Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1875-11-08
A ROGUE's CAREER
THE BANK RonpER MILES.

berry was committed through the conni- \
vance of the cashier'a that time, and .
the President of the bank at the date of .
its failure that the cashier organized .
the robbery of the Ocean National Bank
that the tools used by the burglars were
purchased with the banks money, and
that the cashier actually aided and abet-
ted in the crime.
George Miles the Barre Bank robber,
has been identified as one of the robbers
who broke into the bank in Concord,
n. H. To many old detectives and 9th
ers. says the New York SIN he is known
as one of the Washington safe conspir-
acy burglar, and as one of the opera
tives in the great Ocean Bank robbery.
This smart rogue's speciality was bank
robbery, and as a bank robber he is rec
ognized as an expert. He is a native of
Massachusetts,. His name is supposed
to be George White George Bliss,
George Myers, George Hicks, George
King, George Williams, George Miles
and George Morton, arc the names that
he has assumed at different times.
Mlles's first conspicuous crime was
the robbery of bank in New Hampshire,
about ten years ago. His confederate
in the job was Max Shinburne or Mark
Shinborn, who was with him in most of
his undertakings. The safe was blown
open and the securities were stolen from
it. White escaped, but Shinburne was
caught and sentenced to prison for a
long term of years. White helped him
to escape before he had been a fortnight
in prison.
The practice of wearing masks as
disguise, and of robbers calling each
other by number instead of by name du-
ring their depredations, was introduced
in bank robberies by White In 1867,
he and four others robbed the Bowdoin-
ham Bank in Maine, of 100000. He
and his accomplices went to the residence
of the cashier late at night, and after
binding and gagging his wife and the
other inmates of the house, compelled
the cashier to accompany them to the
bank and open the safe. They all wore
masks and addressed each other as num-
Der one, two, three. four and five. In
telling the story of their raid, the cash
ier and his wife said that the leader,
White, behaved like gentleman while
he was in the house. Rory" Simms,
Edward Mcguire, alias FAIRY" Ma
guire, and one Bartlett, were arrested
for the robbery, and are each serving
out fifteen years sentence in Maine.
White was kept out of the way of the
Eastern detectives by influential allies.
Whites greatest exploit was the rob
berry of the Ocean National Bank. In
May, 1869. an office in the basement
under the bank at Fulton and Green
wich streets, was hired and the words
Insurance Office, Newbomb & O'Neil, .
were painted over the door. From that
office White and Shinburne and one or
two assistants worked for a month, tun-
nelling their way to the bank above
Between Saturday night, June 27, and
the next Monday morning, the bank was
robbed Of half million dollars in bank
notes, greenbanks and securities. The
robbers broke and opened three massive
iron doors. supposed at the time by the
bank directors to be fire and burglar
proof, to reach the inner vaults in which
the safes were. The first door was fast
ened with a combination lock that turn
ed FIVE separate bolts This was opened
with false key. When the robber:
got to the second door they found the
key to it suspended from hook in the
wall, and they used it to unlock The
door. They attacked the third dooi
with coppered hammers and cold CHS
els. and made hole large enough t.
admit an instrument for purchase t.
the jack screws With this implement
{ the door swung sufficiently to loosen tn,
bolts, after which it few open.
The robbers first tried to blow opeT
the big safes that were in the vault, bu
, they failed in this, and then went t
work with jimmies, cOppered mallets
thread screws and other tools. TbeJ
tore the doors all to pieces with thest
; implements They found more moBel
) than they could carry of. Thirty thou
: sand dollars was left on the floor. where
they had scattered it. In the Office tha
had been rented by them was discovered
large lot of disguises. aud small ar
{ mory Of weapons. Noarrests we're mad
? for the robbery, for the reason, accord
5 ing to popular rumor that the robber,
r was planned by police officials wb
screened the culprits.
The names Of White and Shinburn
4 have never before been publicly men
! toned in connection with the robbery
q although it has long been known tia
n they were the robbers. Some time al
e ter the occurrence. late SuperintendeI
b Of Police. then the captain Of dow
5 town station, recovered one hundred al
. fifty thousand dollars Of the stolen &