New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-04-08
A Famous Forxer.

alias Walter Stewart. a,las Charles II. Raj
eton, by Detective Robert A. PinkertOn, of
PinkertOn's national detective agency, in
this city, on Wednesday night, nearly closes
and fIrger in this country, aud disposes of
the last of the famous gang OF forgers
which, under the Leadership of Andrew j.
Roberts, almost disrupted the Wall street
market in the eummer of 1873. The cap
ture of this celebrated criminal may solely
be attributed to the efforts of District At
torney Phelps, Detective Pinkerton and
Mr.. William w. Hewitt, the counsel en-
p!oyed by the banking concerns vic
timized by the forgers. In order to prop
erly understand the causes which led to
the arrest of Sheridan, rapid rehearsal of
tho facts connected with the history of the
gang Of forgers which introduced the
scheme Of robbery becomes necessary.
When, in 1872. the gigantic forgeries on the
Bank Of England we're planned in this city,
the original subscribers to the capital
necessary to carry on the operations are
stated by Detective Pinkert0n to have been
| Walter Sheridan. George Wilkes. Andrew
j. Roberts. and Frank Gleason. Sheridan
| and Samuel Perry, another clever operator,
| went to Europe, and finding that George
Mcdonald and Austin and Biron Bidweli,
/ who had charge of the matter in England,
/ were associati0g with disreputab.e women
| in the Argyle and Barnes, in London,
they at Once withdrew their capital in
| the caterprise aud returned to this city.
| Perry taking passage under the name OF
| Morgan. aud Sheridan under the alias of
! Charles II. Ralston. George or Gottlieb
| Epgels, another famous fOrger filled Sher-
| idan's place in the combination, and he in
| turn deserted Mcdonald and the Bidwells.
and they we're left to accomplish the for
geries alone. They failed, and, on coming
| to this country, were arrested by Detective
| Pinke! ton, and are now serving life sem
| occasioned by the failure of the Bank of
England forging scheme, gigantic COM
| binatlon was formed among the remaining
members Of the party in this country
Plates we're prepared and false bonds
issued and sold in the market Of the New
York Central railroad, the Buffalo and
Erie railroad, the Chicago and Northwest
railroad. the California and Ore
gon railroad, ths Union Pacific rail
road, the Tcbo and Nsosho rail
road. Allentown school fund bonds and
Erie Water Loan bonds. As nearly as cac
be estimated, the total amount of the bonds
thus forged reached the amount Of $780, :
600. The forged writing on them is c q med
to have been done by George Engels, un-
doubtedly the most accomplished forger in
| y
tion is already well known. Andrew Rob
erts and Gleason, arrested by Detective
PinkertCn, by the efforts of District AttOr-
new Phelps, are now in Ludlow street jail,
on ciyi. suits for damages. and liable to be
rearrested IN criminal process. Blaisdell,
Lambert and Olmstead, who were minor
actors, are under heavy bail to appear
when called on; Stephen Raymond, one of
! the men who IL aid down" part of the bonds
| in Wall street. is in State prison in neigh
boring State; Williamson is in the Tonbs.
| awaiting trial on forty different indict-
ments, to which he yesterday pleaded not
| rn,lty. and the arrest of Sheridan closes the
career of the party except Engels, who is
supposed to be in South America, q fugitive
from justice.
| The career of Walter Sheridan is most
| wonderful! one, considering the lite Of an
ordin ary criminal as a comparison. Sheri-
dan is now thirty eight years Old. he was
| born in New Orleans of respectable
/ parents, and received a very fine educa-
| tjoa. He is about five feet seven inches in
height, weighs sbong los pounds, has light
complexion, blue eyes. light hair, sandy
musfache and beard, and is OF a gentle
manly address. Hs has friends at San
dusky, Ohio, and his wife and one child
live at Hudson Michigan. When mere
boy he drifted into crime, and made his
I
a criminal sn Western Missouri as
q borse thief about sixteen years
ago. He then became an accom-
plished general thief and confidence man,
but especially distinguished himself as a
bank sneak In 1853 he was arrested in
company with Joseph Moran, noted West
ern robber, for bank robbery in Chicago,
convicted and sentenced to five years in
| the Alton penitentiary, which term he
| served. The uext operation of any magni-
tude in which he was concerned was the
| rohhery of the First National Bank of
! Sprinpfie!d, Illinois. in company with
| Charles Hicks and Philip Pearson. Sheri-
den held the teller in conversation while
| Hicks and Pearson crawled through win
dow and stole S35. 900 from the vault. Pear
son escaped to Europe, Hicks was arrested
and sentenced to eight years in Joliet prison,
and Sheridan Was subsequently arrested
| in Toledo, Ohio. by Detective William Pin
kertor. with So, ,0C0 in his possession. He was
placed on trial, but the jury acquitted him.
! Ha vas then concerned in the sneak rob-
| bery Of the Maryland Fire Insurance Com
pany, OF Baltimore, by which the thieves
secured $l2O. coo in bonds. His next effort
was the successful robbery OF the Mer-
chants and Mechanics Bank Of Scranton,
| Pennsylyauia, by which $37 GOO in bonds
were secured by Sheridan, Little George
Corscn. and another. Then came rob-
bery Of a bank in Cleveland, Ohio, by
| which $4,000 was carried off by jesse
Allen. James Griffin, Joseph Butts, and
| Sheridan. Allen and Griffin were convicted
and sentenced to State prison. Butts was DIS
ch arged and Sheridan was not captured. But
possibly the best robbery sheridan was
ever engaged in was that OF Mr. Biatch-
ford, father Of United States Judge Blatch-
ford. who was plundered Of $4,000 in
| bonds while buying an apple at Nassau and
, Liberty streets, some five years ago. MIR.
| Blatchford was sccosted by Sheridan, who
engaged him in conversation, and go inter
| estad him, that MIR. Blstchtord unthipk'
inaly laid down his wallat, containing the
bonds, upon the apple stand, and from
which it was removed by a confederate. A
portion of these bonds we're subsequently
! found in the possession Of Horace S. Corp,
| a brcther-in- law OF Gleason, who was ar
rested at the time, and subsequently dis
charged for want Of evidence.
| When the forgery scheme was laid, after
| the failure of the Bank of England for
eeries, Sheridan became q member OF the
| New York Produce Exchange, and hired
an Office at No. 60 Broadway. where, under
| the name of Rals:on. he carried on business
"a a dealer in fancy marbles, uncer the
| title of 1.-THE Belgian Stone Company.
The forged bonds being placed on the mar
ket. he obtained loan OF 1000 from the
Naw York Guarantee and Indemnity Com
panv. a. No. So Broadway, giving as col
lateral slo2 600 in forged bonds of the Baf
| falo and Erie railroad, aud on the following
day obtained a loan Of $50 600 on SAC, 900 OF
the came forged securities. When, in Sep
tember, 1873, the discovery of the forgeries
became known. Sheridan made his escape
| to Europe, and remained in Belgium until
ak months ago, when he returned to this
| conntrv. Since that time Detective Pink
erton has been constantly on his track, fol