Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1877-08-02
ono Durglar OF the PerIod.

Perhaps tho most extraordinary crimioa
of modern timcs, If we except those whose
hands, haye been stained with blood, OF Whs
hnye otherwise added brutality TO- otime, ii
one Edson, a. gentleman by birth md ean
I, cation, Who, being employed hyihe Hcrrlpe
1Yule 0Ompsuy as thei. ddentlal travelling
agent, took. savahtage Of his exccptona
opportunities to acquire knowledge Of tho
/, location and fastepipgs Of bank vaults and
bafes, aud by imparting this knowledge I'd
other burglars with whom he was ia partder
chip, enabled thom to commit robbories
amounting 10 tho total to millions Of dollafs.
The last and greatest robbery of this bur-.
glarious firm was that Of tho Northampton
National Bank in January, 1875, from
which alone, our readers will rocolloct, cash,
bonds and securities, amounting to million
and q quarter, were stolen. 1t is an olu
saying that "whou rogucs fall out honest
men get their Dues" aud 50 it happened in
this oase. Edison bcoamo angry with two
of his confoderates, named Scott and Dun.
lap, because they cheated him out of what
hc considered his fair share Of tho spols
and he turned States evidence against
them. They were arrested, and they arc
now being tried, and tho testimony Of
Edson, given against his fellow burglars, is
moat extraordinary confession. Passing
over tho details Of his preliminary efforts,
which include tho examination nod subse.-
quent attemps at robbery Of no less than
ten banks Of tho country, from Nantucket
to Kentucky, tho history of his connection
with the Northampton Bank robbery, Is in
substance as follows: Acting 90 trusted
agent for Herring & Co., safe manufacturers
Of Now York, and being at tho samo time
partner on an equal footing in conspiracy
with Scott, Dunlap aud Corners to rob any
and all banks which Edson's expert skill
might suggest as opeu to burglarous
attacks, he camc to tho Northampton Bank
in August, 1875, examined the new doors
which he had placed on tho vault in the
previous month, found that the keys worked
hard, took them to New York to be altered,
gave duplicates to his accomplioes and re-
turned the originals to the bank ofrice,s.
The robbery would doubtless have been
committed at about this time, had not tho
bank changed its dials and keys, proceed.
ing which put stop to opcrations for the
timo being. In November Edison camo
again, to the bank, secured tho keys under
pretouce of filing them, mado All impression
OF them in wax which Scott had given to-
him, and was again prepared for actioo
His browning feat of audacity was perpe..
trated upon Mr.. Warriner, the Vico Presi-
don't OF the Bank, with whom ho took tea
at this timo. 1t was, Of course, of great
consequence to tho burglars that they should
be obliged to invade as few houses as possible
10 their attempts to gain knowledge Of tho
combinations necessary to unlock tho various
doors OF the bank, and to narrow down tho
possession of these secrets to tho fewcst
number OF persons was one object of Edson's
visit. He fonnd that Mr.. Wbittlesey had
ali the combinations except that to tho
aDner vault door, which was intrusted to a
young clerk, and ho therefore so strongly
urged upon Mr.. Warriner tho danger likely
to be incurred by intrustiug q mere boy
With suoh secret that Mr.. Warriner became
quito alarmed, and on the following day
told Edison that he had followed his sugges-
tion, changed the combination, and given it
to Mr. Whttlcsey. 1t can easily bo i'm
agincd that Mr. Edison returned to New
York Ia state Of great mental cxliIaration
at having So. successfully pulled the wool
over Mr.. Watriner's eyes. Tho bank was
soon afterward robbed, and Edison, the still
unsuspected agent and trusted export, was
on hand again within twenty four hours to
examine the work which had been rendered
possible of accomplishment only through
his own profound rasoality. Not only was
hls confession, or testimony, by whichever
name you choose to call it, astounding for
iss audacity and minutoncss of dotail, but
the 'elrcumstantial confirmation of its truth.
fulness was singularly complete. People
sprang up in ovory direction to provo that
given times he was exactly where he had
testified he was; hotel registers showed his
name and those Of his pals at tho proper
time, and tho originals Of kilograms which
he had sworn to sending and receiving were
produced. Even his mistakes confirmed his
yeraolty; for having notified tho active
agents 10 the robbery, according to his
testimony, that the key to the vault was a
large ono, whom in fact it was small key,
the testimony of tho cashier vcrifes tho
statement by showing that when he (the
oashier) offered the burglars the roal key,
they would not have it, but tortured him
to make him give them large koy. On
the whole, the story of Edison discloscs
must. extraordinary social anomaly, and
wcu!d fsrnish!ho groundwork for thrilling
romance for writer like Wilkie Collins,
who delights in complicated md improb-
nblo plots.-Ne,os and Courier.
[From the Washington National n opublioan1