The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1857-11-17

! The details OF this aUdacl0uS ROBBERY nav
| already been published and after being
tracked for long time. and through man,
places, its perpetrators have at last beer
! captured. and are now awaiting trial before
the Court of Assizes in Nova Scotia. They
are three in number, and their names art
Phil Stanley. Jack Rand and Bell Smith.
These three men, apparently. are none
of your small, vulgar rascals. They dis.
! play the trophies of no less than sixteen
memorable achievements, OF which each oi
them boasts and whether they exaggerate
the Importance and recklessness of these
from a love of boasting, we will not stop
to inquire.
The leader of this trio is Phil Stanley
alias Phil Sandford, who prides himself
upon being one of the most artful Williams
in Christendom. He was born in England.
and is over thirty-two years old. His
manner is affable and quiet. yet he is a very
devil in hardihood. and gifted with almost
unparalleled inesse. He has the eye of q
Lynx, the subtlety of a cat, the quick decis-
ion of consummate general. and a force of
execution which sets all obstacles at def
ance.
He first became known on this contine ent
in the city of Buffalo, where in a single
night he committed three burglaries. He
was arrested for the crime, tried, convicted
and sentensed to nine years and nine months
Imprisonment. Unfortunately, his sentence
was soon after commuted, and, true to his
instincts, he hastened to deserve another.
This fellow is aristocratic in bis trade.
He entertains hearty contempt for small
rascalities. and aspires to great projects
and achievements. Scarcely had he got
out of prison when he planned a grand en-
terprise against the Milton Bank, at Dor
cester and one fine morning that institu-
ton missed $4,000. Having succeeded in
this great project, he carried on his opera
tions in Albany. Rochester, Buffalo and
Springfield; sometimes alone, and some
times with his associates. But in Buffalo
the bird was Gagged the second time; the
Grand Jury found bill of indictment, and
he was sentenced to the Auburn State
Prison for another period of nine years and
nine months.
In the meantime Phil had married the
widow of Jew, who kept an obscure hotel
in the city of Albany. When he found
himself second time under the restraint
of iron bars and locks he set his genius
to work to devise the means of recovering
his liberty. He drew up petition to the
Governor of the State for his pardon, sign
cd by all the employees of the prison, and
having counterfeited the signature of the
Judge. sent it on to Governor Seymour.
His excellency was ensnared by the trick
lie promptly sent on an order for his re-
lease. and in few days Phil found himself
outside the prison walls. The fraud was
afterwards discovered, and officers were dis
patched to find the criminal, and after a
long and fruitless search. they listened to
the proposals of his wife, who agreed to
discover his whereabouts upon certain con-
ditions. The bargain being consumated,
Phil got off with two years and six months
confinement. This inadequate punishment
only whetted his instincts, and gave him
new faith in his lucky star; and he soon
after robbed the Windham county Bank of
$4,000. He next turned his thoughts upon
Canada, and went to Montreal, where he
committed many robberies with impunity,
among others one of thousand dollars
from the Office of the Grand Trunk Rail
road. A police officer, getting q clue to
his proceedings, tracked him to Blffalo,
where he succeeded in capturing him. He
was locked up for two or three months. and
then let off for want of sufficient evidence.
After getting rid of this annoyance thus
he went to New York. where
his wife was then living. Scarcely had he
stepped out of the cars when this adora-
Bile creature demanded a fur mantilla.
Could he refuse such request to loving
angel who had turned aside the prisoned
arrows of justice, aimed at his devoted
head ? The thing was not to be thought
of; though Phil had not the funds, be as
sured he was not the man to spoil his
dignity by pilfering SO petty thing. To
relieve himself of the embarrassment, he
signalized the night of his visit to the
Metropolis by breaking into store and
stealing a quantity of rich furs, but he
had not obtained the article ready made;
he had only taken the raw materials and
though the skins were magnificent his wife
upbraided him in no gentle terms for this
oversight. "They must do" said Phil;
''they must be made up" They were ac-
cordngly sent to furrier where, as luck
would have it, they were seen and recog-
nized by the lawful owner. and Phil was
arrested when he called for the article.
$50 it has often happened" philosophi-
cally remarked poor Phil, on his way to
the Tombs; .'these cursed baubles of wo-
men have often ruined great men," But
he did not content himself merely with
giving u.terance to the maxims of wisdom;
but while on his way to that venerable
penalinstitution he slipped from the officers;
outstripped them in the race, escaped from