Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1871-08-25

/ after him, but lodging behind the trees and
! grayestones. lie could hear him muttcring
/ to himself and occasionally talking aloud and
| he stole up to him as near as he dared, and
managed at last to creep into Il 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 be
was wet through hut he kept on listening.
and finally made out that be was reciting
soliloquy from Lord Byron Manfred, 80
and occasionally gesuculating wildly to the
moon. Wes the man mad What rcm0rse
/ had brought him here to vent itself in the
/ terrible and dreadful lines of Manfred? 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 lie was evidently
/ waiting for somebody For whom? Time
would show perhaps, for Pinkerton sill fol-
/ lowed him. Once he lost sight of him.
/ Then be fancied he heard voices, and hurried
/ in the direction whence the sound proceeded
and as he gained upon them he found that
| hls man was returning. 50 he skulked
| again, and the man went over to the church
/ yard. Here he stopped several times and
| listened. What had he been doing2 Had
/ he laid another trap for the overthrow OF an
/ other train? Ii was a dreadful thought;
and as it struck him, the due train was heard
| in the distance. On it came. and no one TO
warn the engineer Of the possible danger In
another moment it rushed past them. and
went laundering on in the darkness
Then with all his soul in bis ears did tie
/ detective listen, expecting a crash every mo-
ment But it was not tc be. The man
watched it as it fed past and then turned
toward the village and Pinkerton followed
| him back to the hotel. lie was all this time
in secret conference with the superintendent
of the railroad, who lived hard by. The
sext day, when Pinkerton called on him be
showed him a letter which lie had received
] from some one who said he knew the gang
that had thrown the last train Overland
that they wanted to get him TO join them
their object being to cause more ''accidcnts'
before long. lie offered. for a consideration,
TO Join them and become a spy On their ac-
tions for the company.
Pinkerton advised the superintendent to
/ employ the man, stipgiaring that be should
| be allowed TO come to the Office while the
conference took place, in order that he might
zee him and thus be able to identify him
hereafter. lie bad no doubt IN his own
mind who the man was. lie felt sure that
be was the same person whom he had follow
ed 50 often and 50 long up hill and down dale,
and into the very Jaws of death. And 50 it
turned out. The man was engaged 10y the
superintendent, and was in CORES spOndence
with clerk in the post office in New y ork,
who informed hin whenever large sums were
sent from that Office west. This is a fact
however, which transpircd subsequently,
when all was over with this very smart man
who was so fond Of playing tie spy.
Mr. Pinkerton found that there was another
man also in league with the "spy'' and that
his work kept him chiefly in New York.
| PinkertOn now expected every day that there
would be a. smash-up under the
! pretense that the conspiracy called him to
/ New York, the spy ief, the Wes. and
was gone SO long that Pinkerton returned to
/ Chicago.
About three weeks afterwards. lie received
another dispatch TO 20 Immediately TO the old
station, his expectation being realized in an
other overthrow and robbery Of the mail
train. On his arrival he found the same
boot marks as in the former eases, and was
now satisfied that he had got the real crimi-
nal-lor behold he had returned TO the
hotel two DAYS before the accident occur
red, but he had the cunning to be ahed with
some other person all that night, that he
/ might establish an alibi, in case he was sus-
pected. But still there was no legal proof
against him. The boots never showed them
selves on his legs, and Pinkerton even over
hauled bis room in search of them. but with
out effect lie found out, however, that ne
/ had pair Of strong and black-greon boots,
which he wore on rainy DAYS, and Pinkert0n
resolved to lay trap for him on the next
wet day, which happened during the same
week that the accident took place.
His trap was this. lie persuaded the
/ superintendent TO lay down hne red sand
/ over all the paths to the Office, and then to
send for his SPY, hoping that he would come
/ in his hob nails. They had not long to wait
for expecting payment of money due to
! him for service not rendered, he came wrap
/ ped up in big coat, and having on those
/ very boots that had been 50 long mystery 70
/ the detective. This time there was no
mistake. The red sand was pitted all over
with the smallpox Of those tell-tale boots,
and now the reader VIII think there was
nothing to do but to arrest the man.
But what proof was there against him
| Vivid circumstantial proof in abundance
| legal proof none at all. Pinkerton had taken
the precaution to make perfect casts and
/ drawings OF the impressions in the earth;
and if he could get those boots into his pos
session he might manage to scare the owner
/ into confession. lIowcv er, he resolved to
get him over to Chicago, under pretense Of
setting him on the persons suspected OF hay
ing share in the late smash-up.
In this he was successful, through the
cooperation, of the superintendent: and,
strange to say, he carried his boots with him
on the train. Pinkerton now made up his
mind that he would have them by hook or by
crook. So at a midway station he got the
conductor, who knew the "spy," to invite
him to take a drink with him; and when
they were out together, those boots, in some
quiet way, found their way under Pinker-
toms carriage seat On the arrival Of the
train at Chicago, PinkertOn followed his man
until they got into quiet street and then
arrested him. charging him, point blank,
with throwing oyer,the two trains in question.
and also with the robbery Of the Michigan
Southern train, some two years before.
lie shook in every limb, turned CHASTITY
pale, and in half an hour had made full
confession of his crimes lie owned that be
and friend robbed the mail at the collision
between the Illinois Central and Michigan
Southern, and said that they went to Europe
and spent the money in eighteen months,
when they returned, designing to make
regular trade of throwing trains of the track
and robbing the mails. lie was tried and
convicted and sentenced to the jacksonville
peritentiary for life, where he died, after an
imprisonment of more than ten years.
such, as near as | can remember the fact,
is the story of these infamous transactions.
There is not a word exaggerated, although
am pretty sure that | may be inexact in
some Of the minor details. And who was
the criminal? What was the name of the
wretch who could thus harden his heart to
destroy his fellow creatures wholesale for the
sake of few thousand dollars? Reader, he
was a natural son of Lord Byron, and called
| himself George Gordon Augustus Byron.
His mother is said to have been Scotch
lady, living in Edinburg at the time of his
birth, and a Stewart by name. His accom-
plice was anephew ofSir Charles Napier.
There is no doubt about the truth Of the