The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1877-08-03

U4H& *E-
correspondence Of the Boston Journal
NORTHAMPTON, Mass, July n, 1877.
The trial Of Scott and Dunlap, the
supposed robbers Of the Northampton
National Bank in this town on the 26th
Of January, 1876, by which operation
the large sumof 1000. OOOor 81, 25O. 900
IN cssl., bonds, and other securities was
realized. has stirred up this community
A. no other circumstance has done since
the Mill River flood in 1874. The facts
Of the robbery are already pretty well
known-thc entering Of Cashier Whit
t~lesey's house at midnight by u gang Of
five masked men the binding Of him
self and family and the fortunes and
threats by which the combinations Of the
bank-locks were forced from him the
successful plumber Of the bank and The
escape of the robbers; their subsequent
capture and the confession Of their ac-
complete, Edison.
As was anticipated, the chief point Of
interest has been the testimony Of Ed
son. the bank-lock expert. and the ac-
complete and abettor before the act Of
the thieves who actually COM
mitted the robbery. This man is a curl
Gus psychological puzzle, and grows
more unfathomable and mysterious the
more one seeks 10 sound him. In the
most natural and ~nonchalant manner Of
which il il possible 10 conceive, he gave
evidence which, If produced by another
person, would have branded him with a
disgrace compared to which that at
taching 10 Scott and Dunlap had APP
peared scarcely worth mentioning. No
report Of this trial which | have yet seen
has half exposed the singularity Of Ed
sons confession. Passing over the de-
tails Of his preliminary efforts, which
include the examination and subsequent
attempts at robbery Of no less than 10
banks in various parts Of the country
from Nantucket 10 Kentucky, | come az
once 10 the history Of his connection
with the Northampton Bank robbery,
where his noblest triumph was achieved.
EDsoN's KNAvERY.
Acting a. trusted agent for Herring
n Co., safe manufacturers Of New York,
and being at the same time partner on
an equal footing in a conspiracy with
Scott, Dunlap and Corners to rob any
and al banks which Edson's expert
skill might suggest as open to burglar
ious attacks, he came To the Northamp-
ton Bank in August, 1875, examined the
new doors which he had placed in the
vault on the previous month, found that
the keys worked hard, took them TO
New York 70 be altered, gave dupli-
Gates to his accomplices and returned
the originals to the bank officers. The
robbery would doubtless have been
committed at about this time had not
the bank changed it, dials and keys, a
proceeding which put a stop to opera
tons for the time being. In November
Edison came again to the bank, secured
the keys under pretense Of filing them,
made nm impression Of them in wax
which Scott had given to him, and was
again prepared for action. His crown
ing feat Of audacity was perpctrated
upon Mr.. Warriner, the Vice-President
Of the bank, with whom he took tea at
this time. II was, Of course, a great
consequence to the burglars that they
should be obliged to invade as few
houses as possible in their attempts TO
gain = knowledge Of the combinations
necessary to unlock the various doors Of
the bank, and to narrow down the pos
session Of these secrets 10 the fcwest
number Of persons was one object Of
Edson's visit. He found that Mr.. Whit
tlesey had all the combinations except
that 10 the inner vault door, which
was intrusted to a young clerk,
and he therefore so strongly
urged upon Mr.. Warmer the danger
likely to be incurred BY intrusting a
mere boy with such q secret that Mr..
Warmer became quite alarmed, and on
the following day told Edison that he
had followed his suggestion, changed
the combination, and given il to Mr..
WhittIcsey. IL can easily be imagined
that Mr.. Edison returned to New York
in = state Of great mental exhilaration
at having so successfully pulled the
wool yer Mr.. WARMERS eyes. The
bank was soon afterward robbed, and
Edison, the still unsupported agent and
trusted expert, was on hand again, with
in "A hours to examine the work which
had been rendered possible Of accom-
plishment only through his W pro-
found r~ascality. Mr.. Edison must have
been l~amentably destitute Of humor If
he Jailed 10 take In nj once the ludicrous
side Of his position. All this, and much
more, he told to the jury, ~ free from
shame AS he was from exultation. and
In appearance as careless as he was in
reality guarded. The wholesale Wifi
cation which he heaped upon his own
character equally surprised both de-
Tense and prosecution, though the lat
ter must have been In some degree pre-
pared for IL. TO the defense, however,
II came like a bolt from a clear sky.
They had apparently sheltered them
selves under the belief that Edison would
try 70 save AS much Of his own charac-
ter as possible-as, indeed, would be ex-
~pccted-and that then, by showing up
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