St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1871-09-01
-1drcHtHI'fS Of Il Bcfrcfirr.

! HOW \ RAILROAD TIL Nix EoEEER WAS
TEACkEp AND CAITIEEp.
/ Many years a"o, when western rail
road travelling was not the safest in the
world, and when all moneys due from
/ the East III payment for western produce
had 10 hc sent in cash 10y the mails.
there occurred, not far from Chicago
each time, several accidents in conSe-
qucncc OF trains heinz thrown oil the
track, durin" which the mail cars were
broken open and the bags robbed To Il
very laryc amount The first of these
accidents happened within six miles OF
the "Glrdcn City" AMI WAS caused by
the Michigan Sonthcrn running into the
Illinois Central mail train, if remember
/ rightly, striking it at right an9lrs, and
not only cutting it into two parts, but
maxim" Il complete wreck of both trains.
The loss III every way wa! lar"r, and
the conductor and engineer were killed
ON the >pot-lhe former lying with his
face upward close TO the mail car-which
it WAS aitcrward discovered had been
forced open and the geld and silver it
contained carried of. Mr.. Pinkcrton,
the Great western detective, who was
then lcginning rne Of the most remark
able and successful careers known 10 po-
lice history, was sent Tor 10 investigate
the robbery, and he discovered upon the
face of the dead conductor of the train
the imprint of u nail head, such as was
usually worn by Eugli-h laborcr< in the
Sulis OF their heavy boots. lie then cX-
amincd the ground, and was lucky
enough 10 find a complete imprint of the
sole Of the left boot, containing Il double
row OF nails, alI OF which were exactly
Ike that ON the conductors face. lie
made also another important discovery
that there were three nails wanting in
the impress on thc earth, showing that
three must he also wanting on the sole of
the boot that made it.
Mr. pinkcrton's theory 80 far WAS this
that the robbcr was in 80 Great Il hur-
~ to force open the mail car that he set
his left foot upon the face OF the dead
man without knowin" it, and thinking,
no doubt, that ii rested upon the earth
and that one Of the nails ''hob- nails"
hc called thcm-having started from the
leather, was more prominent than the
rest, and 50 left It's mark behind it, and
with it secret clcw for the detective
Unfortunately, before linkcrton came on
the nruund, there had been 80 many peo-
pie about, that the earth was trodden
down hard in the ncighborhood Of the
calamity, and he had no chance Of trac.
ing the hob nailed boot and discovering
lis owner.
lie had made some important discov-
cries, however, during this difficult in
vcstigation. He had found out that the
robbcr, whoever he was, woIc boots
nailed with hob nails in Il peculiar form
round the solcs, with three nails miss
inc and that the boots were OF English
make, and the wcarcr 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 ail the clcw that
lac had To the rubbcI but meager as it
was, hr did not despair OF hunting down
his quarry. lie did not believe, how
ever, that the collision OF the trains was
purposcly caused, Tut that it was an ac-
cidrmt, and that the robbery WAS il sud
den evil Inspiration ON the part OF the
robbcr.
Eighteen months passed away and
Pmkerton. although always more or less
on the watch, had well-nigll forgotten
the hob-nallcd boots, when one fine
morning hc received IA tclcgraphic dis
patch winch summoned him 10 another
accident, which had just happened on
the same railroad. within twelve miles of
the cIiy oi Chicago. On lis arrival he
iound 4 %rcat roncourse of persons, oili-
GERS and men and passengers, about the
wreck, and lac Immediately ordered IL
rope 10 be payed out and guarded by the
company's servants while lac made an
examination of the ground, and search
for the hob nailed boots, if, by any
chance, they might figure upon this
scene also He first examined the local
ity where the obstruction was placed
that overthrow the train, and, to his
rrpat lnv and SururiSp there was tho OH