Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-08-12
A Son OF Lord Byron n Railroad Rob
her in Illinois.

mails, there occurred, not far from chicago
each time, several accidents in consequence OF
trains being thrown off the track, during which
the mail cars were broken open and the bag
robbed to a very large amount. The hrst OF
these accidents happened within six miles OF
the "Garden City," and was caused by the
Michigan Southern running into the Illinois
| Central mail train, if l remember rightly,
striking it at right angles, and not only cutting it
into two parts, but making complete wreck OF
| both trains.
The loss in every way was large, and the con-
| ductor and engineer were killed on the spot
| the former lying with his face upward close to
the mail car-whch it was atterward discovered
had been forced open and the gold and silver it
contained carried off. Mr.. Pinkerton, the great
western detective who was then beginning one
| of the most remarkable and successful careers
| known to police history was sent for to investi-
gate the robbery, and he discovered upon the
face of the dead conductor of the train che i'm
| print of nail head, such as was usually worn
| by English laborers in the soleS of their heavy
boots He then examined the ground, and was
| lucky enough to find complete imprint OF the
| sole of the left boot, containing double row of
nails, all of which were exactly like that on the
| conductors face. He made also another I'M
| portant discovery-that there were three nails
wanting in the impress on the earth, showing
that three must be also wanting on the sole of
| the boot that made it.
Mr.. Pinkerton's theory so far was this that
| the robber was in so great hurry to force
| open the mail ear that he set his left foot upon
| the face of the dead man without knowing it,
| thinking, no doubt, that it rested upon the
earth; and that one of the nails-"hob-nails" he
called them-having started from the leather,
was more prominent than the rest, and so left
its mark behind it, and with it secret clew for
the detective Unfortunately, before Piukerton
came on the ground, there had been so many
people about, that the earth was trodden down
hard in the neigbborhOod of the calamity, and
no bod No phanpp Of tracing tho holm lied bOOt
and discovering its owner.
He had made some important discoveries,
however, during this difficult investigation. He
had found out that the robber, whoever he was,
| wore boots nailed with hob-nas in peculiar
| form round the soes, with three nails missing;
and that the boots were of English make, and
the wearer of them, therefore, was probably an
EngliShman, and that the left boot had made the
impression on the face of the dead conductor
and on the ground. This was all the cew that
he had to the rObber; but, meagre as it was, he
did not despair of hunting down his quarry He
did not believe, however, that the collision of
the trains was purpOSely caused, but that it was
an accident, and that the robbery was sudden
evil inspiration on the part of the robber.
Eighteen months passed away, and Pinker-
ton, although always more or less on the watch,
had well nigh forgotten the hob-nailed boots,
when one fine morning he received telegraphic
dispatch which summoned him TO another ac-
cident which had just happened on the same
railroad, within twelve miles of the city of Chi
cago On his arrival he found O great concOurse
Of persons, officers and men, and passengers,
about the wreck, and he Immediately ordered
rope to be paved out and guarded by the COM
pany's servants while he made an examination
of the ground, and search for the hob-nailed
boots, if, by any chance, they might figure upou
this scene also. He first examined the locality
where the obstruction was placed that over
| threw the train, and to his great joy and sur
prise, there was the old boot mark with the
many hOb-nails, and full impression also of
| the right boot.
OF course he said nothing, but began to make
detours in all directions to see if he could pick
| up the retreating trail. He thought it most
| likely the man would go boldly towards the
village after he had laid his trap, and so he
| fastened on till he came to bit of grass lead
| ing to the main road on the heights above.
| Here he stumbled upon the footmark once more,
and proceeded right and left upon line with
this discovery, he found the advancing foot too.
| The grass, however, threw him off all further
| trail but he had proved that the same man who
/ had a hand in the previous robbery had planned
| the present disaster also; and better still that
| he came from and returned TO the village. Ow-
| ing to some accident elsewhere, this train was
| late by several hours. 1t was an early morning
train and the design clearly was to throw it
| off the lines and rob the mail, but it was de-
| feated.
Mr.. Pinkerton remained privately in the village
putting up at the chief hotel and passing for a
salesman of dry goods, for several weeks, max
ing observations and notes. He soon knew
everybody in the place, and had not been there
week before he began to suspect man who
was then absent, but who, when in town,
stopped at the hotel where he then lodged. A
short time afterward he returned, and Plnkerton
found that he was an Englishman, and began TO
look for his cloVen foot. But he did not wear it
| at the time he was introduced to him, and Pink
| erton reasoned that such boots as those hob
nailed pnnld nnlv no N renuisitioO in we
or dirty weather, and he began to pray that it
might rain. He kept a severe and close watch
upon the Englishman, and followed him always
when he could do so without detection.
A fortnight passed away, and the Englishman
began to exhibit signs of great uneasiness and
unrest. He was always going out at night, and
Pinkerton was always following him, and his
face was always turned toward the Railroad
upon which he was sure TO descend and make
examinations of the road for about mile and
half on both sides of the village. One day he
had received some letters from New York, and
Pinkerton watched him more closely than usual.
About quarter of a mile from the village was
a graveyard, on a hill which commanded the
railroad, and at dark the Englishman set out to-
ward this wild and romantic spot and Pinker-
ton after him. The night was cloudy, butte every
now and theu the moon broke out and lighted
up the lovely scenery.
10 PinkertOn's amaZement, he climbed the
fence of the graveyard, and sat there looking to-
wards the village, so that his shadow" had to
hide himself. Presently he jumped on grave,
and strobe along toward the middle of the GEM
etery, with Pinkerton still after him, but dodg-
ing behind the trees and gravestones. He could
hear him muttering to himself, and OCCASION
ally talking aloud, and he stole up to him as
near as he dared, and managed at last to creep
into vaulted grave close to him, one of the
side slabs of which had fallen down. The dew
was heavy and the grass so surcharged with it
that he was wet through; but he kept on listen
ing, and finally made out that he was reciting
4 Soliloquy from Lord Byron's Manfred" and
occasionally gesticulating wildly to the moon.
Was the man mad2 What remorse had brought
him here to vent itself in the terrible and dread
full lines of Manfred2 At length he drew out
his watch and tried to make out the time
Then he jumped over the fence and ran down
TO the railroad. He was evidently waiting for
somebody. For whom? Time would show,
perhaps, for Pinkerton still followed him. Once
he lost sight of him. Then he fancied he heard
voices, and hurried in the direction whence the
sounds prOceeded-and as he gained upon them
he found that his man was returning. So he
skulked again, and the man went over to the
churchyard. Here he stopped several times and
listened. What had he been doing? Had he
laid another trap for the overthrow of another
train? Ii was dreadful thoughts; and as it
struck him, the due train was heard in the dis
lance. On it came, and no one to warn the en-
gineer of the possible danger In anothe- mo-
on in the darkness.
Then with all his soul in his ears did the de-
tective listen, expecting crash every moment.
But it was not to be. The man watched it as it
fed past and then turned toward the village and
PinkertOn followed him back to the hotel He
was all this time in secret conference with the
superintendent of the railroad, who lived hard
by The next day, when Pinkerton called on
him, he showed him IL letter which he had re-
ceved from some one who said he knew the gang
that had thrown the last train overland that
they wanted to get him to JON them-ther OBJ
ject being to cause more accidents" before
long. He offered, for consideration, TO join
them and become spy on their actions for the
company.
Pinkerton advised the superintendent TO en-
ploy the man, STIMULATING that he should be al
lowed to come to the office while the conference
took place, in order that he might see him and
thus be able to identify him hereafter. He had
no doubt in his own mind who the man was.
He felt sure that he was the same person whom
he had followed so often and so long up hill and
down dale, and into the very jaws OF death And
SO it turned out. The man was engaged by the
superintendent, and was in correspondence with
a clerk in the postofflce in New York, whom
formed him whenever large sums were sent from
that Office west. This is a fact, however, which
transpired subsequently when all was over with
this very smart man who was so fond of playing