The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-02-17
. The Concord, Bank Robbery:
A ARsmarkabIe Crime and q Remark
able Detestien--Eruth Stranger

"A AReInaekabteC Crime and Q Remarlk-I
able Deteetion-i-Truth Il Stranger
than Fiction. fyf 5iuoa m .ssaHT,l ,i
| &, sf,+ls7 From hte Ystg Pork -Post. !lf,:i y
1t has often been said that the same
amount of Ingenuity, perseverance and
industry-wh a rogue applies to the.
purpose of robbing his fellow. men, and
by which hejmakes, in! general, a very
poor and always a very hazardous
| tliYelihood, iwould, ifturned}to an hon
est pIrsaits ensure him Competency,
and often u fortune. This saying has
just had ~ curious rexemplitication in
the story OF one of the most. t.reinarkab
bank robberies on2record.
/ lOnf thel 2IthI of last September the
Bank of Concord, in Massachusetts,,
was robbed in open dayAof nearly
$500, 900 in seven-thirty bonds and other
national and Stateisecnrities, and sew
eral Thousand dollars lin notes. 4 The
cashier of the bank .dined between
twelve and two, and the doors were
locked during his sabsepce. To" effect
the robbery it was necessary to know
the cashiers habits, to possess keys un-
locking not less than eight doors, and
to take the chance, then, of finding the
safe-key left near the safe. The story
lof how this was done is one of the most
rental rkhble and curious weIemember
in the calendar ofcrime. Z ti0o1 ~ m
The, enterprise against the bank began
" "
cuted with secrecy and wonderful in
ldustry for eight months before it was
success full. It occurred to an English
burglar, passing through Concord, that
the bank would bea good place to rob.
He took for his eonfederate one Moore,
chasing some bonds in the bank, was
Ilthat'the sStfe-key was commonly laid
upon a shelf. ~ trheir, object was, next,
to gain access to tho bank, and they la
bored for fifteen nights to accomplish
this; that done they took Impressions
of The eight locks which barred their
way to the safe. From these impress
ions keys We're mqde, and when they
were all fitted. the. burglars stood one
night before the safeTonly to find that
the safe-key was not on the shelf, but
probably in!the cashiers pocket.
They were disappointed but not dis
heartened; They determined to blow
up the safe and Selected the'time OF the
equinoctial storm for this work, hoping
that the noiseh of the uruinl and wind
| would drown that of the explosion,
They procured dIills, and other neces-
sary instruments; and they shrewdly
proposed to oiitover the safe with wet
blankets, and to let down the windows,
and set tajartheldoors of the bank thus
they thought the shock would not be
perceived beyond the building. But
once more they were disappointed-the
equinog tiqal storm passed without rain;
and thus this second plan was spoiled.
They now determined to effect the
robbery by daylight. A spy was set
upon The cashier his movements were
ascertained, and the robbery was fin
ally completed. Shortly after noon, a
wagon stopped a few doors below the
bank. A man presently walked up to
the bank door, unlocked it.. went in,
locked it behind him, and after short
time came out, relocked the door, and
| went his way up the street. The wagon
soon after was driven off down the
street; and that was all that was seen
by any one, of the robbers. 1t is said
that little girl stopped the chief burg
lar as he was unlocking the bank door
and asked for the cashier; heinformed
her coolly that the cashier would not
return underan hour. While the burg
lar was within, a stranger for some
time knocked at the door, but received
no answer.
Now came the turn of the detective
police, who have displayed, in ferretiug
out the burglars, as much ingenuity
and patient perseverance, as the rouges,
they have just caught. There was alb
solutely no clue to the affair; the rob
traces behind. The servants of the
bank were ut first suspected, but close
observation relieved them. Then it
was remembered by Detective Jourdan
that one Moore, notorious for his skill
in erasing and altering numbers on
bonds, lived in Framfngham, fourteen
miles from Concord, and this lucky re-
collection fastened suspicion upon the
right man. Detectives were sent to
Framing m,Ewho returned with tale
that Moore had gone away, but that he !
had been i'll, for some months. BY this
shrewd1 report ho turned suspicion
away from himself. He was searched
for, sYainlYi in Canada and in haunts
further South. ~, f.-..-.s,7f arr
At last it was ascertained that one
Bouton was communication with
Moore, ., Boutonis movements were
watched Constantly from the end of Oc-
tober to the 18th Of January, without
agailsa Thenthe detectives, out OF pa
thence, determined, to, arrest him. He
was seized, and luckily a quantity sof
counterfeit money was found upon him. |
Bouton was threatened and cajoled |
until he confessed that one Kinney
could tell W ere Moore was hidden. |
Kinney was trappedia and on a promise |
that he slIould not be prosecuted, told |
where Moore lay concealed. The chief /
burglar was found living in hand |
some villa on, the Delaware, twenty, |
house and outbufldings nearly two |
hundred thousand dollars, worth of the |
stolen bonds have been discovered.
Thus the, officers of Justice proved |
/ more than q match Tor an ne4traQrdlna-
'rilyadroit and patient rogue, who, as |
the reward of "a years's dangerous and |
IdiiIicult Dor, viii be sent to State |
prison for the greater part of his ife.f
.' yifilts lol5i.ss hrnI
THE Union and EmancipationS Society |
of Nfanc hester, England, which has adj
vocated our cause so warmly during |
the war, has dissolved, its great work /
having been accomplished. At the final |
meeting Prof! Co Twin Smith gave an |
address on HThe Civil War in America" |
We make the following extract from ii:
"of tyranny of opinion, no doubt
therewFf t9o much fip america, and
yet learnt the highest of moral lessons |
l-perfect respect for conscientious diff /
ference of opinion. But the tyranny Il
of opinion inJAmeficA, ,ein5 the midst of /
a dangerous civil war, appeared to /
him very like the freedom of opinion |
which other countries enjoy ips time. Of /
perfect peAee. After-the 'anafchy there
was of course to be military despotism.'
Yet not a shadow of military despotism /
fell ON the scenej not a thought of |
treason-sp far as aPpeared-ever en-
tefsd d generals mind; and when, on n.
single occasion, a victorious com1nand- /
er stepped beyond a generate province,
and entered upon political negotiationsy /
his soldiers; though he was their idol,
showed at once that they had been citi-
zens before they were soldiers, Hear, |
hear.Ji Those soldiers, as had been
Justly remarked, had been readers, and
when men were readers it was difficult
to use them as preetorianS or zouaves.
f5hsers.f The fears, natural as they |
were, of the predo ominance of the milf