Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-11-19
GREAT THIEVES.
The Distinguished Characters in the
Rogue's Gallery.
An Interview with a Detective.
Cool and Daring Thieyes---The
Career of Old Chauneey
johnson.

what is the most desperate sort of
thief?'
'Well, river thief is about the worst on
general principles He thinks nothing Of
boarding vessel, giving the lockout a whack
on the head and rolling him overheard He
holds human life pretty cheaply. A burglar
IS pretty lively when you corner him, though
he won't often hurt anybody if he can get
away without it. Sneak thieves and pick
pockets are the meanest. They will always
run, and not once in thousand times will
they show fight. As for confidence men,
fellow that watches them carefully soon
makes up his mind, not that they are SO
mighty clever, but that the bulk of human
kind are pretty devilish stupid. Most of
these chaps who fly for big game make
great deal of money. The higher the stakes.
the less danger Of being found out, because
rich man, or one who stands high, so
clally or politically, hates to admit that he
mas been skinned. There was Miller the man
who was killed by Tracy. He had loads of
money, Kept carriages, servants and all that
sort OF thing, bought his furs and fancy
things at Knox's, and was a general high
hyer. Then there's Hungry Joe, who was in
that pa we passed a few minutes ago.
He's L or, and is pretty well fixed. The
boys say a. net his match. awhile back. in a
man from z -cas. Joe picked this man up at
the Fifth Avenue hotel, where he was spend
ing some money, and where he was looked
upon as granger. The man lost a couple Of
hundred in the buuco business under Hungry
Joes tuition, but he was 50 innocent that ne
didn't tumble at AL Then he got hard up
anu wanted to mortgage & big tract of land
IN Texas. He showed plans, locations, deeds
and everything Of that sort til you couldn't
rest. Joe took him 10 his lawyer and the
deeds and things seemed all right, so one of
the finest confidence men in the country adj
vanced $500 or so N cold cash. Afterward
he went to Texas to see his land but he
hasn't found it yet The fact IS, that benevo-
lent granger was cleyerer than Joseph
'What other sorts Of sharp criminals are
there:'
well, there are a few men who work sim.
ply by cold nerve, and take anything they
can lay hands on just as though it belonged
to them. You would be surprised to see how
successful they are. Take the case of old
Chauncey Johnson, who has just been ar.
rested over in Philadelphia. There's a record
for you. Now % years old, or something like
that, and he has stole barrels of money in his
time. One day there was a big stack of bills
all done up in parcels, lying in the open safe
OF the Fifth Avenue hotel Johnson left his
hat In the bar-room, walked straight into the
Office, coolly helped himself to the money
walked back TO the bar-room, put on his hal
and sailed out. There were several thousand
dollars in that haul | believe he did the
same thing over again at another hotel in
this city, and got another heavy pile. He
got ten years for it. Earlier in his career he
had nipped as high as s75 900 in securities at
i LII, L.
come out of bank with he1
box Of bonds, and was about to drive
off, VIXEN young man in a linen coat and
with pen behind his ear appeared at the
window. He said the cashier wanted the
bonds so as to take the numbers, and had sent
him for the box; he would detain her for
moment only. The foolish virgin gave up
her securities to the bareheaded young clerk,
who went into the bank by one door, came
out of it by another and melted off into the
mellow distance, bonds, box and all Mr..
johnson got $40 900 and no questions asked
to return the bonds. He made another i'm
mense haul in Philadelphia Entering safe
deposit establishment, where brokers' mes
sengers deposited their employers boxes of
securities, he laid his cap down like the
Others, picked up big case containing over
$4,000 worth Of papers, and slid gently, but
firmly, away. l reckon johnson has stolen
$1,000, 600 in his time; but he is pretty poor
just now. He has served about twenty
years of his life in prison. The offense for
which he was captured the other day
YVES a pretty small one. A man had
bought package of paper, and had subse-
quently drawn about $3.50 from the bank.
The money was put into the bundle of sta
tiouery, and the man started for home. On
the way he stopped to be shaved, and laid
the package on the table. johnson followed
him into the shop picked up the bundle, and
while the man was being lacerateI in the
most Philadelphian style of the BARRIERS art.
johnson went out He was subsequently ar
rested, identified and sent to await trial. He
will either die in prison or 90 the old road
to poverty. There is one Jewish thief named
Worth. who has lots OF money He lives in
London in good style, but Goesp't dare come
home. His home over there is a thieves par
adiSe; but he does nothing technically out of
the way, and is let alone. \ big thief nance
Kelly got 100000 out of one of the Je-
romeS at a single whirl, but died in an
insane asylum in France. he left some
valuable real estate in Boston. Lots of these
men go crazy from dissipation and excite
ment. It's a tough life, and doesn't pay.
Look at the case of George Howard. who is
supposed to have been in the big Manhattan
burglary. He was found dead up in West
chester county, and they say his pals killed
him because they suspected him Of treachery.
Howard was amechanical genius and clever
planner of robberies, Every time anything
new IN locks made its appearance, Howard
used TO buy one Of them, shut himself up In
his rooms and study it until he had mastered
every detail. He was poor when they killed
him. Scott, one of the Northampton
men, must have left some mor,ey.
somewhere. He got pretty nearly $1,000. ooo
as his share of the proceeds OF the gangs
work, and none of it has been found He
died In prison