The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-09-22
The King Of forgers.
The Last Voyage orNIcDonnell, the Bank
ofEngIand Bond Robber.


ofEngIand Bond Robber.
The attempt Of the Bank Of England
forgers to break Jail in the old country,
has called attention again to those
worthless, whose sentence is penal SER
yitude fol life.
Two years and ten months ago Nc.
Donnell left the N. Y. with capital Of
twenty thousand dollars. Before that
time lie had served d term in Sing Sing
for forgery ahda shoft term In on East
ern prison for the same. offence. I'm
mediately before his departure he had
been arrested for giving u forged order
on dry goods house, in conjunction
with an accomplice. Instead Of going
to Europe, as is generally supposed,
Mcdonnell started for Vera Cruz. Here
he lodged d portion Of his money and
obtained letters Of credit on house in
Rio. p.
He nexts sail for the latterport and
introduced himself to some OF tile banks
there by deeositinS small amounts Of
money. He represented himself as d
gentleman travelingIi in South America
for pleasure. From Rio he iourneycd
in and crossed the Andes, and after Wis
iting Lima and other ports along the
western shore lineh prepared TO return
10 Rio, having meantime lodged d few
thousand dollars in eachplacc, for which
he received letters Of credit. Having
provided himself with thesehe returned
TO Rio, where he met Bidwell, who had
Just como from HAVANA on q similar
mission, and tho worthy pair Of broth
ers smiled for England.
On the passage the letters Of credit
wcre successfully manipulated and q
credit OF fifty thousand dollars waS
easily raised on the paper they held
with which to commence the banking
and brokerage business. These letters
OF credit first gave the Rsthschild con-
fidence in Mcdonnell, who had so ar.
ranged his deposits that the letters oi
credit could not beveriaed by telegraph.
Tho swindlers had onlya limited time
to run and yet Immediately after his
arrival in London Mcdonnell was stric.
ken down with sickness, and was con.
fined TO his bed for six weeks, every day
Of which was most precious to him. HC
had scarcely recovered when the firm
was started, and the remainder Of the
story has been told in the courts. Sim
Pile carelessness in sending in q raised
check without n date aroused tile suspi
cion OF tho Bank OF England officials
and burst the "bubble." Bidwell had
ordered o magnificent trunk for his yoy'
ago to South America when the explo.
sion came, and in q few days more the
swindlers would have bade England
goodby for ever with six hundred thou
sand dollars between them. II is be
lieyed by the detectives that Med
gavo large sum OF money to a young
German woman on his last voyage t
New York. When he was seized she
managed to get away with the crowd
and has not since been heard from
McDonnell's magnificent dressing case
worth FIVE hundred dollars, is still il
tho Sheriffs office in New York, under
attachment.
Some tlme time before he wns extra
dicted Mcdonnell was asked by one o.
tho keepers Of Ludlow Street Jail, who
stood guard over him:
Mac, what can they give you on the
other sido?"
"Anythtng from two years and hal
TO life," was the answer "but Il
they get me there you can bet I'll gel
At this time he did not expect that ht
would be extradited. 1t is said that ht
was quite chivalric in his notions OF for
gerry. He would never forge the name
Of poor man or o poor corporation. Il
Is said that he was 80 mArvelouslJ
expert that he had only to get glance
at any handwriting to successfully coun'
terfeit II.