The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1877-02-02

from Scotland Yard that he was coming
back, and dropped in at the old mans
place there in Maiden lane to try and find
out something. Old Calcott THAT was his
name) had got rich. What with his bank
lock and his other inventions, his mean way
of living, and his luck in buying some down
town property before people had an idea
how big the city was going to be, he'd come
to be regular nabob. I couldn't get word
out of him about his boy. He said he'd
given him up, and was going to retire from
business. Money must have come in pretty
fast then to the old fellow. He showed me
half dozen patents that he was going to
sell out any one of 'em must have been
worth pile of dollars.
Now think of it, it was Calcott who put
the first Franklinte in an iron safe, and he
invented the rubber fange which prevented
the thieves from using the air-pump when
they wanted to blow up a safe
1t seems that when young Calcott started
| for America he'd made up his mind to cut
his London acquaintance and tricks, and
square it by going back to the old man.
None of us knew it at the time. Well, when
he got here curious thing happened We
| had man in the Central Office by the name
| Of Meehan, who was in an east-side mob.
| He was broke about year afterwards. Nee
han had got word from the London gang,
and he met young Calcott on the dock with
facts enough to send him up; and he made
a straight offer to him to stay with the east
| side gang if he didn't want to end his career
tor usefulness. What does Calcott do but
hum and haw and 60 to see some of the fel-
lows and finding himself pretty well staked
out, gives in and opens fresh lay of indus
try. He said afterwards that he intended to
cut 'em the first chance he got But he
never did. He got to be the big
chief in as dangerous gang as ever worried
the men in Mulberry street. We thought we
| had him two or three times, but he slipped
through our fingers. There wasn't clean
job in iron put up anywhere but it had the
marks of his tools on it. When the war
broke out he was in New Orleans, and we
lost track of him for five or six years.
1t was in the winter of '65 that the gen.
tlemen's places along the Hudson were
broken into by river gang. You may re-
collect it. Judge Schermerhorn's house at
Glen Spring was entered one night and
robbed of $4,000 worth Of property. The
papers made good deal of fuss about it.,
and we had three or four men working at it
One day Mattison comes into the Office with
copy of the Glen Spring paper-Herald, |
believe it was-and says Look at tEis.
Here go. Read that" And he pointed
out an advertisement. This is the way it
read:
All burglars, housebreakers, sneak thieves
and assassins are hereby notified that have
over $50, 900 worth of coin, jewels and silver
ware in my house, which they are welcome
to if they will come and take it. No dogs
servants or laborers about the place. The
house is a mile from any other residence, and
the only occupant is an old man, not in very
good health by the name of
JOHN CALCoTT.
ats some old lunatic," says l. "who
hasn't got money enough to get credit"
NO." says Mattison. "They say up there
he's worth half million. He lives in q
fine house all by himself, about two miles
from the depot"
1t was three-days' talk in the Office, and
then we forgot it. But the advertisement
was kept in the paper, and it seems Tony
Frost, down at Dobb's Ferry, struck it
That was the way got to the gang They
pooh -poohed it as "chai'," but Frost, il
seems, went up to Glen Spring, peked about
sifted the thing. reconnoitered the premises
and came down to the city with a big yarr
for his pals His report was that the:old
"luny" had got sign on his fence inform
ing everybody that passed, that here was the
unprotected house full Of valuables that the
river gang didn't dare walk into. He wa.
the stuff, for he'd found out that old Calcot'
was immensely rich, and kept nearly all his
wealth in his house
Now, don't suppose it's reasonable that
regular craftsman should bite at any such
bait as this but Tony Frost kept pokinl
|
gang said it was too much to have the pro-
fession nsulted in that way, unless they
were all afraid of the old dufer. After that
Tony Frost went to the house got up as a
tramp, and tried the back door. The IN
ment he knocked it few open, and an old
mans voice hailed him over the stairs
"Nalo there, what d'you want?'
"SumHat TO eat, if yer please, says Tony
shutting in and taking good look round.
'.Go down and try the Kitchen" shouts
the old man, "and don't stand gaping round
that way. There's bread down stairs II
YOU want TO examine tho house. come VI
when your belly full and III show it t'
you"
With that Tony goes down the way he
came aud wallis into the kitchen, where j.
Ii tie gid was Washing dishes. She CAV
aim sOlne bread and meat and talkei quit
freely. Tn his as enlistment she todd Lin
that the oh man had lots of money in the
house. She'd seen il. she also told him
that she lived in the village and went HON,
every night, lie must have made iayors-
Bile report, because it wasn't long after tha
when Bill Ketchum, who was the ringleaael
of the river gang, thought he'd take loos
at the house. So he goes, playing the par
of a leddlar, and drops the neatest little
pack in front OF the place when he sees IT,,
sign. There it was, sure eHough. nicely
lettered in red on white ground, and in
vitihg all burglars, house breakers, sneaI
thieves and assassns to come in and tak'
what they could get. The house stood I
good ways back from the road, and as Bill
went up the wide path he had good chance
to take in the dwelling, twas large bricl
house with high stone foundation asd 81
iron stoop. There wasn't shutter, pal
of blinds, on the place. And if anybod.
| L,l ,.ioJ 30 aat II n fira ha wnnll have yi va,