Mexico weekly ledger., 1877-01-04
THE GOLD DUST ROBBERY.
A FamoVr Theft and How 1t Was Ac-
cOmplished.

SA 0hAhUU AhSsD "A~ " 'HS xAC~
cOmplished.
OF late years there has been a mark
ed increase in all crimes requiring su-
perior intelligence rather than brute
force for their successful accomplish
ment, and which can only be effected
by the misapplied union of talent and
education. Mr.. Townsend, Q. c., Re-
corder of Macclesfield, in his ''Alodern
State Trials" seeks TO explain the phe-
nomenon-in England at least-by the
suggestion that the abolition of the
death penalty for all crimes against
property Ca change which dates only
from the time of Romilly) may have
tempted persons of comparative refine
ment, Of cool head and callous heart, to
enture on forbidden ways of enriching
themselves st the expense of their
neighbors, when failure and detection
would not ~iavolve their personal safety.
Among this class Of crimes the great
Boyle conspiracy holds a prominent
place, as does the hardly less cele-
DRAFTED case known as the gold dust rob-
berry, which was tried in London in
January, 1857.
On May Is, 1855, three boxes, con-
tanning gold, were taken to the South
eastern Railway Company's station, at
London Bridge, for the purpose of be-
ing conveyed to Paris. The boxes were
bound with iron hoops or bars, and, after
having been weighed and sealed, were
placed, according to the usual practice,
in iron safes. These safes were
secured by Chubb's patent locks,
duplicate keys of which were intrusted
30 .anEinnf.o carvantc rs fho nN1ono~r1
at Folkestone, Boulogne, and Paris.
As a further ~precaution. the guard of
the train usually took the safes into his
own van, and was thus enabled to see
to their safety during the journey. On
the night i'll question, Il Burgess, who
had been Is years in the company's
service, was the guard of the train, and
in his van the iron safes were placed.
On their arrival at Boulogne, the boxes
were taken out of the safes and weighed,
and the same process was again gone
through at Paris. At the latter place
it was ascertained that a considerable
portion of the bullion had been alb
stracted from the boxes and a quantity
of shot substituted for it, and on q COM
parison of the weight at different stages
of the journey, it WAS found that the
weights at Paris correspondent with
those at Boulogne, but varied from those
which were taken in London. From
this it was evident that the robbery must
have been committed between London
and Boulogne, but further than this the
strictest investigation appeared to afford
no cleW to the discovery of the criminals.
In fact, nearly two years elapsed before
the mystery was cleared up, and so
skilduily had the crime been planned
and executed that it even then became
known only through dissension among
the thieves themselves.
In October, 1856, a person of the
name of Agar was tried and convicted
of uttering a forged check, and SEN
fenced to transportation for life. At
the time of his arrest he had in his pos
session a considerable sum of money,
amounting to several thousand pounds,
and he arranged with William Pierce,
a retired wholesale grocer residing in
an elegant villa at Kilburn, that the
latter should take possession of all his
property, with the understanding that a
woman in whom Agar was interested,
and by whom he had a child, should be
provided for out of its proceeds. This
Pierce did for some time, but eventual
iy, when Agar had been convicted, meg
iected his promises, and thus allowed
the woman and her child to be reduced
to a stats of the greatest distress. This
fact coming to the knowledge of Agar,
he came forward and made public the
whole circumstance of the robbery.
The story he told was a graphic one,
and a fOrcible illustration of the fact
that in the present age agreater amount
of talent and capital is invested in the
pursuit of crime as a profession than
ever before. The picture Agar drew of
himself with his $4,000 in the 3 per
cents. and Pierce with his villa at Kill
bourn, both for a whole year rushing
about in cabs, lodging at fashionable
watering-places, and journeying up and
down the Southeastern Railway with
f~irst-class tickets, was a view of crimi-
nal enterprise hardly to be looked for.
In consequence of his disclosures, on
January ~, 1857, William Pierce, Bur
CESS the guard, and a traffic-clerk
named Tester, were placed at the bar,
charged with stealing two hundred
weight of gold, and Agar vas called to
the stand. He was a gentlemanly,
well educated man of Al, who, by his
own acknowledgment, had lived by
crime since his thirtieth year. Accord
ing to his own story he was neither en-
ticed Unto wi:ong.doing blythe accidents
of special tensptation, nor alured by |
the seductions of veteran offenders.
That he might at one time have known
want is possible, but he had evidently
learned economy to some purpose, for,
while in his last Legitimate situation, he
saved $500, which he carried with him
when he left it. He frankly confessed
that he had been more or less, engaged
in crifne for 16 years, but what was it's
particular or prevailing character was
more than could be elected on examina-
ton. He had sheen ia the United
States, where he ~speculated a good
deal ?" had "fdiscounted bills, - and had
received the proceeds of several
forgeries." More remarkable, even,
than the details of his grand coup is his
aIr1x rnt-n ~x-10l~~ 1.k H. L. - l