Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-04-05
THE BOND ROBBERY.
How Securities TO the Amount of One
and a Half Million Dollars were
Stolen from n Safe-Arrest of one Of
the FerpeIratOrs-Hef Is not Disposed
to Tell Where the Money Is.

and n Half Million Dollars were
Stolen from n ~Safe-Arrest of one oil
the FerpeIratOrs-Hei Is not Disposed
to Tell Where the Money Is.
The Newburyport Mass Herald ha:
an interesting accoun of the arrest oil
Horace Jones, supposed to be L of the
principals in the great bond robbery in
New York a few days ago. 1t says:
The party arrested is as fine a looking
man as we would desire to see. He has 3
splendid figure, some six feet high, well
proportional, and remarkably well devel-
oped. He is the picture of health, has an
intelligent face, q pleasing address is neat
in his apparel, and every way outwardly
commends himself to the observer. He is
thirty-nine years old, a native of New
Hampshire, where he had the benefits of a
good home, the example and advice of re-
spectacle parents who still live, the advan-
tags of a good education, and of a Chris
tian community. He is sadly wanting, of
course, in moral principle, but is not with
out affection for his parents.
When Jones had reached the age at
which young men wish to leave home, he
went to Manchester, n. H, where he work
de in a machine shop, and then removed
to Boston, and was honestly and honora-
bly, employed for years, but fell in with
~disreputable females; more money was
wanted than manual labor would give, and
another and criminal course wa adopted.
The police of Boston knew him as a
young man without visible means of sup
port, with plenty of money, and living by
his wits. So it ran on for many years,
when, for the crime referred to above, he
was arrested and imprisoned. He had
then attained a reputation in the fancy
circles as the most adroit man in his
=" profession in America.
Jones had been at liberty something
like a year, and had been in New York
some six weeks before the bond robbery,
looking about for a job. Information was
given him by parties whose names We
suppress to-day-men who were bound to
do exactly the opposite, concerning Mr..
Lord, and his loose name of business
that he had a large amount of money con-
stantly on hand, which he did not deposit,
but kept in his own safe at his office, 50
Exchange place. On this information he
set himself to working up the case, as the
detectives would have called it.. He fire.
quently visited Mr.. Lord, at which times
he talked chops" to the old gentleman,
representing himself as extensively en-
gagged in the hop business in Western
New York and Canada that through his
brother in Albany he had now got the
monopoly of the trade, and was DESTROYS
of leasing q store or an office for business.
1t was while he was talking chops
that an associate took an impression of Mr..
Lords keys. But these were not found
to work well, and the inside key TO the
safe was not reached. They were not
then aware that the inside door was I'M
fastened or they would have entered az
once, fer twice during the two weeks in
which they were talking hops to Mr.. Lord,
they had opened his Office in the day time
after business hours, and examined the
premises. They had the means of open
ing the outer door of the safe, which
would at once, had they understood its
condition, had given them the money.
Failing with these keys, it was debated
among them what other course to take,
and some of the party-there were four
in it-advised to seize and hold Nr. Lord
while others accomplished the robbery.
Jones objected he would consent to no
violence; he would take no such advan-
tage of a feeble old man, but suggested
that they go in and take the funds before
his very eyes, and in broad daylight. This
they accomplished as follows: One of
the party dropped into the office; he de-
to lease a store; and then the others
till they were all there. Jones, having
the gift of tongue" was to engage Mr..
attention, while one was to enter
the vault and hand some of the booty to
a companion, take the rest himself, and
the fourth was to open the door when
needed.
Accordingly, Jones sat down in front
Of Mr.. Lord, whose back was on his safe
the door open. He was earnest, and
excited the interest of the millionaire in
the shop business" Meanwhile one
thief was in the vault. He had ascer-
that the treasure was in two tin
boxes about a foot square, and two pocket
books. He passed one of the boxes to a
companion who was warming his hands
1t the CRATE fire, with his back to Mr..
Lord, and who kept the box in trent of
him. The other box and one pocket book
lie took himself, carrying it so as to bring
lis body between the treasure and its
owner.
At one time during this process, Mr..
Lord rOse as if he would look round; but
ust then Jones was more anxious than
'ver to obtain the lease Of his hop store
nd plead so eloquently that the venerable
lr. Lord sat down again without as
much as turning his eyes. 1t was AZ that
'ery moment that the fourth robber, pull
ng his valuable gold watch from his
rocket, recollected that he had engaged
o meet his business partner up town, and
nust leave; he would call again. That
ave occasion to open the door, and off
vent all the party but Jones and out
vent the boxes and pocket book. Jones
alked long enough to enable them to get
ut of reach, when he Joined them. The
iillion and a half dollars were carried
ut in broad daylight in their hands, in
ght of the crowd upon the street, in the
usiest hour of the day. 1t was there
re the boldest robbery as well as the
reatest ever committed.
The four men went on till they came to !
entryway, where they stopped and COW :
ed their booty, and then proceeded up !
to their headquarters near the Cen !
Park, where the boxes were opened :
Id their contents examined. Now it was =.
lat the robbers were more surprised at 2
lie amount of their ill-gotten gains than I
as Mr.. Lord the day following, when :
hop merchant forgot to call on him
his great loss. 1t was beyond all their
and their eyes glared and
chins dropped to find that they were =.
q biggest thieves in the world. Here /
ere the papers, loosed from their eonfne- i
ent, in stacks upon the table-national
'nds, state bonds, railroad bonds, private q
Ipers, and even the "last will and tesla !
ent of hat venerable broker, Rufus Il
Lord-still richer than any man in the D
ate of Observation-Disclosures on the L
rye Of eternity, having passed to the c
It score of his century, who might die in a
hour with the devisement Of his vast ID
tate ~unprovided for. "
SomeO of the party were so staggered that T p
sy began to ask what they should do !
tn it; and it was proposed to burn, or e
* in the harbor, all papers of little val y
to them, or difficult to dispose of. In u
air secluded quarters, at the still hour d
the night they met to determine their l,
lngements. Then it was that Jones. u
tongue was as persuasive with his u
as with Mr.. Lord, dissented. ~
he said . athouph the panars miob+ III