News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1883-10-11
REMARKABLE DETECTIVE.
WORK OF THE LATE GEORGE HENRY
BANGS.
Some of the Principal Cases which He
successfully Conducted and the Thieves
Whom lie Captured.

at R3selle, \. J.. where he was spending
the summer. The career of Mr.. Bangs
Is one of the most remarkable of Amer
lean detectives. He rose from the ranks
to the highest position in Pinkerton' 5
force, and for over a quarter of century
he either planned or personally worked
every important case intlusted to the
PnkertOn agencies. He was tall, fine
looking man, Of commanding presence
and close student of human nature,
and was rarely deceived. The record OF
his eases during the war and later in the
MOllie McGuire conspiracies in PennsyI-
vanla Is part of his history Mir. Bangs
took his first lessons in life in a news
paper office, beginning on the Era,
which was owned and edited by his
father. After engaging in reportOrial
work for a few years he evinced great
detective abilities. In 1856 he resolved
to give up journalism for police work.
He obtained a position on the police
force, and during the days of the Crystal
Palace he was one of the celebrated
Crystal Palace squad. While he was
serving in this capacity Allan Pinkerton
came East for assistants. He had been
employed throughout the West in track
ing the horsa-thieyes and train robbers
who infested that portion of the country,
and had been so successful that the
business was rapidly growing larger than
he could personally attend to. He ac-
cOrdngly opened an Office in Chicago.
and came to New York for men to oper-
ate it. He was introduced to Bangs.
and engaged him, together with Samuel
Bridgeman and Timothy Webster. both
of whom died in the service, the latter
being executed as a Union spy in Rich
mOnd during Mcclellan g siege. They
accompanied Mr.. Pinkerton to CHICAGO
and for the next few years engaged in the
usual business Of a detective agency.
At the breaking out of the war Major
PmkertOn was made Chief of the United
States Secret Service Department. Here
MIR. Bangs had an opportunity to ex-
hibit his great abilities. During the
war he passed and repassed the rebel
lines IN different DISCUSSES, and on va1.i-
Gus missions of great importance, tax
ing his life in his hands, but owing to
his GOODNESS and courage he escaped I'M
scathed. At the close of the war, when
Mr. Plnkerton established his agencies
at New York and Philadelphia, he put
them In charge of Mr.. Bangs, who re
manned at the head of the business until
the time of his death.
Among the work done by Mr.. Bangs
was the capture of Jules Imbert, the
celebrated French fOrger The French
man obtained four drafts, amounting to
$4,000 from August Belmont. and by
forgeries he secured over $50, 900 from
u1suspecting New York bankers, after
which he fled the country. He was
traced by Mr. Bangs to Canada. whittier
the Young officer started to capture him.
With no effort at subterfuge, he accused
the fOr@er directly of his guilt. and by
sheer pluck managed to extort a confes-
sion from him. This once accom- Iished
be started for home with his prisoner on
the cars, taking the preclutiOn to fasten
the fOrger's wrist to his own with hand
cuffs. After lOurneyiug hundred miles
hubert apparently fell into a doze, and
Bangs who was completely tired out,
soon followed his example When he
awakened he found to his intense cha
grim that the FreHChmau had picked the
lock Of the handcuf and escaped. The
last station wast Fondp. inn. Y. State. He
felt sure that the prisoner had left the
car at this point. He had the train
stopped and rctraced the distance on
foot. 1t was late ut night and he went to
the leading hotel and asked for a bed. i'll
tending to begin his search in the morn
ing The host said the only bed he could
have WAS one which was already occu-
pied 10y a recent arrival. Glad to sleep
anywhere, Bangs accepted the uff-r.
When he turned down the coverlet of
the bed he saw to his astOnishment and
delight that his companion was his recent
prisoner. He hastened to secure him,
and IN the morning the pair landed
safely in New York, where Imbert was
convicted and sent to State prison, where
he died eight years later.
Another famous case was the first
great robbery of the Adams Express
Company at Montgomery, Ala. 1t was
IN 1858. The company missed ten thou
sand dollars III bills from one of its
packages. There were no clues, no sus-
piciOns. The Vice-PTesident, the late
Z. S. Sanford, set a careful watch upon
the office at Montgomery, to ascertain
who OF the employees could have com
mltted the crime, as it could not have
been done outside. Shortly afterward
sealed pouch passed through Mont
gOmery from a Savannah bank to New
York, containing forty thousand dollars.
When the pouch reached Montgomery,
which was a transfer office. the local
agent, Nathan Maroney, gave a receipt
Tor the money to the messenger. But
when the pouch reached New York the
package Of money was gone, and a
square hole, as clean cut as if made by
razor, was in the side of the bag. con-
ceaIed from the public view by the outer
pocket of the pouch. At first it was
supposed that this was the work of a
n, ssenger. Each Of dozen messengers
was examined, questioned, and watched.
But to no purpose. Finally, Mr.. Bangs
went to the Georgia bank and had an
other parcel made Of exactly the same
size as the missing one. The bag was
then produced and the package would
not pass through the hole. 1t must
therefore have been taken from the
pouch before it was sealed at Montgom-
cry. The only man that had access to
1t was MaToney, who, up to this time,
had borne an excellent character for
briefly, propriety, and frugality
Nothing was said to him Of the suspi-
CT IT'S. bnt ne WAS watched. 4 detec-
five secured employment in the office
a.ii Il female detective entered his house
as a dress-maker.
But in spite of the watch nothing i'm
pOrtaHt was ascertaiucd. It WAS learned.
however, that he had bet heavily upon
hOTse-raccs and was a part owner in a
race-hoTse; Int there was nothing Grim
mating in that. Fortunately. the bank
had the denomination of nearly all the
bills in the orty-thousaud-dOllar pack
age, and Marouey's expenditures were
carefully traced, but none of the stolen
money was found Finally, within a few
months, he left the employ of the com
paHy and began travelling. A detective
kept close watch Of his movements. He
spent money freely, Int none Of the
missing wealth could I've discovered. In
the m aaDtime he sent bis young wife to
JenkinviIle, Penn, where she had reIa-
tives. The late Kate Warren, chief of
the female department o. the agency,
was sent to board at the same house.
Finding none of the stolen money,
Bangs became convinced that Maronev
had stolen both packages and WIS now
using the proceeds of the ten-thousand-
dollar robbery. and was saving the
$4,000 for future use. After following
him for several weeks. Mr. Bangs
Thought IL safe to arrest him on a civil
action to recover the money whichit was
alleged had been lost through his care
Iessness. This,was done in New York,