigelow and the man who had relieved him in the bank went to them. This man then asked the "kid" why the safe was not cleaned out, as he had only taken nineteen thousand five hundred dollars, while at the same time he could have taken all the money in the safe, which amounted to nearly one hundred thousand dollars. He said Carroll and the men he had been working with, when they could get him into a place, would leave him there to get out the best way he could; and as he had never been with this man before, he expected he would do the same as the others had done — leave him there and look out for himself. He now offered to go back with this man alone, and clean out the safe; but was told he should have done that before, as it was then time for the cashier's assistant to return to the bank. Bigelow then took out of a package marked "five thousand dollars " a handful of bills; and after bidding Carroll good- by, he and his friend started out of town on the railroad track, while Carroll and the two O'Briens, after doing up the bag in a bundle covered over with newspaper, joined Bennett at the station. While they were waiting for the train to come along to take them away, the robbery was discovered, and the alarm was given. The police made a rush for the depot to catch the thieves. They were seen by Carroll, Bennett, and the O'Briens scanning all the people who went to the depot, and THE WOniy OF A WESTERN ''MOB." 4Y3 all those who had been there when they arrived, without being able to discover who the guilty parties were, when they boarded the train taking the bundle that contained the stolen funds with them. In the meantime, Bigelow and his friend tramped down the track some three miles away from the town. Here they passed three men at work repairing the track, and before they had gone far they saw the train com- ing towards them that was to carry Carroll and his party away from St. Joseph. They then left the track, and secreted themselves in a culvert that ran across the track, where they remained until the train had passed, and was a good mile away. They then took the track and continued their journey, keeping a sharp lookout to see that no train approached them in either direction, without being seen in time for them to leave the railroad and hide in the tall grass. If they were seen by the men on the train, they would mention the fact, if questioned, on their arrival at the first stopping-place, where the story of the robbery would be told them. With this " tip," arrest would follow before the ^' crooks " reached the end of their journey. This was said to be the hottest day known in that section of the country for many years, and Bigelow was so overcome by the heat and excitement that he came to a standstill. His friend went to his relief with two ounces of tincture of gentian, which he always carried in his pocket to be taken in case he had an attack of dyspepsia. This he gave to Bigelow, and in three minutes after he had swallowed the dose, he was able to continue the journey to within three miles of Atchison. Here they left the track, and entered the woods, where they remained until dark, when they con- tinued their journey on to Atchison, where they arrived at about 8.30 p. m. When the night train came along, they got on board and rode to the junction, about four miles away, where they left the cars and boarded the train that had come from St. Joseph, and journeyed on to Council Bluff, arriving there the following day in time to see a Yankee enter the town with his wheelbarrow on his way from the East to San Francisco, Cal. Bigelow and his friend remained until the following day, when they continued their journey on to Chicago. There Bigelow saw Carroll, and was told he had taken out ten per cent of the original amount. This he had given up 474 LANGDON W. MOOBE. to the detectives for police protection. Bigelow refused to submit to this skin, saying Carroll had no right to split up the money until all the parties had been consulted. He refused to take his "bit" unless he was given the full amount he was entitled to. Then, if it came to a pinch, he would •do his own fighting, and allow Carroll to do his, at his own expense. It was well known to Bigelow, at this time, that Carroll owned the town; and for the sake of peace, and the safety of the other men, he, a few days later, submitted to this new steal, and took his "bit," after deducting three hundred and fifty dollars given him at St. Joseph. I then saw Bigelow, and was asked to go to Paris- with him. . This invitation I declined. He then left Chicago, and went to Toronto, Ont., where he fell in with a party of bank " sneaks." These men he joined, and together they went to the Treasurer's office, and stole a few thousand dollars. As it was all in new Canada bills, Bigelow left his " bit " with one of the party to dis- pose of, as he did not dare to take this money to England with him, fearing he might get arrested there when leaving the steamer. If this money was found on his person, he would be sent back to Canada, where he would have to stand tria;l for the robbery. Late in the fall of 1878, he returned to Chicago, where I saw him, and was told that the ma/i with whom he had left the money had lost it playing against faro bank, and at that time was without a dollar, and would never pay him one cent. As all my " pals " had been tried and acquitted upon the charge of vagrancy, in July we took a run out of town to a bank where I had seen a tin cash box that contained all the available funds of the bank. This could not be touched, as there were three men behind the counter of this bank when we got there. But at another bank in the same town, there was about one thousand five hundred dollars stolen that day, and the party returned to Chicago in the evening. CHAPTER XXXIX. ENTEETAINME NT FO E LYNCHEES. THRILLING EXPEEIENCE AFTER A BANK ROBBERY* AT ANDERSON, IND. COWARDICE OE THE " MOB " LEADER. For several weeks I remained idle. In the meantime, Carroir and Bennett had not been so, but had found, as they said, a good bank job at Anderson, Ind. They asked me to go with them and the two O'Briens and do the job. This I consented to do ; and a few days later Carroll, Bennett, the O'Briens, and myself went to a town near Anderson, remain- ing until two of the party went and looked the bank over and found everything as represented. When I arrived at Anderson on the day set to do the job, I found Carroll, Bennett, and the O'Brien brothers had reached the town the previous night, and had been staying at the hotel, where they wanted me to join them. This I refused to do. I walked out of town and entered a piece of woods, where I remained until 11.30 A. M. I then returned to the town and saw the " mob " scattered, and lounging about in the square in front of the "Exchange Bank. I also saw there were a great many strangers in town, and a large number of carriages on the sidewalk some twenty rods away from the bank, but in plain sight, that were to be sold at public auction that day. Carroll, as usual, was to act the part of a corner statue a block away, and for an assistant he was given Pete O'Brien. Bennett was to do, the " stalling " with the cashier, while I was to be the general entertainer, and stop all comers who entered the bank while the " sneak " was doing his work. I was also to get the " snea;k " in and out of the bank with- out his being seen going either way by the cashier, who, while at his pigeon-hole, could, if allowed, see every person who went into the bank. At the noon hour it was seen that the cashier was left in the bank alone. Bennett then entered and walked straight * A plan of this bank will toe found at the close of this chapter, page 496. 475 476 LANGDON W. MOOEE. to the cashier's pigeon-hole. There he Avaited until the cashier came to him, when he asked for silver in exchange for a bill. As soon as I saw, from where I stood at the door, that he had engaged the attention of the cashier, I gave the signal agreed upon to Billy O'Brien, who was standing in the door leading to the offices over the bank. He came to me, and I covered him to the front of the counter, not six feet away from the cashier. I was all this time watching the cashier's eye. When I saw he paid no attention to me, I motioned O'Brien, and he dropped and " sneaked " around the corner of the counter through into the president's room, and so on until he came to the door leading into the banking-room. Here he stopped, and I gave him .the " all right " signal to go to the safe. He then walked to the safe, not eight feet from where the cashier was doing business with Bennett, and began transferring the money from the safe to the lining of his coat, which had been prepared to receive it. A stranger entered the bank, and I left my position at the counter and went to intercept this gentleman, before he could reach the counter or attempt to enter the president's room. I then began making inquiries about the carriages that were being sold at auction; and as I could talk wagon pretty well, I found no difficulty in turning him right about face. There I held him, he looking out into the street, while I was facing the president's room. I saw O'Brien at the door ready to come out. I then turned this man and went to the counter with him; and when I saw O'Brien's eye as it flashed arotmd the corner of the counter, not four feet from where the stranger stood, I again turned my man, and saw O'Brien leave the bank without having been seen by either cashier or stranger. / This I " tipped off " to Bennett; and after detaining the stranger a moment longer, I left the bank, while the cashier was tying a string around Bennett's wrist to what is known as a finger stall. This is made by cutting out one finger of a kid glove with a strip of the back of the glove attached ; a hole is made in this and a string put through and tied around the wrist to protect a sore finger. Bennett pretended to the cashier he had a sore finger, and wore this stall on his finger, with the string tied in a bow-knot. When he entered the bank, and while talking to the cashier, he had slipped the ENTERTAINMENT FOR LYNCHERS. 477 knot; and when he had exhausted all his other resources in the way of talk, he asked the cashier if he would be so kind as to tie the string around his wrist, saying he had a felon on that finger that had troubled him very much. This the cashier was doing when I left the bank. I then walked away from the bank, soon followed by Ben- nett ; and as the train was to leave for Chicago in a few moments, we, after getting the " tip " from Carroll that everything was all right and that the cashier's assistant had returned to the bank and the cashier had gone to his dinner without making the discovery, went to the depot and got on the train, where we were soon joined by Carroll and the O'Briens. At this time I supposed the bank had been cleaned out ; and as the safe door was always left wide opto during the day, I knew, when the cashier returned to the bank, he must certainly discover the robbery, and possibly the discovery might be made by his assistant before his return ; then the alarm would be given. I determined to leave the train at the first good-sized town or village where the mail train stopped. No recognition had been made by any of the party, either at the depot or while on the train. I then lay down in a seat, after having put my ticket in my hat, and went to sleep, pretending to be pretty well under the influence of liquor. We had not gone far on our journey, however, before I saw something was wrong. I then got up and wandered along through the train, and gave the " tip " to all the party that there was a " tumble " and for them to jump the train when it began to slow up at the next station. Up to this time the train had made some two pr three stops, whenever it came to a half-dozen houses bunched up together in the woods. While at the last stopping-place I saw that the conductor's services were in great demand by the telegraph operator, both men being excited. I then returned to my original seat, lay down as before, knowing, if O'Brien and Bennett left the train with the stolen money, I could stand arrest without the risk of being detained longer than was necessary to sober up. When we came to the next station, I saw not a man had left the train. When I looked for the cause, I saw they had tried to so disguise themselves that if they were to meet 4^8 LANGDON W. MOORE. their motliers they would not be recognized. This change in their personal appearance had been made by merely taking off their coats, laying them on the seats beside, them, and going in their shirt sleeves. When I saw this, I again gave the O'Brien brothers the danger signal, and they prepared to leave the train at the next station. As soon as it began to slow up, they made the jump. It was then too late, for the train men jumped after them. O'Brien ran in among nearly a thousand cords of staves that had been piled up near the station. Here he was followed by the brakeman and a howling mob, and .for a mo- ment he was hidden from sight. He seized tliis opportunity to separate the money and hide it under the wood piles in two separate places. He then left the place and started on a run for the woods, but was overtaken by his pursuers. I did not see this, as he had jumped from the rear car; but I did see many excited people at the station when the train stopped, and knew something unusual was taldng place. I was not long left in suspense, for I saw three men enter the car, along with the conductor, who came straight to me, roused me up, and asked to see my ticket. They all appeared very much excited at the time. He said, " Oh, here it is," pulling it out of my hat at the same time. In doing this he dropped the ticket to the floor. He picked it up, and after looking at it for some time, said, "Yes, this is one of the men who got aboard the? train at Anderson." A warrant was then shown, calling for the arrest of some unknown party who had left Anderson upon that train. I pretended to be full of whiskey, and took the whole thing as a joke, when I was arrested, charged with bank robbery. I was taken from the train. In the station I was soon joined by the O'Brien brothers and Bennett, all in their shirt sleeves. Their coats were soon brought to them by the train-men, and the train left us at the station, taking Carroll away from the town. Had he then purchased another ticket, he would have escaped, as the conductor supposed he had "tipped off" all the passengers who had taken the train at Anderson, and they had all been put under arrest at the last stopping-place. In the excitement, he did not discover Carroll's ticket had been purchased at Anderson until they had gone forty miles. He then questioned Carroll, who was at the time sitting in ENTERTAINMENT FOB. LYNCHEBS. 479 the seat with a lady; and as his answers were not satisfactory, Carroll was put under arrest at the next station. A tele- graph message was sent to the bank people. The O'Briens and Bennett were searched; and as only a few dollars were found about their person, some one made the remark that they might have thrown the money away among the staves while running. About fifty men then left the depot to make the search, and did not return until one hour later, when they reported that none of the stolen money had been found. The justice of the peace, who was then at the depot, was asked to commit the party to jail, as the dep- uty sheriff did not care to take the risk of detaining "the old man with the big umbrella " any longer without author- ity from the justice. The justice then committed us to jail, and we were given a walk across a field, a quarter of a mile away from the nearest house, to what I supposed was a corn crib. But we were told to climb up into the jail. This building was one story high, made of sqiiared timber. It was not more than twelve feet square, and contained but one room. It was set on four posts about three feet from the ground. To enter it one would have to climb in or be thrown in. How I got in, I cannot remember; but I do recollect the others received assistance, and were thrown through the door. At this time a hundred excited people surrounded the jail, and some of them crawled under the building, and looked up through the cracks in the floor to see how we passed our time, after the door was closed and fastened with a common padlock. They kept us in this jail only a few moments, when we were all taken back to the station. When I was asked where I had been, 1 said: "Down In the field to look at a corn crib. After I had looked it over from the outside, I went inside, and some fellows closed the door and fastened me in with those fellows sitting over yonder on the bench." From the time I had entered the depot, the sympathy of the crowd had been with me; but now, since none of the stolen money had been found, you could hear such remarks as these: "Oh, what a shame it is to keep that old gentle- man here under arrest! He should never have been taken off the train! I would not like to be in the place of the officers that arrested him ! But won't he make ' them pay 480 LANGDON W. MOORE. dearly for tliis when lie gets sober! " and a hundred other things, until they had so frightened the of&cer and justice that they came to me to square themselves. When I told them I looked upon the whole thing as a good joke, it made them and the crowd very happy. At 4 p. M., when the train came along to take us back to Ander- son, I was given many a hearty shake of the hand by my well wishers. No attempt had been made to search me since my arrest. While on the return-trip, I destroyed a draft I had purchased one or two days previous at a bank twenty-five miles away from Anderson. After my discharge, and upon my return to Chicago, I notified the bank that the draft had been either lost or stolen, and asked that payment be stopped. At the' expiration of thirty days the amount of it was sent to me in cash. Upon our arrival at Anderson, we found an excited crowd waiting to receive us. The two O'Briens and Ben- nett were first to enter the stage. When I got in I took a seat near the door, followed by several Anderson officers. We were then driven to the hotel. When the stage backed up to the sidewalk, I was the first man to get out into the crowd. Then a man called out : " That's not the man. You have arrested the wrong man." The speaker proved to be the proprietor of the hotel. He walked to the stage door, looked in, and said, " That's one of them," pointing to Bennett, and so on, until he had identi- fied Bennett and the two O'Briens as the men who had stopped at the hotel the night previous. He then asked where the other man was, as four were in the party that stopped at the house. He was told there was no other man, except the " old gentleman," pointing to me. "He is not the man I mean; he don't belong with the party. You have made a terrible mistake in arresting him, and you have let ' Nosey,' the yellow-haired man, escape." Bennett and the O'Briens then got out, and I followed them by official request up the stairs to a room occupied by them the previous night. After the officers and bank people had entered, the door was closed and locked. I then lay down on the bed and went to sleep, with my face turned to the wall. I heard, but could not see, what was being done ENTERTAINMENT FOE LTNCHEBS. 481 in the room. After tliey had searched Bennett and the O'Briens, the officer had been given the " tip " to watch me, to see if I was really intoxicated and asleep. He said I was, and must have had a heavy "jag" on, or have been drugged. He asked what they proposed to do with the " old gentle- man." Did they want to search him ? At this they all seemed to hesitate, when one of them spoke up and said, " I guess you had better see what he has in his pockets." He then roused me up, turned me over, and asked what I had in my pockets. I took out my watch and gave it to him, and lay down again. After looking at it, he handed it to the party; and one of them, with more nerve than the rest, opened it and read aloud the maker's name, Jules Jur- gensen, on the works. He said it was a repeater, and never cost less than five or six hundred dollars, and that the " old gentleman " took a great risk when he got so drunk with such a valuable watch on his person. I was then roused up again, and was given back the watch. They asked me to let the officer see what I had in my trousers' pockets. I pulled both of them out on the bed, and he picked up about one hundred and fifty dollars in Spanish, French, and other foreign gold coin, mixed in with a few dollars in American silver. None of the party could tell the value of some of the coin, but did discover that the " old gentleman " wore a three and a half carat, old mine brilliant in his shirt bosom. While this was being admired, a rap was heard at the door. When it opened, Carroll was pushed in. ,Up to this time, Bennett had been made the target for many shots, and they all wanted a look at his sore finger. He was unlike Carroll, for he saw the men he had to deal with, and allowed them all to examine both hands; and as no sore could be found, he was put down for a sharper and commanded respect. But Cari'oU, like all other corner statues and confidence operators, made a " big bluff;" This so enraged the officers, he was shown no mercy. He was stripped and searched to the skin, then made to put on his clothes; then stripped again and searched in a rough manner. While this was being done, he was called such names as "Nosey" and "a yeller-haired villain," who deserved and would get the rope, if he gave any more back talk. 482 LANGDON W. MOORE. This SO frightened him, he said he was not talking back. He begged for mercy, but no mercy was shown him. As it was now 6 p. m., and as there was no court open the next day (Sunday), it was decided to commit the O'Briens, Bennett, and Carroll to jail for safe-keeping until Monday morning, and then take them to court for examination. But before doing this, they said the fellows had better be given their supper, as they had eaten nothing since morning. When all the party had left the room except the hotel man, who was to close and lock the door, he called out to the officers and asked what it was best to do with the " old man," for it would not do to leave him there asleep with so much valuable property on him. Two of them then returned to the room ; and after a time they decided to take me along, for it could do no harm, and would give the " old gentleman " a chance to sober up before Monday. After some difficulty they roused me up, and assisted me down to the supper table. I wanted no food, but drink. I was given a drink of whiskey, the first I had taken for several days. I was then all right, for I had the smell of whiskey with me. From the hotel all five of us were driven to the jail, and all locked in one large room that was fitted up with a bunk for every man. When the jailer locked the door and had left the corridor, Billy O'Brien came and asked me how he should act and what he should do. I said, " Do as you see me doing; go back to your bunk, and make no talk to any one ; for if you are seen talking to either Bennett or myself, the connection will then be made that will warrant them in holding the whole party for trial." The room was dark, and Carroll had not lost what he never had — courage. He began to call for light — would they please give him a light ? " O, mister, do please give me a light, for I am so afraid of " — and before he had time to finish the sentence, some one outside shouted " Rats ! " This "brought down the house," and the door was unlocked. Carroll then " tipped " the jailer's son and sent him to the grocery for candles, matches, cigars, and one dozen quart bottles of lager beer. Carroll and Bennett had a howling time of it that night; and because the O'Briens and I would not join them, Carroll said that if he went to prison on that job he would not- go alone. This threat was heard ENTERTAINMENT FOB LYNCHERS. 483 by the jailer, whom I found to be a whole-souled man. When he opened the door in the morning to feed the men, he told Carroll if he heard any more threats or noise out of him, he would put him where he could do no person harm. Carroll, Bennett, and the O'Briens then left the room, and went to a table in the corridor, where breakfast had been pre- pared for them, while I went to the other side of the jail. There I remained until a man came and asked me to go to the table and eat some breakfast. I objected to doing this until those men had eaten theirs and left the table. I then asked this man where the man was who kept the place, saying I wished to see him. He straightened up and said, " I am the Sheriff, and I have charge of this jail." I then asked him if I had been there all night. He told me I had been brought in pretty drunk early in the evening. I then went through my pockets and found them empty, with my watch and diamond stud missing. I said, " I have been robbed." He replied, " Not since you were brought in here, for you gave me your watch and diamond, and a lot of gold and sil- ver coin, to keep for you until you got sober. I have them safe." I then thanked him for his kindness, and said I guessed I would not stop for breakfast. If he would give me my things I would pay him for my lodging and go up to the hotel and get breakfast. He said he could not do that; for there had been a bank robbed here in the town yesterday, and those men over at the table had been arrested for the robbery, and I . had been brought in with them. He could not let me go until I was taken to court ; then, he had no doubt, I would be discharged by the judge. He asked me my name, and was told it was David Ash. " Where do you live when at home, Mr. Ash ? " " At Lyman, N. H." " What is your business ? " " I am in no business at present, but formerly I was a carriage manufactured, and retired from business some three years ago." " What is your business in the West, so far away from your home ? " "It is merely a pleasure trip, for myself mi fq.mily," 484 LANGDON W. MOOIiE. " How long have you been in the West ? " " Three weeks." " Where is your family now ? " " I don't know, but I guess they have got to Chicago." I then told him that I had left the cars at a big village about twenty miles from there — I believed it was called Indian- apolis — to get something to drink, and there I had met a jolly set of fellows, and had taken several drinks ; that when I returned to the depot the train had gone, taking my family along with it; that these fellows had gone to the depot with me to see me off; and when they found the train had gone, they persuaded me to go along with them and have some more fun. I believed they said, " Let us do up the town," and after we had taken several more drinks together, I went with them to a room where I saw a fellow doing some kind of a trick with three cards. One of these he would hide, by mixing it up and throwing it over the others two or three times. Then he would stump any man to find it. Now, there was a big pencil mark on this very card he was trjring to hide, and the fool didn't know it. He wanted to bet me money I could not pick up the jack of hearts. At first I would not bet any money, but drinks for the party. I won these every time. Then another man said, " Let me try to hide the card," and I won a lot more of drinks and cigars from him. After that 1 remembered no more until I awoke this morning, when I seemed kind of dazed like. The officer then asked me how much nioney I had with me at the time. I replied, " Four or five hundred dollars in bills, and a lot of silver and gold." He said I had no bills on me when I came to the jail. " Then," I said, " those fellows must have stolen it." I then asked for my coat, as I then had only a mohair duster. He told me I had no coat on when I came there. " Then they must have stolen that, too, and I will have them all arrested right away," I said. He appeared to feel very sorry, and expressed great sympathy for my family, being left alone to battle with those Chicago fellows. He advised me to see a lawyer. I asked if he thought I had better do that. " Yes," he said, " you were brought in here on the very serious charge of being implicated with those fellows over there in robbing the bank here yesterday." ENTERTAINMENT FOE LYNCHERS. 485 I then asked him if he knew some real good, honest, con- scientious lawyer whom he could get to come and see me after meeting was out ? " Yes," he said, " I know one who goes to church, and I can recommend him. His name is Howell D. Thompson." I then arranged with him to send this lawyer to see me after meeting. After the others had left the table he gave me a nice little breakfast, and I was furnished with cigars. No recognition had taken place between the other thieves and myself, but they had seen us talking, and heard all that had been said by me to the Sheriff. When the lawyer called, I was introduced to him by the Sheriff. He then, after being retained by me to manage the case in my behalf, began questioning me, the same questions being ask«d as had been asked by the Sheriff, and I giving him the same answers without variation. But when he had asked my name, and I had told him David Ash, he asked if I was not a relative of General Ashe of Revolutionary fame. I was forced to admit that the general was a distant relative of the family, and a great friend of my grandfather. He then asked if I had told the officers at the time of my arrest who I was and what my name was. I told him I did not know. He said he hoped I had not, for then it would be in all the papers, and if my family and friends saw it they would be worried almost to death. I said if they had asked me I presumed I had told them, as I had done nothing to feel ashamed of, except to take a little too much drink. I was not ashamed of my name, as it had never been disgraced before, by me or any one else connected with the family. He said he knew I had told the Sheriff my name, but he was all right. He would see the olficers; and if I had told them, he would, as they were old friends of his, try to keep it out of the papers. Up to this time I had taken the whole thing as a joke ; but now I pretended to be frightened, and to see it in a serious light. I begged of him not to allow my name to appear in connection with the fellows who, it had been alleged, robbed the bank. " For," said I, " if it does come out in the papers, I will never return to my wife and family again as long as I live. I would sooner be shot than bring disgrace upon my family." He then excused himself, saying he wished to consult the Sheriff. This was done for the purpose of comparing notes 486 LANGDON W. MOOME. to see if I had told the same story to him. When he re- turned, he told me the Sheriff had taken a great interest in my behalf, and suggested to him I should turn over to my counsel all the money and collateral the Sheriff then had belonging to me. This was to be done for safety, not know- ing what course the bank people might take when the case was called for examination. I then requested the Sheriff to turn all the property over to my counsel. In the meantime, and before the party had 'jeen arrested, the bank .people had telegraphed Allan Pinkerton of Chicago to send on a man to assist in making the arrest of the robbers, and recovering the money. The first thing this man did, after reaching Anderson, was to call on the bank people and the officers who captured the robbers. From them he came to the jail alone, to see if he could identify any of the men under arrest. The moment he en- tered the jail, he spotted Carroll and went to him. After he had chatted with him for a while, he said he would like to have a little talk with me; and as I had no objections, we stepped to the side of the jail, when he asked if I knew him. I replied, I had seen him before. " Yes," he said, " I saw you at Coney Island in company with your wife, the Fourth of last July." I replied: " No sir, you did not. I will tell you where you saw me, for I was in Chicago on the day you name. It was while you and Jim Carroll were riding in the park on the lake front, when I passed you in a, carriage, and was pointed out to you by Carroll, — and don't give it away." I then asked him not to give me away to the Anderson people. He said he would not, but would have to tell them ' he knew Carroll as a card sharper, who had done some work for the office in the detective line. The other men he knew nothing about, having only seen them a few times in Chicago. Things were boiling in Anderson at this time. Many people had left the town early in the morning, and gone out to the place where the arrests had been made. They had searched high and low among the piles of oak staves where the O'Briens had been arrested, and had been rewarded by finding some sixteen hundred dollars of the , money stolen from the bank. This gave them a dead open-and-shut case against the O'Briens, Bennett, and Carroll, from their making connection at the hotel preyious to the robbery. ' ENTEBTAINMENT FOB LYN CHESS. 48Y At about eight o'clock, a party of some three hundred men had collected on the corner of the street, near the jail, talking about taking us out and lynching the whole party. This, in some way, reached the ears of the Sheriff; and he came and told me he was going to barricade the jail, and • keep the party out tintil he could send for assistance. I said: "Do nothing of the kind; but go to them from me, and say they have already brought so much disgrace upon me that I cannot return to my family and friends, and I prefer death to a life of shame. Say that I have but one favor to ask; that is, that I shall be allowed to see that light- haired fellow [pointing to Carroll] strung up first. Then I am willing to die." The Sheriff left the jail, and, while on the way to the men, was met by my counsel, and they went among the mob together. My counsel then made a nice little speech, telling them he had seen and talked to me ; that I was a respecta- ble, honest business man who had retired from business some three years previous, and that with my family I' was on a pleasure trip, when I left the train at Indianapolis to get a drink. There I had been left, being detained by some sharpers, who had given me a drug that put me to sleep; and when they had robbed me, they put me on board the train and sent me on to Anderson ; that when I had so far re- covered my senses as to know I was on the wrong car, I had left the train, and had been seen by several people wandering about the town while I was waiting for the train to take me to Chicago. Then I had bought a ticket and got on the train, where I was found sound asleep by the officers, and was arrested for no other reason than because I had pur- chased a ticket and taken the train that carried from the town men who, it was said, robbed the bank. " And I warn you," declared my counsel, " not to harm that honest old man ; for if harm comes to him, the blood of an innocent man will be upon your hands." The Sheriff then delivered the message I had sent to the excited men. When they heard this, a cheer went up, and one was heard saying to another, "The old man with the big umbrella is game, and we will go to the jail and see him." It was then arranged with the Sheriff to admit them when ■ they came. The shout was heard at the jail by all of us, and I told the T^^hole party they must be prepared for a 488 LANGDON W. MOOJRE. lynching match, as the Sheriff had given me the " tip," before he went away to deliver my message, that the lynchers would give us a call that night. The Sheriff then returned to the jail, and told me all that was done and said by him, my counsel, and the crowd. He said they were, coming to the jail to talk with me, and not a man among tlie others must speak a word, but do whatever they were told to do by the party ; otherwise he would not, and could not, be held responsible for anything they might do. At this time we were all locked in the room together, and I had taken the two O'Briens under my charge, and given them instructions to keep cool and make no show of weakness by confessions or admissions, as these people de- spised cowards and would respect courage, under any and all circumstances. I told them to answer all questions the party might choose to ask, in a free and easy manner, and leave the rest to me. At ten o'clock the call was made upon the Sheriff to open the doors. When he had done this, the party rushed in and up the stairs, and made a call for " old Dave " to come out and show himself. When the Sheriff had locked the door, he came up stairs, and was asked where the " old man with the big umbrella " was. He then came to the room door, 'unlocked it, and called me out. At this time there was no light in our room. Carroll preferred darkness, for he was in hiding in the corner. After one more word* of caution to the O'Briens, I walked out of the room, with the big umbrella under my arm. It was the largest one I ever saw, excepting those used by drivers ojf express wagons for sunshades, and it would make a good-sized tent. The moment I left the room, the party of lynchers gave a whoop for " the old man Dave, with the big umbrella." They all wanted to take me by the hand. I then saw among the party a fiddle and a banjo, and asked them to give me a tune and we would have a dance. All else was forgotten for a while. Several "pocket pistols" were flashed in my face, and it was " Take a drink with me, old man," and so on, until I had sampled the whiskey pretty well, and said it was the right kind of stuff, and not like the whiskey I drank over at the Indianapolis village — for that was full of rat-tail files. If they didn't let me out of that place pretty soon, I would ENTERTAINMENT FOR LYNCHERS. 489 try to cut my way out witli the files that had been given me in the whiskey. .Two hours were passed in this way, when some o'ne in the party asked where the other fellows were who had robbed the bank. I then called out the O'Brien boys and introduced them to the party. Then Bennett was called out. " This is the fellow," they said, " who fooled the cashier with a sore finger." They seemed to take it as a good joke ; but when Carroll refused to come out of his hiding-place, there was a loud call made to bring out that " yellow-haired coward, and let us see what he looks like." He was hustled out of the room on the run ; and of all the cowardly, terror-stricken looking wretches I ever saw, he could beat them all. The sight, of him so disgusted the party that some of them said, " Take him away, and don't let us see his face again." He was allowed to sneak back into his room, where he remained until the party went away, having been in the jail more than four hours. And this was the party which, at eight o'clock that night, came together as a party of lynchers. They now returned to their homes, feeling contented, happy, and comfortable ; but they were not feeling so happy as some of the thieves at the jail were when they went away. Monday we were all taken to court, charged with the robbery of the Exchange Bank, and stealing some five thou- sand dollars in cash. About sixteen hundred dollars of the money, which was found among the staves, was practically identified by the bank people as among that stolen from the safe. The cashier then told the story of Bennett's sore fin- ger. The hotel proprietor testified to the fact of Carroll, Ben- nett, and the O'Briens coming to the hotel together Friday afternoon, and remaining at the hotel until the following morning, when they paid their bill and left the hotel, but not the town, as he had seen them together several times, dur- ing the forenoon, in earnest conversation. Up to this time, no person had been found who had seen the " old man " about the village before or at the time the bank was robbed, and it looked as though I would be " turned up," when the man whom I had talked to in the bank came in and identified me as the man who stopped him when he entered the bank, turned him round, talked to him a moment, turned him back again facing the counter, and m LANGhON W. MOORM. then walked with him to the counter, where he turned him again, like a button on a door, and talked wagon to him the whole time. He saw no other person in the bank at the time, except the man he was talking to and Bennett, who, he said, appeared to be busily engaged with the cashier. But he was certain he did feel as though some one passed him the last time the " old man " spun him round. He saw no one; he only felt a kind of friction one feels when a per- son passes very closely by. He would be almost willing to swear it was one of those young fellows that went by him, out of the bank, after stealing the money, and he believed the " old man " was knowing to it. This closed the case for that day, and we were sent back to jail, when a proposition reached Carroll through his coun- sel that the bank people would be willing to settle the matter without further prosecution if the thirty-seven hun- dred dollars then missing was returned to them. Carroll then laid this proposition before the " mob," and it was agreed that this was the easiest possible way out of the difficulty. Each and every one of the party should put up seven hundred and forty dollars as his share of the loss, upon being given a guarantee that there would be no further prosecution, and all the party would be discharged as soon as the money was paid. To raise this amount, one of the party would have to go to Chicago and see a friend of Carroll's, who would advance the two O'Briens' share of fourteen hundred and eighty dollars on bond and mortgage upon Billy O'Brien's home at Hyde Park. Carroll only had to ask for his seven hundred and forty dollars to obtain it, while Bennett's money was locked in the safety deposit vaults, and he would give a power of attorney and the keys to his box to the man chosen to go for the money. So far this was all right; twenty-nine hundred and sixty dollars of the money could be raised, but how about the "old man's" share? As their counsel was not allowed to know he was in the steal, would he put up ? I then told the " mob " my seven hundred and forty dollars would be ready when called for. Carroll then had an inter- view with the detective who had been sent on from Chicago to work up the case, and it was arranged between them, in the interest of Carroll, that the bank people should put Carroll under his personal charge. They would then go on to Chicago, Carroll to get the money together in one day. Then they would return to Anderson, pay the money over to the bank, and get the " old man," the two O'Briens, and Bennett discharged. This proposition was laid before the authorities and the bank people in open court August 13, and was accepted by, as they supposed, all parties concerned. The detective and Carroll had worked up this little scheme without either the knowledge or consent of my counsel or myself. My counsel protested in strong terms against this ar- rangement being carried put so long as his client was being held in custody. "I demand an honorable discharge," he said, " for that honest old man sitting there among thieves. If this demand is granted, I must remain satisfied. If not, I want my protest against this felony being compounded by the bank people, entered on the register of this court." This brought all proceedings to a standstill. My counsel was then asked to step out into a private room, where he was followed by those interested in the recovery of the money. They remained some twenty minutes. When they returned to the court, David Ash was told to stand up, and he was given an honorable discharge! Carroll was then put in the custody of the Chicago detective, while making the journey to Chicago and return ; I left the court with my counsel. I was taken to his house and introduced to his wife and daughter, who said they were awfully glad to know I had been honorably discharged; for they all had taken a great interest in my case, and I had their full sympathy. Next I was taken to my counsel's office, situated over the bank that was robbed. He opened the safe and handed me my watch, diamond stud, and money, all given him by the Sheriff. I asked how much I owed him. He answered, he guessed it would be about twenty-five dollars. I paid this bill without que^ion, for he had proved himself to be the good, true, and honest man represented to me by the Sheriff. I then made him a present of a doubloon, a Spanish coin worth about sixteen dollars, for a pocket piece — to be shown to his friends when he was telling them about the " old man " who fell among thieves while he was on a Western pleasure trip. He then took me down into the bank. We walked through into the president's room, and he asked the cashier to show me how the bank had been robbed. At this time there were several gentlemen in the president's room, and 492 LANGDON W. MOOSE. the safe door was closed. The cashier opened the safe, and told me the money stolen was a special deposit, and was placed in the bottom of the safe; "but this here [putting his hand on some large bundles of money lying on the top shelf of the safe] is the bank's money; and, as you see, there was about twenty thousand dollars on this shelf at the time, and not one dollar of it was taken. Had the thief stolen five thousand dollars from among this money, and not taken the special deposit, I might not have missed it so quickly, and the thieves might have made their escape, as I was alone in the bank at the time of the robbery, and saw no one except the fellow who bought the silver and occupied my attention when the thief was stealing the money." I then asked who was the first man to discover that the bank had been robbed. He told me that when his assistant returned to the bank to relieve him, in passing the safe, he saw that the special deposit had been taken out. He asked if the man who owned it had been there for his money; and when told he had not, he said the money was not in the safe. The cashier himself then went to the safe, and found it had been robbed. He then notified the police, who went to the hotel, and inquired if any strangers had been there the previous night. A description of one of the strangers answered to that of the man who had purchased the silver, and had a sore finger done up. The officers went to the depot, and were told two young fellows, answering the description of those who stopped at the hotel, had been seen going down to a pile of lumber near the depot, where they remained a few moments, then returned to the depot, bought a ticket, and got on board the train. The officers went down to the lumber pile, where they found the 'wrappers the .money had been put up in. These were shown to the cashier of the bank,' who identified them as those on the money that had been stolen. They then telegraphed ahead of the train to the telegraph operator, asking him to notify the conductor on the train that the bank had been robbed, and to arrange with him to have the thieves arrested when the train reached a certain station, where the arrest was made. They all thought it was very strange the fellow who robbed the safe was not seen by either the man or myself when he was stealing the money. " For," said they, " you stood right here at the counter at the time." ENTERTAINMENT FOR LYNCHUBS. 493 I told them it was not at all strange I did not see him. Even if I had, how would I know he did not belong to the bank ? Besides I was so muddled and dazed, from the effect of the whiskey I had drunk the night before, that I did not know my own name at the time. They all expressed much sympathy for me, and expressed theinselves as well pleased I had come out honorably, without any newspaper notoriety. I then bade them and my counsel good-by, and said I guessed I would have to go up to the jail and get my umbrella ; for if I lost that, my folks would say I had been off on a spree. I then went to the jail, " tipped " the young man who was left in charge a four-dollar French gold coin, and saw and talked with the O'Briens and Bennett, telling them what had been told me at the bank. Carroll's occupation as a corner statue was gone; for it was now known he had left his position before the cashier's assistant returned to the bank, and come to us with a lie, which caused the arrest of the whole party. Had the situ- ation been otherwise, the party would have split from him then and there. This could not be,- for Bennett was com- pelled to trust him with the power of attorney, and the keys to his box in the safety deposit vaults, to get his share of the money. I then left the jail, -took the train, and returned to Indianapolis. I called at the hotel, got my grip -and coat, left there by me the morning I took the train for Anderson. I then went to the depot, where I met the detective and Carroll on their journey to Chicago — they to go by one route and I by another. Upon my arrival in Chicago, I went to the Clifton House, where my family was staying, and was told my arrest was known to the people in Chicago. I then went to the safety vaults under the First National Bank, where I had a safe in the name of Langdon W. Moore, took out my tin cash box, and returned to the Clifton; and as I reached the corner of the street opposite the Palmer House, I saw one of the men I had gone to Chicago with standing on the corner watching the entrance to the Palmer House. When asked what he was doing there, he gave me the " tip " that something was coming off. I saw two men leave the house with 9, bag of watches that they had stolen from a travelling salesman stopping there. Williams with the stolen watches was " tipped off " to the Pinkertons and 494 LA-NGDON W. MOOBE. arrested a few days later, while Henderson made his escape from the city. Williams was afterwards tried, convicted, and sentenced to five years. The following spring Hender- son was " tipped off " to the Pinkertons by Johnny Price in Brooklyn, and arrested, extradited to Chicago, tried, con- victed, and sentenced to five years in State prison. The Cliicago people who were in the job went into hiding until the following winter, when a pickpocket by the name of Papes fixed up the matter with the detectives while in Philadelphia, and the " crooks " returned to Chicago without fear of arrest. After seeing this party go away with the bag of stolen watches, I went to Carroll's Chicago friend, and gave him my part of the fall mojiey, seven hundred and forty dollars, with instructions to give it to Carroll and the detective ; then if Carroll attempted to " put me in the hole " for the money, I would hold his friend (McDonald) responsible, as he was the man who received the money from me. In the course of four or five days, I called at O'Brien's house at Hyde Park. I saw his wife, a girl not more than eighteen years of age, confined to her bed, with her week-old baby beside her. I introduced myself, and was handed a letter from Billy O'Brien, her husband, stating that he had heard nothing from Carroll since he went away, but that McDonald had sent on his counsel, and he had deeded to him the house they then lived in, also one out (I think) at a place called Bridge ton ; also one on Michigan Avenue. This house had a mortgage upon it, but the other two were unencumbered. He requested her to sign the deeds when they were brought to her. It ran along several days, and, hearing nothing further from the men in jail at Anderson, I again saw Mrs. O'Brien, and was told she had signed the deeds, and that Mr. McDonald had paid over the one thousand four hundred and eighty dollars, the full amount of the sale, to Jim Carroll, and nothing had been heard from Carroll since. I went to McDonald, whom I had always found to be a gentleman, and through him I reached the detective who had Carroll under his charge when they left Anderson. The detective told me Carroll had gone to Anderson with the three thousand seven hundred dollars, and the party would be discharged, and return to Chicago in a day or two. ENTERTAINMENT FOB LYNCHEB8. 495 At the expiration of this time, I again saw Mrs. O'Brien, and was shown another letter from her husband, asking why Carroll had not come on with the money, as promised by McDonald's counsel when he signed the deeds. I again called upon McDonald and the detective, who told me Carroll was then on a drunk, and the detective said he thought he knew where he then was. I said, " Find him and" get that mpney from him, take it to Anderson yourself, and get those men out, o:; I will make things very hot for you people here in Chicago." After he had promised to find Carroll and do this, I again reported to Mrs. O'Brien all the facts. A few days later the O'Briens and Bennett returned to Chicago, when I saw them, and was told the detective who had Carroll in charge followed him by slow stages from Chicago to Indian- apolis, where he was found, in company with the two persons whom he had taken on from Chicago, under the influence of wine; that when he asked Carroll for the three thousand seven hundred dollars, he gave him two thousand five hun- dred dollars, saying he had spent the other one thousand two hundred dollars with his companions. This money (two thousand five hundred dollars) was offered to the bank, and they at first refused to accept it, claiming they would hold the O'Briens and Bennett until the full amount was paid; but in a day or two, when they found it would not be possible to compel Carroll to make good the remainder, the two thousand five hundred dollars was taken, and the party was discharged, having been in jail tw® weeks after Carroll had been given the money to get them out. I was then told my old counsel, Howell D. Thompson, had called upon them every day after I went away, to make in- quiries if they had heard from " old Dave " after his arrival in Chicago. Before they left the jail, he had told them that in thinking the whole matter over, since my discharge, he had come to the conclusion I might know more about the robbery than any one else. He guessed " old David " was all right, and could take care of himself in almost any company. " Now, boys," he said to them, " you are going to get out, all of you, and before you leave the town I want you to tell me if the old man Dave was not at the bottom of this whole thing." 496 LANGDOir W. MOOBE. PLAN OF EXCHANGE NATIONAL BANK, ANDERSON, IND. 01 H m (Tl PRESTS ROOM SAFE • CASHIER «-; v' it;/ ■',lj dollars, because 504 LANGDON W. MOOBE. when Superintendent Seavey came to the office he asked to see the two men we had brought in last night ; and when he was told by the Deputy Superintendent that only one had been locked up and the other discharged, he said, ' Yes, you let Charley Adams, a notorious bank robber, go because he gave you " sugar " ' — meaning money. He sent for us, and told us if we did not bring Adams in before six o'clock this afternoon, he would put us both on post duty, on the out- skirts of the city." I was asked if I was willing to go with them to police headquarters without a warrant. I "said: "Yes, for you were very kind to me last night. But you must not walk through the streets with me ; either go before or behind me," and I started for police headquar- ters, followed by the two detectives and my friend, at a respectful distance, until I entered the Armory, when they both closed in upon me, and led me into the Superinten- dent's room, where the official was sitting at a table. Detective Steele said, " Superintendent, this is the man we brought in last night." The Superintendent pointed to the_ door and said, " You two men leave the room and shut the door." When they had done this, he asked me if I ever went by the name of Adams. I told him I had, previous to 1866, but not since. He asked me why I did not tell him this when he gave me Billy O'Brien's message. I told him that as Billy was dead it could do no good, for as L. W- Moore I would look after his interest. Besides, I did not want to be known any longer under the name of Adams. He said he was sorry I did not tell him, for it would have saved all this trouble. When he came to the office and heard the Deputy had let Adams go, he told him he had been paid " sugar," whereupon the Deputy " got on his ear " and left the office. He asked what he should do. " Lock me up," I said, " and that will seQile the bill." " No," he said, " I will not do that. You may go." I left the room, and saw several detectives "laying for me " near the door to lock me up. The moment I came out, one of them made a break for the Superintendent's room, while another ran to the front door to head me off, thinking possibly I might have knocked the Superintendent out. Before I reached the door, he got the "tip" not to molest JEXCITINa TIMES IN CHICAQO. 505 Adams. I then turned and took a good look at the Chicago detective squad, so I might be able to know them in ' the future, " gave them the laugh," left the building, and joined my friend on the corner. We remained there nearly one hour, where I could see and be seen by the Chicago police. Carroll's little plot had miscarried; and I was told that when the news that I had been let go by the Superinten- dent, reached McDonald's, where he made his headquarters, Carroll and his detective friends went into mourning. The war was now fairly opened; it would decide whether or not Carroll still held Chicago in the palm of his hand. The fight was short and sharp; for when he told the story about Chicago that it was I who gave Billy O'Brien away and had him shot, it had the effect of sending him under cover. He dared not venture out on the street during the day; only at night, once in a while, he might be seen skulk- ing along some alley, while I was allowed to go at all times when and where I pleased. One day I was told by a detective friend of Carroll's that a store in Providence had been robbed of several thousand dollars' worth of diamonds a few months previous, arid that I was supposed to be one of the party who committed the robbery. There was some talk of arresting and extraditing me to Khode Island. " Tell the party," I replied, " I am perfectly willing to go to Providence, if they will pay my expenses there and back in case I a,m not identified as one of the men who committed the robbery." If I was as willing as that to go on and be "stood up " to the parties, I could not be the man they wanted for the job, they said. During the summer I called at Hall and Company's safe salesroom, and was shown several fireproof and burglar-proof safes by the general agent, whom, by the way, I questioned so much that he was compelled to call the company's Scotch expert to answer some of my inquiries. "This gentleman," he said to the expert, "knows too much about safes and locks for me, and I will have to turn him over to you." The agent then went into the office and left me alone with his expert. This was what I wanted, for when we walked among the safes, I could question him without creating sus- 506 LANODON W. MOORE. picion. I asked him if he was ever sent for by the banks when their locks got out of order, or the cashier forgot the numbers of the combination on either the safe or the vault doors; and how, if he was sent for, would he open the doors? Would he have to use explosives, or had he an easier and more scientific way of opening them? Such questions as these I fired at him, until we came to a Lillie safe. He opened the door and called my attention to the way it was constructed. Said he: " The concern that made that safe had every con- fidence in it; so much so that they offered to put five hun- di-ed dollars in it, and the money and the safe they would give to any man who would open it and take the money out in twenty-four hours, without breaking the safe to pieces. The safe is now mine, also the five hundred dollars, as I opened it by drilling a hole in the back, directly opposite this hole you see in the back of the lock where they put in the wire to change the combination." Sajdng this, he took a five-eighths-inch drill from a drawer in the safe, and, handing it to me, said, " That is the drill I used to do the work." I examined the drill to please him. Then I asked how he managed in case he came to a fireproof filling ; for if this was made of plaster and lime, it would keep falling, and fill up the hole, preventing him from seeing the hole in the back of the lock. " Oh," he said, " I scooped that out with a tool made for the purpose." / Then, after looking at me very seriously for a moment, he said: " I will tell you how I opened this safe. After I had drilled the hole, I stripped the tallow from the wicks of two candles. These I secured to a long steel rod with fine wire. I then lighted the wicks and shoved the rod through the hole to the back of the lock, and with this torch I could see the hole in the back of the lock. Then, with another long steel wire, I picked up the combination of the lock, while the man who was with me turned the dial. When this was done, I pulled out the wire and the torch, went to the front of the safe, pushed in the dial, threw back the bolts, opened the safe, and took out the money. I then puttied up the hole in the back of the safe so neatly that no one was able to dis- cover how I had been able to open it. I had allowed no one EXCITING TIMES IN CmCAQO. 507 in the room with, me except my assistant. He, of course, was cautioned not to give the tiling away. The men wlio made the safe were then called in; and after seeing no force had been used, and finding no marks on the safe door, they said, ' The money and safe are yours, for you have made a clean job of it in less than half the time allowed you by us to do the work.' " I then asked this expert why he had taken so much trouble to drill the hole in the back of the safe, when he could have drilled through the door in front of the lock, and picked up the combination without the use of a torch or the assistance , of any one, and the secret would have remained with him alone. If he had done that, he said, when they came to examine the door, they could see where he had puttied up the hole, and this would have given the whole thing away. As it was, they thought he had worked out the combination by some process known only to himself. I said: " The dial would cover the hole when put back in its place, and would have defied detection; for when I open Lillie safes on the quiet I always remove the dial and cup, then drill a three-eighths-inch hole five-eighths of an inch above the centre of the socket which the spindle of the lock passes through, put in my wire, pick up the combination, and unlock the door. After taking out the contents of the safe, I then close the door, plug up the hole, replace the cup which covers the hole, put on the dial, set the combination on 1-2-3, and go away." He said he had never thought it could be done in that way before, and asked if I was a safe-maker or in the 'employ of any one of these as an expert. I told him I was not. " Are you a lock expert or lock-maker ? " " No, sir, I am not." " Well," said he, " you ought to be, for you know more about locks and safes than any person I ever talked to." I told him I had at one time given safes and locks some attention, and made it possible for a variety of safe-makers to find sale for their safes in the eastern part of the country; for when I found a weak spot in the construction of a safe or lock, I always forced the safe-maker to make improve- ments and sell to the banks and moneyed institutions stronger and better work for the protection of their money and valuables. 508 LANGDON W. MOOSE. I was then given a letter of introduction to the general manager of the Safety Deposit Vaults, and was requested to go there and examine the new work Hall had put in, and see if it would not compare favorably with any work of the kind I had seen in the East. I left the store and joined Burke, Gerrin, and Davis, who were waiting for me near by. This letter I showed to them. A few days before I left Chicago, I met Deputy Super- intendent Dixon, opposite the Btiggs House, talking to a friend of mine in the cigar store. He asked me how long I had known Superintendent of Police Seavey. I told him I had not the pleasure of knowing the gentleman. " Well," he said, " I kept you in the office over one hour; and when he came to the office and asked for you, I told him I had ' turned you up ' for satisfactory reasons. ' Yes,' he said, ' you took " sugar " from him and let him go.' I got hot and left the office, and did not go there again for' two days. The Superintendent had all the detectives out look- ing for you; and if you had not shown up, Steele and Frost would have been put on post dutj' on the outskirts of the town. And you don't know the Superintendent? This seems funny to me, — that he should raise all that fuss, — for when you came to the office he did not keep you three minutes, and no one has annoyed you since." It had been my intention to beat the safety vault under the First National Bank, when O'Brien, Bennett, and I hired our boxes there ; but before my arrangements were complete, Bennett and the two O'Briens went to the safety vaults, taking a valise with them, and while Bennett was entertain- ing the man in charge of the vaults, O'Brien went into a vault in the rear of the boxes and stole two tin boxes, which he put in the valise, carrying them out of the vault without being seen. I had told these men the boxes in the vault contained nothing of value, but were merely left there on storage, free of charge, to any one who hired a safe. "When they opened the boxes, they found I had told the truth, as nothing but private papers were found. These were soon missed; and as Mr, Allan Pinkerton looked after the safety vaults and the First National Bank above, I caused the boxes to fall into Mr. William Pinkerton's hands. Pinkerton was led to sup- pose Carroll did him this service, but it was not so. EXCITING TIMES IN CHICAGO. 509 After the Anderson trouble, when Carroll was expelled from the " mob," he brought detective influence to bear upon my old friends Burke, Gerrin, and Davis, and they took him into their party. A few months later, they robbed a bank in Illinois, and Carroll skipped to Canada, where he was arrested for another job, convicted, and sentenced to five years. "When his sentence expired, he returned to Chicago, and was arrested on a " squeal " from one of the original " mob," tried, and convicted, and he is now in Joliet, 111., doing a seven years' sentence. Charles O. Brockway and John Cannon went to Chicago late in the fall of 1878, but not at the request of an ex- United States detective, as was stated by Brockway when he made his celebrated " squeal " at the time of his arrest, a few weeks later. Cannon remained in Chicago only five days before he presented a forged check for seven hundred dollars at a bank and got it cashed. He . then returned to New York. During the fall I received several letters from a Boston detective asking me to go there, and telling me he had some good -jobs. He said that business was dull, and that there had been nothing stolen since I went away. CHAPTER XLI. ONCE MOEE IN NEW YOEK. KEY THAT FITTED A THOMPSONVILLB BANK A FAWS- BEOKBE'S SAFE EMPTIED. Abottt the fifteenth of December, 1878, 1 returned to New York with a young Chicago " crook." On the night of our arrival from Chicago, we called upon John Cannon, at his house on Eighteenth Avenue, near Forty-Fifth Street, and arranged with him to have our baggage kept at his house during our stay in the city. Here I met our mutual friend, Haley, and he told me " Little Dick " and several other New York " crooks " were up at New Haven, where they had been for ten days, running back and forward to Thompsonville, and watching -for a chance to rob the savings bank at the latter place. They expected to do it at noon, after the cashier had locked up the bank and gone upstairs to his dinner. He was away from the bank one hour, and during this time they liad made several attempts to fit the key to the door leading from the entry into the bank, but so far had failed, as the lock was a good one. The party was getting tired and desperate ; and if they could not fit the key before Saturday, they then would break in the door and take the chance of being heard by the cashier or any of his family. Then, if there was a " tumble," they would make a fight and get away from the place with a fast team. Now, it had so happened that, while on our way through that section, months before. Rice and I had visited the Thompsonville Savings Bank. We had followed the cashier into the bank upon his return from dinner; and while he was unlocking the door leading to the bank, I had got a quick sight of the key. "We then entered the bank, and Rice bought a draft for a small amount on Brooklyn, N. Y., in the name of E. C. Moore; and while making change, I saw the cashier pull out his money drawer, where there was ONCE MORE IN NEW YORK. 511 quite a sum of money which had been left in the drawer while he had been away to his dinner. I saw the vault was at the rear end of the room, some thirty feet away ; and thinking possibly this might not have been locked before the cashier went to his dinner, I gave Rice the " tip," and he renewed his business with the cashier in such a way as to compel him to go to the vault, and I saw him unlock the door and enter. We then, after having a little chat about some land speculation "with the cashier, bade him good-by, and left the town, I taking the eye-impression of the bank door-key away with me. While in Boston the following May, I saw one of the men who had been in the Newburyport job with me examining a key, and I asked him to give it to me, saying I knew where that key would fit the outside door of a bank, and that it was a good dinner-hour job. When our baggage came to Cannon's house, I, while look- ing over some things in my trunk, came across this key, and I said to the Chicago " crook," " This is the key I was speak- ing to you about, after leaving Cannon's last night." He asked me for it, and I gave it to him. He then saw Haley, and got a full description of the men who were watching for an opportunity to rob the Thompsonville Bank; and the next morning he took the early train from New York to that town, arriving there in time to see the cashier lock up and go upstairs to his dinner. He also saw the other men who had been " piping " the bank for nearly two weeks. He went to the bank, walked up the steps and into the entry, unlocked the door, and entered the bank, locking the door behind him. He went to the vault and found it was locked. Going to the cashier's money drawer, he forced it open, and transferred the contents to his pockets. He had gone around to the end of the counter, when he heard some one working i key back and forward in the lock of. the door. The upper part of the door was . glass, and he saw it was one of the other " mob " who was trying to enter the bank. Without waiting to receive him, he went to the rear of the bank, raised a window, jumped out, and went away to Springfield, arriving in time to catch the express train for New York, where he arrived that night, leaving Dick and his " mob " still working on the job. They never discovered 512 LANODON W. MOORE. the bank had been robbed until the next morning, when they read the newspaper account, which, at the same time, gave a partial description of several strangers who had, during the past two weeks, been seen about the town. Dick and his " mob " then returned to New York cursing their hard luck, and accusing one another of not attending to business wliile watching the bank; for they, like a lot •of " chumps," had allowed an outsider to slip in and beat the place, and get away, without one of their party seeing him. When this was told Haley by the party, he said: " You iellows don't know Adams is in town, do you ? Well, he is ; and when he heard you people had been up there two weeks trying to do this job, he sent a man up who pulled the trick off right under your, nose, and you are expenses out, while the other fellow Adams gave the ' tip ' to, made one thousand dollars." This talk soon reached the ears of a New York detective, who, by the way, made a call on me for his ten per cent. This call was not allowed. Then he tried to borrow twenty dollars. Before I could satisfy him I had not done the job, I was compelled to take him to people he knew, who had been in my company at the time the bank was robbed. It was not long before this Chicago " crook " made the acquaintance of Jordan and his " mob," and they persuaded him it would be an easy thing to rob the jewelry store near the corner of Twenty-Eighth Street, on Fifth Avenue. One of the party was to stand at the door, while he went into the store and asked to look at some diamonds. The moment the tray of diamonds was put on the counter, he was to pick it up and run out of the store, jump into a sleigh Jordan was to have in waiting around the corner, and drive away. While he was doing this, the man stationed outside was to close the door, and put a stick through the handle, so as to prevent his being followed. This would give all the parties a chance to make their escape. I said, " I will go with you and meet this party at the time set to. do the job." At 5 p. M. I, with this "crook," went to the jewelry store. I saw the man who was to be the door-tender, and I knew him as a rank coward. Jordan was sitting in his sleigh, at a safe distance from the jewelry store. I asked the door-tender to come with me to Jordan. ONCE MORE IN NEW YORK. 513 I said, " This young fellow tells me you men think it is a ' soft snap ' to beat that jewelry store on the corner out of several thousand dollars' worth of diamonds, and that is what you three people are here for." I was then told how they intended the job should be done, and was asked to join them as a spectator and get my' " bit," because the young fellow who was to do the snatch came on from the West with me. I said : " You fellows have given this young ' crook ' the easiest part of the work. Give him something hard to do; for I don't propose to stand by and see you, Jordan, and your friend take all the risk. Anybody can do what you ask him to do — go into that jewelry store, ask to look at some diamonds, and, when these are shown, make a snatch and run out of the store. While the clerks are shouting ' Stop thief,' ' Murder,' etc., this other fellow has got to keep the men in the store while he puts a club through the handle of the door, and they ai'e all sure to get a good look at your back when you are running the horse down the street. Now, Jordan or your fiiend go in and make the snatch, while this young man from the West looks after the team; and I will stop here and prevent him from running away before you come back." This prevented the man from the West from attempting to commit a bold and daring robbery that would surely have caused his arrest, trial, and conviction. He had been saved, but only for a few weeks. During this time he made the acquaintance of several New York " crooks," counterfeiters and forgers ; and with these men it did not take him long to run through with all the money he had made at Thompson ville. He declared himself open for anything there was money in. John Cannon then quietly arranged with him to go to the bank in Union Square and present a forged check which he gave him. This check he gave to a messenger boy and sent him to the bank to get it cashed, telling the boy to bring the money to the Metropolitan Hotel, where he would see him. The boy presented the check at the bank, and the discovery was made that the check was not genuine. The boy, when questioned, said a stranger had given him the check and told him to bring the money to the above-named hotel. The boy was then given his instructions, and he left the bank, followed 514 LANGBON W.- MOORE. by the officers down Broadway to the Metropolitan Hotel, -where he was met by the man who had given him the check. This man was " tipped off " to the officers, and they arrested him on the spot. When I heard of the arrest, I went to see Cannon, and told him that he and the party who stood in with the man then under arrest, must try to get him out. They said they had no money at the time; and as the man from the West was " broke," I saw Counsellor Price and paid him fifty dollars to defend the case. Soon after, the case was called for trial; and as none of the New York detectives knew this young man, his counsel was able to have him sent to the Elmira reformatory for an indefinite period. About this time I met a person from the West, and went with him to look at a good diamond job he had found in Baltimore. After looking this place over, and seeing it was not possible to do the job without one of the party being arrested, I refused to have anjrthing- to do with it. But wliile on this trip I made the acquaintance of Frank Buck, whom I afterwards found to be a good, staunch, square man. In Baltimore I saw Papes arrested while attempting to pick the pocket of the Chief of Police while he and two detectives were getting on board the horse-car after leav- ing the theatre. Papes had been diinking, and he failed to recognize the officers. He paid no attention to his " pal," who gave him the " tip " that he was working a fly detec- tive. The case was not pressed to a conviction, and a few weeks later Papes was discharged. Buck returned to New York with me, and a few days later brought Charley Woods, who escaped with Steve Boyle from Sing Sing, to see me. We made up a "mob," and opened a few safes in New York, thus annoying Inspector Murray very much. During the spring their attention was called to a pawn- broker's shop situated on the second floor of a building in Seventh Avenue, near Thirty-Fourth Street. The front windows had iron shutters over them, and these were closed at night. The street door was secured by two locks, and besides, there was a bar across the centre of the door, with a staple running through it. To this was attached a large, old-fashioned padlock, larger than the one now on exhibition at the Suffolk County (Mass.) Jail. This lock was fastened ONCE MORE IN NEW YORK. 515 to the bar near the centre ; and when the door was closed and locked, it had the appeaiance of giving additional strength and security to the outside door, when in reality it did not; for upon examination, when the door was opened during the day, it was seen the crossbar was merely a dummy, and reached only to the casings of the door. Several " crooks' " attention had been called to this job, but one and alL agreed it could not be done; for if this big padlock was wrung off, no other one could be found large enough to put on in its place, and when the officer went his rounds and tried the door, he would discover the locks had been changed. Not one among these safe-breakers made the discovery that the crossbar and big padlock were used for the purpose of making the door fastenings appear stronger than they really were. Even could they beat this door, they would have to enter the building and " lay " for the clerk when he returned to the shop, and tie him up while the safe was being opened. This clerk, it was said, left the store every night at eight o'clock. After closing the iron shutters he would lock the street door, try it, and then go to a billiard saloon in Eighth Avenue, remaining until iive minutes to nine o'clock, when he would return to the store, enter, lock the outside door, go upstairs into the store, and pull his bed to the front of the safe, where he remained until morning, when the others came to open up the shop for business. This clerk was watched for several nights, and he was found to be very regular in his habits. The time he re- mained away never varied two minutes from the hour allowed him. The safe was not fireproof, and was about five feet high by four wide, fitted up inside with small drawers, the same as a jeweller's safe. The plate to the door was five-eighths of an inch thick, with a heavy strap across the front of the safe, secured by a large padlock. As there was a candy store directly under the room where the safe stood, and people were going in and out all the time, the place would stand very little noise; besides, the work must be all done in not more than fifty minutes, for the parties dared not enter the place until the clerk was seen to go into the saloon on Eighth Avenue. This would occupy \ a little time. Besides, it would require a minute or two, after the, job was done, to leave the building and get to a safe distance from the store before the clerk returned. 516 LANGDON W, MOOBE. One of the locks on the street door was fitted at the first attempt. The other was found more difQcult to fit; and not caring to waste any more time on the job than absolutely- necessary, three men went to the shop the next day in a rain storm, and while two of the men stood in front of the door talking, they, with their umbrella, covered the third man, so that passers-by could not see him while he took out one of the screws that secured the nosing of the look to the casing of the door. He then left the entry and crossed the avenue to a lager beer saloon, while the other two men moved away from the door. When the man with the screw had filed it in halves, leaving only three threads on the screw, he recrossed the avenue and gave the two men with the umbrella the " tip." They returned to the door, and he passed in behind them, replaced the screw, then took out the other one, again crossed the avenue, filed that one off the same as he had done the first, then returned to the door and replaced the screw, without attracting attention. These two screws were very old, and of peculiar make, and to replace them with two others might lead to the dis- covery that the lock had been tampered with, thus spoiling the job. A satisfactory test was then made, and it was found the two short screws held the nosing of the lock in its place all right. The men left the place, going in differ- ent directions. Late that afternoon another visit was made to the door, and the man reported no change in the lock. The tools were then got ready, and at 7.45 that night the party went to the place, passed down the avenue, and took separate positions, where they could see the clerk when he came out. Here they waited until eight o'clock, when the clerk was seen to come out, lock both locks, then try them, and walk to the corner of Thirty-Fourth Street, down this street to Eighth Avenue, and into the saloon. The man who had followed the clerk returned and signalled " all right." The men then went to the door, unlocked the lock that had been fitted, gave the door a quick push, and the nosing of the other lock fell upon the floor. The men entered and locked the other lock behind them. The outside man gave the signal on the door that they were in without attracting notice. They went upstairs to the office, where the safe was. Here they found the clerk had left the gas turned on, ONCE MORE IN NEW YORK. 517 and the place lighted up ready for work. He had placed his bed in front of the safe before going out, with a chair each side of the bed. On each of these lay a revolver, all loaded, and ready for use. Seeing one of them was an English bull- dog, it was appropriated by one of the party, who put it in his pocket. The padlock was quickly removed from the strap across the safe. The foot of the jack was then secured to the floor, and the jimmy put against it for a back brace. Then two five-eighth-inch holes were drilled through the door near the centre bolt. These were worked into a slot, and the hook was inserted. The jack was taken up and put across the door and the hook pinned through the slot in the jack. Then the screws were set to work, and a few minutes' work forced the fastening of the door from the casing, and the door swung open. The men who did this work carried all the tools, as well as three large glazed bags, in with them under their coats. The " stuff " was soon taken out, when it was found the bags would not hold one half of all there was in the safe. A hunt was then made in the rear of the store among the trunks and bags left there in pledge. Here was found a valise half the size of a Saratoga trunk. This was borrowed and taken to the safe, and was found to be just large enough to hold the remainder of the " stuff " found put up in small parcels. No attempt was made tp take away any of the silverware ; but when the other goods had been transferred to the bags, the men went down the stairs and put the twig under the door, the signal to the outside man that they were ready to come out. Just at this time, there was a large number of people and children going in and out of the candy store under the pawn- broker's shop ; and the outside man, fearing the clerk might return to the store five minutes ahead of his usual time, dared wait no longer, and at the most favorable opportunity stepped to the door and gave the " come out " signal. Up to this time there had been no bustle or confusion. Everything had been done in a cool and deliberate manner; but just as the men came out of the door, carrying the four bags, three little girls came running out of the candy store. When they saw the men with bags they stopped and tried to get a look at their faces. 518 LANGDON W. MOOBE. Then the man who was carrying the jack under his coat got rattled, and let it slip half way to the ground, and he said to the outside man, " Here, you,' take this." He not only took the jack but the big valise, and started up Seventh Avenue, while the other men with the three glazed bags turned the corner of Thirty-Fourth Street, and so on down to Eighth. Avenue, where they took a car and rode to near Forty-First Street, where they left the car and went to Cannon's house and were admitted by him. The man who had gone up Seventh Avenue waited at the corner of Tliirty-Sixth Street until a car came along, wheu he got on, and, not wishing to be seen by the passengers inside the car, he remained with the bag on the platform. He left the car at Forty-Fifth Street and walked over to Eighth Avenue, where he was met by one of the other men, who put the valise on his shoulder and carried it to Cannon's house, pass- ing hundreds of people on his way. Not a tool had been left at the pawnbroker's that could possibly be identified or assist the officers in any way when working up the case; and the work was all done in iifty- three minutes from the time the clerk left the store. Not a package had been broken while the transfer was being made, and now the work of opening and assorting the " stuff " began. This occupied the time until five o'clock in tne morning. It was found every parcel was put up sepa- rately, with the person's name aiid the amount loaned marked on the ticket which was secured to the parcel. The watches were then counted, and it was found there had been nearly four hundred gold and three hundred and fifty silver ones stolen, with not a splil^second or repeater among them. There was also a large lot of gold chains of every pattern and kind, and together they weighed about twenty-five pounds. One of the thieves had, some months previous to the robbery, pledged his and his wife's diamonds at this place, and they were among the " stuff." No large amount of diamonds was found among the collateral, but there were hundreds of seal rings and sleeve buttons, and every variety of jewelry, including many gold presentation medals of the finest kind of workmanship. All this " stuff " was then put in a leather bag, and the wrappers and tickets were gathered up and destroyed by ONCE MORE IN NEW YORK. 519 fire. When tlie small amount of money found among the plunder had been given to Cannon, one of the party went to a livery stable on Thirty-Ninth Street, hired a team, re- turned to the house, got the bag, and drove to Hunter's Point Ferry. Crossing over to Brooklyn, he drove to his house, left the bag, and returned with the team to the stable. The men who went down Thirty-Fourth Street to Eighth Avenue reported seeing the clerk on his way back to the shop, at the time they took the car; so that in less than six minutes after the robbers had left the place, the clerk discovered the robbery, as the thieves did not stop to lock the street door while the twelve-year-old girls were looking at them. The police were then notified, and a general alarm was given. Captain Washburn's officers made their investiga- tion, and from the little girls they got a partial description of the thieves. The following day some of the detectives from the central office investigated the robbery, and, as usual, when no one came and told them what " mob " had done the work, they said parties inside knew more about the robbery than any one else, because the Jew who kept the place said there were no large diamonds among the stolen property. His books showed that he had only loaned ten thousand dollars on the " stuff " stolen, when the actual value of the property was more than three times that amount. He could make more money by the robbery than he could if the property was redeemed by the owners. When this " tip " reached the " crooks' " ears, they con- cluded it would be safe to dispose of the " stuff," and for ten days two of them made an effort to make a cash sale for the lot, but could find no man who was willing to pay the price, cash on delivery. They could find those who would be willing to pay part down and the remainder as soon as they could turn the " stuff " into money. Not one of these men was allowed to see the " stuff" or know where it was kept. They were only shown the circular issued by the losing parties. When these men reported they were unable to find a pur- chaser who would pay all the purchase money down at the time of delivery, the third man of the party said: "I will 520 LANGBON W. MOORE. sell the ' stufP ' for the price set upon it to a m'an I know,- but none of you men must know who this man is. Then if he ' squeals ' he can do you no harm, and neither can either of you harm him at any future time, should you wish to do so." This proposition was readily accepted, and in a few hours the " stuff " was sold, delivered, and paid for ; and only one man of the " mob " has ever known who the man was who bought the property that was stolen at the pawnbroker's at. Thirty-Fourth Street, corner of Seventh Avenue (one of the most public thoroughfares in New York) between eight and nine o'clock at night. Five hundred dollars of the money realized from the sale- of this " stuff " was paid to get Bill Vosburgh out of the Tombs, where he and Pete O'Brien had been committed upon a charge of house-breaking, several nights previous to the robbery; but poor O'Brien had no friends, and he was sent to the Island for one year. One hundred dollars more was. paid out to " square " for Cannon a case a detective had against him. When Vosburgh got out, as was usual with him, he began, to "call turns," and among those named by him and his. lady, my name Was mentioned. A few weeks later, I was- arrested and taken before Captain Washburn, and locked up in the station-house. An officer was then sent to notify the pawnbroker of my arrest, with the request that he bring the girls to the station to look me over. When I was called out of my cell by the Captain, he told me he would give me a good square " stand up." I told him if he did, it would be the first time such a thing had ever been done for me; that my identity, whenever I was " stood up," had always been established by officials, and not by the persons who had been robbed. Before entering the room where the show was to take place, he went and closed the door leading to the office. He then exchanged hats with me, saying, " Put this on, for there is not a hat in the station like the one you wear, and some one might ' tip ' this off to the people who are coming here to identify you." No person was allowed to enter the room except those who were called in to form in line. When all was ready, I took my place among the men, and was asked by the Captain if I ONCE MOJ^E IN NEW YORK. 521 ■\vas satisfied that I was going to have a fair show. I replied that I" was, and I would find no fault with him if I drew the prize, which would send me up the river. He then, for fear some one might have got a peek from the office on me, changed all our positions, placing me among some citizens who had been called in to make up the dozen men in line. "Now," he said, " I am going to call the people in; and if they identify you, Charley Adams, I will surely send you to State prison, for then I will know you are the guilty man." He opened the door and called the girls and others in. These he placed about eight feet away and near the centre of the line. He told the witnesses to look up and down the line of men carefully, and see if they could pick out from among them one they had seen coming out of the place that was robbed on the night of the robbery. After carefully looking us over for a moment or two, he walked up and down the line at a distance of eight or ten feet from the nearest man, and stopped near the end. He then asked if they could identify any of the men. One of the girls, pointing, as I and others thought, directly at me, said, " That man looks like the man I saw that night with the bag." To make sure of his man, the Captain said, " Come with me and place your finger on the man you mean." They then came toward us, I keeping my eye on her, while at the same time she was looking me squarely in the eye. When she got to where I stood, she put her finger on the arm of the man next to me, and said, " This man looks like the man I saw, but is not the man." " Are you certain ? " asked the Captain. " I am," said the girl. They were then taken out of the room, while I was put into a cell and locked up. As soon as the witnesses left the station, I was brought out and given what money and collat- eral had been taken from me when searched. I was then discharged without going through the usual form of being taken to court. Before leaving the station, I was told they were compelled to arrest me and show me up to those people •on the information they had received. I had never met Captain Washburn before, neither have I met him since; and I can truly say he is the most honorable, high-minded official 522 LANGBON W. MOORE. I ever came in contact with during my whole cii-minal career. The man selected by the girl as the one who resembled the man she saw coming out of the store on the night of the robbery, was a German who kept a lager beer saloon opposite the station; and his wife was so well pleased to learn that he resembled one of the robbers, that she put up a keg of lager, and invited all hands around to take a drink. CHAPTEE XLII. ABOUT THE MURDERED BARRON. A SUGGESTIVE CONVERSATION IN NEW YOKK ABOUT THE FAMOUS DEXTEE BANK CASE. About tliis time, my " pal," the Boston detective, came to New York, called at my hotel, and invited me to go and take dinner with him. Detective Al Dearborn, and a New York officer by the name of Cunning, who at this time was well known to me. While on our way to the saloon, situated on Fourteenth Street near Third Avenue, where he had his engagement to meet Dearborn and Cunning, he asked me if I had seen in the papers that Dearborn had been down to Dexter, Me., and made an investigation of the Dexter Bank affair, in which Barron, the cashier, had lost his life. He said Wiggin had been there before Dearborn, and, aftei: looking the thing over, had brought in his report that Barron had been murdered because he refused to open up the bank vault or give the combination to the thieves; but Dearborn had knocked Wig- gin's report into a cocked hat wlien he went there, for he had tied himself up the same as Barron was when found nearly dead in the bank. He had then untied himself again, and this he repeated several times in the presence of the bank officers. The books of the bank had been examined, and the cashier was found to be short in his accounts. Dearborn had brought in his report that Cashier Barron was a defaulter, and, after arranging everything in the bank to make it appear a robbery had been committed for a small amount, he had tied himself up the same as when found, and then committed suicide to hide his defalcation. My detective " pal " said he thought Dearborn had done a big thing. The bank people took stock in him. He had changed the opinions of nearly all the people in Dexter. They now believed Barron killed himself. 524 LANGDON W. MOORE. " What do you think of the play ? " he asked. " Don't you think it was a good one ? It will have the effect of quieting things down, and give a fellow a chance." I then asked if he was through. When told that he was, I said, " I not only read Wiggin's report fully, but Dearborn's report also, and Wiggin's report was the true one. Cashier Barron was murdered while in the discharge of his duty, and it is &■ pity there are not more honest bank officials to be found, who prefer death to a betrayal of trust. Then there would be no more masked burglars. " Dearborn's report," I went on, " is the most cowardly, infamous, treacherous, and damnable thing I ever heard of. Is it not enough for Mrs. Barron to know her husband was murdered, without you or Dearborn bringing disgrace upon his good name and family ? I tell you, no good can come out of this, for you know that man was murdered, and no one knows better than yourself who the men were who did that job. Why don't you arrest this man called Dow ? You know he can be identified." " Oh, he is at work," said he, " and, besides, if they should hang two or three, it would not bring Barron back to life. This report will make things more quiet, and give the boys a chance to make some money." Finding I could not be pacified, he asked me not to say anything to Dearborn about the Barron affair, " for," he said, " if you talk to him the same as you talk to me, you will frighten him to death." " Then you people must leave that woman alone," I re- plied, " or I will do some talking myself." We met Dearborn and Cunning on Fourteenth Street, and the party went to the dining-saloon situated on the second fldbr of the building, near the corner of Third Avenue and Fourteenth Street, where dinner with a bottle of wine was served at a dollar a plate. This dinner was given by Dear- born, in honor of his victory over Detective Wiggin with the bank people at Dexter, Me. These people had accepted Dearborn's report, that was false both in warp and in filling, while Wiggin's report was the only honest and true one ever made, for he said Cashier Barron was murdered. Not a word was spoken at the dinner about the Dexter affair. My " pal " did not dare bring the matter up, know- ing what my opinion was, and that, if the matter was referred ABOUT THE MUBDERED BABRON. 525 to in any way, I would express myself in a forcible manner, and say things it would not be well for Cunning to hear. Cunning there, with his ears open, expected every moment to hear the detective, Dearborn, and myself talk over our private affairs; and as Dearborn saw no mention was made by me of either Wiggin or the Dexter affair, he took to the bottle, and called on for more wine. When my detective saw this, he gave me the " tip " to break up the party, and he went away with Dearborn to his hotel. That night I met the Boston detective again, and ar- ranged with him that I should go on to Boston, taking on a hotel man, a burglar, and one all-round " crook." The hotel man, he said, could make some mohey, he thought, at New- buryport and Hampton Beach Hotels. At the Newbiaryport Hotel, he said the doors were very thin, and there were no bolts on the doors. The locks were old fashioned, and it was the easiest place to beat, of the kind, he had ever seen. He then spoke of the class of people who patronized the house, saying they were mostly setired sea-captains and travelling men. The hotels at the beach were full of peo- ple who went there, with their families, to spend the sum- mer. Before we separated that night, he made me pledge my word that if any watches, diamonds, or collateral of any kind were secured that it would pay to work back, I should give it to hini, to be returned by the same party who was to have returned the papers and books we attempted to get from the Newburyport City Hall safe the year before. In a few days, Billy Miller, Buck, Clark, and myself went to Boston, and I explained matters to Miller, the hotel man, and he alone went down there. Before attempting to rob the hotel, he made a trip over to Hampton Beach, to see if some work could not be done there, as the detective had represented this place to be a summer resort that offered good opportunities for being successfully robbed. This trip to the beach was a failure, as Miller found only a few people there. These, he said, made no show of any- thing worth stealing. He then went back to Newburyport and stopped at the hotel over night. During the night he made an effort to rob the rooms, but met with indifferent success. The only burglar's tool he carried with him was a pair of nippers, which are made for insertion in the key-hole. The nippers grasp the end of the key, and the notches in 526 LANahON W. MOOME. them make it easy to hold the key firmlj'^ and turn it in the lock. By the use of the nippers, a key can be turned from the outside as easily as from the inside. The doors proved to be in very poor condition; the locks were old, and they could not be opened without making a good deal of noise. They creaked just as soon as pressure was put upon them. Miller robbed but one room, securing a watch and a small sum of money. In opening the door, it made so much noise that he did not dare to go through the other sleeping-rooms. This was the story told me by Miller after his return to Boston. Not one of the party claimed his " bit " out of the ' watch and chain shown up by Miller, for it was a poor affair not worth a five-dollar note; and as no mention was made at the time by the papers about this robbery, I never knew Miller had put the party " in the hole " until last Sep- tember, when Thomas Nevins, the man whom Miller robbed, stated the watch and chain cost him one hundred and sixty dollars, and that the money taken amounted to more than the value of the watch and chain together. Hotel robbery at Newburyport, Mass. CHAPTER XLIII. NEWELL'S SHOE STOEE, BOSTON. DIFFICULTY OP FITTING A KEY NECESSITATES SEVERAL VISITS BEFOEB THE SAFE IS FINALLY KOBBED. This was the first time I had been in Boston since May of the previous year ; and as this detective said nothing had been stolen since I went away, he suggested I beat the safe in Newell's shoe store, at the corner of Chauncy and Essex Streets. This firm, he said, did a business of one thousand dollars a day; and he understood they only banked their money once a week, and this was on Monday. If I could do the job on Saturday night, I could get at least five thousand dollars in cash, with a prospect of getting double that amount in government bonds. While Miller was away on his hotel job at Newburyport, I went to the shoe store, on the Essex Street side, and, seeing the door was open and the key sticking in the lock, I stopped near the door and asked one of the clerks some questions about the price of shoes. While chatting with him, I backed up against the inside of the door, took the key out of the lock with my right hand, and laid the blade of it on a piece of wax which I held in my left hand. All this time I was carrying on a conversation with the clerk. I took the impression of the key with both hands behind my back. I then slipped the key back into the lock, walked over to the office, took a look at the safe while the cashier was giving change for a twenty-dollar note, and then left the place. Buck and Clark, had also taken a run, that day, down as far as Portland, stopping at Great Falls on the way. When they returned to Boston they came to my room, at 110 Chandler Street, and asked how I had passed the day, at the same time throwing- perhaps eighty dollars' worth of jewelry down on. the table. This they had stolen from different jewelry stores they had visited that day. When I was told what they had done, I said I wanted no part in that kind of 530 LANGBON W. MOOBE. work, as it was no more nor less than petty larceny. They took offence, and asked what I proposed to do. If I was not satisfied they should make a few dollars in that way, they would keep what they had, and we would go back to New York. I said, " All right, you keep what you have, and I will do the same." The next night we all returned to New York, I for the purpose of getting my tools that had been left at Buck's house in Brooklyn. The party then split Up. Miller was afterwards arrested in New York, and some property was found on his person that had been stolen from a gentleman's room in the Cosmopolitan Hotel, at the corner of Chambers Street and West Broadway. Early in November he pleaded guilty'to the charge, and was sentenced to State prison for seven years. Buck I have not met since, and he is now doing time in England. I made several trips to Boston during the summer, and while there, one Saturday night, I went to Newell's shoe store with two assistants and the tools required to break open the safe. We saw the men close the store, and followed them several blocks away. Then another man and myself walked up the steps on Essex Street, unlocked the door with the key which I had made, and entered. The third man was left outside. His part of the programme was to see that the coast was clear, and that we got in all right without attract-, ing attention. Then he was to go away and return in two hours, when, if everything was all right, he was to throw a handful of gravel against the door as he passed by. This was to let us know we could come out with safety. When we went in, I closed the door and tried to lock it, but I found the key I had made would not do the work. It would not lock the door from either 'side, and as detection was certain if we left the door unlocked, we left the place. We might have worked inside with a brace against the door; but if an intelligent policeman should come along and try the door, he would instantly discover the difference between a braced and a locked door. We went away, leaving the door unlocked. ' Early Sunday morning, I saw the detective and told him of the failure I had made, and 'asked him to iind out if any " squeal " was made. NEWELL'S SHOE STORE, BOSTON. 531 On Monday morning, however, thinking that the trick might not have been discovered, I sent one of my men down to the place to see what the porter would do when he tried to open the door. The porter came along, put his key in the lock, and tried to throw back the bolt. When he found him- self unable to do so, he turned the key the other way, thus locking the door. Then he wiggled it back again, unlocking the door, and walked in, locking the door behind him, without making the discovery that the door was not locked when he went there. It was reported to me by my man that everything was all right. I then saw the detective, and asked him if the door had been found open. He said it had not, as there had been no " squeal " at the station-house. I then told him that, as the safe was on a box, I was suspicious that it had a burglar alarm connected with it. He said he had a friend in the burglar alarm office, I think on Summer Street, corner of Chauncy Street, who could find out if such was the fact. When I next saw him, he told me that there was no alarm connected with it, or any other store in that part of the city, above Summer Street. In two or three weeks I went there again on Saturday night, after having made another key, and had my men and tools ready to do the job. This key would unlock but would not lock the door, and we left the door closed but unlocked, the same as we had done on our previous visit. Monday morning I sent my two men down again, and the porter repeated his previous performance without seeming to discover the door was unlocked. The two men tried to follow him into the store, saying that while they were there late Saturday night they had dropped something of value near the office. The porter told them he could not admit them until the store was opened for business, and they went away. ' I then saw the detective and told him I had business in New York, and, while I was away, he must ascertain if our second entrance had been discovered. My object in returning to New York was to make up a fresh " mob," as the parties who were then with me could render me no assistance whatever. While there, I made an- other key, a little longer in the blade than the others. I did not again return to Boston until early in the fall of 1879, 532 LANGDON W. MOOJRE. wheu James Munkittrick called at the Point View House and made inquiries for me. I was seut for, and told this gentleman wished to see me. He then handed me a note. I opened it and read as follows : — This man is a friend of mine; any business you do with him will be the same as if done with me. It was>signed by the detective. I met the detective and Munkittrick in Boston, by appoint- ment, and talked over with them the Newell job. Munkitr trick agreed to go into it, with me and another party not then named. But before the robbery was committed, the detective called my attention to a pawnbroker's shop in Washington Street, above Castle Street, and wanted me to take a look at it. The detective said that a rich old Jew kept the place; that he had known the Jew about three years, and had done a little detective work for him; that on one occasion he saw the Jew open his safe, and got sight of. a bundle of bonds that did not contain less than fifty or sixty thousand dollars. He had seen, also, a lot of diamonds. Munkittrick and I looked at the place, and he agreed to take a hand in that job, too. When I saw the detective again, I said : " Why, that is the place where I pledged my watch for fifty dollars under the name, I think, of C. A. Adams. I suppose my name is still on the books of the concern. Why did you not give me this thing before ? That man might possibly identify me, if I was shown up after I had done the job." He said the reason he did not give it to me was that the place was so open and exposed. He talked freely with both Munkittrick and myself about it, and asked if we could do it. I told him I thought we could, if he would ascertain what the fastenings were on the back door, and also the officer's beat. I told him the job could not possibly be done without blowing the safe, for after the jack was put to work on the door, should any one look into the window, they could see it before we could take it away. There was a gas jet directly over the counter, in front of the safe. The upper part of the outside door was made of glass, and the lower part of wood. The large show window near the safe was used by the occupant of the store to exhibit whatever collateral he bad for sale. The small wooden partition at the back of the NEWELVa SHOE STOBE, BOSTON. 533 window was just high enough to prevent persons, when they entered the store, from reaching over into the window and stealing anything out of it. A few days later I wrote to Maguire, at New York, to come on to Boston. I met him upon his arrival, and intro- duced him to Munkittrick as Mr. Murphy. We then looked over both jobs, and decided to do the Newell job first, as that safe could be opened on the quiet, and would cause less of a sensation among the police than blowing a safe on Washing- ton Street would. In the meantime I tried the key in the shoe store, and found it would do the work all right ; and on Saturday night, Oct. 14, 1879, Maguire, Munkittrick, and myself went to the shoe store. We saw it closed, and followed the men' away to a safe distance. We then returned to the store. Munkittrick and I entered, and locked the door behind us. I took the key out of the lock to prevent suspicion, in case any one looked through or shoved a pencil through the key- hole, and found a key in the lock, after it was known the people had left the store. A gas jet was burning brightly in the office, and every- thing in the store was in plain sight from the door. We went behind the counter, sat down on the floor in front of the safe, and commenced work by drilling two five-eighths-inch holes in the corner of the panel, over the bolt-case. These holes I worked into a slot one and one-quarter inches long. Into this slot I put the hook, and attached to it the jack, and a few turns of the screw forced the plate open far enough for me to work back the bolts with a small jimmy. While this was being done, two. policemen came along down Essex Street, and stopped near a street light in front of a window at the lower end of the building. I watched them over the end of the counter until they separated, then I fin- ished up the job. We took out all the books and papers in the safe, and looked through all the leaves for money or bonds. We also examined all the private papers. We found no bonds, and all the money we discovered was in one large wallet, which I put in my pocket. Maguire, the outside man, at the expiration of two hours, passed the door on the Essex Street side, and gave us the " all right " signal with tbe gravej. W^ walked rapidljr to 534 , LANGDON W. MOORE. the door, unlocked it, and I, with the tools and money, went down the steps to the sidewalk, while Munkittiick locked up the store. We walked to Munkittrick's room at 40 Tyler Street, without meeting a policeman on the way. I unloaded the tools, pulled out the old wallet, and counted the money, which was the only " stuff " we had taken, except a lady's small gold chain, which was given to one of the other men. There was nearly one thousand dollars in cash, but about forty dollars of it was counterfeit. We divided the sum into four equal parts, and it so happened, either by accident or otherwise, the detective got all the counterfeit coin and scrip in his " bit." 585 Newell's shoe store, corner Chauncy and Essex Streets. Boston, 1879. CHAPTER XLIV. EXPLOSION CAUSES FIEE. KOBBERY OF PAWNBROKER FRANK'S SAFE IN BOSTON, AND THE detective's " SQUARE BIT " AGAIN. The following night Maguire went back to New York, to hold himself in readiness at any time to return to Boston, and assist in the pawnbroker's job; while Munkittrick and I remained in Boston. About this time there was to be a big boat race in the western part of New York, and Munkittrick decided to take a run up there to see the race, while I returned to New York, with the understanding he should be notified when I got ready to do the job. At the expiration of two weeks I wrote Munkittrick and received no answer. I then wrote to him at his home in Hudson, and, receiving no reply, I concluded to wait no longer. After talking the matter over with Maguire, it was agreed I should see a go-between — a "fence " who procures a man when one is wanted to make up a " mob." For this service the " fence " brought to me and introduced George Mason, alias Gordon, alias Gardner. The " fence " repre- sented Mason to be a good worker, close-mouthed, and dead game. To make it more binding, he said he had worked with such men as Hope, Haggerty, Jim "Williams, Lyons, and others equally good. This reference was perfectly satisfactory; and Mason, Maguire, and myself came on to Boston. I took Mason down with me, and left him on the street near the detec- tive's house, on Harrison Avenue. I told Mason to wait for me there until I saw the detective. I found him, and there was the devil to pay. He accused me of putting up a job on him to get him arrested. He said he never discovered the money that had been given him on the Newell job was bad, until he went to Rogers' shoe store to buy a pair of shoes. He gave them two or three Mexican dollars, was given the shoes, and left 537 538 LANGDON W. MOOBE. the store before it was discovered that his money was not good. One of the clerks ran after him, and called him back into the store, when the matter was explained. The detec- tive gave him good money for the counterfeit. He com- plained bitterly to me because we had not shared the counterfeit money equally among the party. I made most of the money good to him and settled matters peaceably. He then told me he had ascertained all I wished to know about the pawnbroker's shop. The back door, he said, was made of one thickness of matched boards, with three cleats across — one at the top, one at the bottom, and a wide one across the middle of the door. For fastenings there were two bolts — one at the top and one at the bottom of the door. The officer's beat, he said, commenced at the corner of Dover and Washington Streets, extending down Wash- ington Street to Castle, through Castle to Tremont Street, up Tremont to Dover, and down Dover to the starting-point. When I told Mason what the detective had said, it did not seem to satisfy him. He was suspicious of the detective, having heard some pretty hard stories about him and his dealings with other men, so I said, " We will put a ' pipe ' on this officer, and go round his beat." I told Mason to start with him at the corner of Dover, and follow him down Washington through Castle to Tre- mont Street? then to turn down Tremont Street, and let Maguire pick the officer up and follow him up Tremont Street and through Dover to the starting-point. The divi- sion of the work was made to prevent the officer discovering he was being followed. The test was perfectly satisfactory. This was on the night before the robbery; but it took so long to satisfy Mason that everything was all right, it was then past the hour at which we had intended to enter the place, which was midnight. It commenced to rain very hard, and there was no shelter for us near the place where we could see the officer when he passed without being seen by him. Although it had been our original intention to do the job that night, we decided to postpone it until the next night. Mason and I went to the Creighton House on Tre- mont Street and engaged a room. We were wet through completely; so much so that the night porter's attention was called to our condition -v^ithout our making any mention Qf it, . EXPLOSION CAUSES FIRE. 539 The next night, Nov. 14, 1879, we went to the place about 12.45 A. m., and waited until the officer passed the store and turned into Castle Street; and when we saw he was at a safe distance, we followed him down Castle Street and went under a board fence leading to a large vacant lot in the rear of the store. This fence^ I think, was two boards high, possibly three, with posts running along the edge of the sidewalk and short posts near the foot of the embank- ment. Boards were nailed from the bottom posts to the top posts on the street to strengthen the fence. We entered this back lot near where Mayo Street is now, and walked down through to the rear of Mr. Frank's pawnshop, and in doing so passed a Chinaman's shop where they were still at work. After stopping long enough to see that neither of us had been discovered, we passed on to the rear of the pawnbroker's shop, which was a one-story building. The outside man,Maguire, had been instructed to step up to the window after thirty minutes, and tap on it to give us the signal that the street was clear for us to go to the safe. The back door I found to be exactly as represented to me by the detective. We commenced to bore holes across the door immediately over the centre cleat. Some eighteen inches over and above those, we bored another row of holes, and put a jimmy in and split out the pieces. It was found the opening was not large enough to admit a man's body. Mason put his head through and part of his shoulder, and then found that the hole was too small to admit him. He succeeded in shoving back the bolt at the top of the door, but could not reach the bottom one. After working for a while to get his body through, he saw a broom standing in the corner near the back of the door ; and after working for some time with the broom, he managed to shove the other bolt back, and opened the door and we walked in. I think the bit we used at that time was a seven-eighths- inch one. The reason we did not bore the holes in the cen- tre of the door was on account of the cross cleat, knowing that this must be full of nails and that it would spoil the bit if struck by one of them, and so prevent us from making an entrance without forcing the door, which we could not afford to do, as we might be heard by the Chinamen, a short distance away. 540 LANGBON W. MOOUE. The thirty minutes given Maguire was to afford us time to get through the door and into the back room against the partition leading to the entrance behind the counter. "When we got the signal, we crawled along under the' counter and up in front of the safe. Mason put a Morse drill in a bit stock. I think it was a one-quarter-inch or five-sixteenths- inch but not larger. With this he attempted to drill a hole in the safe. After working away for some time and maldng no headway, I asked him to come back in my place and let me go to the safe. I am not positive, but I think he drilled a hole in the door through into the cement, where, as there was no cavity to hold the powder, it was useless for our purposes. I then went to the safe, and he stepped back to the posi- tion I had held under the cqunter. I drilled a hole, loaded up the safe, attached the fuse, and laid a coat on the floor to prevent the lining of the door of the safe, if it should prove to be made of hard cement, from falling on the floor and making a noise. I then waited for the signal from Maguire to touch it off. We waited a long time for him. Finally I said I would go out and hunt the man up, and come back and let Mason know how things were ; but before going out I told Mason to cut the fuse off short, and in case I could not find Maguire I would give him the signal myself. I told him in case I did so, to leave the place, run around the vacant lot and up to the fence on Castle Street, and if there was an alarm I would signal to him. I walked out in front of the place, looked up and down Washington Street, through Orange Place and under the steps of the church where the theatre now stands, and saw no one. I waited some time for Maguire to show up, and he failed to put in an appearance. I saw a milk wagon rattling down the street, and the minute it got in front of the place, I stepped up to the window and gave the signal to let her go. I then walked across the street to what I would call Orange Place, which was a sort of alley-\j-ay running from Washington Street to Harrison Avenue. It was very dark in this place, and while I remained out of sight, I could see Mason and get a full view up and down Washington Street. I supposed the milk wagon would continue down Washington Street across the bridge; but instead of doing that, it turned the corner of EXPLOSION CAUSES FIRE. 543 Orange Street, and just at that moment the explosion occurred. In the place I have referred to, I waited for two minutes and saw no one. Presently Mason came over to me and asked me how everything was. I told him it was all right. i' You stay here," I said, " and I will go over and get the ' stuff.' " I had the bag for that purpose in my hand. I went over, through the fence and down through the back lot. At this time the Chinaman's place was closed. I entered, and went to the safe. The explosion had extinguished the gas, and I relighted it. I then examined the safe and found that the lining of the door had fallen down on the coat. I discovered that the coat was on fire, a portion of the burning fuse having also fallen on it. At this time I heard some one walking behind me, and, turning around, I saw it was Mason. I asked what he was in there for, and he said it was all right. I asked him if he had seen the outside man, and he replied that he had not. I then took everything out of the safe and passed it to him, and he put it into the bag. I called his attention to the coat on the floor, and told him to put the fire out and throw the coat into the yard. I supposed that he had done so. If any one had walked up to the door or the window and looked over the partition, he could have seen us taking the " stuff " out of the safe. When we came out I had in my hand a half-sectional jimmy that had been left in the place before the explosion, to be used to pry out the lining in case it wedged, and to pry open any of the drawers if they were locked. This piece of a sectional jimmy I buried near the third or fourth post from the end of the fence nearest Washington Street. After that, we went around into Castle Street, over to Orange Place, and remained there a long time waiting for Maguire to show up. He did not appear; and when we got tired of waiting for him, we walked down to Harri- son Avenue and through to Tyler Street, stopping at No. 40, where the outside man had a room. We stepped inside the blind door and waited to see if he would come to the house. After waiting there quite a while, the door opened, and a more surprised man could not be found in Boston than Maguire when he saw us standing there. 544 LANGDON W. MOOBK I told him that we had only a few minutes to catch the train on which we wanted to leave the city, and I hustled him right down to the Boston and Albany depot to buy two tickets to Worcester — one for Mason and one for myself. While walking down to the depot, I asked him where he had been. He told me he had been up above Dover Street watching two officers who stood there talking, and that one of them was the oificer on our beat ; that when he started to' come down towards the pawnbroker's shop, he followed along after him. When the officer reached that place, he discov- ered that the store was on fire, and gave the alarm. Maguire remained in that vicinity until the firemen came there and entered the place. He then returned to the house, where he found us. He had looked out for no one but himself, and remained so far away he had not heard the- explosion. I was so disgusted -with his bowardice that I told him to return to his room, and remain in Boston until the following night, then to bring copies of the Boston papers with him to New York. Mason and I took the early train for Worcester. When we got there, we engaged a room at the hotel situ- ated on the street running from the depot to the City Hall. We took the " stuff " out and examined it, and I remained in the room while Mason went out and cleaned up. Upon his return I went out, got a clean shirt, a duster, and a collar, had my boots blacked, and returned to the room. After breakfast we took the first train for Providence, and there the Shore Line for New York, arriving in that city about eleven o'clock that night. Mason took the bag, and carried it to his house on Third Avenue. I returned to my hotel. The next night I had an appointment to see Mason. We met, had a few moments' conversation, and made another appointment for the following evening, with the understand- ing that I would have Maguire, who would then have returned from Boston, with me. We agreed that Mason should bring the " stuff " down to Twenty-Eighth Street and Third Avenue, where we were to meet. We did as agreed, and Mason wanted Maguire to carry the bag, saying that he had been of no assistance up to that time. After some growling all around, I took the bag, carried it to my hotel, and gave Maguire a chance to look over the " stuff." Mason, Maguire, and myself went down to John D. EXPLOSION CAUSES FIRE. 545 Grady's office on Fourth Avenue, and I remained outside while the two entered the office and found Grady was not in. They were asked by his partner to wait. I then took my position over by the Cooper Institute, waiting for the men to come out. When Grady came along with his little bag of « fake " stolen collateral that he always carried with him, I told him there was some one over in his office who wanted to see him. I waited there nearly two hours before the men came out. Among the collateral sold to Grady that night were gold and silver watches, rings, sleeve buttons, a few diamonds, and also some skeleton diamond settings. In addition, there were a fine set of veterinary surgeon's instruments and two or three meerschaum pipes. I retained only a small meer- schaum cigar-holder. After reading the reward of five hundred dollars for the, arrest and conviction for arson of those who robbed the place and set it on fire, I saw it was dangerous to keep the cigar- holder in my possession, and I gave it to a gentleman in New York. I have seen him since, and he called my attention to the fact. When Mason and Maguire came out of Grady's, we walked up Fourth Avenue to a dining-saloon, where we had supper. I asked them now how much they got for the " stuff," and they told me four hundred dollars. Grady had got the " tip " that arson was connected with the burglary, making it extra hazardous for any one to be found with any of the stolen property in his possession. Before they went into Grady's, I told them to sell the " stuff " to him if they could not get more than one hundred dollars for it, knowing how dangerous it would be to take the " stuff " away from him and sell it to some other man. > I then asked them if Grady would buy the bonds. They said he would not purchase them, as he did not know their value, so they had brought them away with them. The bonds consisted of one one-thousand-dollar coupon bond, which was called a Maximilian bond, a five-hundred-dollar Maximilian bond, five one-hundred-pound Turkish bonds, on which the interest was payable in four different places in Europe — Constantinople, London, and two other cities. There were also twenty one-hundred-franc French lottery bonds, making altogether about four thousand four hundred 546 LANGDON W. MOORE. dollars. These bonds Mason carried witli him, and kept until the detective came on, which was the second Sunday- following the robbery. The de'tective sent for me to come and see him at the St. Dennis Hotel, near Ninth Street. I met Maguire and Mason at the corner of Third Avenue and Eighth Street, and the latter gave me the bonds. I put them in my pocket, and we three went to the corner, near the hotel. They waited until I called to see the detective, who invited me to his room. The one he occupied at that time was on the ■ second floor, in the rear of the building, looking into the yard. After I got into the room, I took the bonds out of my pocket and handed them to him. They were in an envelope at that time. He asked me how much we got for the " stuff," and I told him. He made the remark that Grady was a " dead shark." " By the way," said the detective, " what did you do with the big stone which was found in the safe ? It weighed over six carats, and was pledged there by Jimmy Lyons' brother for two hundred and fifty dollars." I told him I had looked for the stone, but could not find it. If it was in the safe, Mason must have " pinched " it when I handed him the " stuff " out of the safe. The detec- tive also asked me how much money we got. t told him it was about eighty dollars. He said that according to the statement of the parties who were robbed, the amount of money taken was twenty^even or twenty-eight dollars more than was " turned up." Mason must have " pinched " that, too, with the stone. > I gave the detective his "bit" and also the bonds. He put them in his inside coat pocket; and from that day to this I have never been able to discover what became of them. That an effort was made to dispose of them in Europe, is certain ; and it is equally certain that some parties have tried to work them back, for a consideration, to those having an interest in the late Mr. Frank's estate. Possibly the detec- tive may be able to give the information that may lead to their recovery. In the course of two weeks or so, I returned to Boston and saw him again. He told me he had seen Mr. Frank, and there was no doubt that the stone had been lost, and also that the amount of money stolen as formerly stated to me by EXPLOSION CAUSES FIRE. 547 him was correct. It was then that Mason and I had some trouble. I accused him of " knocking down " at that time. We occupied a room together at 110 Chandler Street. One night, while waiting on the corner of Dover and Wash- ington Streets, I saw Mr. Frank come along; and when near me, he met a friend who stopped to talk with him. The friend said to liim that he heard he had been robbed. Mr. Frank replied that it was true. He then went on and gave a detailed account of the loss. He said the loss of his valu- ables was not so severe a blow to him as it was to think that his son should be accused of committing the robbery. At that time, if I had had that property back in my possession," I should have returned it to Mr. Frank, marked paid. I saw Mason on my return to the room, and gave him what additional proof I had that he had put us "in the hole." The detective told me that after the robbery had been dis- covered, four or live officers from the station went down there, and each and every one of them made an attempt to reach through the hole in the door and unbolt it at the bot- tom. Although there were some very large men among them, not one of them had been able to reach that bolt. Had they been taught a little broom, as well as club, exer- cise, the mystery of the bolt might have been solved. But then- attempt strengthened the story told at the time and since, that some one connected with the place committed the robbery. I made the remark that I would rather they would think that the son committed the robbery than to believe I did it, because it made it so much safer for me. It was by special request that I called at the detective's house Thanksgiving night, when I was shown through into the extension room by Hm. I had never been in this room before. I was invited, but did not accept his invitation, to stay and take supper with him. I met him several times during the next few days, and early in December I returned to New York. I went to the hotel where I had been staying for months, and where I was well known to all persons employed about the hotel and in the vicinity. CHAPTER XLV. CONVICTED FOR ANOTHEE'S CEIIE. MANY EOBBBRIES MAKE A SACRIFICE NECESSARY, AND THE ATTEMPT ON THE WARREN INSTITUTE FOR SAVINGS OFFERS THE OPPORTUNITY. I THINK it was 12 P. M., February 20, tliat I saw " Big Bill," a masked burglar, and Canada Mae enter tbe botel. When they saw me they went away — not, however, until I had called Bill a " stool pigeon " for Boston detectives. The following morning, when I returned from a walk at 10 A. M. and was about to enter the hotel, I saw Detective Harding of Boston standing on the corner of Twenty-Sixth Street and Fourth Avenue. The moment he saw me enter the hotel, he went to the Ashland House, corner of Twenty- Fourth Street and Fourth Avenue, and wired to headquar- ters that Adams was then at the hotel. At 11 A. M., while sitting in the dining-room adjoining the office, I saw Detectives Gerraughty of Boston and Adams of New York rushing past the window and so on in through the front door, up to the cashier's counter. I saw that something unusual was up, and could have left the hotel, had I so desired, without being seen by them. They made inquiries for tne, and the cashier motioned for me to come to him. He said these gentlemen wished to see me. I was then arrested by these officers for attempting to rob, on the night of December 4, the Warren Institute for Sav- ings, Charlestown, Mass. While on the way down to police headquarters, we picked up Detective Harding of Boston. Going down past Grady's place, I said I wanted to step in. I went in and asked Grady's partner if Grady himself was in. When told he was not, I asked the partner to send word to Howe and Hummel, requesting them to send some one to headquarters. That message was never delivered. We went down through Bleecker Street to police headquar- ters, and on the way Mr. Adams asked me if I would like to S48 CONVICTED FOR ANOTHER'S CRIME. 549 have something to drink. We went into a saloon; and in addition to what we had to drink, I think he gave me a couple of papers of ten-cent tobacco. From the drinking saloon we went to police headquarters. I saw I was expected, for an oiEcer came directly to me, and said, " Charley, have you got anything on you ? " He came up to search me. I said, " No, I am so light that I won't turn an even bal- ance scale." He went through me and did not find one single penny, as I had lost every dollar I had the night before, playing bank, with the exception of thirty-five dollars I had given a friend to hold for me until the next day. I was then locked up in one of the rooms. I remained there for two or three hours, when I was taken to Essex Market police court; and after GeiTaughty identified me as the original and only Langdon W. Moore called for in the Governor's warrant, I was surrendered to him by the police magistrate. We then walked to Third Avenue, and took the elevated cars for Forty-Second Street and the Grand Central Depot. While waiting until it was time for the train to leave, I was " tipped off " to the oflScers around the station. We took the first mail train out, and came through to Springfield. There we had a long wait, I remaining with one officer in the depot, while the other went to police head- quarters and gave the " tip " that they had the old castaway. Three or foUr officers came down from headquarters to take a look at me. We finally boarded the express train for -Boston. Shortly after leaving Springfield, one of the officers pulled a photo- graph out of his pocket, handed it to me, and asked if I knew that man. It was dark in the car, and I could not dis- tinguish the features. I handed it back to him, saying I did not know that I had ever seen the man before. It was then, for the first time, that I was told what the charge was against me. I asked no questions. We came through to Boston, arriving about six o'clock in the morning, and from the depot I was taken to Station Four. I was locked up there, and I remained until about half-past eight. Thence I was taken to police headquarters, where I saw Chief Inspector Drew. I was asked if I would like some breakfast; and as I had eaten nothing but one 550 LANGDON W. MOORE. piece of pie for thirty-six hours, I told them I would. Gerraughty ordered the breakfast; and while I was eating it, all the detectives in the oiSce took a good look at me. Drew then said he wanted to take my picture. I objected. I was taken into the room of the Superintendent, and given a seat there. As the different captains came in to make their daily reports, they stopped in front of me and looked me over as though they thought I was a natural curiosity. Presently Colonel Russell, then a police commissioner, and the Su-perintendent of Police came in, and I was a§ked to step into another room. The Superintendent told me that lie wanted my picture. I still objected. "You committed that burglary at Charlestown," said the Superintendent. " Excuse me," I replied, " it is alleged that I committed it." Finally I said to him that I would not object to having the picture taken on certain conditions. The conditions were that there should be but one taken, and that one and the negative should be given to the Superintendent and locked up in his private drawer. No one should be permitted to see it until after my trial. Then, if I was convicted, they were to do anything they pleased with the picture; but if I was discharged they were to return the negative and picture to me. That was agreed to in the presence of Colonel Rus- sell, Gerraughty, and W. W. Doheity. I turned to Doherty and told him he was the man I wanted to take my case. He replied that he could not take it, as he was counsel for Mason, alias Gardner. I then went out with Gerraughty, Harding having refused to have anything what ever to do with taking the picture. We went to the studio of a man named Black ; and the picture then taken is the one exhibited in Inspector Byrnes' book, and in all the police headquarters in the United States, Canada, England, Ireland,- Scotland, Wales, France, Germany, Austria, and Russia. I was taken to court and committed to Suffolk County Jail. After I had got into the jail, Keeper Bradley asked me what they had got me for. While he was taking down my pedigree, a man came in with a coat on his arm, and asked if they had Langdon W. Moore there. Mr. Bradley asked what he wanted him for, and the man replied that he wanted him to try on the coat to see if it would fit him. CONVICTED FOR ANOTHER'S CRIME. 551 Then Bradley said, " Here he is, along-side of you." Mr. Bradley asked the man where he got the coat, and he replied that it was left at the Charlestown post-office by the men who tried to rob the bank. Bradley told me not to try it on, as he could buy a hundred coats in any large store in Boston that would fit me. I said I had no objections to trying it on. Harding suggested that he try on my coat, which he did, and the coat was big enough to make a wrapper for him. He then put on the other coat, and it was a very good fit. He told the man he then could see the difference between the two coats. Shortly after this I was taken to a room and locked up. At this time I did not have a single penny, not even enough to pay the postage on a letter. For a week I neither bought a paper nor wrote a letter. One morning Mr. Bradley asked why I did not take the papers, for, if he remembered rightly, when I was there before I was a great reader. I then told him the reason. He asked me why I did not tell him before, and he handed me some silver, which I paid back to him afterwards. " Don't let that occur again," he said. Four or five days after I was sent to jail, I saw the man with the coat again, and was told he was a Charlestown officer and that his name was Chapman. The second time I saw him, when he passed my room, he had this same coat on his arm. I put out my looking-glass to see where he was going with it. He passed down six or eight rooms, and I saw him put it up to the window, or door, and the coat was pulled through the bars. Another coat was pulled out. Shortly afterwards, say forty or fifty minutes, he came back, and in passing my door I asked him why he exchanged the coat he had brought in for the one on his arm. He turned liver color, but made no answer. When Mr. Bradley came along, I called his attention to the circumstance, and asked him to recollect it. I saw Lawyer ,J. H. Bradley when visiting some person in the jail, and asked him to take my case. I also told him to see my detective " pal " about it. He saw him, and reported to me that he had agreed to pay him two hundred dollars. I expected that J. H. Bradley would defend the case when I came into court. Four or five days after that, I was taken to court to plead to the indictment, and entered a 552 LANOBON W. MOORE. plea of not guilty. Bail was fixed; and as I was unable to I'urnisli it, I was remanded to jail. . Things ran along for several days without any special developments. In the meantime I saw the Charlestown officer go by my room several times with pies and cakes on his arm, and go to> the room where he had changed the coats. He passed these in the same as he had done the coat, but took nothing more away with him. About the twenty-eighth of March, my case was called for trial. It was then Mr. Bradley told me that the detective had. not paid him a dollar, and that he could not take the case. I had seen Charles E. Sweeney several times during my stay in jail, and he consented to take it and run the risk of ever getting a dollar. I sent a message to the detective to go up to Castle Street, giving him the directions where half a sectional jimmy was buried. I wanted him to dig it up and prevent its falling into the officers' hands and being held as evidence against me in the Frank robbery. The jimmy belonged to Gardner, and the other part of it was at that time in the possession of the officers, and the piece left in the embankment had been duplicated by Gard- ner. I feared if he " squealed " on me on the Frank job and I was convicted on the Charlestown job, they might then try me on the Frank job and use the jimmy as evidence against me. It was one that I had never owned, and at no time during my whole criminal career had I ever had one made of that pattern. It was what Gardner called a ripping jimmy. He swore it was mine, and twelve good and true men believed him. The detective sent a message to me that he had been up to the embankment and hunted all around, but could not find anything. I then asked Mr. Sweeney if he would go there himself and look for it. He said he would, and he did so, but could not find it. More than eleven years later, when Mr. Sweeney was asked if he remembered the circumstance, he said: " I remember it very well. Moore asked me to go up there to see if I could find the tool which he said was buried there. I went up there, made a search for the jimmy, but failed to find it." With Judge Bacon on the bench, I was tried and convicted, March 28, of burglary and attempting to rob the Warren CONVICTED FOR ANOTHER'S CRIME. 553 Institute for Savings, on the evidence of George Mason, alias Gordon, alias Gardner, who admitted, while on the stand, that he had been a thief for twenty-five years, and had served three terms in State prison — two for burglary and one for felonious assault with attempt to kill. He testified to sub- stantially the same against John Love ; that he had formed Love's acquaintance while in Sing Sing Prison; that he had introduced Love to me in New York the week previous to his arrest; that the burglar's tools captured at the time of his arrest belonged to me; that he had taken them from my room in New York and given them to Love, and he had brought them on to Boston in a sole-leather trunk; that upon his arrival he had taken the trunk to his room in North- ampton Street, giving the number of the house ; that as I was known in Boston it was not considered safe to take the tools to our room, 110 Chandler Street. The jury returned a verdict of guilty in less than one hour. My counsel then came to me and said, " Well, they have got a conviction." " Yes," I said, " I have been convicted upon the charge of attempting to rob the Warren Institute for Savings. Mason, the only witness the government has been able to produce, testified that the attempt was made to rob the ppst-office and not the bank, as alleged in the indictment. I know'nothing about criminal law; it is man's opinion, but it should be • founded upon common sense. The evidence is at variance vrith the indictment." I was taken back to jail, where I' was soon seen by J. H. Bradley. He asked me. to tell him what I had said to Mr. Sweeney about the verdict. I then repeated to him word for word what I had said to my counsel; and after thinking the matter over for awhile, he said : " Moore, I think there is something in that, but I can't say positively, as the question has never been brought up before. I think it is a good point, and well taken. I will see Mr. Sweeney and we will look it up." The next morning, I was taken to court; and while waiting for the cpurt to open, my counsel told me he, J. H. Bradley, and Major McMahon had been up until 1 A. M. that night, looking over law books, and they had found a decision that established a precedent, and that he should file exceptions Whether Judge Bacon allowed them 534 LANODON W. MO ORE. or not, he would, carry the case to the Supreme Court and argue the point there. My case was then called, and the indictment was read, charging me with having burglar's tools in my possession. I entered a plea of "not guilty." Mason took the stand, and testified that those burglar's tools belonged to me, but he did acknowledge that he had had, during the past year, five or six sets like them made, and that some of them had been lost, the others thrown away. The jack, he said, was my own invention. This part of his testimony was true, for neither he nor any one of his class was able to conceive one original idea in his whole life. They copied from other men. During both trials. Mason was ably advised by his outside counsel, W. W. Doherty, whom Grady had seen in his interest. There were several calls for Mrs. Mason, who was then in Boston; but as that lady had conscientious scruples about committing a wilful perjury, she was excused, and did not testify. The tools had been on exhibition during both days, and one official put himself on record as an expert by saying the jack was capable of raising sixty tons. The Charlestown officer testified to finding the coat, then in court, in the basement under the post-office after Mason's arrest. My counsel made a strong effort to make him acknowledge that was not the coat he found in the posf^ office, but was the one he had received from Mason in exchange for the coat found there. Before he was allowed to leave the witness stand, he was forced to admit that he might possibly have changed the coats in jail. As there had been no arrests and convictions for the Brigham, Garey, Frothingham, Cambridgeport National Bank, Lechmere National Bank, Newell, and Frank robberies, the public demanded a victim, and the police were forced to find one. Who would fill the bill as well as Langdon W. Moore ? It requires money to defend a criminal case, and I had not a dollar in the world at this time". After I had told my story, the case was closed. My counsel then addressed the court and jury, calling their attention to the evidence. He was followed by District- Attorney Stevens, who called me the king of bank robbers, and one who controlled all the thieves east of New York. CONVICTED FOR ANOTHER'S CRIME. 555 No robbery was committed, he said, without my being first consulted. His Honor, Judge Bacon, then charged the jury to convict; and with the prestige of my former conviction for the burglary, it was an easy matter for them to bring in a verdict of guilty. It had been shown, during the trial, that Superintendent of Police Sam Adams had broken faith with me, and that dozens of my pictures had been circulated and hawked around Boston and vicinity by the police. I called J. H. Bradley's attention to the fact. He said he thought I knew enough about detectives not to believe a word they said, for there was not a criminal lawyer \\\ the country who would believe one of them under oath. The following day, March 30, 1880, I was taken to court for sentence. As on the two previous days, soon after the opening of the doors of the Superior Criminal Court, all available seats, within and without the rail, were filled by members of the bar, officers, and business men, all anxious to catch a sight of this Yankee wonder, the notorious crimi- nal the District-Attorney had advertised so well. My counsel had filed a bill of exceptions, and asked for a stay of proceedings until the case could be argued before the Supreme Court. His Honor said he should sentence me, and wrote on the back of the bill of exceptions : " I consider these exceptions frivolous and worthless. — Bacon." At the same time, he drew a line around those eight words, " The evidence is at variance with the indictment." My counsel then addressed the court at considerable length, speaking of the published statements as to my career, denouncing them as untrue and unjust. I had never been convicted but once in my life, all statements to the con- trary notwithstanding. In the case of the Concord Bank, about which so much had been said, the truth of the matter was that, instead of stealing the money, I was largely instru- mental in securing it for the bank officials, after it had been stolen. The court should impose sentence only on one in- dictment — that charging the defendant with having burglar's tools in his possession, counsel claiming that he should carry his exceptions up to the higher court, upon the matter of break- ing and entering. This exception related to the' ownership of the property. My counsel ixisisted that, inasmuch as the property to be stolen was proved by the government witness. 656 LANGDON W. MOORE. Mason, to belong to the United States, and the building broken into was a post-office, the case was not within the jurisdiction of a State court, but properly belonged to the United States Court. District-Attorney Stevens said that the evidence clearly showed the dangerous character of the man. If anything were needed, the burglar's instruments showed conclusively that he was a man against whose operations the community had no protection, unless he was placed where it would be impossible to commit the crimes of which he had been found guilty ; that the case was one that called for a severe penalty, and he moved for sentence on both indictments. Judge Bacon then asked my counsel my age, and, without consulting me, he replied, " He is fifty-seven years old, and is now an old man." His Honor said, "I thought that was about his age." Then to the District-Attorney, he said : " I believe they get off some commutation time at the State prison for good behavior. Can you tell me how much it amounts to, monthly or yearly ? " The District-Attorney replied : " It is now five days for each month, but there is a bill before the legislature asking for one day more, making six days a month, or seventy-two days a year. No doubt the bill will pass, so that he may get the full benefit of that." Judge Bacon said, " Fifty-seven and ten is sixty-seven, and six is seventy-three. He will get about three years off. Threescore and ten is more than the average age of man, and I guess that will finish his criminal career." He then said he should sentence me first for- having burglar's tools in my possession, and before the expiration of that sentence my counsel would have ample time to argue his bill of exceptions before a higher court. I was then sentenced to six years at hard labor for having burglar's tools in my possession, and ten years for the burg- lary, a total of sixteen years. To the surprise of many, I left the pen without the aid or assistance of any one, and said : " Yes, threescore and ten is too much for the most of men. Because I am L. W. Moore, he has added three to the score." During the Garey trial, I not only proved a Boston detective a perjurer, but established the fact that. he had CONVICTED FOR ANOTHER'S CRIME. 557 .sent two innocent men to State prison, and that, as soon as the facts of the case were laid before the Governor and ■Council, they had pardoned the men. My counsel, Gov- ernor William Gaston, had then asked this detective if he was on the police force in Boston when he was Governor of the State, and, being answered in the aifirmative, said, " I did not know they had such men as you on the police force of Boston when I was Governor of the State of Massachusetts." To get even, this detective caused an item to be inserted in a Boston paper, the day following my sentence, that I would sooner be sent to any other prison in the country than to Concord ; for it was well understood that there were a great many men confined there whom Moore had been instrumental in sending there, and who had sworn revenge upon him if he ever caime within their reach. The truth of the matter was that only two men, Gus Raymond and Spence Pettis, were known to me, out of nearly seven hun- dred men I found in the prison. CHAPTER XLVI. n MASSACHUSETTS STATE PRISON. AN rNTBRESTING STORY OF THE LIFE THERE "WHILE CHAMBERLAIN "WAS "WARDEN. The first day of April, Officer Clark of the Massabhusetts State Prison came to the Suffolk County Jail and called for me. He had a pair of leg irons slung over his arm, and he attempted to put them on me. At this time I wore boots and carried a pair of slippers in my hand. I then took my boots in my hand, and followed him to the sidewalk, where we entered a carriage and drove to the first station on the Fitchburg Railroad out of Boston. He said he did this for prudential reasons — to prevent an attempt at rescue, which might occur should he take me to the depot in Boston. He had been given to understand one was to be made. We remained some time waiting for a train, I sitting on a settee, and Clark walking up and down the floor with his eyes cocked at me in such a way as to call everybody's attention to me. When we entered the car it was known that Langdon W. Moore was on board, and that attracted the attention of all the people on the train. We stopped at Concord Junction, where Deputy Owens of the prison was in waiting for us, "with his hea"vy loaded crooked cane hanging on his arm. At that time there was snow on the ground to the depth of two or three inches, and it was very sloppy. Deputy Owens said to Clark, " Take those irons off, and put his boots on; he cannot walk to the prison in his slippers." I then walked to the prison "without the leg irons. I was taken into the guardroom, and searched by Woods, in .the presence of Clark, Deputy Owens, and Darling, and I think I had somewhere about nineteen dollars about me, which had been sent me by the man to whom I had given the thirty-five 558 Suffolk County Jail, Feb. 21, 1880. 1. Giving my pedigree. 2. Locked in. 3. Leaving for a sixteen years' sojourn at Concord. IN MASSACHUSETTS STATE PUISON. 561 dollars the night previous to my arrest. The remainder is still clue. After being searched, I was taken down to the bathroom, and told to take off my clothes. Woods then " skinned ■out " the collar and sleeve buttons from my shirt, and asked if I wanted to have them kept for me. I said, " No, they have been unlucky to me ; you may have them." When the bath was finished, I put on for the first time the regulation uniform of the Massachusetts State Prison. I was then taken to a room on the second corridor, south wing, and locked in by this bull-dog. Woods. This man had been deputy warden at the Maine State Prison under Warden W. W. Rice, previous to my being sent there, but was forced to resign his position to avoid an investigation for causing the death of one of the prisoners by brutal and inhuman treatment. This man he had put in punishment, and kept him in the dungeon, in dead of winter, fourteen days and nights, on bread and water. When the door was opened at the expiration of that time, the man was found dead, with three days' rations at the mouth of the hole in the bottom of the door. When it was known Woods had left the prison, the matter was hushed up, and he came to •Charlestown, and was given a position in the Massachusetts State Prison. I remained in this room one day, and was then taken out to the shop by Deputy Owens and was put on Blanchard's contract in the cutting-room. Officer Erskins, who had charge of the shop, then laid down the rules of the shop to me, and cautioned me not to break any of them if I wished to avoid punishment. Above all things, I must make no friends or confidants among the men in the shop; for there was not one among them, he said, but would give me away to better his own condition. I thanked him for posting me as to the character of all the men in the shop, and said I was not sent there to make confidants, but for safe-keeping for the next few years, and should enter into no plots or combinations against the officers of the institution or any of the prisoners during my stay. If I could do them no good, I certainly would do them no harm, and neither he nor they had anything to gain or lose by me. I guessed we would get along all right without liaving any trouble. 562 LANGBON W. MOOBE. He then told me he should try to get me a good room ia front of a window on the third division, east wing, looking- out into the yard. To do this is no easy matter, for not all of the rooms have a window in front ; and when it is known a desirable room is going to be vacated, a dozen of applica- tions will be made for the room. In this case the man occupying the room was transferred to another part of the prison, and I was given his room. My health had been miserable, for some time previous to my arrest, on account of dyspepsia and kidney trouble; but now my old enemy, rheumatism, returned and settled in my knee-joints. When I was compelled to stand for any length of time, the pain was unbearable, and I asked to be given a job where I could sit down while at work. A job of this kind was found for me, but not until several efforts had been made to induce me to learn to be a shoe cutter. This would compel me to stand on my feet from the time I entered the shop in the morning until I returned to the prison at night, Avith the exception of the noon hour. Here are the Massachusetts State Prison rules for convicts: — Pirst. — At the striking of the first gong in the morning, each convict will turn out, wash and dress, make his bed neatly, put his room in order, prepare his dishes, and be ready for marching out; at the sliding of the bar, he is to open the door without slamming, step out, and march from the corridor. Second. — In the shops, each convict is to be prompt in taking Ms proper place in the division, to march the lock step, head inclined towards the officer, body erect, with the left hand by the side of the thigh, and the right hand resting on the right shoulder of the man next in front; the file leader to march with folded arms. At meals, each convict will take the first dish the hand is put upon, and be careful not to drop or spill the food on the corridors. Third. — On entering his room, each convict will place the food or drink on the table, close the door, without slamming, and stand with one hand clasping the bar of his door, until a satisfactory count is made by the officer. Fourth. — Each convict is to be cleanly in person, keeping his room in order, not spitting on the floor or corridors. At the striking of the second gong, all convicts will retire at once, and from that time silence must be observed until the striking of the gong in the morning. Fifth. — In the chapel, each convict wiir take the seat assigned him, with arms folded or at his side, face inclined toward the chap- lain, and give his attention to the service. All shuffling of the feet, or any unnecessary noise, or spitting upon the floor, is forbidden. IN MASSACHUSETTS STATE PlilSON. 563 Sixth. — Any convict who wishes to see the warden or have an interview with the chaplain will make known his desire to his officer, who will cause his name to be placed in the letter box of the official he wishes to see. Seventh. — Each prisoner has a right to send a communication in writing addressed to his Excellency, the Governor, and to deposit in the commissioners' locked letter box any communication under seal addressed to the commissioners, or any member of the board. Eighth. — Each officer in charge of convicts will keep a weekly record, which shall show the conduct and the industry in labor of each convict under his charge, and the amount of labor performed by him, and will return the same t6 the warden every Saturday night. Ninth. — Every convict whose record of conduct and labor is perfect for three months shall be entitled to receive a visit, and to write a letter. RULES FOR WORKSHOPS. First. —When convicts reach the workshops, they will take the places assigned them by the officer in charge, and will not leave the same without his permission. Second. — They will labor diligently and faithfully from bell to bell, performing such work as is given them by the superintendent, officer or instructor. Third. — No talking will be allowed. No convict will communi- cate with another in any manner without the permission of the officer in charge of the shop, nor hold any conversation with any person from outside the prison without permission of the warden or deputy. Fourth. — When a convict desires to communicate with an officer, he will raise his right hand, and remain in that position until per- mission is given him to leave his place. Eeceiving and writing letters, seeing friends, using library books, having gas in rooms, receiving fruit and extra food on holidays, are privileges, not rights, and are liable to be forfeited by persistent violation of any of the above rules. [Approved by the Commissioners of Prisons.] There was none of the lock step when marching at the Maine Prison. It was go-as-you-please there ; and as I had never trained with the militia, I did some tall climbing up the man's legs in front of me while marching to and from the prison. The consequence of this was that I broke up the line on several occasions while under review, to the dis- gust of my officer, who, it was said, was the best drill master in the prison. I had been in the prison but two weeks when the Chaplain requested me to come to his room. When I entered, he asked me to be seated, and said he had sent for me because he wanted me to give him the history of my past life, the same as all the other men there had done. He did not want 564 LANGDON W. MOOBE. this for publication, but for his own personal use, whenever he desired to look up the pedigree of any man there. I looked at him for a minute^ and then said: " I was taught to believe in a just and living God. Any confession I wish to make, I will make to Him, and not to a man; and I will bid you good day, sir." He said: " Don't go yet. I want to talk to you. Your head is level." We had a very pleasant chat, without any reference being made to my past life or religious belief. A few days later, Deputy Owens and Woods thought to " work " me, and I was sent for to go to the prison. The same questions were asked me as had been asked by the Chaplain, and I gave the same answer. Woods jumped up and said, " You are blamed innocent, ain't you? " and he went away. Deputy Owens then called my attention to a pair of gold eye-glasses that had been taken from me when I was searched. He said the Warden would not allow me to have them because they were in gold frames. He said he had tried them on, and could see much better with them than he could with his own, and asked what he should do with them. I said, " Put them in the safe, subject to my order." They had cost me twenty-two dollars, and were made to order. I afterwards sold them to a prisoner for nine dollars, and he sent them to his father. In a day or two I was sent for again by Woods, this time to give my pedigree. His first question was, " How old are you?" " Fifty years old." " Don't give me any of that, for I take the papers, and I see by .them you are fifty-seven years old." " Where were you born ? " " Are you a Catholic or a Protestant ? " " Stand up here; I want to get your height. Come, come! none of that ; don't you try to play any of your tricks on me. I have heard all about you. Here! let me see if you have got any marks about you." My hands, arms, neck, face, and head were examined,- and all marks recorded. Then he said, " Here, sign your name to that." I looked over the book to see no error had been made, and signed my name. Woods looked at it a nipment, and said he was glad to see that name on the book. " Now, you go back to the shop." IN MASSACHUSETTS STATE PBISON. 565 When Fast Day came, all the prisoners were allowed one hour out in the yard. Here they could talk or do as they pleased. It was while in the yard at this time that Warden Chamberlain first spoke to me. He asked me if I had made an affidavit against any Boston detective by the name of Wood. I replied that I had not. He said that he had understood I had. Gus Raymond and several he had intro- duced me to were with me at the time. Raymond then took me over to where Scott and Dunlap were, and introduced me to them. Bob Scott said : " You are just the man I want to see. Dunlap and I can't agree on a point. You have had some experience in settling cases with bank people and others, both before and after your arrest; and I want to ask you if, with your experience, you think it would be safe for us to give up the Northampton ' stuff ' to the bank people, upon a promise being given to us by them to get us pardoned out of here." I asked him if they had the " stuff " " planted " in a safe place, where it could not be reached by any other party. Well, no; it was, they said, in another party's hands, where it had been put for safe-keeping, after all the available funds had been taken out. This amounted to about fifty thousand dollars, and had been split up among the party. I said : " I never waited until I was taken into court and tried, for this brings too many people into the case. I made my settlements before trial and conviction. This you should have done." He then told me there was not a man among the party that had business qualifications or brains enough for that. I said : " The bank people cannot pardon you out, but they can keep you in. The ' stuff ' is of no value to you, and the parties who control it may betray you for the re- ward. It is only available to the original owners. If you had the ' stuff ' where you could control it, I should say hold on to it for a while; but as it is now in other people's hands, I don't see as you are taking any risk in giving it up, upon condition that the bank people promise to use their influence with the Governor and Council to pardon you." And I believed then, as I now believe, that all pledges given by honest men to " crooks " should be held as sacred as those given to honest men. 566 LANGDON W. MOOBE. At that time men were only allowed the yard for one hour on holidays : Washington's Birthday, Fast Day, Fourth of July, and Thanksgiving Day — iwhen the Governor's proc- lamation was read — and at Christmas. If, on any of these days, it was too cold, or there was snow oii the ground, then the men were allowed the liberty of the mess-room for the usual hour; and all the prisoners who had friends on the out- side could be sent a small box of delicacies on all the holi-: days, except Fast Day. That day, at that time in the prison, was set apart for humiliation and prayer. No man was allowed to receive, at one time, more than one pound of sugar, and no candy was allowed in the prison. If any was sent by either a man's wife or children, it was taken out and confiscated by sending it to. the officials' own fam- ilies. In this way those who had outside friends might receive four pounds of sugar yearly to sweeten them up. At the same time the authorities would furnish them all the vinegar they wanted to make them sour, and this by the quart or gallon. No talking was allowed among the prisoners. The rules prevented this, and messages being sent from one shop to the other. Still I made the acquaintance of several good and true men in my shop, and in this way was allowed to get a look at the daily papers. Sometime in June I read that the new commutation law had passed, giving me six days a month, as had been assured by District-Attorney Stevens. The act, chapter 218, Acts of 1880, was as follows : — AN ACT TO PEOVIDE FOR THE RELEASE OF PRISONERS FOR GOOD CONDUCT. Section 1. — Every officer in charge of a prison, and the super- intendent of the house of industiy, shall keep a record of the conduct of each prisoner in his custody whose term of imprisonment is not less than four months. Every such prisoner whose record of con- duct as aforesaid shall show that he has faithfully observed all the rules of the prison, or house of industry, and has not been subjected to punishment, shall be entitled to a deduction from the term of his imprisonment, to be estimated as follows: — upon a sentence of not less than four months and not more than one year, one day for each month; upon a sentence of not less than one year nor more than three years, three days for each month; upon a sentence of not less than three nor more than five years, four days for each month; upon a sentence of not less than five years nor more than ten years, five days for each month; upon a sentence of ten years or more, six days IN MASSACBUSETTS STATE PRISON: 567 for each month. When a prisoner has two or more sentences, the aggregate of his several sentences shall be the basis upon which the deduction shall be estimated. Each prisoner who is entitled to a deduction from the term of his imprisonment, as aforesaid, shall receive a written permit to be at liberty during the time thus deducted, upon such terms as the board granting the same shall 'fix. Said permits shall be issued as follows : To prisoners in the house of industry, or in the jail or house of correction of Suffolk County, by the board- of directors of public institutions ; to prisoners in the other jails -and houses of correction, by the county commissioners of the several counties; to prisoners in the state prison and in the reform- atory prison for women, by the commissioners of prisons. The board issuing a' permit as aforesaid may at any time revoke the same, and shall revoke it whenever it comes to their knowledge that the person to whom it was granted has been convicted of any offence punishable by imprisonment. About this time I received a message from the "crooked" Boston detective, requesting me to write up a lot of scur- rilous stuff about James Wood and John S. Hunt. He said he found that they had been " shooting off their mouths." He gave me the items he -wanted covered, and I was to do what the reporters and some prison chaplains do, when they start on one word and stretch it out far enough to put every- body to sleep. I think it was the last of June the detective came there personally. He got permission from Warden Chamberlain to remain with me as long as he liked, I should think, for the rules only allowed a visitor one hour, and he talked with me for nearly three. During this visit he gave me five papers of five-cent tobacco, something I had never used before. If it had been ten-cent papers, the same as given me by Adams in New York, I should have, as on that occasion, returned thanks. I sat with my cap in my hand, and he sat with his hat in his hand. I opened one of these papers of tobacco, and handed it back to him. In doing so, I droppe^d the manu- script into his hat, he "covering" it like a professional " crook." He made every promise one man could make to another that he would see I wanted for nothing money could buy while in prison. He said he knew that the exceptions would be allowed, and he was confident I would get out. These promises were made only to be broken, for not one of them was ever fulfilled; and at no time, from that day to this, have I received one cent from that' man. He told me Warden Chamberlain was under obligations to Dearborn for " tipping off " women to him who came on from New York 568 LANGBON W. MOORE. to visit friends of theirs in the prison; and that Dearborn would see the Warden, and fix things right with him for me. The Fourth of July came, bringing with it a large number of boxes filled with eatables, prepared and sent to the prisoners by friends, or dear ones at home. I, like many others, had to content myself by sending an order to the village grocery for such delicacies as it was able to furnish in the way of pastry. At eleven o'clock, when the men were let out into the yard, and the cxirb bit taken from their mouths, they seemed to enjoy themselves, and to forget all their troubles for the time; but when Ofiicer Darling blew his whistle at twelve o'clock for the men to get into line, I heard many a curse heaped iipon the heads of old Darling, the Warden, Woods,' and Paddy Owens; and the old determined, sullen, careworn look came back into the faces of the men as they marched in silence to the prison. While on the way to their rooms, they took their holiday dinner from the slide. This consisted of either roast beef, roast. pork, or veal, potatoes, and bread; and for dessert, plum pudding and coffee, prepared and served up in such a slov- enly manner that it would turn a dyspeptic's stomach to look at it. If I did not enjoy my dinner, I had learned that these four men did not command the respect of the prisoners. During the summer, Mr. Pike called at the prison and was allowed to see me, as he brought with him a personal letter from Honorable Joseph Davis of Lynn, then a member of the Governor's Council, introducing him to Warden Chamberlain. This gentleman was an old schoolmate of mine at Newbury- port, and I had not seen him for forty years. We exchanged a little information, he giving me some outside news in return for some choice bits of prison scandal. Prisoners, under Warden Chamberlain, if they obeyed all the rules, could write one letter and receive one visit in three months, and no more, unless by special permission from the Warden or deputy; but they might receive all letters sent to them, after they had been opened and read to see that they conveyed no contraband news. When the prisoner wished to write, he could drop a note in the Warden's box making his request known, or he could give the note to his officer, and the following Sunday a sheet of note paper would be brought to his room. He must then IN MASSACHUSETTS STATE PRISON. 669 write the letter and put it in his door, without folding, before five o'clock in the afternoon, when the officer in each wing went around and collected the letters and carried them to the guardroom, where they remained, to be read by any one of the officials who might wish to read them, until the Warden or deputy could find time to read and mail them. The mail was delivered to the prisoners but once a week and then on Sunday. One Sunday in November, my counsel, Charles E. Sweeney, called at the prison; and out of courtesy to him, Warden Chamberlain allowed him to see and talk with me. He told me the exceptions in my case had been argued before the Supreme Court, that Judge Bacon's decision in the lower court had been reversed, and the verdict set aside; that I had been unjustly convicted, and they had ordered a new trial. When this trial would be, rested altogether with the Districts Attorney, and he might hot call the case for months. " Ycu are now under but one sentence, and that of six years for having burglar's tools in your possession." The Warden then came to us and called my counsel's attention to the statements that had gone the rounds of the papers, that there were several men in the prison who had been sent there by me. This ought to be contradicted, he said; because he himself had made special inquiries among the officers and found there was but one man there, Gus Raymond, who ever knew me outside of the prison, and all knew, and so did Raymond, I had nothing to do with sending him there. I said truth and justice called for a denial of this statement at the time it was made ; say nothing about it now, for it is too late. My counsel then gave me some tobacco and bade me good day. About this time I made the acquaintance of prisoner Lewis, who had once made his escape and had been recap- tured. He told me he was going to beat them again, and that they would not get him this time. He wanted me to go with him. He then gave me a full and detailed account of the way he intended to escape, and no one at that time or since has ever been able to say how he got away. My health was miserable at this time, and both he and myself knew, if there was no change for the better, it would be impossible for me to do the climbing required to be done. As my health continued to fail, I decided not to make the 570 LANGBON W. MOORE. attempt, as it must end in failure for me and endanger his chances of getting away. He then concluded to wait for a stormy afternoon, when there would be no prisoners working in the yard. Several days later he was sent for to come to my shop and put up a new stand that was used by Topsy (a colored convict) when rubbing and turning boot legs. Erskins had just been relieved by Officer Devens, and had gone to the barber shop. This was about 5.30 p. M. Just at that time there came up a shower. Lewis was very busy securing the stand to the floor, not more than three feet from where I was working at my bench, and had not seen the shower. When the officer was looking the other ^vay, I whispered to Lewis,' " The rain has come — now is your chance — go." , He looked out at the rain, picked up his tools, and said, "Good-by, I am off!" When the bell rang, the men fell in line and were marched to the wing. When they were locked in and the count was made, it was discovered there was one man gone. The count was made again and again before it was found Lewis was the man who was missing. The alarm was rung to notify the guard on the wall to remain at their post, as one man was missing. Then came the usual shout from the prisoners when a man escapes. There was not a man among them but hoped the prisoner, whoever he was, might get away. The search then com- ■menced through the shops and yard for Lewis, and it was kept up during the night ; and not till the next morning, when a short piece of rope with a hook attached was seen hanging from the gutter of the east wing, did they know for sure that Lewis had beaten them the second time. The next day Officer Devens asked me if I saw Lewis in the line when the men left the shop. I told him I could not say who was in the line except myself. This escape was a terrible set-back to the Warden. There had been two or three stowaways by boys, who, like young partridges, hide their heads under a leaf, leaving the rest of their bodies exposed. On these stowaways the officers had played the fire hose with a one and one-half inch nozzle, washing them out of their hiding-places. On these occa- sions, one might read an item in the papers of another des- perate and daring attempt to escape prevented by the ever IN MASSACHUSETTS STATE PRISON. 571 watchful and vigilant Warden and his officers, who nipped the plot in the bud. The escape of Lewis would not wash worth a cent, and the prisoners guyed the officers unmercifully. When Lewis left me, he crossed the yard and went in through a cellar window under the storeroom, where he buried himself in a bin of potatoes. At midnight he left his hiding-place, and by the light of the lanterns carried by the searchers he was able to locate them. He then climbed out of the cellar, and .walked down between, the arch and the storeroom to the kitchen window. He climbed up the bars of this to the top of the building, going from there to" the window in the tloth room, from which he reached the gutter. , He then raised himself up by his hands to the roof, a feat few men could perform. From this roof he crossed to the roof of the chapel, and so on over the roof of the south wing, until he came to the octagon. He went down the roof at the side of the octagon to the porch over the guard- room door leading into the yard. This he crossed to the east wing, and went up this roof at the side of the octagon and down the other side to the gutter, passing along this until he came to the window. He then secured the hook to the gut- ter, and descended, by a short rope attached to the hook, to the top of the window, and, climbing down it on the bars to the window-sill, he jumped to the ground and went away, never to return. Things were in a terrible state at the prison at this time. The food was bad, and some of the men could not do the work set for them to do by the instructors. Punishments and strikes seemed to be the order of the day. Scarcely a Sunday passed but the Warden or deputy was hissed in the chapel during church service. Thanksgiving Day the Gov- ernor's proclamation was read in the chapel by the Chaplain; and when he came to the words, " God bless the Common- wealth of Massachusetts," the sentiment was met by a storm of groans, ca1>-calls, and hisses. Chaplain Barnes had been at the prison only a few weeks at this time, and this was his first experience among the prisoners. It taught him a lesson. Spence Pettis was then in the " arch " with several other prisoners, who had been made insane by the brutal and bad treatment they had received. The men complained of hav- 572 LANQDON W. MOOBE. ing been overworked and poorly fed. One shop struck on Chamberlain's pea soup, and did not take one dish when they passed the slide, but made their dinner off of a few slices of bread with water. This was soon noised around to the other shops, and they, too, joined in the strike. When the next pea-soup day came around, only such men as Almy, Stickney, Chase, and Hathaway took it. it was found, after the men had dined that day, that the Warden had some &v,e barrels of pea soup left to feed his hogs with. This was kept up for three weeks, Tiirhen word was passed around among the men in the shops for every man to take his pea soup when Thursday came around. It had been the custom to hang out all the blankets on the railings in front of the rooms to air. On this day they were to carry the . soup to their room door, and then throw soup and dishes all over the blankets and the place. This would make bad work among the blankets, and cause a kick among the wash- ermen, to say nothing of the work it would require to make the prison presentable to visitors the following day, Friday and visiting day. It was not expected among the men in my shop that I should have any part in this, as I was very ill at the time, and it was known I had never taken any of the soup since I came to the prison. . No word reached the shops that forenoon that any change had taken place in the bill of fare, but it was known the blankets were not getting their usual airing. When the leader of the first division marched to the slide to get his dinner, he took up his soup dish, supposing it was pea soup. Seeing it was not, he set it down again. The men behind him, seeing he did not take the soup, passed along, until nearly all the men in that division had passed, when some fellow more inquisitive than the rest picked up a dish and examined it. He called out, " Fish chowder." Every man who followed this man took liis dish of chowder and carried it to his room, I among the number. Then ,it was known that the prison pets had given the whole thing away. But stewed peas were not served up again while Chamberlain was Warden of the Massachusetts State Prison, neither were the blankets ever afterwards given an airing. There was not swill enough for the pigs that day, and this caused manya laugh among the men; for it was known that the Warden^ was very proud of the State IN MASSACHUSETTS STATE PEISON. 575 piggery of about five hundred hogs, which were being kept on the remnants of the food served up to about seven hundred men. These hogs when fatted were sold in Boston, and a cheap grade of Western pork was bought and fed to the men. The doctor visited the prison at 10 A. M. each morning, and then the hospital runner was sent around to all the shops to notify the officers that the doctor was at his office in the storeroom. . The officer would then call, " Doctor! does any one wish to see the doctor ? " Then any one wishing to see him could, after notifying his officer, see the doctor. If he was sick, and the doctor thought him not able to work, he would excuse him from work for one day and send him to the wing. I, on more than one occasion, have known the officer of the shop to send the " tip " to the doctor that the man was not sick, but playing it on' him; and this was done to pleaSe one of the instructors, who wanted that man's work that day. The large negro, Topsy, who was at work turning boots on the machine Lewis had made three feet from my bench, was sick, saw the doctor, and got excused from work one day " on the dead quiet." The next morning he went to the doctor to get excused again. The doctor had got the " tip," and would not excuse him. He then saw the Warden and deputy, and neither of them would excuse him, and he returned to the shop. 4 He took his place at the machine, picked up the steel bar, and stood with one end of it resting on the stand. The instructor passed him not two feet from where I was at work, and hissed in Topsy's ear, " Nigger eat dirt." Topsy repeated the words, adding, " He does, does he ?" On the other side from where Topsy stood, was a table with two rows of sewing machines, used by the stitchers at work on boot and shoe uppers. Topsy turned round, raised the bar, and struck the first machine across the beam and then across the rods. The first blow was heard by every man in the shop, and all stopped working. The men who were working on the machines left their seats and fell back to the rear, giving Topsy the right of way, and he sailed along down the aisle, knocking out every machine with two blows as he went along. He turned the corner and came up 5'76 LANGDON W. MOOBE. on the back stretcli, and was coming in under the wire, when he ran up against a big siding up ' machine, which he struck three blows across the beam. It was too strong for him, and he stopped. At this time Officer Erskins had left his desk and walked down on the opposite side of the table from where Topsy stood, and, with pistol in hand, commanded him to stop. The big machine had already brought Topsy to a standstill. He said, " Why don't you shoot, and I will split your head open with this bar." The Warden and deputy were sent for, and they came to the shop on the double quick. The contractor who owned the machines came into the room, and asked the officer why he did not shoot. He replied he was not killing men for a thousand a year. Topsy was sent to the wing, and it was not thought pru- dent to send him back to the shop again, for he was like a bull in a cHina store. The wreck was then cleared away, and eleven machines were expressed to Boston to undergo a surgical operation, at the cost of about three hundred dollars to the State. All this was on account of. a straight " tip " that was crooked, for Topsy was a sick man. Shortly after this I was sent to the wing on account of sickness, and locked in the sick room. Woods played no favorites. He raised the windows, and turned the cold East wind blast on me. A little of this went a great way with most of his subjects, and they would soon ask to be sent to the shop. Nothing pleased this wretch so well as when he could freeze the sick men out of their rooms, and nothing made him so angry as when he found some fellow who would not complain when the cold blast was turned on. I knew my man, so I wrapped mjself up in blankets, said nothing, and waited to. see what his next move would be. During the two days I remained in this room, I was sub- jected to the worst torture I had ever known — that is to lock a sick man in a room, and turn on a cold blast. He came up to see me several times, to inquire if I was not feel- ing better, but really to see if I would not ask to go to the shop. When he found I would not do this, he unlocked the door, came into the room, put his hand on my head, felt of my pulse, and said I was a sick man. I said, " Yes, and so cold I would not melt a hole in a cake of ice, if one was placed on me." IN MASSACHUSETTS STATE PBISON. 517 He replied, " You must go to the hospital." So up to the hospital I went. Here I made the acquaint- ance of Officer Lounsbury, who had charge of the sick and the dispensary. He took to me at once, and said : " You chew tobacco; you must stop that if you want to get well. Here, take this." I tasted it, and said, " Morphine." " Yes," he said ; " the greatest remedy to kill pain known to science." I passed my first night there much more comfortably than in the sick room below; but the second night, when I awoke about three o'clock in the morning, and turned over, I saw the hospital nurse and two others pulling a dead man out of the bed next to mine, dragging and carrying him out into the entry the same as one would handle a dead hog. I saw this was no place for me, and I determined to get out without waiting for my honorable discharge by the. doctor. At the first tap of the bell in the morning for the men to go to the shops, I slipped into my clothes, " sneaked " out at the door into the hallway, where I ran up against the -dead man. I hurried past him and down five flights of stairs, to where my division was forming in line. I fell in and marched with the boys to the shop. After taking my place at the bench, th6 officer came and asked me if the doctor ' knew I had left the hospital. I replied he did not. " What did you leave there for without permission ? " " Because," I. said, " the men are all dead and dying, up there, and I saw them drag one of them out into the entry before I came down." " Nonsense," he answered, " there is only one dead. You go back up there. I won't have you here, for you will die at your bench." I said: "No, I will not die in the shop — let me remain here. It is only in the hospital and prison that men die." He finally consented to let me remain in the shop until the doctor came, when I must go and see him. I asked to be excused, saying I was feeling much better, and would be all right in a little while. The fact was, I dared not see the doctor; for I had committed a breach of discipline by leaving the hospital without permission, and to avoid being repri- 578 LANGDON T)| MOORE. manded I did not go near him for several days, and not then until I was actually compelled to, by an order from my officer. The moment he saw me, he asked why I left the hospital without permission. I gave him the same answer I had given the officer. He told me he was held responsible for all the sick in the hospital, and I must never repeat the experiment if I wished to avoid trouble. I assured him it was not my intention to enter the hospital again of my own free will, after my experience. Prisoners were not allowed to raise their eyes when visitors entered the shops. If they were seen doing this, they were reported and punished. That is why so few convicts, after being discharged from prison, can look a man in the eye when talking to him. Officers were not supposed to point out and give the names of prisoners to visitors, but this they did, all the same. The prison was full of " stool pigeons " and pets. There was no officer but had his favorites, who could, by raising their hands, get permission to run around the shop half a dozen times a day and talk to other men, while others were not allowed to leave their bench. On one occasion, the man working beside me was reported for looking at the officer while at his desk, was put in the dungeon for tliree days, and then let out, after promising never to do so again. The treatment 'the men were receiving was unbearable, and every opportunity they got to destroy the State property, they did so. The work was cut and damaged. It was not an unusual thing to find, when opening a roll of calf skins, that some one had run a knife throtigh the roll and destroyed several of the best skins for boot making. These were made into shoes. The men were driven near to the point of rebel- lion, and many a request and demand was made for an investigation of the prison management. The Warden seldom visited the shops. When he did, he could always be seen with his right hand in his coat pocket. There was not a man in the prison but knew what he held in that hand. He could be seen in the chapel during service each Sunday, and about the guardroom Friday, visiting day, making himself agreeable among the visitors. He paid little or no attention to the government of the prison. This was left to his deputy and Woods, who were loved by him for the enemies they had made among the prisoners. 1]!^ MASSACHUSETTS STATE PRISON. STO The pardon fever was running high among the men who are always looking for executive clemency. This disease is not fatal, but is one of the most dangerous known to the convict, for it not only impairs his health but his reason. Charles Goldstein, the book-keeper in my shop, was taken with a violent attack of it; and thinking to relieve him, I wrote three letters purporting to come from a friend of his who had been absent in Europe for two years, and who upon his return to this country, after making many inquiries, had at last learned of Goldstein's misfortune. . He thought, before calling at the prison, he would go around among some of Charley's old friends. He had seen several senators and congressmen, whose names he gave, as well as, those of sev- eral business houses where Charles was well known, both in New York and Philadelphia, where his father was a wealthy retired business man. Goldstein, the letter said, might rest assured he had their fullest sympathy, and all regretted he had not made his misfortune known to them at the time of his arrest and imprisonment. They were one and all both ready and anxious to render him every possible assistance that lay in their power. Did he want money ? If so, name the amount, and it would be forwarded to him at once. He must keep up his courage, for they would go to work at once and try to get him pardoned. Neither time nor money would be spared. He must cheer up, for his trouble was near an end, and he would soon be a free man, when he could return and receive a hearty welcome from his mairy friends both in New York and Philadelphia. The letters were of different dates ; each one was put in an envelope, sealed, and stamped. I then addressed them to " Charles Goldstein, Esq., care of General Chamberlain, Concord, Mass." This was my part of the work. Goldstein then wrote a note to a friend outside, giving him instructioiis about mail- ing the letters on such dates as corresponded with those on the letters. This note was, with my three letters, enclosed in a large envelope and sent out through the " underground railroad," and delivered to the friend. "When the day came around for the first letter to be mailed, Goldstein was taken with a very violent attack of bleeding at the lungs. He was hustled out of the shop and up into the hospital, and it was the common report about the prison that he could not live three days. The second S80 LANGDON W. MOORE. day he was up there, the first letter was delivered to him. At this time he was too weak to read , it himself. One kindly volunteered to read it to him. This was part of the play; for I wanted it publicly known in the prison that Goldstein's friends were among senators and congressmen. Knowing "crooks" as I did, I felt certain the man who was allowed to read the letter would give the contents away, and a favorable impression would be formed, among the officers and men, of my patient, who lay at the point of death in the hospital. It was not long after the letter had been read, before the contents were known to every man in the shop, and it was thought Goldstein's big friends would get him out, if be could only be kept alive a few days longer. As it was not considered safe for him to be left alone one moment, a man from the shop was detailed to watch with him during the night. The watcher would be given a good supper and a breakfast in the morning, after which he was to return to the shop and do his usual day's work. In this way I was able to hear how Goldstein was getting along from day to day. Sometimes he was reported to be getting better; then a relapse would set in, and it was thought he could not last long, when another letter came. This one the Warden delivered in person. He expressed great surprise to learn that Goldstein had such a large number of friends among senators, congressmen, and mer- chants. It would not do to let him die in prison, for with such friends it would be an easy matter for him to get out. He himself would see the Governor, and make the case known to him. ' In the meantime I had been knocked out with the rheumatism, and had not a leg to stand upon. I, too, was sent to the hospital. At this time I was suffering terribly from dyspepsia and kidney complaint. When I entered the hospital, I saw my patient occupying a bed near the centre of the room, scarcely able to give me the " all right " signal. His table was covered with all kinds of choice fruit and medicine bottles. He was very low, and to keep life in him he was given an ounce or two of brandy each day, as he could not go whiskey. In a day or two, along came the third and last letter. The Governor's attention had already been called to this IN MASSACHUSETTS STATE PHISON. S81 special case, and he visited the prison and saw Goldstein, learning ^rom him his father's address in Philadelphia. The Governor told him if his father vs^ould come on in person, and take him home with him to Philadelphia, he would pardon him out. He said that as Goldstein had no money, he C9uld not pardon him unless his father came to take him away; for if left to himself in his present condition, he would become a charge upon the authorities. When the Governor left the prison, a letter was written to his father at Philadelphia stating the condition of his son, begging of him to come on at once and take his son away if he wished to save his life. After Lounsbury had left the hospital for the night, I would go- to my patient and hear what progress was being made. He was visited by the contractor, who gave orders notAo allow him to want for anything. The watch was still kept up. It was now thought by all that his father would come and take him home. Goldstein waited patiently, hoping his father mighi forget and forgive his past shortcomings, and come for him, now that he was so near death. Not so, however, for the old man neither forgot nor forgave; but he did write a letter stating he himself was sick, and even if he was well he should not come. His son had already cost him a great deal of money, and he had no confidence whatever in him. His house had long since been closed against him; and now that he had brought so much disgrace upon himself and family, neither he nor his mother ever wanted to see his face again; and while he hoped he would not die in prison, he must stay his time out, as he could expect no favors from him. I' saw when the letter was delivered to my patient that there was something wrong. What it was, I was not able to ascertain until the relief officer came and Lounsbury went away to his dinner. I then went to Goldstein, and was told that the " old man " had gone back on him, and he would have to stay and do his time. I told him not to be in any hurry about getting well and back into the shop, for fear it might cause a suspicion that his whole sickness had been a fraud and a deception. If it was known, he would lose all his good time and possibly be kept in solitary confinement until the expiration of his full sentence. He followed my instructions to the letter, and remained in the hospital several 582 LANGBON W. MOOBE. weeks, when, at his own request, he was allowed to return to the shop and take up the work in the office again. I remained in the hospital two weeks; aud the mo- ment I was able to get about, I said to the prisoner who occupied the bed next to mine that I would go to the shop. He begged of me not to go, saying I was much worse o£E than he was, and he should not make the attempt to go to work until he got better. I said, " If you stay here you will die, and I will go out to the shop and live." He remained, and died a few weeks later ; while I, "with permission from the doctor, returned to the shop, and was there to welcome my unlucky patient, Goldstein, wheii he returned. This was my first and last attempt at fraud upon the prison authorities. That it did not prove a success was^no fault of mine, but rather the fault of my patient, who did not stand well with his father — that cold, hard-hearted old gentleman over in Philadelphia. As no more letters were sent to Goldstein from his friend, and the promised visit was not made, the Warden questioned the sick man as to the cause of his friend's silence. He told him he knew of no reason why he did not write or call to see him, unless he had seen his father and been told some bad stories about him. The friend I had manufactured for the sick man, in those three letters, commanded respect from all about the prison ; and Goldstein was .allowed to want for nothing up to the time of his discharge. It was by this man I sent a message to some friends in New York. He delivered the message faithfully, and caused the result to be made known to me. When I wrote those letters I had not been ignorant of the fact that I was taking a great risk of the fraud being discovered; for if the Governor caused inquiries to be made of any of the parties I had named, the game might, to use the Warden's favorite expression, be "nipped in the bud." But I feared nothing from, the Warden, for the gentlemen I named were not in his circle. Not a; suspicion seemed to have been entertained by any person that Goldstein's sick- ness was not real. Eighteen hundred and eighty-one came in, but it brought no relief to the prisoners. They were loud in their com- IN MASSACHUSETTS STATE PSISOK. 683 plaints of bad food, too much work, cruel, harsh, and brutal treatment. The " solitaries ". were never vacant; and in these the men were treated like wolves, and not like human beings. Woods was in his glory until one cold night in February, when he had to turn out because the iire alarm was rung. It forced the Warden and his other aids to turn out, too, and iight the fire, which had been discovered in the shop adjoining the main building, occupied by the Waring Hat Company. The building was burned to the ground, but it proved to be a small affair, as the loss was less than one thousand dollars. I saw, at the time, by the Boston papers, the Warden took command of all the forces, and directed the stream of water on the fire in person. While doing so, he met with a severe accident that would prevent him attending to his regular duties for a few days. It was said that the fire was the natural result of oily rags and cotton waste being boxed together, causing combustion. CHAPTER XLVII. TAKEN OUT FOR EE-TRIAL. XJNTTSUAL SCENES IN A BOSTON COTJET A CHANGE IN THE WAEDENSHIP. Okb morning late in February, my officer, when un- locking the doors for the men to go out to the shop, stopped at my door, and asked me what I had been doing. I said I had been doing nothing wrong. " Yes, you have," said he, " for I have got orders to leave you in." I was left in, and the men, when they passed my door, stopped and asked if I had anything on me I wished to get rid of. If I had, I could give it to them. I had never car- ried contraband goods on me on the outside, and I was sure I was not going to on the inside, after having seen Woods take Lewis out of the line and search his pockets in the presence of all the men in the division. At about half-past eight. Officer Darling unlocked my door, and motioned with his hand for me to come out and go down the stairs. When I had done this, I stopped. He then motioned for me to go down towards the strong rooms. Here I stopped again, and was told to go up the stairs. Here he unlocked a door, and entered the clothes room, where the clothes worn in by the men who were sent there were kept, with a small stock of clothing of the cheapest grade given the men when they were discharged from the prison. He went along, picked up a pair of second-hand trousers, threw them over to me, and told me to take off my clothes and put the others on. I asked him what I should do that for. " You are going to Boston." " For what purpose ? " I asked. " Come, come, put on these clothes. Don't ask me any questions." In silence he dressed me. When he had done this to Ms S84 TAKEN OUT FOB JtE-TBIAL. 585 entire satisfaction, I took a survey of myself, and saw my trousers were four or five inclies short, and fitted me other- wise like a sausage skin. The hat he had given me was an old, greasy, tall, white one, of the Horace Greeley pattern. The outside garment he had given me might pass very well for a dark-colored morning gOwn. Take me altogether, I was the most laughable-looking object that could be found among the fraternity of tramps. We then returned to the guardroom. Here he put a pair of handcuffs on me, and told me to sit still where I was. I remained some thirty minutes, when the Warden came in. My disguise was perfect. The Warden failed to recognize me, and made inquiries of Darling who I was. He then looked me over from head to foot at a distance, and seemed to enjoy the sight. After examining my irons, he escorted me to the depot, where we took the train for Boston. From the Boston depot we were driven to the court house, where I was taken into a private room. Here Horatio E. Swasey, who had come into the case to assist Mr. Sweeney, found me, after Assistant Districts Attorney Dacey had exchanged some papers Avith the Warden and put them in the stove. Mr. Swasey asked to see the papers. He found those the Warden then had to be regular, but those that had been burned were illegal, and I had been brought from the prison without authority from the court. Had this fact been known to Mr. Swasey half an hour earlier, he would have made an effort to take me away from Warden Chamberlain upon my arrival in Boston. Then if I had got away, it would have been a voluntary escape, with no penalty attached. I was then taken to the pen in the rear of the court room. As soon as it was known I was the fellow they had all come to get a look at, it created quite a buzz among the lawyers and spectators ; but when I entered the pen among the pris- oners, there were such exclamations as: " Shoot that hat." " His pants want half-soling." " Pipe the wrapper and the brogues." " It is old Horace Greeley himself." " Where did he .come from ? " " Say, old man, what's your name, anyway ? " To please the boys, I gave them my name, and we were friends after I had told them no apology was required. They gave the Warden a terrible roasting for bringing me 586 LANGVON W. MOORM. into court for trial di'essed in tliat fashion. The rig itself, they said, would warrant the jury in bringing in a verdict of guilty before a witness was called to testify, either for or against me. When my name was called, I was escorted to the prisoner's box by Officer Tyler. I requested my counsel to ask for a postponement of the case for three days. This would give me time to bring my witnesses on from New York. Judge Gardiner was sitting on the bench, and Assistant District- Attorney Dacey was to conduct the case for the prosecution. My counsel asked to have the case postponed for three days, and gave his reason for doing so. The District-Attorney opposed any delay whatever being granted, as he was ready to go on with the case and all the government witnesses were then in court. They had been brought there at a great expense to the State, and he had given my counsel three days' notice that the case would be called for trial on that day. This gave plenty of time to notify me to be ready for trial, and. have my witnesses there. If they had not done this, the responsibility rested with them and not with the prosecution, and he asked to be allowed to go on with the case. Seeing that he had the best of the argument, I stood up and made the request myself that the case be postponed long enough to enable me to bring on some very important witnesses from New York. • I said the first information I had received that the case was to be called for trial that day, was given to me by my counsel after I reached the court house. I then told the court all that had been said to me by Officer Darling before I left the prison. As I was the most inter- ested person, I hoped I might receive some consideration; I asked for nothing, I said, but truth and justice. I did not ask this as a convict, but simply as a human being, and hoped His Honor would give my request a favorable con- sideration, and grant the delay. It was now as it had been at my previous trial. I had drawn a full house, and every eye was upon me, or, rather, upon my clothes, which gave me anything but a presentable appearance. The District-Attorney then gave His Honor a strong argument why the case should not be postponed, His Honor all the while keeping his eyes upon me. After a few moments' delay, he decided to proceed with TAKEN OUT FOR BE-TEIAL. 589 the trial. The indictment was then read, and I saw it was the same as on my former conviction, and, as before, I entered a plea of " not guilty." I was tried and convicted upon the same indictment and evidence as before, the trial lasting two days. The same exceptions were again filed, and I was remanded to prison, after Judge Gardiner had refused the request of the Districi>Attorney to sentence me. This judge was too good a lawyer to allow the exceptions to be again argued before the higher court. Thirty days later I was again taken to court without being given any previous notice. I then learned the exceptions had been allowed by Judge Gardiner, and that he had ordered a new trial. I was again put in the box, and tried upon the same indictment and the same evidence as on my two previous trials. Mr. Charles E. Sweeney having pre- viously withdrawn from the case, Mr. Horatio E. Swasey did the honors for the defence, but in a way that failed to convince the jury of my innocence. After District-Attorney Dacey had got through with his argument, the judge charged the jury in a fair and impartial manner, and they were allowed to retire. They remained out until they had been given a good meal. Fiv« hours later they returned to the court with a verdict of guilty, the same time being occupied upon this trial as on the two previous trials. I appeared in the same suit of clothes. The same exceptions were again filed by my counsel ; and after Judge Gardiner had refused to pass sentence, I was sent back to Concord. All this time I was held on the six-year sentence, while the case of burglary was pending against me. The decision of the Supreme Court on the exceptions, which Mr. Swasey again filed, was as follows: — Commonwealth vs. Langdok W. Mooee. (130 Mass. Reports, 46.) SufEolk. Nov. 22-26, 1880. Lord & Soule, JJ., absent. An indictment alleging that the defendant broke and entered the building of A. " with intent then and therein to commit the crime of larceny, and the property, foods and chattels of said A. in said building then being found, then and there in said ailding feloniously to steal, take and carry away," charges but one intent, the allega- tion of which is descriptive, and is not supported by proof of an intent to steal the property of B., in or of which A. had no title, custody or possession. Indictment alleging that the defendant, on December 4, 1879, at Boston, "with force and arms, a certain building there situate, the property of the "Warren Institution for Savings, the same being then and there a corporation duly and legally established, in the night- time of said day, did break and enter, with intent then and therein 590 LANGBON W. MOORE. to commit the crime of larceny, and tlie property, goods and chattels of the said corporation in said building then being found, then and there in said building feloniously to steal, take and carry away." At the trial in the Superior Court, before Bacon, J., it was in evi- dence that the defendant, with other persons, broke and entered the basement of the building, and worked through the basement into that part of the first story of the building occupied as a post-offlce, and leased by the United States for that purpose; that the sole purpose of the defendant, and of the others with him, was to steal three thousand dollars' worth of postage-stamps, the property of the United States in the post-office. The defendant asked the judge to rule, that there was a variance between the indictment and the proof in this, that the indictment alleged that the property intended to be stolen was the property of said corporation, and not the property of the United States. The judge refused so to rule, and instructed the jury as follows: " If the defendant broke and entered the building of the Warren Institution for Savings with the intent to commit the crime of larceny of any property whatsoever in the said building, he committed the offence charged in the indictment, no matter who was the actual owner of said property." The jury returned a verdict of guilty; and the defendant alleged exceptions. J. W. O^Brien & G. JE. Sweeney, for the defendant. O. Marston, Attorney General, for the Commonwealth. Geay, C. J. This indictment is founded on the Gen. Sts. c. 161, §12, by which " whoever breaks and enters in the night-time a build- ing, ship or vessel, with intent to commit the crime of murder, rape, robbery, larceny, or any other felony, shall be punished by imprison- ment in the State prison not exceeding twenty years." The intent with which the defendant broke and entered the build- ing is an essential element of the crime, and must therefore be alleged in the indictment, and must be proved as laid. In an in- dictment for breaking and entering a building with intent to steal therein, it is doubtless sufficient to allege the intent to have been to commit the crime of larceny generally, without stating the ownership of the goods, or charging an actual stealing; and if the indictment by apt words charges the breaking and entering of a building with intent to commit the crime of larceny therein, and further charges an actual stealing of the goods of a particular person, a defect in the allegation, or a variance in the proof, of the larceny so charged does not prevent a conviction of the breaking and entering. Josslyn v. Commonwealth, 6 Met. 236, 239. Lamed v. Commonwealth, 12 Met. 240, 244. Begina v. Lawes, 1 Car. & K. 62. Regina v. Clarke, 1 Car. & K. 421. But a charge of breaking and entering with intent to steal the goods of one person is not supported by proof of break- ing and entering with intent to steal the goods of another. Jenks' case, 2 East P. C. 514. 8. G. 2 Leach (4th ed.) 774. Wilde, J. in Commonwealth v. 8haw, 7 Met. 52, 57. Stark. Crim. PI. (2d ed.) 189, 190. In the case at bar, the indictment alleges in due form that the defendant broke and entered the building of the Warren Institution for Savings, " with intent then and therein to commit the crime of lar- TAKEN OUT FOR RE-TBIAL. 691 ceny, and tlie property, goods and chattels of the said corporation, in said building then being found, then and there in said building feloniously to steal, take and carry away." The indictment, ac- cording to the manifest intention of the pleader, and in legal effect, does not charge two intents, but a single intent, namely, to commit the crime of larceny by stealing the property of the Warren Institution for Savings. The proof was of an intent to steal goods be- longing to the United States in a part of the building leased and occupied for a post-oflBce, which goods were in the exclusive custody and possession of the United States, and in or of which the Warren Institution for Savings had no property, general or special, no cus- tody or possession. There was therefore a fatal variance between the indictment and the proof, and the ruling of the learned judge who presided at the trial was erroneous. The allegation of the intent with which the ofEence of breaking and entering was committed, though more particular than was neces- sary, was descriptive of the crime charged against the defendant, and of the only crime, proof of which he was required to be prepared to meet. The case cannot be distinguished in principle from that of Commonwealth v. Shaw, 7 Met. 52, in which the defendant was indicted for wilfully giving false answers to the selectmen presiding at an election, " then' and there fraudulently intending to procure his name to be inserted on the voters' list of said town, and to obtain permission then and there to vote at said election ; " and, it appearing in evidence that his name was on the list of voters when he gave the false answers, it was held that so much of the indictment as de- scribed his intent to have been to procure his name to be inserted on the list could not be rejected as surplusage, but that the variance was fatal. See also Commonwealth v. Hartwell, 128 Mass. 415; Commonwealth v. Jeffries, 7 Allen, 548, 571; Commonwealth v. Pierce, ante, 31. Exceptions sustained. It was during the second trial that District-Attorney Stev- ens asked Warden Chamberlain what he had been doing to me. He said I was so changed that men who ];iad known me for twenty-five years failed to recognize me. Chamberlain replied that I had been starving myself to create sympathy. This statement was not allowed, as the officers in the court had known me for twenty-five years and had seen me in a tight box before, and neither they nor any one else ever saw me refuse to take my medicine. I want to state here, that on my first entrance to Suffolk County Jail, in 1856, I remained five months; I was again there for one month on the Garey case, in 1877, and again there waiting trial on this case five weeks in 1880; and I had been sent there one night during my second trial, and also one night during my third and last trial in 1881; that from the first time I entered the Jail, 14 1856, tp the la^t 592 LANGBON W. MOOBE. time, in March, 1881, I could not have received more con- sideration or better treatment from Sheriff Clark and his officials, had I been one of their own family. On my last night there, he sent me a pillow from his house, and came to see me personally. He offered me all the delicacies I might desire in the way of food. At this time my health was very bad, and I weighed only one hundred and thirty- nine pounds, my weight for twenty years having been from two hundred and fifteen to two hundred and twenty pounds. I make this statement in justice to Sheriff Clark and his subordinates, for the reason that a prison official, who fur- nished me with that suit of clothes, stated to a court officer that I had complained of ill treatment while in Suffolk County Jail. Previous to my last trial, there had been a committee appointed, and it had been sent to the prison to make an investigation as to its management, and to take testimony both for and against the Warden. It must be remembered that when a prisoner goes before a committee and testifies against the officials, he assumes a terrible risk and becomes a marked man, in case the decision of the committee sustains the Warden. It would be a safe investment for a prisoner's friends to take. out a life-insurance policy on his life, for they, would only have a few months to wait for an issue on this little side speculation. But in this case the committee had reserved its decision. I had been asked, while in court, if the stories told by the prisoners who went before the committee were true. I answered this question by saying : " Look at me. I am a fair specimen of many of the men in the prison." I was then asked if I had noticed a gentleman sitting on the bench, near the pen. I replied that I had. " Do you know him ? " I said I did not. I was told he was one of the Gov- ernor's Council, and that he had been sent for to come and see me himself. I was then asked if I could live my sentence out if we had a new Warden. "Yes, like a race horse, and win with hands down." My acquaintance said he would tell me something if I would not repeat it to the men at the prison, for, if I did, it might spoil everything. He told me, and I returned to the prison satisfied Chamberlain's rule was near the end. TAKEN OUT FOB BE-TBIAL. 593 It was during this trial that an official high in authority in Suffolk County for more than twenty years, pointing to me, said: " There is a man, without a dollar in the world, who has been fighting the whole police force of Boston, and the best legal talent there is in the State, for a. year, and they cannot make a conviction stick. This is a disgrace to the State, for there must be something wrong with this case." No food had been offered me during the two days occupied in my second trial ; but at this trial a dinner had been brought me from Parker's. I saw by the check that it cost one dollar and eighty-five cents. I was asked to eat the meal. Knowing the sickness it would cause me if I did, I declined, but asked for some Boston crackers, which were given me with some milk. This I ate, and I enjoyed seeing the court officers eat the big dinner that was good for them and not for me. I afterwards learned this was a little play of the District- Attorney's to test the truth of the Warden's statement. For several months previous to this, I had been unable to keep anything, excepting dry crackers, on my stomach. These I could get through the doctor, and then only one ration at a time. Finally one day I asked him to give me enough to last me several days, as I disliked to be running to see him so. often. He hesitated, but Officer Hunting spoke u,p and said: " Doctor, give him all the crackers he wants, or I will put a barrel of them in his room at my own expense, and when they are gone I will put in another barrel. I stand at the slide every day and see all the food taken by the men, and he goes days without taking anything. When he does take it, he brings it back again." The doctor asked how many I wanted a day. I replied, " One dozen." I was told I could have them, and that seven dozen should be sent to my room each week. I had no more trouble about my food after this. I was living in clover, and for ten months I ate nothing but twelve crackers a day, except that I had some milk after Warden Earle came to the prison. The following May I received a letter from H. E. Swasey, who had been counsel in the second and third trials, request- ing me to furnish money to pay for printing the exceptions, as he could not afford to pay for that himself. I .showed 594 LANGDON W. MOOBE. this letter to Caldwell, a prisoner,' and lie loaned me twenty- five dollars. After waiting three days for permission, I expressed the money to Mr. Swasey. A few weeks later, while marching from the shop to the prison for dinner, I saw Warden Chamberlain come out of the storeroom and go to the guardroom. He had both hands in his pockets and was rounded up in the back like •'a camel. He had aged twenty years in looks and actions since I had seen him in the chapel the previous Sunday, and I said to Caldwell, next in line to me: " See the Warden. He has been hit in the back of his head with a sand-bag. His rule here is at an end." That afternoon the news was confirmed that he had been removed, and Captain David M. Earle was appointed to take his place. The next day, Sunday, in the chapel, after the usual services, the Chaplain made a special request to the men not to make any demonstration whatever while their late Warden was speaking to them, probably for the last time. Warden Chamberlain then made his farewell address to the men. He said it was due to him, and him alone, that the Concord Prison had been built, and the men transferred there from the death-trap at Charlestown Prison. He said several of his old army comrades who had died while in Charlestown Prison, he had buried at his own expense, because he could not allow one who had fought as they had for their country to be buried in a pauper's grave. He then spoke of the beautiful burjdng-gfound at Concord he had selected for the use of the prison, where all who died in the prison could have proper burial. This was too much for the men, and several of them shouted, " Yes, and you would like to fill it if you could." Seeing his mistake in referring to the burying-ground, he brought his remarks to a close, and the men were dismissed from the chapel. It had been the intention of the men to give him a warm reception if he made an effort to speak to them that day ; and they were only prevented from doing this out of respect to the Chaplain. During the whole time I was under Warden Chamberlain, I never heard one single prisoner speak well of him. He was thoroughly detested by the men, and so were his deputy and Turnkey Woods. He gave the men hot vs^ater and molasses on boiled lice for TAKEN OUT FOB BE-TRIAL. 595 breakfast Sunday morning; for their dinner, either fish or meat hash. This many of the men would leave with the pan sitting on the steam pipes while passing through the south wing to go to their rooms; and when the pipes were loaded, the men in the next division that came along would kick the pipes, and the dishes would fall upon the stone floor. When the men entered their rooms, they would slam their doors and give a three-times-three howl and a tiger that could be heard a mile away. The long-hoped-for day had come that closed the doors against the brutal and inhuman wretch who had been given full charge over a lot of human beings in the Massachusetts State Prison; and the prisoners were all contented and happy the day he went away. The first official act of Warden Earle was to open the solitary doors and take the men he found there out of pun- ishment. This created a favorable impression among the prisoners. Then, like a' practical business man, he paid the iiospital a visit. Next he went to the kitchen, where the food was served up. to the breadwinners in the shops. Here he found barrels of loaves of sour bread among the hash, beans, and stinking fish in the swill. Many of the loaves had never been broken. He then paid Chamberlain's pet piggery outside of the prison walls a visit. This he found was a grand affair, and the hogs were receiving more attention than the human beings inside the prison. In fact, the kitchen cooks made it a specialty, in cooking the food, to favor the hogs. He then visited the shops, examined the work, and had a kind word for all who approached him. A few days later, he called the men into the chapel, and addressed them all in a straightforward and manly way. He told them he came there with no ill will towards any of them. Whatever their past conduct had been, either good or bad, would make Ho difference with him. They should all have an equal chance and make the start with a clean record, so far as he was con- cerned. He had no favorites and should make none. They should one and all receive the same kind of treatment, so long as they obeyed the rules, while he was Warden. He had no doubt they would get along without serious difficulty. They had his fullest sympathy, and he entertained a kind feeling for them all, and hoped they would all look upon him as their friend, 596 LANGBON W. MOOBE. This little speech was received in silence, something I had never witnessed whenever the ex-Warden delivered his set speech to the prisoners in the chapel, for nothing ever pleased them better than to get him on his feet. The moment he opened his mouth, he was told to sit down, a command that was followed by a storm of cat-calls, groans, and hisses, which would bring him to a standstill. Warden Earle was not ignorant of this fact, and it was gratifying to him to see every man pajdng strict attention to what he said. At the close of his remarks, he was given a hearty welcome to the prison, in the way of clapping hands. He had the pleasure of seeing the men return to their shops looking both cheerful and happy. Under Chamberlain, when a prisoner was reported for breaking the rules, he was sent to the dungeon without being allowed to open his mouth or make any explanation whatever. This was done, it was said, to protect the officers against the ill will of the prisoners, either for a just or an un- just punishment they had received at the hands of an officer, and the Warden and deputy were pleased to assume the responsibility for wrongs done the men by the officers when they were reported without cause. Warden Earle changed all this, to the displeasure of some of the officers. He had the men who were reported for punishment brought before him, and he told them what the complaint was, and by whom it had been made. He allowed the prisoner to tell his side of the story. Then, if he saw that a wrong had been done the men, he would send them back to the shop. It was seldom/ he would allow a man to be punished for the first offence, and then only for some serious breach of discipline. This act of justice made many friends for him among the men. It had been the custom of Chamberlain to put sick men, and those who had been broken down by hard'work in the shops, into the kitchen to work and recruit up. The moment any improvement was seen in them, they would be. sent back to the shop, and other sick and broken-down men were sent to the soup-house to take their places, where, if the work was to be properly done, it must be done by able-bodied men. Warden Earle saw this, and made a change. He also brought in an outside baker to take charge of the bakery. Better bread than this employee turned out could Hot be found in Boston. TAKEN OUT fOB S.E-TRIAL. 597 It had been fish or meat hash for breakfast, six days a week, under the ex-Warden. It was now oatmeal, corn meal, or rice and milk four days each week, for ibreakfast, and for the other three days no man could tell what his breakfast would be until he went to the slide. The dinners were all changed, and a variety of food was served up that never had been introduced into the prison before, even on holidays. He also made many needed changes in the hospi- tal, and these proved beneficial to all who required medical treatment. Everything appeared to be running along smoothly, until one day when the news reached the shops that the officer in charge of the piggery had reported to the Warden that there was no swill for the hogs, as the prisoners were eating all the food dished out to them. It was reported that the Warden had, by giving the men such food as they could eat, actually starved Chamberlain's pet piggery of five hundred hogs out of existence. As Warden Earle would not feed hogs on flour that had cost the State five dollars a barrel, he was compelled to close up the piggery, and find work else- where for an officer. Nothing ever caused so much pleasure among the prisoners as when they were told they were not to be considered swill producers, but consumers of food fit for human beings. Under the ex- Warden, a convict, if he obeyed all the rules, was allowed to write and receive a visit once in three months. Warden Earle changed this, and allowed the men, under the same conditions, to write and receive a visit once in every two months. This change was appreciated by the men at the time it was made; but like many other changes he caused to be made, it was soon forgotten, and some of the men claimed it as a right and not as a privilege to be forfeited. I had been repeatedly told, before the change of wardens, that I could not by any possibility live my sentence out, and .at best I had but a few months to live, so I should prepare for the worst. To these men I would say: " I will live as long as I see any one of you alive. Nothing you could say or do would impair my courage, and my determination to live is stronger than ever, as I have work to do that will create a sensation among- the police in Boston before I die." 598 LANGDON W. MOOS,!!. I had been assured by a dear old friend at South Framing- ham, that if I died there in prison, he would give me a proper burial outside the prison limits, without taking up a collection, or at the expense of the State. Early in the fall, I read in one of the Boston papers that Colonel William P. Wood had put in a claim at the Treasury Department at Washington for fifteen thousand dollars, for the recovery of the one-thousand-dollar 7-30 counterfeit bond plate which I had caused Brockway to give up. I then wrote a letter to Secretary Folger, giving him a full and detailed account of the recovery of that plate, and the pledges given me at the time of its recovery by Secretary McCuUoch, President Johnson, and other leading officials at Washington, and asked him to investigate the matter before paying any part of the reward to Wood or other parties. At that tirne one and all of the prison officials were allowed to read the prisoners' letters. I saw Warden Earle, read the letter to him, and asked if he was willing I should send it. He said he saw no reason why he should object; furthermore, that he would mail it himself. This he did, and in a fe\v days brought me the answer in person to the shop, saying, " This a private matter, and one the officers have no right to inquire into." I shall always respect him for the consideration I received in that matter. CHAPTER XLVIII. ORIGINAL SENTENCE REDUCED. TJPS AND DOWlSrS. OF PBISON LIFE UNDER WAEDENS EABLB, USHER, AND RUSSELL. About the last of October, 1881, Warden Earle came to my room, and told me he should take me to Boston for sentence in two or three days, and asked if there was any one I wished to communicate with in regard .to the matter. I replied there was no person I cared to notify, as I supposed my counsel would attend to that for me. While in the cars, and on the way down, I said to Warden Earle that I wished he would remain in my presence while we were in court, as I intended to make a statement. Judge Staples was on the bench when we arrived, and I saw that neither of my counsel was in the court. They both had abandoned the case long since, without notifying me. It had been my intention, if they were there, to ask that I might be sentenced by Judge Gardiner, who had tried the case, and knew what the evidence was against me. I was called into the District-Attorney's room just before dinner. Assistant Distric1>Attorney Dacey, Superintendent of Police Adams, Warden Earle, and Inspector Gerraughty were in the room at the time. I told them I wanted to make a statement; but I refused to make it until after my final sentence, as officers and " crooks " would say that I " squealed " to shorten my term of sentence. Superintendent Adams asked me whom I would like to investigate the matter. By this time the court had ad- journed, and I went back to the dock in the rear of the court room. After dinner I was called for sentence. At the time I had a statement already written and in my pocket, intend- ing to read it out publicly in court. I expected that the reporters of all the papers would be present when I was sentenced, and they would hear the statement read and print 699 600 LANQDON W. MOORE. it. But there was only one of them in the court room at the time; and when Warden Earle saw I was not represented by- counsel, he asked the judge not to pass sentence on me, for the sentence I was already serving was quite enough for the crime for which I had been convicted. He said I was. a sick man, and could not possibly live my time out, if more was added to my sentence. When the Warden had said this, and not caring to trust that reporter to make out a correct statement, I decided, when the judge asked me if I had anything to say before sentence w;as passed, to be silent. I simply shook my head. After waiting a minute or two, Judge Staples sentenced me to seven years' imprisonment for the burglary making a total of thirteen years in all. From the beginning to the end of the case, there had been no money in it for my counsel. Had there been, the excep- tions filed after my third trial would, if again argued before the higher court, have been allowed. Through the hard fight of my counsel, the original sentence was reduced from sixteen to thirteen years, saving me three years. From court I was taken into the District-Attorney's office, where I found Assistant Districi>-Attorney Dacey, Superin- tendent Adams, Warden Earle, and Inspector Gerraughty. Superintendent Adams again asked me whom I wanted among his men to work up the case. I said, " Have you an honest man among them ? " He named over several of his men, and I made no selec- tion. He then asked me if Mr. Gerraughty, who was then in the room, would do. I replied that he was as good as anybody. Superintendent Adams said that Gerraughty was a good man to take notes, and would give me a " square deal." I then gave a full and detailed account of the Frothing- ham and Cambridgeport National Bank, the Newell and pawnshop robberies. Gerraughty took notes of my state- ment, and I never heard anything afterwards from the Bos- ton officials in regard to the matter. I was taken to prison without being ironed or put on exhibition by Warden Earle on the way. Not hearing from the Boston officers, I, a few weeks later, called Warden Earle's attention to the matter. He simply said, " Those people will do nothing." ORIGINAL SENTENCE REDUCED. 603 During the • whole nineteen months I was in prison, pre- vious to my final sentence, I never at any time mentioned any man's name as being in collusion with me, except to my counsel, my boyhood friend, the lady who is now that friend's wife, and a gentleman friend of theirs. It was not until the day I made the statement in the presence of Dacey, Earle, Gerraughty, and Adams, that I for the first time publicly called the Boston detective my old partner in these crimes. From the moment Warden Earle took charge of the prison, my health began to improve, and it continued to do so. My work was changed by Instructor L. W. Goden, and I had reason to be thankful for it. Warden Earle once after that asked me if my job suited me. He said if it did not, he would fijid something easier for me. I told him I was per- fectly satisfied. Things ran along quietly until the summer of 1882. Overwork had been stopped. The lines were being drawn pretty tightly, and there was rebellion in the air. The prison- ers held the Warden responsible for the overwork being stopped. They now had no opportunity of making a dollar at the risk of ruining themselves for life by doing three dollars' worth of work for one dollar in money. It was not unusual to see a man work himself down sick by doing work over and above his stint. He would have to be sent to the hospital to take a rest and recruit his' health, while being fed on the hospital rations. For years the men in the prison had been in the habit of making all the noise they chose on the night before the Fourth of July; but at 12.30 A. m., the ex-Warden would take command of the prison and tell the men to stop making any more of a demonstration. If they did not stop, he said, he would not allow them the privilege of the yard on the Fourth. Ra,ther than take any chance of losing about the only privilege they had of coming together and having a sociable chat, they would, after calling him all the hard names in the catalogue of swear words, give one grand howl and remain quiet. When the night before the Fourth of July came around. Warden Earle made no effort to stop' the men from making all the noise they wanted until near one o'clock in the morn- ing. He then requested -the men to stop, as people living near the prison were complaining because the noise had been continued to a later hour than had ever been known under 60i LANGDON W. MOOB.E.. tlae previous Warden. No attention was paid to what lie said, further than to make more noise than before. He told them if they did not stop, the privilege of the yard the next day would be taken from them, and that they must spend the day in their rooms. This was met with a loud and pro- longed shout of defiance, and the noise was continued until daylight in the morning, when one man could be heard call- ing to another to stbp, for they were tired out and wanted to go to sleep. The men were given their breakfast, as usual, and re-- turned to their rooms, where they remained until eleven o'clock, the time they were usually given the yard. Seeing they were not let out, there was some disturbance in the way of noise during the next hour. They were let out at noon, marched to the slide to get their dinner, and were then returned to their rooms and locked in. There are ten corridors in the west wing, with forty rooms on each of them; ten in the east, with seventeen rooms on each, and ten in the south, with fifteen rooms on each, making seven hundred and. twenty rooms in all. They are all one size — eight feet long by five feet four inches wide. Each of the rooms was fitted up with modern conveniences; and for trimmings, black walnut had been used. In each rOom there was an iron bedstead, hinged in the ceiitre, and a table and stool. Nearly all of these rooms were occupied at the time. The hoodlums sounded the alarm, and a hundred others joined them in the warwhoop that started the whitewash from the walls of this whitened cage. They began the battle by using their stools on the doors for drumsticks, while others kept time by beating their iron bedsteads up and down on the stone or iron floor. This, with shouting, cursing, and singing, was kept up for three days and three nights without intermission; and no man in or near the prison had one moment's sleep. The men were getting tired out at the expiration of that time. All those whom they dared let out were sent to the chapel and told by the! Warden that they had nothing to expect, either from Gov- ernor Long or the commissioners, as they had given him full control and such power as might be required to bring them into subjection. This he was going to do. The men then returned to their rooms. Those who had been left in OBIGINAL SENTENCE SEDUCED. 605 were not idle during this time, but were "whooping her up," and they continued to do so for two days longer, when quiet was restored. During the last two days, many of the men were taken from their rooms and locked up in the arch. All the " soli- taries " were full, while many of the men were strung up to a cable in the mess-room by their thumbs. There they were allowed to remain until ordered to. be taken down by the doctor. Some of them fainted, but were allowed to remain in that position, hanging by their thumbs, until the order was given to take them down. During this time the men left in their rooms were given four ounces of bread each, once a day. Several were kept in solitary confinement for a month before they were allowed to go to the sliops. The sixth day, the men who, it was supposed, had taken no part in the disturbance were sent to the shops, feeling very sore towards the Warden for the unjust treatment they had been subjected to. One now could count his friends, among the prisoners, on the fingers of one hand. They were weak from loss of food and rest, and did little work that day. The noise had been heard three miles away, and many of the people had come to the prison armed with shot-guns. They asked to be let in, and allowed to turn their guns upon the fellows. They would make them stop their infernal racket. Under the circumstances. Warden Earle had no choice. His officers were thoroughly demoralized. Had he given the order to chalk the cell door of every man who was caught taking any part in the disturbance, and kept those men in their rooms, he could then, with safety, have sent more than three hundred men to the shops the following morning; for these men, at no time during the next five days, took any part, directly or indirectly, with the rioters. If he did not dare to do this with the force under his command, he certainly should have made some effort to ascertain who the well-behaved men were, and have given them their regular food. This would soon have brought the' rioters to a standstill, and in this way he would have re- tained the good will of several hundred convicts; but now all the men were sour. They would slight their work, and at every opportunity they got they would destroy the stock 606 LANGDON W. MOORE. and damage work. Messrs. Blanchard and Fuller, the shoe contractors, were soon compelled to give up their contract, for they were running one hundred and fifty men at a loss; and these men were thrown out of work. Most of us were locked in our rooms, where some of us remained two months before the harness and rubber con- tractors came in and took what men they wanted. The rest were put to work on the hat contract. The rubber works remained there but a short time. The contractors could get little out of the men, and what they did was of the poorest quality, and no sale could be found for the goods. In December, 1882, Deputy Owens' services being no longer required at the prison, he was made to walk the plank, and Major A. W. Keene was appointed to take his place. Since the July riot, no outside persons had been allowed to attend the service in the chapel on Sunday. Nearly all communication from the outside world had been cut off. Several of the officers had been removed, and others took their places. All letters sent to Governor Long were read; and if they contained anjrthing that might be unfavorable to the prison management, they were not sent, but destroyed. The men were kept in their rooms on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas, and had been told they should never have the privilege of the yard again. General B. P. Butler had at the last election, in November, been elected Governor, and the prisoners waited impatiently for him to take his seat. When he had done this, many sealed letters from the prisoners were left in the guardi'oom to be sent to the Governor. These he received, but not before, he thought, they had been opened and read by the Warden. ^ It ran along until February, 1883, when, one night at about nine o'clock, a messenger arrived at the prison with an order upon the Warden, from Governor Butler, to deliver up the prison keys to the bearer, and to consider himself relieved from further duty at the prison. He was to turn overall the State property under his charge to Deputy Warden A. W. Keene ; and Keene was given authority to hold the fort against all comers until a new Warden was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the removal of Warden Earle. A few days later, Colonel Roland G. Usher of Lynn was appointed Warden, and the Governor and his Council ORIGINAL SENTENCE REDUCED. 607 visited the prison. The men were called into the chapel, . and the new Warden was introduced to them by the Governor, who said Colonel Usher had been a personal friend of his for the past twenty-five years. His honesty and kindness of heart were unexcelled; and if one or twenty of them should, at any future time, tell him they had been treated unkindly by him, he would not believe them. They must distinctly understand that. He then mentioned the fact that some of the men there had sent letters to him which had been tam- pered with by the late Warden, after he had given him orders not to open any of the prisoners' letters addressed to the Governor. " For," said he, "you men have a right to send a sealed letter to the Governor, without its being opened or read by the Warden or any person connected with the prison. I did not remove Warden Earle for anything he had done to any of you men, although I had received complaints against him from many of you here. I removed him because he disobeyed my orders ; 1 am not in the habit of having my orders disobeyed." This pleased the prisoners, who, after they clapped their hands, were dismissed and sent to the shops. -They now had one right. Before, all were privileges, liable to be forfeited. This right, that of writing to the Governor directly, has never since been questioned by any person. Deputy Keene had been at the prison but a few weeks when Warden Earle was removed; aud out of respect to his friend, Earle, who had made him his deputy, he sent in his resignation. It was not accepted, however, as Warden Usher was too good a judge of executive ability to allow him to leave the institution. When Warden Usher took command, he opened the doors of all the dungeons, let the men out, and gave them a kind word of advice. It was said at the time he threw away the keys. If he did not do this, it is certain the doors reniained open, and the rooms were always vacant while we remained at Concord. He stored the State stock of paints, oils, and blankets in the dungeons under the guard- room, where so many men had taken their first lesson on the road that leads to death. He had been there but a few days when two Boston detectives made a special visit to the prison, ostensibly in my interest. They came to put the Warden on his guard against me. I was a dangerous man, they said, and my name 608 LANGDON W. MOORE. •was not Moore, but Adams. He must have a strict watch put upon me, for if he turned his head I would give him the slip. Just as they were leaving the prison, a gentleman from Washington called to see me, bringing me a message from Secretary Folger in reply to my letter regarding Colonel William P. Wood's claim for fifteen thousand dollars against the government for the recovery of the one-thousand- dollar 7-30 counterfeit bond plate. The claim had been allowed by the government, and my visitor said the Secre- tary had paid Wood five thousand dollBrs before my letter was received. But he would pay no more, though Wood, he said, had since called for the remainder — -ten thousand d6llars. The Secretary had told him the government did not owe him a dollar, and that he had no claim to be paid the five thousand dollars he had already received. The faith of the government had been pledged to Charles Adams, otherwise known as Langdon W. Moore, then in the Massa- chusetts State Prison at Concord. It is to him, the Secre- tary said, this reward is due. This pledge must be redeemed, for the governflient cannot afford to have a broken pledge hanging over the Treasury Department. The moment this man left me, the Warden came to me, and his first words were : " Adams, who is that man ? What is his business with you? Where does he come from? Who sent him here ? " All of these questions had been asked, but not one of them had been answered. I saw from his manner, and the way the questions were put, he was prejudiced against me. I said: " My name is not Adams. My name is Moore." " Oh, I know your name, Adams," he said, " for I have been told all about you." " There stands the gentleman at the window," said I; " go and question him. He will tell you his name, occupation, where from, and what his business is here with me. You admitted the man. I did not ask, to see him. You sent for me to come to the guardroom and talk to him. I did so. You will find it a dangerous experiment to form opinions of the prisoners here upon hearsay. I dispute your right to question me about my private affairs outside the prison walls." ■This was the first time I had ever met the Warden, and ORIGINAL SENTENCE REDUCED. 611 he had given me a hearsay reception. I regretted the change that had been made, and returned to the shop with anything but a favorable opinion of the new Warden. I never wanted him to speak to me again. Up to this time the Warden had never been brought in contact with detectives. They were not in his class. This was all new business to him, and to commence right he knew was half the battle. He made special inquiries among his own friends about me, and finally found one living in Lynn who had been an old schoolmate of mine, and had known me and my parents for over forty years. He saw, also, another friend of his who lived at South Framingham; and when questioned, he said he had known me and my whole family for twenty-iive years, and that my father's name was Moore. The Warden told the last man that settled it, for he had nailed the lie told him by the detectives. He came to me in the shop, and said: " Good-morning, Moore, I know you now; I did not know you before. I had been deceived, and I know you are a very smart man." I put up my hand and said, " No taffy for me. Warden, please." He left me, and I heard no more from him. until April 12, when I was transferred from the hat shop to the repair shop, and put in charge of what is called the clothes job, by Deputy Keene, with the consent of the Warden. The man in charge of this work has control of all the underclothes, stripes, shirts, stockings, sheets, pillow cases, and towels used by the prisoners. ' He is boss, with a few extra privileges. He could give a small man a large shirt, or he could give a large man a small shirt, as had often been done before to my discomfort. If a complaint was made to Deputy Owens that the sleeves were six inches too long, he would say, " Roll them up; " if the collar was too large, ■ " Set the buttons back." The man in charge could fill orders when he pleased.. He could give the men their clothes before they had been half washed or mended, and those who complained were called " kickers." The men in the shops were at the mercy of this man. He could do as he pleased with their clothes. It was considered the best job in the prison ; besides, there was a tradition among the men that there was a pardon attached to the job. I broke the record, however, as I was considered too valuable a mm for the State to set at liberty. 612 LANGDON W. MOOME. The work had previously been done on what was known as the silent system. To do it properly, 1 must be allowed to talk. This I stated to the Warden, and he gave the order to my officer to allow me to talk and go anywhere I pleased inside the prison walls without question. I was asked for no pledge, and I gave no promise I would not. betray the trust. I fully appreciated the Warden's kindness. It gave me the opportunity, before unknown, to establish the fact that a bank robber was as reliable and trustworthy as other • prisoners. If I proved faithful, it would establish a prece- dent for other men who were in the same boat with myself. They, too, might be trusted, and do away with the old fable, established by previous wardens, that it required the eye of an eagle and the courage of a lion to keep bank robbers from making their escape. I determined to serve the interest of the prisoners and the authorities to the best of my ability, and to give the Warden no cause to regret saying to me: "Moore, I know I can trust you. Go and do as you please, and I will sustain you." The confidence the Warden had placed in me pleased the prisoners, but caused some of the older officials to shake their heads and say: " The Warden doesn't know his busi- ness, and won't allow any of us to tell him. Moore will make his escape; then the devil will be to pay." For the next thirty days I worked from bell to bell, and made up my books in my room nights and Sundays. At the expiration of that time I was master of the situation, and I could tell the division and number of every man's room in the prison. During this time I had examined all the stock in the clothes department, and had found fourteen hundred pieces of underclothes that had been cast aside after being worn once or twice. These I had washed and laid out on the grass for ' ten days, when they were picked up, brought to the shop, and assorted. Eleven hundred and sixty-five pieces I had selected and laid aside; and when the washing for the week came in, I sent for the Warden. I asked him to examine the clothes then worn by the men, and those that had been cast aside, and tell me which were the better. He decided in favor of the latter. I said, " If you ,will allow me to give them out to the ORIGINAL SENTENCE REDUCED. 613 men, it shall not cost the State one dollar for underclothes for the prisoners before the first day of September, if you will allow me to promise the men I will give them all new winter clothes at that time, or as soon as the weather becomes cold." It was then the first of May. He gave me his consent that I should make the trial, reporting to him if the men were dissatisfied to wear second-hand clothes. I then saw a few men in the shops, and told them what I proposed doing, and asked them to aid me in establishing the fact that the prison could be run as cheaply under Governor Butler's administration as under Republican rule. The response was, " Give us anything to please old Ben, for giving us Usher for warden." When the Warden got tired of "waiting for the kick," he said to me that the men would not stand that from any officer in the prison. It would cause a rebellion if any attempt was made to force them to wear second-hand clothes. I had not been on the job a month, before it was remarked that the men in the chapel looked cleaner and better than they ever had before. Well they might, for it was the first time their clothes had ever been properly washed and mended, so said the oldest inhabitant of the prison. I notified the Warden when my promise to the men came due. The goods were sent for, and delivered to me in time to redeem my pledge. No attention was paid to the reports made by the officers that the men were talking in the shops; and it was believed, so said the officers, that everything in the prison was going straight to the dogs. My officer gave the Warden his choice to punish McCaf- fathy, the man he reported, or accept his resignation. This officer was seen about the prison no more. When the other officers saw that what had been done in this case might be done for them, they sullenly and silently accepted th§ situation. The Warden transferred all the insane' prisoners he found there to the insane asylum at Worcester, where they could have proper treatment. The men were given one hour in the yard every Saturday afternoon; and as this day, as it happened, was always fair, it was called' Prisoners' Day, and was selected by the officers' wives to make their trips to Boston without fear of being caught out in a storm. This 614 LANGDON W. MOORE. may seem singular, nevertheless it is true: there was no rain on Saturday, between the hours of four and six o'clock in the afternoon, from April first to October first, 1884. Overwork had been given the men, and many of them had a good bank account. No attempts at escape had been made, and no insults had been ofPered to the prisoners' friends when they called. On Jihe contrary, they were wel- comed by the Warden, and told he liked to have them come, because it made the men contented. When he first saw the officer in charge of ■ the guardroom skinning a prisoner's holiday box, sent by some dear friend, he said: " Tut^ tut, Mr. Officer, put that turkey right back into the box. The men want all that is sent to them more than you do." The old sullen, careworn look, so common under previous wardens, had long since vanished from the faces of the men. Turnkey Woods had been made to walk the plank, and now the men were satisfied they would be allowed to live in peace. There was no grumbling or kicking, and no property was being destroyed. Every man, except Dave Mooney, was trying to do his level best to please the Warden, and make things easy for the officers. Governor Butler had been defeated, and George D. Robin- son elected Governor. The prisoners had put on mourning. They feared the new Governor would stop the privilege of the yard, overwork, and talking in the shops. The only death among the men had been inherited from previous wardens. The men looked, talked, and acted like human beings; but still they were not happy, because it was known that they were to be sent back to the old prison in Charles- town in a few months, and they waited patiently for the Governor to visit the prison. That, they thought, would decide the question whether there was to be any change made in the management of the institution. During the summer,- the men in the hat shop had been allowed to lie on the grass, in the rear of the building, when they were through with their day's work, but were not allowed to cross the dead line, fifteen feet from the shop. There they could be_ seen by no one excepting the officials. Late one afternoon, while one hundred and fifty of them were enjoying themselves out on the grass, the Governor dropped suddenly, and alone, into the prison, He had not ORIGINAL SENTENCE SEDUCED. 615 given the usual ten days' notice ' of his coming. He made no stop in the guardroom, but with the Warden went directly to the shops, thinking to find men loafing about the shops, as it was represented to him that there was no disci- . pline in the prison. He had determined to see for himself, before making any change in what was known as the Usher system. The moment they entered the yard, they were seen by prisoner John F. Connors, and he "telegraphed" along the line in the rear of the shops that the Governor was coming. The men quietly entered the shops and took their places at the benches, without a word being spoken, and they were busy at work when the Governor and Warden entered. The latter knew, when they went into the yard, the men were out on the grass, and he was surprised to find them all at their benches in the shop when they entered. He was no more surprised than the officers were when they saw the men come tumbling in through the windows and go to their benches. This was the first opportunity given so many men at one time to show the officers that the Warden had by kind and humane treatment gained perfect control over them. This mark of respect pleased the Warden and a few officers who had been converted to his way of managing prisoners. After visiting all the shops, the Governor went away; and as no change was made about the place, it was supposed by the men, after a few days, that he was perfectly satisfied with the way the prison was conducted. In, this they were not disappointed. - Upon Governor Butler's first visit, he had pardoned Jimmy Dolan, who, it was said by the doctor, could not live. Soon after he was set at liberty, Dolan stated publicly that he had fooled the doctor, and had beaten " old Ben " and the Coun- cil out of a pardon, for he was a well man. The case was given a great deal of notoriety by the press at the time. This' was the only opportunity Governor Butler gave them to call him down on the pardon question. When Chase and Hathaway, the Fall River defaulters, presented their petition, signed by men who represented over forty millions of money, it was favorably acted upon by the Council. This was known to Chase and Hathaway at the prison, and the former was so sure of being pardoned that he packed and boxed all his traps, ready for the expressman. 616 LANGBON W. MOORE. No pardon came, but there did come a message from the Governor, three days later, to themy saying : " I shall give your case no consideration until after you have restored the one million in money you have stolen from the hard-working people in Fall "River; and not until then may you hope to receive a favorable answer to your petition from the Governor." Chase unpacked his trunk. This pleased the prisoners, for the very men who were in favor of the Chase and Hath- away pardon had been the first ones to condemn Governor Butler for the Dolan pardon. June 9, 1884, Johnny Dobbs and William Thompson were sent to the prison on a sentence of ten years. I gave them both their Massachusetts State Prison regulation suits of underclothing. I had never seen Dobbs before, and the statement made in Inspector Byrnes' book and a Boston paper that this man was once a " pal " of mine is untrue. Dobbs was assigned to the gilding shop; and as Thompson complained of poor health, he was given an easy job in the repair shop, where he continued to grow worse, until finally the doctor sent him to the hospital, where he could have proper care and medical treatment. He remained there until the prisoners were sent back to the old prison;' and a few days later, he, with the rest of the sick, was brought down and put in the hospital. He was afterwards pardoned, and sent home to die. This he did not do, but he did say, when he landed in Connecticut, that he had fooled them all. He had been eating bar soap for months. This was another Dolan pardon, but not by General Butler this time. The really sick were made to suffer for the treachery of these two men in giving the trick away ; for all who were sick now were looked upon, both by the authorities and the prisoners, as frauds playing for a pardon. Murphy, a consumptive, was pardoned out of the hospital and sent home. Then it was said he had been playing it on them nicely, for he, too, was a well man. He died in less than two weeks. George M. Brown, they said, was playing sick for a pardon. It was given him, and he died while on his way home to the western part of Massachusetts. Thompson's " pal," Dobbs, played sick for a pardon, and it was granted him. He, too, died in less than a week. Honors were easy during the summer at Concord. The ORIGINAL SENTENCE REDUCED. 619 Warden might often be seen walking alone in the yard, an hour at a time, with Jesse Pomeroy, a man who other Wardens say is more dangerous than the hyena, and one who can do more with a toothpick than a bank burglar can do with a full set of burglar's tools. The contractors vacated the shops, and they were closed in November. For the next two or tliree weeks, one of them was used for a loafing shop for the prisoners during the day. In December all the prisoners excepting one hundred and thirteen, whose terms of sentence expired inside of one year, were transferred, with the assistance of the State police, back to the old prison at Charlestown, without the loss of a man or one of them making an attempt to escape. The time occupied in making the transfer was three days. The Concord Prison was made into a reformatory December, 1884, ^nd was presented with one hundred and thirteen old convicts for a starter. The prison officers who preferred to remain there were given a position in the new institution. When the transfer was being made. Deputy Keene took charge of the men at the Concord end, and put them on board the train in the same order he found them in the separate wings; but when they arrived at the, prison at Charlestown, the irons were taken off and the men were allowed to choose rooms for themselves. The receiving officers at this end of the line acknowledged the receipt of all the men, but not one of them could tell what rooms ten of them were in, outside of the cooks and bakers. When any particular man was wanted, they would have to go to every room until he was found. . The men had separated, and the officers were rattled and demoralized. It was ten days before all the prisoners were located, so that I could give them their clothes. A more sorry-looking lot of men I had never seen. The place was filthy, and the yard was like a plowed ,mud field in Jersey after a freshet in the spring. Several of the men lost their shoes in the mud, and had to leave the line to go and find them. Early in January, 1885, forty or fifty prisoners were put to work on the hat contract, and about one hundred in the yard. State shop, repair shop, and about the prison; and the rest were sent to the loafing shop over the repair shop, where they could be heard singing, " Hard times, hard times is coming, boys." 620 LANGDON W. MOOME. We found forty "new fish " prisoners when we arrived at the old prison. They looked upon all privileges as rights, and claimed them as such. In this they were joined by many others'; and without discipline, and with no work for the men, they soon became ugly, rebellious, and demor- alized. The officers were forced to report many of them for insolence. One day Prison Commissioner John Moore came into the repair shop just before bell time. I asked him if he knew • Mr. Heywood of Concord. He said he did, and saw him every day. I said I wished he would ask him to find a situ- ation for me on a farm up there for seven months, or during the summer. He asked me my name, and I told him. He stepped back two paces and said, " You are not Langdon W. Moore ! " " I am," I replied. He then told me he was looking for me in 1865, and my brother promised him he should see me. I said, " My brother had no control over me at that time." He said it would have been better for all parties if he could have seen me then. " Mr. Moore," I said, " we will let bygones be bygones. It is about the situation bn a farm I wish to talk to you." The dinner bell rang, and I left him. This was the first and only time I ever spoke to one of the compiissioners, and I saw I had not been given away to him by Warden Usher. As soon as the clothes job was in running order at the old prison, I called the Warden's attention to the fact that he had promised to take me off the job after we got down to the old prison. He kept putting me off until February, 1885, when I went to the guardroom and told him I could do the work no longer, because he had always given me men whom they could not make work in the shops to help do the work. This every man in the prison knew was true, and after he had shown some displeasure I was allowed to resign my situation. He did not, however, send me to the loafing shop, where I could have a rest, after serving him faithfully for two years; but I was put to work under an officer who had^ on more 'than one occasion at Concord, made me feel his personal animosity, and for no other reason than that Grant, a pet of OPIGINAL SENTENCE REDUCED. 621 his, had been taken off the clothes job in the repair shop, and I had been assigned to fill the vacancy. I was then told to play the hose and sling barrels of water on the rough stone floor in the west wing, then to take a ' broom and sweep it the length of the division, one hundred and fifty feet long, to a trap leading to the sewer in front of the kitchen. When I had done this, I was given a blanket mop, and told to sling that for an hour or two, or until such time as the floor was mopped dry. When I was not sweeping or scrubbing these stones, he would set me at work beating off the whitewash along the border of the division, or at work cleaning out the solitary rooms in the arch. This gave me an opportunity of seeing all the men who were put in solitary, and the condition of the rooms when they, left them. After Warden Usher's attention had been called to the condition of .the rooms in the lower arch, he allowed no more men to be confined there for punishment. " For," said he, " the rooms are not a fit place to keep a hog in, and I cannot see how a human being could be kept in these for ten days and come out alive." He ordered a three-inch hard plank floor to be put down before they were again occupied. Originally there had been some three hundred small cells in the north wing. A hole had been cut through the parti- tion wall in most of the cells, making two cells into one room. This was done before the transfer was made, and the Warden thought to finish up the work by using convict labor; but before the job was completed, Welch, George Greene, and two other prisoners, who were working on' the job, raised a capstone over a room on the upper corridor, climbed up into the attic, forced the boards from the roof, and, with the rope they had been using to lower the stones from the inside, they let themselves down to the ground from the outside. They were seen climbing over the prison wall by Deputy Keene's wife, and she gave the alarm to the officers in the guardroom, who captured Greene near the prison and brought him back, while the others got away. If ever the old prison bell did duty, it did it then. The men in the yard and shops were hustled into line, and made to do the double-quick to their rooms in the prison. The question asked was not who, but how many, had got away. Out of all the men who had been let into the job, it was found, after the prisoners were locked in and the count was 622 LANGDON W. MOORE. made, that only three had made their escape. Mrs. Keene had prevented a clean "• get-away " for many more. Previous to this, Fred Sturtevant, Martin Stankard, and Paul Dennison were working in the south wing. They had broken through the door leading into the chapel; but before they had time to cut one of the bars on the window that would allow them to get out upon the roof of the Warden's house, they were discovered by OfQcer Hill, who had charge of the wings at that time, and they were sent below for a few days. Later the Warden told me those men would have been shot the moment they stepped foot on his roof, for he knew all that was going on in the prison. " Perhaps you don't believe that," he said. If I did not believe him then, I certainly did not after I saw he had not been let in on the ground floor in the north wing job, until Mrs. Keeiie opened the door and let him in after the convicts went over the wall. The police were notified, and a description was given of the men who had escaped. They were soon after captured and brought back to prison in irons, and were given separate rooms in the upper arch. About forty men had been put to work in the old black- smith shop, making heavy cable chain for a contractor. The hat contract, after running the shop a few months at a loss, went out, and a shoe contract came in. The old rat trap was being repaired and strengthened by ironworkers from Boston. A set of iron bars was put up around both stairways leading to the chapel. Iron bars with a gateway were put up near the door leading to the yard in the north wing; and the same thing was done at the front of the wing on the other side, inclosing about twenty rooms, with two open-barred doors in each. These were used as solitaries before; and while the extension was being made to the west wing, Pomeroy, Mooney, Lee, and Greene were kept in them for several months, where every man in the wing on the corridors abcve could see them when they passed their doors on the way around the wing for their breakfast. For dinner and supper the men would march from the shops to the slide, take their food, and go upstairs to their rooms, shut their doors, and stand there with one hand upon the door until the officer locked the doors and counted hands. They then could eat their food. ORIGINAL SENTENCE REDUCED. 623 No part of the prison escaped being critically examined by the boss ironworker and the Warden. The capstones over all the rooms on the upper corridors of the north wing were securely fastened. Extra crossbars were put over the win- dows in the north wing, after some one had sawed one or two of the bars nearly through. Wire screens were put over all the small windows that were already barred. In the west wing, the old locks on the room doors were worn out. Often when the men were locked in at night, their doors could not be unlocked in the morning by the officer in time to give the men their breakfast with the others, and they had to be con- tent to wait until after the others had eaten theirs and been sent to the shop. Then machinist prisoner Briggs would go with his punch and hammer, knock the stuffing out of the lock, and let the men out. The officers' barber complained of bad air in his cell, and wanted the deputy to leave his door open during the night. Because he would not do this, he cut the bars on his door and walked out and down the corridor to the barber's shop. Letting himself in with the key that bad been furnished him by the State, he forgot to close and lock the door behind him, and was soon discovered by the night watchman in the act of sawing the bars on the window, and not at work putting his razors in order, as he should have been. For this, the barber lost his job, and was given a few days in solitary on bread and water. Daly and Stankard, who were in solitary in the north wing, cut the bars of their doors and came out of their rooms. They were seen by the night watchman just in time to pre- vent them from making their escape from the prison. Extra bars were put up at all the kitchen windows looking out upon the street. All the locks on the cell doors in the west wing were taken off and put in order by Mr. Hall, a son of the inventor of the Hall pin lock, which was in gen- eral use by Herring & Co., safe-makers, before the Yale combination lock was invented. No .better key lock was ever made than this — after the burglars had picked enough of them to force the maker to false-notch the tumblers. I remarked to Mr. Hall, while he was repairing the prison locks, that a pigeon could fly through any of them. I continued to work in slush and water until late in the fall, when my legs gave out at the knee-joints, and I was 624 LANGBON W. MOOBE. sent to my room. - Another, a younger and stronger man, was put in my place., The Warden, Deputy Keene, and the doctor, after a few days, came to see me in my room and wanted me to go to the hospital, saying I should be given a good room. I told them my previous experience in the hospital, and asked to be allowed to remain in my room. Consent was given by the Warden ; and there I remained, with my door left open during the day, for six months. All this time I was confined to my bed, suffering intense pain from rheumatism. The cords of my legs contracted, and a water bag formed around the caps of my knees. It was supposed I never would be able to do any more work. All personal friends, who called at the prison to see me, were allowed to come to my room, and remain the usual hour alone with me. The Warden came to see me quite often. I was offered, but declined, hospital rations, sa3ring my appetite was good, and I was all right above my knees. Beside, if I ate hospital rations, the men would say I was not lame but playing for a pardon. He offered to send me in any kind of food I might wish from outside. I told him I was perfectly satisfied' to live on prison fare. It was good enough for me; besides, I would not feel the change of food so much when I got well and went back to work again. During one of his calls, he said: " You can get out of here. Tell me who the men were who knocked down Mr. Asa Breed, a bank messenger from Lynn, in Boston, in the fall of 1877, and robbed him of eight thousand dollars in money, and I will go to the Governor with this information, ask for your release, and he will pardon you." I said: " Warden, I am nearly sixty years of age, and have never done anything of that kind. I am now too old to commence. Please never ask me to do such a thing again." The matter was never referred to afterwards. At this time I had four more years to serve, and could not have walked the length of my room to save my life. My room was situated on the second corridor, east side of the north wing. When the windows were opened to air the wing during the fall and spring of '85 and '86, I was given many a cold, damp, east wind blast. I dared not com- plain to the Warden or deputy for fear of being sent to the hospital. . At my request, early in May, Deputy Keene gave me a. ORIGINAL SENTENCE SEDUCED. 625 good room on the west side, looking out into the yard. There I began to improve. I was given the privilege of walking the corridor until I was able to go out to work. Dave Mooney and another prisoner thought to celebrate the previous Fourth of July on the outside. While the offi- cers were busy opening the prisoners' holiday boxes in the guardroom on the night before the Fourth, these convicts removed from their door two bars that had been previously cut, and they were making their way to the chapel, not for the purpose of prayer, when they were seen by the officer and taken below. When searched, a revolver was found upon Mooney. It was loaded to the muzzle, and ready for use. The fellow did not dare make the attempt to escape VTithout a pistol in his pooket. Had this occurred at Concord, he would have been strung up by the men, for it was worth as much as a man's life to insult the Warden there. The men had lost all their privi- leges Tonce by just such fellows as he, and they determined never to lose them again if they could help it. At Concord there was work for all the men, and by kind and humane treatment Warden Usher had gained their con- fidence and respect. His word was law, and was always cheerfully obeyed; but here in Charlestown many of the men were idle, and spent their days in the loafing shop. With many new prisoners coming in, they soon forgot all their old troubles under previous wardens, and all the good done them by Warden Usher. Many of them became discouraged, and others were demoralized, ugly, and rebellious, and paid no attention whatever to the rules and regulations. These they looked upon as rights and claimed them as such, and he was compelled to send many of them to the punishment rooms. Seeing many of the men would not allow him to be their friend, and that his usefulness in the prison was gone, he sent in his resignation. When it was known he had done this, and that it had been accepted by the Governor, the men realized for the first time the position they had placed them- selves in; for the Warden had been a father to all who would accept him as such. Now that it was too late, there was sorrow expressed throughout the prison, because the Warden was going to leave them at the mercy of Colonel E. J. Russell, a man unknown to them, who had been appointed Warden to take his place. The prisoners/ presented Warden 62(i LANGDON W. MOORE. Usher with a memorial signed by all but twenty, whose sig- natures it was not thought advisable to have appear. This was a mark of respect no other warden ever received from five hundred convicts who had been under his charge, in this or any other prison in the United States. No person was called upon to ask the prisoners not to make a demonstration against Colonel Usher while speaking to them for the last time; for this gentlemanly Warden called together all the prisoners, and addressed them in the yard. He gave them his reasons for leaving the prison,, and with a few words of advice, and a good word for his successor, he bade them good-by. His remarks had been listened to in silence; but now that he was through speaking, cheer after cheer went up, such aS was never heard inside prison walls. The next morning, July 1, 1886, Colonel E. J. Russell, as Warden, took charge. At that time I was unable to go out of my room and bid Warden Usher good-by. A few days later, when he called at the prison, he came to my room to see me; and I have cause to believe- that no prisoner ever left the place any better pleased than Warden Usher was, the day he severed all connection with the men and the institution. At the time Warden Russell assumed the responsibilities, he found many of the men idle. The whole end of the west wing was open and exposed, and the wing was being extended. The' new part, when finished, was to contain the strongest rooms in the world, with a hospital over them. When this was being built, it was supposed the rooms would be so strong not even a sound could escape from any of them. The old hospital and strong rooms were made into cells at the end of and adjoining those in the west wing. While this was being done, the sick had been removed to a room forty by eighty feet, over the repair shop, without any protection whatever at the windows that could prevent any man from making his escape who was not really sick, provid- ing the night watchman failed to do his duty faithfully. Late in August I, at my own request, ;was put to work in the repair shop with Brother Doe for my officer. At this time a Jew had charge of all the second-hand coats, vests, and pants that had been worn by the prisoners, and ex- changed for citizens' clothes when they were discharged. ORIGINAL SENTENCE REDUCED. 629 This Jew was removed to make a vacancy for me, and transferred to the shoe shop, where he could, if he would, learn to be a shoemaker. The man in charge of this job must see that suits were properly washed and mended, and give them out to any prisoner who wished to exchange his clothes for a clean second-hand suit. Every new prisoner who came in was given a go-to-meeting suit for Sunday, and a suit of second- hand clothes to work in. This branch of industry was first introduced into the prison at Concord in the summer of 1883. Before that time all second-hand clothing had been sold as rags. The Jew had let the business run down; but it did not take me long to establish a trade in old clothes that the Warden and deputy said paid better and saved more money for the State than any other branch of industry car- ried on in the institution. The prisoners who obeyed all the rules were allowed the privilege of the yard for one hour every Wednesday and Saturday afternoon. They could also write, and receive visits, once in every four weeks. Previous to this, the pris- oners were put on exhibition as natural curiosities to those who paid for running the show, at twenty-five cents admis- sion fee; and it was said the money taken went to support the library. This system was done away with, and the show was made free to all. Late in the fall, when the work on the west wing was completed, the sick were transferred from the shop to the new hospital, and all the prisoners then in punishment were sent to the strong rooms in the new arch. Two of the men, not liking the change, broke out of their rooms one afternoon, and came out into the yard where they could be seen by all the men who were at work in the shops. They gave the officers a lively chase before they caught them and forced them back into the prison. The arch was then tested by the men in punishment,' and it was soon found that it was not racket proof. By pound- ing and shouting, they succeeded in keeping all the sick in the hospital awake, and disturbed those in the west wing so much that they could not sleep. A store-room and library room had been built in the yard, most of the work being done by the prisoners. . The bed contract was forced out, and the men were put to work either in the shoe, harness, gilding, or brush shops. C30 LANGDON W. MOOBE. The old canal and sewers running through the yard were opened up and the stone taken out, with the old foundation stone where the old blacksmith shop once stood. As the new arch proved a failure, a bill was put before the legislature asking for an appropriation of twenty thou- sand dollars to put up a building in the yard, entirely away from the prison, to be used for punishment rooms only. The noise made by the prisoners put in there could not dis- turb the convicts in the wing or those who were sick In the hospital. When this building was completed, as most of the work had been done by the prisoners, they broke a bottle of whiskey over the door and christened the building " Fort Russell." Even here one of the men got out of his room, and was discovered by one of the officers as he was looking for a soft spot in the outside wall. The Warden and deputy received little or no assistance from many of the officers when they attempted to estab- lish discipline in the prison. The men saw this, and took advantage of the situation. Every attempt that was made to close up the " underground railroad " met with failure. Contraband goods found their way into the prison daily, and were sold to the prisoners at about three times their value — especially old Crow whiskey. A cheaper grade sometimes made the men fighting drunk, when they would be taken to the arch, and allowed plenty of time to sober up. Richards and Wight were allowed to fight to a finish in my shop, and so were the barber and Dan Kelly. No one was allowed to interfere until Wight and the barber cried " Enough." Dur- ing both fights the officer made no effort to separate the men, and took care that no one else did. The combination formed among the worst men in the prison, soon after we came from Concord, was kept up. When one of them was put in punishment, the others would " whoop her up " in the wings. If a request of one of these men was refused, the war cry was sounded and kept up until their wants were supplied; and for the sake of peace and quiet they were allowed privileges that would be denied well-behaved men. Warden Russell had forced the officers to put on the prisQU uniform, as required by law; but when he made the attempt to make them wear the straw hat during the sum- ORIGINAL SENTENCE BEDUCEB. 631 mer, he met with so much opposition that he was compelled to abandon the good work. Open war was declared against him and the deputy, by several of the officers and others in the employ of the State about the prison. The prisoners, seeing there was open war between the officers. Warden, and deputy warden, entered" the fight one afternoon and smashed all the windows in the brush shop, throwing the stock and tools out into the yard. A few of the men in the shoe and gilding shops took a hand in the fight; but in the harness shop, the stock was damaged and destroyed. Most of the windows on the front side were knocked out. When the glass in this shop came rattling down against the repair shop, it set one " crank " to work breaking out the windows there. He commenced by going into the printing- office;- and after demolishing the windows there, he returned to the shop and smashed all the windows in front of the tailor's bench and the sewing machines, down as far as the officer's desk. There he stopped; not a man in the shop made any attempt to stop him. I then left the shop alone and went to my room, picked iip my pail and went to the sink in front of the guardroom. I filled the pail with water, returned to my room, closed the door, took a seat, and watched the fight going on along the line. Trouble had been expected, and the police had been given the " tip " to answer the call. The moment they were notified, they came. The first lot that arrived were headed by the Warden and marched down through the yard to the front- of the brush shop, where they came to a halt. The Warden made an attempt to go up the stairs leading to the brush shop, but was beaten back, and the police retired to a safe distance. After most of the damage was done, the order was given in the shops to the men to fall into line, and they were marched to the prison, go-as-you-please. The yard men, under Officer Lord, had taken no part in the disturbance and were at work in the rear of the shops. There he formed them in line and marched them to the front of the shops and so on across the yard without a word being spoken, in true military style, and through into the west wing. Lord and his men were cheered while crossing the yard by some of the men in the shops who were breaking 632 LANG DON- W. MOORE. the windows, because it was known he had always been given men to work in the yard who could not be made to work any- where else. They were all tough men, who usually marched as they pleased. The brush-shop men were the last to surrender and go to the prison. When all had been locked in their rooms, several of the police went around on the corridors and interviewed some of the men, myself among the number. That night the police assisted the prison officers to take the rioters 6ut of their rooms and down to " Fort Russell," where they were confined in solitary, on a diet of bread and water, until the fight was all knocked out of them, and they had expressed repentance and promised better things. Little or no work was done about the prison for a few days, except to patch up the windows in the shop, and clear away the wreck. This work was done by a few prisoners, while the others were kept locked in their rooms. No more than fifty prisoners had taken any part in the riot, while all, as at Concord, were made to suffer for the few. Many of them became demoralized, but not more so than some of the prison officers who were in sjrmpathy with the hoodlum element. The fight among the officials continued, and the Warden felt compelled to shut the prison doors against the chief engineer, not allowing him to enter. The engineer appealed to the commissioners and the authorities at the State House. After investigating the matter, a decision was rendered against the action of the Warden, as he had exceeded his authority, and he was ordered to open , the prison doors and admit the engineer. The prisoners said he was a bigger man than the Warden, and he was so looked upon by the worst element in the institution. The other officers in the fight had remained quiet, waiting for a decision in this case, but now it opened up fiercer than ever. Deputy Keene was notified to appear before the prison commissioners to make answer to any and all charges the engineer and officers chose to make against him. He declined to appear, and while under pressure, in August, 1889, he sent in his resignation, without waiting to hear what hundreds of the prisoners had to say about the officers who were in the fight against him. His resignation was accepted, and he left the prison after serving the interest of the State faithfully ORIGINAL SENTENCE REDUCED. 633 and to the best of his ability for more than six years, and this under three different Wardens. Officer Huckins, then doing duty at the Concord Reforma- tory, was appointed to fill the vacancy. Shortly after this, Dewey, the forger, received a pardon. This man, for his misuse of the confidence placed in him by Deputy Keene, would have been given a ducking in the fountain and a pair of black eyes, if he could have been caught out in the yard the day he was liberated; for nearly every well-behaved man in the prison was friendly to, and in sympathy with. Deputy Keene, the fairest and best executive officer I was ever under, and a man who could distinguish a well-behaved prisoner from a hoodlum, treating him accordingly. He was neither too proud nor too lazy to work, and could often be seen hard at work in the yard with the convicts. In this way he set an example for the prisoners. It would be well for the State and institution if many of the other officers were compelled to follow it while acting as instructors for the prisoners in the shops. Many of the rooms on the lower division of the west wing were dark. All the windows on both sides of the wing were cut d6wn, with convict labor, under the instructions of Deputy Keene; and light was let in for the first time since the prison was built, more than eighty years ago. He also saw a schoolhouse built at the end of the south wing, with an entrance through the prison wall into the wing. A school was established for the benefit of the prisoners, tod for principal, a teacher from the outside was procured. His assistant teachers were selected from among the prisoners. For four years Warden Russell had allowed the prisoners the privilege of the yard one hour every Wednesday and Satur- day afternoon after they were through with their day's work, beginning the first week in April and ending the last week in October. I made no inquiries of any person to ascertain if there were any papers left at the prison for my detention, charging me with any other crime than the one upon which I had been convicted. Had I done this, at the expiration of six years, my mind would have been at rest. The statute of limitation I had read, and I knew an indictment for the crime of murder may be found at any period after the death of the person alleged to have been murdered; but all other indictments 634 LANGDON W. MOORE. shall be found and filed within six years after the commission of the offence. Any period during which the person charged was not usually and publicly resident within this State shall not be reckoned as part of the six years. Not until I was discharged from the prison, on Sept. 8, 1890, and out on the street, did I know I was not to be arrested and detained upon some other charge. I left the prison weighing two hundred and seven pounds, after serving a thirteen years' sentence, with the commu- tation time off for good behavior. Every day of this I gained — two years, five months, and eight days. I served ten years, six months, and twenty-two days, for a crime of which I was innocent. I was paid five dollars at the prison, for which I gave a receipt; and at the request of Mr. Russell, the State agent, whose duty it is to aid discharged prisoners, I called at his office in Boston. I was asked" by him what he could do for me. " There are four things you cannot do," I replied. " You cannot pay my board bill, furnish me with railroad tickets, or buy clothes or tools for me. Whatever you do must be done in cash." He told me the State made no provision for assisting discharged prisoners with- cash only. He might be able to give me five dollars in money, and he could only assist me in a small way with the very things I said I did not want. " Very well, sir," I replied; and I bade him good day and was leaving the office, when he called me back and asked how much money I had expected to get. Would twenty dollars satisfy me ? " No, sir," I answered; " I would not turn my hand over for less then twenty-five." He then handed me thirty dollars, for which I signed a receipt. I left him, and returned to New York that night with the following discharge paper in my pocket: — Mo. .519 _.._ l^l?«f«^S, C>Wj<^^'I/'J/^^'v/^,?^<^^^ ^ho .is-held in the Slate 'Prison at (Boston, in the Covmiy of Si^olk, wpon a sentence, which will expire on lhe—.^£(ajlt:i^^, day of f <6-aAXJr.y i8^5. has, by good conduct during said -imprisonment, become entiUed to a -■deditclion of^Mjiif--.days,from the term of his imfrison'ment. in accordance with the provisions of Chafiter-azz ■of the Ptdlic Statutes; now,' therefore, we, the Commissione,rsof 'Prisons, by virtue of the authority conferred' upon us by said chapter, do issue to the said ■^-v'i.-^^jyf^' Ms permit to be of liberty during the remainder of said term of imprisonment, unless said permit shall, before its expiration, he revoked, or become void. The terms and conditions upon whifh this permit ii granted are as follows : 1. The person to whom It Is Isened shall not violate any law of this Conuuonwealth. S. ^e shall not lead an Idle or dissolute life, but shall use his utmost endeavors tb obtain an honest livelihood. 3. Ho shall not visit any bar-room, grambi Ingr-housei or house of lll-flime.or associate with persons ofnotorlouslr bad character, 4. He shall abstain fl*oni the use or Intoxication liquors* «. - - — .^ . iDated at 'Boston, this — ^.(.ty^riXZ-^ ^ day of. f of the transactions in which I had been interested; and for the next few weeks, at different times and at different places, I con- tinued this work. During all this time the police had not bothered me at all, the first communication I had with them after July 23 being the following note, dated September 12 : — Mr. Moore: — Will you please call on me this afternoon at 4.15 ? If you cannot be here at that time to-day, be here Monday next at the same time. Yours respectfully, BbSTJAMIN p. EliDRIDGE. On the fourteenth I called, and thinking that they might be contemplating a "Job" on me, since it was not at all unlikely that they might have heard of my intended exposure, I had a Herald reporter follow me and wait in the new court house until I came out. 656 LANGDON W. MOOBE. I found that my suspicions were groundless, however, for I was pleasai>tly received. . Chief , Eldridge again wanted to know what I was doing, and I replied that I was trying to get an honest living. I told him that I had made no plans, but that I thought I might do something as a travelling salesman for a safe firm. " If I had a chance offered me," I asked, " and an agent came to you and asked you what sort of a man I was — after I had given him my correct name, what I had done, and where I had been — do you think you wouldn't say some- thing that would back-cap me ? " " Well, I am certain I would like to see you get a position worth five thousand or ten thousand dollars a year ; but I don't know what other officers might say," he added, sug- gestively. Then he turned the subject with, "What do jQU think about staying in Boston ? " " Well, I think I am going to stay here," I answered, emphatically. " If there is a police regulation or law in Massachusetts to prevent me from being an honest man, I am going to find it. I shall remain in Boston." The Chief Inspector offered no objections, and we parted on the best of terms. On Saturday, the nineteenth of September, the Boston Herald published the first instalment of a series of articles containing my experiences with some of Boston's detectives in various local robberies. I had done my part ; it now remained for others to act ; and on September 23, four days after the publication of the first article of the series in the Herald, Private Detective George W. Chapman received the following letter from the Board of Police : — Sir : — I am directed by the Board of Police to notify you that in consequence of recent statements made in the public prints of this city concerning you, the board is of the opinion that you should not continue to hold a license as a private detective. You are therefore hereby notified to appear before said Board of Police, at its office, 7 Pemberton Square, at ten o'clock A. m., on Monday, the 28th inst., and show cause, if any you have, why the license now held by you should not be revoked. By order of the board, Thomas Eyan, Clerk. Five days from the date of the letter from the Board of Police, Mr. Chapman seiit a hot reply, in which he took exceptions to what he termed the "star-chamber proceed- ings" against him. The closing part of it read as follows: — MY LAST BtrsiNMSS WITH THM POLICE. 657 As I deem it idle nonsense, for reasons given, to appear before your pre-judging board, and claiming that you have not pursued the course required by law, and that you may be relieved from all diffi- culties, political or otherwise, that threaten you, I herewith hand you my license that the same may be cancelled. That ended the controversy. The Board of Police could not dispute Mr. Chapman's right to resign, and tlieir only- duty was to accept his resignation. Private Detective George W. Chapman thus became simple Mr. George W. Chapman. Within two weeks from the time of this resignation, or to be exact, on Oct. 5, 1891, the gentleman who ordered me to leave Boston sent the . following letter to the Board of Police : — I hereby request that I may retire and be placed upon the pen- sion roll of the police department. I am seventy years of age, and have been on the police, force for thirty-nine years. I am now dis- abled from doing active duty for the following reasons : On account of my age and bronchial troubles, etc. Cykus Small. This petition was referred to City Physician McCoUomf on that same date, and before night he had passed upon it favorably. On the following day the Board of Police approved the petition, and ordered Superintendent Small's retirement at a pension equal to one-third his salary as super- intendent — one thousand one hundred and sixty-six dollars and sixty-six cents per year. Matters did not end there, however. The papers had yet to pass through the hands of Mayor Matthews, who wanted to be satisfied on' certain points. On October 29 he returned the papers to the Board of Police with his signature at the bottom. Accompanying the paper was a note, in which he said that, having waited a reasonable length of time for a complaint without having received one, he approved them in accordance with an established precedent. I don't know whether or not he expected me to prefer charges against the old Superintendent, but I had no inten- tion of so doing. So long as he did not persecute me, I had no fight with him. On the morning of Monday, November 9, at 8.45 o'clock. Superintendent Cyrus Small lengthened his title by putting an " ex " before it. 658 LANGDON W. MOORS. On the morning of November 27, 1891, I was still in Boston, and made a call at police headquarters to pay my respects to the new Superintendent. He received me very cordially, and I have yet to receive any intimation from him or from his subordinates that my presence in Boston is in any way a menace to its institutions. I have sometimes been asked what I accomplished by my exposure. I can simply say, as I have said all along, that I accomplished all that I started out to perform. I simply intended to expose a thief, and, if possible, to cause his license as a detective to be revoked. This I believe I did, even if he did gain a lap on the police board by resigning. Whether or not what I have said had anything to do vdth the retirement of Superintendent Small, I do not think it would be proper for me to say. I have heard opinions expressed on both sides of this question, and I leave those who are interested in this subject to decide it for themselves. There is ^rx^ thing more for which I think I can justly claim credit, and that is for showing the police that if a man desires to live honestly, even though he may have been a criminal, it is out of their power to "railroad" him out of the city, if he has the courage to stand his ground. It has not been my intention, in writing this story of my life, to teach young men how to commit crime, but to prevent them from becoming criminals ; and for this reason I have given no illustrations of gambling-rooms or burglar's tools, fearing that it might incite them to a life of crime. There is no crime that can be committed without some unnatural move on the part of the person who commits it. Let business men learn this, keep their eyes open, and exer- cise their common sense when showing their valuables or the places where they are kept, and many robberies will be prevented. Honest police officials I have always respected, their de- tective ability I have admired ; but those who put up jobs and practised addition, division, and silence upon their unfortu- nate victims, I used and despised. Some have become famous, others notorious, and are never heard fromi after being retired to private life. MY LAST BUSINESS WITH THE POLtOE. 650 A few months after my discharge from the Maine State Prison, I was welcomed back into the old criminal life by " crooks " and " crooked " police officials, who expressed great sorrow at my misfortune. I was not asked by them if I was in want of anything, but was told that if I wanted to make some money they could put me on to a good bank job where I could make a million. I was more fortunate upon my release from the Massa- chusetts State Prison than I had beeii on the former occasion. Then I fell among thieves ; but this time I went among honest people, who, unlike the former, did by kind words and good advice what imprisonment, torture, and no other person had ever done before — caused me to experience a change of heart; and by their acts, as I alone know, did materially assist me to put away every desire I might have had to return to the old criminal life. I cannot find words to express how deeply grateful I feel for the many disinterested acts of kindness I have received at the hands of these kind-hearted and honest people ; but to them all I give as earnest, sincere, and heartfelt thanks as were ever felt by man. That they, and all who are near and dear to them, may live long, die happy, and never know the want of a true friend to the end of time, is the sincere wish of Lajstgdon W. Moobe. HV 62U8 R62 "^""""Moore, Langdon W Vol. U^don W. Moore Copy Date Borrower's Name \ \ \ \ \