Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1861-02-15

person most fitted for detecting any class Of
criminals.
The operations in the case Of the Express
robbery perhaps illustrates as well any the
course they pursue, and short account may
not be uninterestng, in connection with the
late trial, though it would be impossible to go
into all the details. In the first place some
one outside Of the force was sent upon the
ground Of the robbery, TO collect all the "out-
side" facts be could Upon these facts, Mr..
Pinkerton set himself 20 study the pr0bdbid-
ties in this case. II will be seen 20 have been
a difficult one. when it is known that all the
employees Of the road, including Stebbins,
had been examined and exonerated, and that
the Company had offered a reward Of $4,000
for the apprehension Of the rogues, the bold
ness Of the deed having convinced the COM
pany that some professional thief done it.
Having examined the facts. Mr.. Pinkerton
sited the matter down to this that some
one connected with the train must have had
hand in il, and from the csidence in the com
pdny's examination, q lat 8os.ssen Stcbbins
and the conductor of tho train. But, Mr.. p
argued it could not have been the conductor
who, if he had any propensity to steal, he
could do 80 in fares from the company He
fastened upon Louis, and from the complica-
tions in the robbery, saw that be must have
had associates, who could most easily be dis
covered through him.
A detective was put upon MIN first to dis
cover what were his general habits and what
society he kept. This revealed an unusual
difficulty to commence with. The difficulty
Of the investigation depends great deal up
on the number Of a suspected party's associ-
ates. 1t was found that Stebbins was a coun-
terfeiter, and was in the habit Of frequenting
2. houses Of ill-fame. which crimes, having moth
ing to do with this case, only served to throw
obstacles in the way. from the number Of con-
hdants they noce sarily gave him. Five
shadows, as the detectives term themselves
were then put upon his track--two in New
1 York, one ostensibly employed on the train
with him, one somewhere on the route, and
/ one in Boston. He was "shadowed' thor
oughly from his house to the depot in Bos-
ton, and on his arrival again from the depot
to his house or to his various haunts On
the train. his every movement was known
When he arrived in New York, a shadow took
him. traced him to the hotel. or to the va
rious places Of resort He quickly suspected
something. They had followed him 10 the
house of Roberts, in New York, several times.
Stebbns one day saw the shadow follow him
and expostulate with the suspected indiyidu-
al. OF course the shadow was ignorant Of all
suspected intentions About the same time
he suspected something wrong in Boston. At
the depot. on Washington street up TO his
very door to the saloons, the same pair Of
eyes was upon him Being man of fine ap-
pearance, on the Sabbath as he paraded about
f town, Stebbins took offence, and resolved to
face the intruder, So, procuring policeman
to keep sight of him to save him from person
al violence, he tuined abont and accosted the
shadow very abruptly one day, with What
( are you following me for :'i~ fhF-shados ~as
very much 1stoHished at this sally. and de-
, manded to know very grayely # Stebbins in
tended to rob him, and what was his name :
Stebbins was rather coniounded at the man
ner Of his shadow, and probably concluded
that his fears were only the result of CON
scous guilt At first he had been very care
ful about spending money or talking But,
becoming reassured, he began to let himself
ont. They followed him more frequently TO
the house Of Roberts and to suspicious places.
1t was necessary however, TO make frequent
changes of shadows. Strong suspicious cen
tering upon the Roberts brothers, a room
, next to Samuel's house was taken and occn-
pied by the detectives, aud every movement
of the suspected parties was watched.
1t may be as well to state that during all
j this shadowing other parties were watched
aud followed up. 1t is always necessary for
, them to feel their way and to leave not even
, the faintest mark Of guilt uninvestigated L.
/ Though they found many criminals in other
directions, none could be implicated in this
) after fair shadowing. The books of the de-
, tectives would show curious record for some
, parties who little suspect that their private
i history has been written.
Tine passed till in the month of July, Steb-
bins had a furlough. 1t was necessary to
watch him more sharply and into new chan
/ nels. He had not entirely got rid Of lurking
fears of being followed for purpose. lie
would take unusual paths aud by-ways to ar
A rive at his destinations; he would jump on
aud off the forward platform of the horse cars
e while in full motion, and would sometimes
take a carriage and order it driven very rap
idly, so that it was with the utmost difficult
ty that he could be followed. During his
fulough, Stebbins visited New York. 1t was
then for the first time, still tracking him, he
= was found in company with Kinney, at the
Y latters place. Stebbins also paid visit TO
, Maine about this time. He was shadowed to
Gardiner, Hollowell. Augusta, Togus Springs,
ana other places Whefe III coulu DC upHe' ne
. got acquainted with railroad conductor in
) Watervile from whom the shadows learned
5 that Stebbins had gisef the impression that
he was conductor of a New York train. Eve
e ry move of the shadowed party was carefully
, written in the ubiquitous note book-eyon
4 the money he spent and where he spent it,
{ Coming back from the tour in Maine. the
, shadows were with him in Boston and New
, York and upon the train, also studying, in
e unaccountable ways, the life and associations
Q Of Kinney and the Roberts brothers.
Soon after the five hundred dollar bills
g we're returned to the Atlantic Bank and were
E traced through the Union Bank at the Alfred
5 Bank. A description of the party who had
e changed the money in Alfred in company with
: Andrew Roberts, was obtained from the cash
e. ier of the Bank. 1t was put into the hands
a Of the shadows. and proved to be complete
e picture of Kinney. although he had gone
n there under the name of Baker. Now light
+ began TO beam upon the case it was neees-
: sary TO work faster and bolder from shad-
t owing them as strangers they must produce
, an effect as friends it was necessary to gain
f their confidence. Mr.. Bangs, who seemed to
have direction Of siairs in New York there