The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-06-18
MORE OF A VIVID RECITAL.
ruRTHER DETAILS or THE MANHAr-
TAN SAYINGS BANK ROBBERY.

TN SAYINGS BANK ROBBERY.
.,.v Amer sunday Ia the Bnrk-The burg
,,r.. Negotiations OutsIdr-itow SheVcIin
,.a. Persuaded to Make hi. Genie s-ion-
Oue or his BOZ hood Experiences Recalled.
px.yatrhman Patrick Shcvclin's dramatic |
,a,tal on Monday in the General Sessions. in |
,botrinl Of" johnny" Hope. who ia accused Of |
compliciiy in the robbery Of tho Manhattan |
savings Institution. drew n large multitude |
yesterday to tho court room IA il was known |
thnt he was TO be crOss-examincd. Ho testified |
that Jimmy" Hope the father OF the prisoner. |
made advances toward an acquaintance with |
him. three years ago. in the barroom at Second !
avenue and Tenth street Men whom he after !
ward knew as Tim Tracy. Jim Tracy. Big !
Kid" Johnny Dobbs. and George Howard
Ipossibly George Howard alias George Leon-
das Leslie. the supposed suicide. found dead
with bullet wound in his head
apparently from his own pistol. which
Law beside him. near tho Tramps' Rock. West
chester were constantly with Jimmy Hope in
The barroom. But Hope evidently was n leader
hmong them. and he broached the subject ofthe
robbery Of tho bank. Hope seemed to know
him and his circumstances we'll. and gained his
confidence. Hope said: You're fool to toll
al your life for u few - dollars. when. by ono
bold. manly stroke. you can get hundreds Of
thousands Of dollars. and live for all your days
like a gentleman" Hope said that he had only
10 admit him to the bank when he was on duty
on the following Sunday and all else should be
attended TO- why" Hope urged. can crack
tho safe In an hour. and it will be easy work to
get oiI with the swag.'" The witness con-
sented to admit Hope TO the bank. Hope came
some weeks alterward. on aSunday forenoon.
The other men. excepting Tim Tracy. who was
shadowing" Janitor Werekle. who was Mt
church. kept watch outside. For more than
an hour Hope carefully studied tho door OF the
vault measuring IL. starting from the silver
knob in every direction. with a carpenters
rule. He came again on the following Sun
day. and then no took of the knob. He
made close study OF n part OF the door. and
made slight incision. He replaced the knob
and went away. On the next Sunday he was
accompanied by Johnny Dobbs. Hope pro-
duced an oxauisitely tempered steel drill. and
he and Dobbs. working alternately. bored a hole
half through tho thickness OF tho door, But
then II was nearly l O'Clock. and Janitor
werckle usually returned from church at /.
Hope and Johnny Dobbs resumed the boring
on the next Sunday. and they made hole en-
trely through the door. IL was easy then. for
Hope to insert a wire and draw back the bolts.
The door 81 tn9 YSSit opened ho noise
Dubbs entered tho vault. They set about
boring through the door Of the safe. but the
clock in the bank struck half-past H. and Hope
said that they must go. Putty. made to look
dry by sprlnklng Of dust gathered out Of a
door the knob was skiliuiiy replaced. and The
door was shut. But on the following DAY one OF
lie bolts Of the lock stuck fast in It's socket and
an expert WIS called TO open the safe. While he
labored over II. Big Kid. who pretended that he
wanted change fora 500 bank note. loitered
near the counter, The expert opened the safe.
bu, it could not be closed. and the door was
taken, to the factory; The hole in
the most experienced workmen were un-
able. on account OF the dry. dusty
VI %as The Do door %ns @
replaced Hope told the witness that Il would
b. dangerous. in view OF the discovery that had
safe. He saw no more OF Hope until January.
1873. Then Hope, meeting him near the bank.
told him that he was about TO renew the at.
tempt HIS former pals" had quarrelled
among themselves. and he had thrown them
aside. Possibly this Is an explanation Of the
murder 81 George Howard. alias George Leon
las Lesliel He had companion. whom he
lux Effected was that an armed man should be
witness should bo hound backed and gagged
60 that Il might seem that he had been over
powered 10y the robbers. and that the safe should
be cracked 10y men led 10y Hope.
As the witness sat talking with Janitor
Nerckle In the bank, on the evening of me 26th
Of Oroher-,his brother in-aw. Night Watch.
man Daniel heely. lay asleep in the ladies' wait
ing room-le saw Jimmy Hope aud Johnny
D1bbs at the storm door Of the Bleecker street
entrance. Hope raised his right hand and
waved H. meaning that he desired to be admit
tel 90 the bank The first impulse OF the wit.
ness was 10 obey the signal. but then Il occurred
T. him that his brother-in-law would resist the
burglars, and must be murdered. He turned
his lace away, and iegnrd not TO see Hopes
signal. which WAS made with growing impa-
teucc. The clock over the vault struck II, and
Pc reused his brother-in- law. Then he bade
him and Jantor Werckle who straightway
went 70 his room. good night and went out OF
the Beecker street entrance. Jimmy Hope
2 2pprg ,sE us hi@ isngTy and sud De
" twice, but you sha6't do i again"
hops turned away, and walked toward
Johnny Dobbs. Brooklyn Jim" and Johnny
Pope. He DID not know that Jimmy Hope and
w. iasoi robbery he had no doubt as to the
ocock on n that pedf ay c" BvTne. " seSt
for him, and in the Mercer street police
station the CAPTAIN questioned him in regard
as To the robbers. When Capt Byrnes arrested
him recently he continued to assert that he had
no knowledge of the robbers. But when he had
been locked up for day and half his wife
was allowed 10 see him. She asked him, a.
soon AS they were alone. whether no knew who
the robbers Of tho bank we're He hesitated.
anu then she besought him to make clean
breast OF his share IN the robbery. He yielded
y her entreaties. and. sending for Capt Byrnes.
re made a full confession. He was taken TO
The CITY Prison, and locked in a cell ia the
from his cell and asked whether he could iden-
Wy any man out OF twelve men. in civilian
NA'S9, VIM htoOu IA u row IN inc cOTfluOI. hs
one of the bank robbers. He stepped forward
u johnny Hope and said. This is one OF the
Mon
May ask. Mr.. Sheyein. whether you were
ever known IN earlier and more innocent
days. Lawyer Brooke said. insinuatingly. by
the peculiar alias OF Whisky r" There Was
some laughter. and Shevehn answered. with u
rel3ei hue in his pale, attenuated face:
les but il was not an alias. 1t was a nick
name given 10 me because | used TO run for "A
good deal OF liquor for an old ship carpenter
a. he worked along the docks"
Hum" Lawyer Brooke observed looking
cunulhgly at Shevelin. suppose you were
IN prison before you fell a victim. as you say
u l4c wlles Of Jimmy Hopef"
was SheyelIn said.
Where Z"
In the House Of Refuge. when WAS boy.
on charge OF stealing ham"
ANOTHER JERSEY TRAGEDY