The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1877-07-19
A Noted Cracksman'S Career.

NEW YORK, July 13. The career OF
the man Edison, who was concerned in
the great burglary trial at Northampton
this week, is a remarkable one. 1t APP
pears that Edison, the secret agent of the
cracksmen Scott and Dunlap, was the
accredited travelling salesman of Messrs
| Herring & Co., the safe manufacturers OF
this city, and that he, in pursuance of his
| apparently legitimate business, went to
| different banks throughout the country.
| learning the weak points of bank safes in
order to inform his "pals' Of their condi-
| ton.
| The life Of William d. Edison, the arch
conspirator, has never been given to the
| public. He is a man Of perhaps AZ years
of age, strongly built, and about five feet
six inches in height; his complexion is
ruddy, eyes of light color, and he has iron
gray hair, generally cut close, according
to the prevailing fashion: a thick nous
tache, dyed black, covers his firm mouth.
| He always was noted for a restless gaze,
scarcely ever being able to look a man in
| the face He was generally reticent, new
er making contidant among his business
| companions, and always seeming to be
| devoted to his family duties. In 1859 his
| father, a reputable shoe and leather mer-
| chant of Philadelphia, died, and young
Edison was left the bulk Of his fortune, as
well as his business. The house was sit
uated in Third street, near Market, in
Philadelphia, and for a while the bust
ness prospered, some patents being added
to the concern, which were generally con
sidered to increase it's revenues.
At this time Edison commenced to live
Il fast life. He bought trotting horses
and was known on the road to Schuylkill
Falls as the pOssessor of some of the best
trotting stock that made the dust fly be-
tween Broad street and the Wissahickon.
Then he married, and his wife being a
beautiful woman theirmansion was crowd
ed with those who admired the dash of
the husband and the charms of his bride.
1t was suddenly whispered that Edison
was in trouble and his house was in dan
ger of failure. The crash came. Edison
was a ruined man, and the citizens of the
Quaker City knew him no more. The
next heard of him was in connection with
some domestic scandals. EdsOn's next
venture was in New York, and here, it
seems, he met with success in the house
OF Herring q Co., securing position as
an expert in locks and as travelling sales
man for this firm In this position he in
yestigated and reported to Scott and
Dunlap the burglars, the weak points in
all the banks and bank safes that he eX-
amlned in his travels, and was found to
be Il most convenient accomplish for the
robbers. He was able to take combina-
tloDS of Outpr doors make iInnrpSSinnS i'm
wax Of locks, make note of extraordinary
instructions to safe breaking, and gener-
ally note the detences to burglarious at
tempts on banks and safe deposit com
panies.
1t will readily be seen how valuable
such an assistance as Edson's would be to
the men who prey and fear not. The re-
suit was that the organizer and his ac-
completes divided a very large sum of
money between them, and this was made
apparent by the sumptuous manner in
which Edison soon began to live. He left
humble quarters and moved to Il resi-
dence i'll West Fifty second street, after
removing from Forty fourth street. The
family lived respectfully, and Edison, with
all these sinister schemes in contempla-
ton and execution, acted as a devoted
husband and fond father. He drove out
on the road every afternoon, and was
reticent and modest to his companions.
He made no particular display, and
seemed to centre his thought in his fam
lily. Such was Edson's social position
when, the mask being torn off, he stood
in such IN unenviablc light before the
world.