The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-01-27

Nifhmunh pispatrb.
FRIDAY MORNING. .........J JAN. q, let


- q
FRIDAY MORNING. ......... JAN. p. ie6o
The Romance OF Crime.
Am.n known a. Colonel Cross, said to be-
,onx 10 the South, was brought to Philadel-
pbis ON Monday from Pittsburs, on bench
warrant, to answer one or more bills OF indict
mert. In witch ne is charged with forging bank
checks The American says:
A.. .mos, of our readers are aware, the banks
Of this city were vic,imized within a Few
months past to the extent OF nve Thousand
doll. rs BY means OF forged checks. As mat
Ter OF Conr,e the forgeries were 30 admirably
executed as to be literally fac stmi!es OF the
genuine signatures. The latter were ootained
by a person who purchased small bills OF
goods from different parnes, pslo q sum In OK +.
cess Of the bills, and under plausible prefext
that the goods were for other persons, obtained
a check Tor the surplus in order to mail IL 10
the persons whose commissions they were ex-
ecutinE.
The party who were combined in this ini.
oui,ous compact were named Edward Argen-
fine Adoiph Bishop, David Beach, and James
Buchanan Gross Argentine has silce been
convicted OF a similar offence At Richmoho,
and ls now commencing term OF pena! servi-
tude that must last for eight years: Bishop
was tried in this city, and sentenced Tor lsur
years to the Eastern Penitentiary Beach Is
In prison awaiting trial, and James Buchanan
.
night and brought here on Monday night
The parties have been travelling extensively
aud II is believed that their combined opera
lions in different cities nave amounted 10
splendid aggregate
Their mode of operating wac sys'emauc asd
husiness-iike. Bishop, alias Meyer, purchased
The goods by which the checks above referred
10 were Obtained. Cross, VINO Is the master
spirit OF the gang, did the writing, and Beach
drew the money. Cross is character. His
arrest is a most importent one. Since the
days of Monroe Edwards, no man possessing
| 20 ual talent has occupied the attention OF the
! poiice. In many respects he is even more dam
perous than WAS Edwards. The latter WAS
only "A Gentleman on the outside, thinIy var
nished. Cross is equally handsome In person,
while his address ana manners are purely
Ches ierfieldian. AS penman, ne Is not ex-
ceiled by any professional scribe III the coun-
try.
Ills first appearance before the authorities
was shortly after the conviction OF the great
forger, Huntingdon Of New York. After
Huntingdon's sentence Cross presen ted him.
self at Sing Sing with pardon for Hunting
don. which WAS forged. he was detained for
Il time and dispatch sent 10 the Governor,
who pronounced the pardon an imposture.-
The laws Of the State, however, contained no
provision covering this specific offence, and
Cross was set al liberty.
Previous to that time he had not excited the
suspicion of the police, though there now ap-
pears TO be little doubt that his operations
were cosmopolitan, and have been practiced
all over the country. He has Travelled all
over Europe, aud conyerses in manner en-
,ertaining to degree. Before going urther,
however, we give the following article from
the Pittsbnrg Chronicle Of Monday evening
"irresf Of a Notorious Forger.-One OF the mos;
important arrests that has been effected here
for years was accomplished in this city last
night, by detectives Wood and Schlemm, o1
Philadelphia. 1t appears that some three or
four weeks since a number of heavy forgeries
We're perpetrated on certain banks i'll Phila-
delphia and elsewhere, the aggregate amount
of which, We are credibly assured, falls bu,
little short of SlU0,0U0. The authorities were
promptly made aware OF the fact and after q
good deal of trouble. succeeded in ascertainin 8
that an individual named James Buchanan
dtias j. H. Cross, ALIAS j. Scretched, was the
principal operator in a majority OF the forge
ries reported. He left Philadelphia some time
ago, and learning on Saturday that he was
stopping i'll this city, officers Wood and
Schiemm were ordered hitiisr with a warrant
for his arrest. Arriving in sAis city yesterday
they waited on the Mayor, and after inform
ing him of the nature OF their business, he
promised them any assistance they might re-
quire in the accomplishment OF their OBJECT
The officers were not long in tracing aim To
one of our principal hotels, where with his
mistress, and a negro, purchased some time
ago 1T an expense Of $1,000, he was leading ife
of ease and luxury. Visiting the hotel, they
found the negro and the lady in their room,
apparently the happiest couple in the world
Both We're placed aHder arrest and the gen iie-
man himself making his appearance some time
after, he, too, was taken into custody. The
whole were then, with as little delay as possi-
bic, prepared for a journey east, and at three
O'Clock this morning, were taken to the cars
and hurried east as fast AS steam could carry
them.
The parties. it would appear came to the
city Oh the I'd of the present month, and have
been stopping here since. Cross, the princi-
pal, is a heavy-built man, with huge black
whiskers and an appearance OF undou ubte ed re-
"a q
altogether as fine. specimen of a solid, we'll
to do gen tloman as you could pick up any
where. The negro, whose name is Robert
Burnell, alias Smith, was nearly white, and,
like his master, dressed in tho very pink OF
fashion. 50 little of African blood had he in
his veins that he was regarded as white man
AT the hoiel, and IL was only after his arrest
that the proprietor discovered that the indi-
viduai on whom he had been lavishing such
attention for the past two weeks was neither
more nor less than slave. His master treated
him at all times As his equal. They visited
the restaurants III company, playing billiards
ogether. und associated At all times terms
Of perfect equality.
The lady Was Dy all odds the most interest.
ing of the three. Young and beautiful, she
dressed in style of magnficence that ren-
dered her An object of general attention on the
streets, and made her the cynosure of every
eye. Her crinoline WAS more expansive, her
cloak of a newer cut, and her dress OF richer
material, than the most fashionable OF our
city bellies, and wherever she appeared she
became the subject Of the most unq ualified ad-
miralion. She took her arrest very coolly
declaring with woman's devotion, that she
cared not for herself in the matter, but for him
whose happiness was the nearest and dearest
wish of her heart Her name is given as Cath
arine Ross, and i, is believed she halls from
the South She is most intelligent and inter-
estng woman, and it is pity her destinies
should be linked with those of a man charged
with the crimes impu ted to her protector.
Notwithstanding the number OF forgeries
attribu; led to Cross, but very little money Was
found with him when arrested, and nothing
laid to his charge. He had but $50, altogether,
and part OF that went to pay his bill at the
hotel. He said that one Of his accom- plices
had peached on him, and that it was through
this that his connection with the matter was
discovered. At all events, the officers say they
have a sure thing on him, and that his convic-
tion on three charges OF forgery, az least, IL
certain"
This statement is correct as far as it goes.
The slave in question 10 almost white. When
in Massachusetts some time ago, the aboli-
tionisis offered him a ticket by the under
ground railroad to Canada--a courtesy that he
refused without thanking those who offered
it. He informed his liberators that ii five
thousand dollars were offered him, in addi-
ton, he would decline it with equal earnest
ness. We saw him on Monday night. when
he repea ed the dec laration that nothing ecu Id
part him from his master He came to the
Station House and removed the baggage of
Mr. Gross. which consisted Of a number of
handsome trunks with canvas covers. When
Cross was first arrested the faithful fellow
offered, II his master were in need Of funds, to
20 direct TO Virginia and sell him self to procure
them--an offer for which we unders tand there
is no necessity The resources Of Gross are
ample lie had provided the sum of $l2O0O
for the purpose OF tour through Europe,
upon which he was about to start, and IL sup
posed 10 have accumulated q handsome COM
potency.
As to the lady who accompanied him, we
can endorse all that the Pittsburg man says of
hsr n nffrac auesS md 81 taa in n,