Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1881-03-31
an Age of Crime.

Not long ago wagon rumDleu SWnLly
away from the Eastern penItentiary, at
Philadelphia, Pa, and an hour afterwards
stopped in the municipal buryIng ground
the potter's field of the vulgar--and In q
| few minutes plain pine box was lowered
into hole In the earth and the frozen clods
ratified upon the pine-Inclosed form of
Wade Sipple, alias Pierce, alias William
Gray, who in his day was one of the most
famous hotel and sneak thieves in the UnI-
ted States. His end was that of nine out
of ten malefactors, although his fate had
not overtaken him until he had gone be-
yond ihe allotted three-score and ten years.
For more than forty years Sipple had pur-
sued a criminal career, and In that time he
had been made familiar with the interiors
of the county prison, the Eastern peniten-
tiary, Sing Sing, Charlestown, Mass, Bal
timore, Richmond, WHEELING and Whining
ton, n. c., prisons and peniLentiaries. He
was known TO the detectives all over the
land as a daring hotel thief /; the stories of
whose exploits would fill books. He was
first known In 1885, when he became
an inmate of the Eastern penitentiary. In
the great days Of steamboat travel along
the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, thirty years
ago, when the boats were infested by regu-
lar coalitions of gamblers, who pTeyed upon
the Southern and 5 Southwestern planters
who travelled between New Orleans and
Cincinnati and ST Louis, the fine art of
sneak -thleving was adroitly FLIED. The
thieves stole from the planter and from the
successful gambler alike, often taking
thousands of dollars from the staterooms,
"a III a 4 I. IL
sharpers for safety during the progress of
the famous games in which the reckless
planters often staked, not only the ready
money derived from the sale of their crops,
but wagered, besides, their plantations,
field hands, residences, ETC., and lost all 10
| the cunning knaves whom the blind god
dess and skill favored. Supple, who was
down ON his 'Iuck" after a Term of imprIs-
onment at Richmond, VIrg encountered
an acquaintance OF Hi Megary, tae notori-
ous Mississippi river thief, who was inpart-
nership with Al BIrtis and Tom Buchanan
In working the steamers plying the Father
of Waters. This man took Supple West
with him, and his coolness and adroltness
so pleased the veterans that he was admit
ted to full membership in tine band OF plum
derers, with whom he remained many
years. He had thrilling adventure once
near Natchez, Miss, which is said to have
| frightened HIM into abandoning his aitilia-
tion with Burtis and his other confede-
rates. A party of gamblers had come up
from New Orleans, hal cleaned cut" a
number OF planters, and were making mer-
ry over their triumph. The spoils OF VIC
tory were supposed TO be fabulous. Sipple
learned that the money, which was mostly
in bundles OF brand-new crisp bank notes,
was in the stateroom of one of the gam
blers. He determined 20 possess himself
of it and succeeded in his enterprise, after
wards concealing the pldnder in his own
room. The gambler discovered his loss in
a few hours and notified his associates.
They fixed on Sipple and another man as
the thieves and, catching them on the up
per deck Of the steamer on a moonlight
night, as she was passing Natchez, they
surrounded them, and, with drawn bowie
knives and derringers, threatened them
with instant death unless they produced
the booty or teld where il was hidden.
Sipple pretended 10 be frightened into cem-
plIance, and told his captors To accompany
him to'his room. On his way thither, al
though encompassed by cleaning steel, he
.sprang through his environment and
plunged overheard. An attempt was made
to stop the boat and capture the thief, tut
no trace of him could be distinguished
even under the moonlight, anu he was
given up for lost. Not Sd, however. he
escaped, and not liking the manners of the
Southern gamblers, he torsook steamboat
thieving as 100 perllouS. The gamblers Tt.
| covered their money IN S.pple's room after
fghL with his companions. AS aye crepI
over the once daring criminal he descend
| ed lower and lower in the grades of crime
until he became a mere sneak thief-a
| snapper up Of trI1es Suspicion was not
| likely TO set e upon a white haired, white
whiskered, nicely dressed old M IN, and 50
he subsisted miserably on his pilferIng
where thousands had been insufficient to
satisfy him before. He was arrested many,
times tor petty larceny aud sentenced 10 a
| few months In the county prison. In
January, 1878 he was in custody under
tine name of Peck along with Charles
Blake, the burglar, on the charge OF dis
posing OF some OF the plumber from j. 4.
Baums house, 20S6 Diamond street, at Il
second hand dealers store, repres enling
that Blake was his son in-lAw, who Was
breaking up housekeeping. Blake was
taken TO West Chester afterwards on sus
piclon of participation III the BalIey mask
ed robbery, On October l6, 1878, Gray
Is found in trouble again for the last tine.
Three men who climbed over back fence
from brickyard were surprised while III
the act OF breaking into the residence 1903
Thompson street. Two OF them escapeu
from the police, but The third, poor, old
Wade Sipple, who told the magistrate
afterwards that his name was William
Gray, was too stitfened by aye and .rheuma
tlSm TO Chamber up the ladder again and
was cOrnered behind barrel In the yard OF
the dwelling. de was convicted and SEN
fenced to three years Imprisonment. AT
ter little over two years confinement he
fell dead on Saturday last from appoplexy
and his melancholy burial, like that Of the
forger Rollins, took place IN Potter's hsId.
| Very few of his old associates in crime are
believed to be alive.
A Marvellous Stage Ride.