St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-10-05
Death of a Great Criminal.
[From the Davenport, Iowa, Democrat

IrTom the DhVenpOrt, Iowa, democrat
In the annals of criminal history, per-
haps it would be hard to find the equal
in that speciality of crime, forgery, to
which Edward S. Piper devoted his
time and talent. He is said, during his
lifetime, to have made over one million
dollars by his altering and raising
checks, aud yet he died pauper a few
weeks ago in Joliet. The life of this
remarkable man possesses local interest
to the people of Davenport, us he re-
sided near this city for some years.
owning farm on Jersey Ridge, aud
was well known to many of our citizens,
aud especially to many of our mer-
chants, whom he victimized more OIL
less-that is, in purchases of merchan-
disc for which he never paid, for, as far
as we can learn, he did not attempt
any check raising business in this city,
although he victimized the late S. B.
Crane, of Muscatine, and the Muscatiue
National Bank out of very large sum
of money by his peculiar process, for
which process of check raising the
American Bank Note Company, of New
York, offered him fabulous sum if he
would divulge the secret, but he refused,
and Allen Pinkerton, the great Chicago
detective, offered him at one time S10,-
600 for detailed history of his life and
forging transactions, which he also re-
fused.
1t was in 1865 that Piper came to this
city, after having caught the Vermont
National Bank of Rutland, for S24, 700,
retiring to a beautiful country seat near
Davenport, on Jersey Ridge. Here he
lived in security until 1867, when he
was arrested and taken to Rutland, and
after his trial received sentence of ten
years. His admirable conduct while in
prison secured for him considerable
''good time" and he was released in
February, 1876. He has made his pres
ence uncomfortably felt in every civ
ilized country on the globe, and made
twenty round trips to Europe.
In London, Piper is well known. He
victimized few of the larger banks in
that city, and was finally detected and
lncarcerated seven months in the Tower
of London. Through the intervention
of brother criminals he was released
and returned to America. And again
the most complete success crowned his
efforts. Not state in the Union miss
ed him. His plan was to ''raisen the
figures on genuine checks, and to aid
him i'll this he used most ingenious and
elaborate machinery. He boasted of
having "went it rough'' on every bank
in the state of Vermont.
The Joliet Sun, giving an account of
his death, has the following details
A gentleman, wife and little boy ar
rived in this city May 9th last, and
registered at the Robertson House as
''E. S. Porter, wife, and son, Peru, ILL.,,
and was assigned pleasant quarters.
The gentleman was tall, of magnificent
form and face if not strictly handsome
attractive, and voice as
carefully modulated as a silver bell,
while his manner was that of a travel
ed, wealthy gentleman. The lady was
quite petite in figure and possessing
face very rare and attractive. Her dress
betokened her to be a lady of refined
tastes, and her department was such as
to at once gain the admiration and re-
spect of all with whom she came in
contact.
Weeks passed on and the Porter fam
lily remained at the hotel gaining new
trends every day. He represented him
self to be man of wealth and specu-
lator, and talked great deal of pur-
chasing the Robertson House. And
this man claiming to be edward S.
Porter, wealthy speculator," was no
other than Piper, the world-famed
forger and general william, living under
the numerous aliases of o. B. Clark, E.
B. Francher, Frank Berdell, Otis Cor
gent, and A. M. Rowe, and it was while
operating under the last name that he
victimized New Orleans to the tune of
$l35, 200, while in that city as cotton
broker.
While stopping in Chicago one year
ago, Piper met his present wife, Mrs.
Pease, the young and lovely widow of
a La Sale gentleman, and by advice of
friends Mrs. Pease married him under
the name of Fairchilds, supposing him
to be a.gentleman of wealth and posi-
ton, and she never dreamed of the true
character of her husband until last win
ter, when he was incarcerated in the
La Porte Jail. During his confinement