The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-05-26
A Lost Profession,

plunderers who >hlrrOwed through the
wall of a building into bank in New
Orleans, gagged and bound the watch
man and robbed the strong box was the
theme OF q conversation recently with a
veteran detective. He said there was a
parallel to this in the adventure about
four years ago Of Charley Adams and
George Mason, who Is now under indict-
ment in this city for recent conspiracy
to rob safe, and that happily Philadei-
phia banks had not been exposed for
several years past to the danger of an
onslaught of the same kind. Adams
and Mason had tunneled through . wall
into the Cambridge &iass.) Savings
md building when they were attacked
by watchmen and policemen and were
taken after a desperate fight, in which
Mason was shot.
DO you think it would he possible"
nc was asked, "to repeat the Kensing,
ton Bank adventure, for instance2"
81 don't think so although it is al
ways the unexpected that happens. l
say no for the principal reason that the
old generation of desperate men who J
organized and formed the bands are al
either dead, in prison or have reforluAd.
The smartest man by all odds i1Pthe
profession of bank robbing was George
l. Howard, known as Sheeny GHorge.
lie had all the science, skill and #loWl-
edge necessary to make such sd lemes
successful. lie knew as much about
locks as the safe manufacturers Whem-
selves. lie was a natural genius3 NO
sooner would Il new combinatior& safe
lock como out than he would bl one
through his agents and at once disaec it
and discover the weak points Oh its
mechanism. He seemed to find thaRm
ny instinct. When he was slain tiieFSc
was nobody to take up his sceptre. Olds
Jimmy Hope aspretty skilful at opera.
ting locks, as the manipulations of the
locks in the Manhattan Savings Bank in
New York showed. He and Ned Lyons
worked the safe in the old Navy Yard, in
this city, years ago, and it took Ned
pick up tho tllmblers in the lock and
open the door, But Hope Is in prison in
California for q few years to come.
6 Ike Marsh is another good one; but
he is an old man now, being over sixty,
and, besides, he is in the Eastern Peni-
tentiary for IL few years yet, for partici-
patton in the robbery Of the Wellsboro
Bank. He was Il daring express train
robbcr. Old Allan Pinkert0n, who is
writing up book of rogues, wanted
lke's life from his own pen, but Isaac is
too fly. lie is one of the nurses in the
sick ward and is spoken Of as a gentle,
attentive one. Brockie George was
under his care for a time and died in the
Penitcntiary. He too, WAS one Of the
old gang and had hand in the Kensing-
ton Bank robbery. Red Leary, Billy
Conners, Shang Draper, yes, and several
more good ones might be counted upwho
have dropped the jimmy, the drill and
the powder can and manage to live now
Dy some other means. Jimmy Irving
has just come out of the Eastern Pen-
tentiary and his partner, Billy Porter,
is in the Brooklyn Penitentiary." The
veteran chewed his cigar, retlectiyely,
before he responded to All inquiry as to
the cause for tho immunity of Philadel-
phia banks from raids, such as marked
Mayor FoX's administration and the
early part of Mayor Stokiey's term.
"Greater vigilance, l suppose on the
part Of the banks. The employment OF
inside and outside night atchmen, tele-
graphic communication, time locks and
stronger vaults. The kensington Bank
robbery was complete success, but |
don't believe it could be repeated. Then
there was the attempt OH the Corn Ex-
change Bank, which came near to being
Il success. Pete Burns put up that job
because the bank had obtained Judgment
and forced him to make good several
thousand dollars which had been obtain
cd OH forged drafts. The cracksmen
were going in and out Of the building
for nights, and had their tools and il
dummy watchman stored in an uppei
room. They were waiting for million.
1.-Two experts, who were not i'll the
job at all, but were on their wayto Wood
bury, N. D., to do u bit Of work for thon-
selves, were arrested on the street early
in the morning and were run in and put
away on suspicion Of having designs OH
the Corn Exchange. Then there was
the attempt OIL the Southwark Bank,
which was defeated because the man
who was Oh watch got drunk and went
asleep on Il hOusetOp and failed to signal
to Lhe workmen when to begin opera
tions OH the departure Of the Watchman.
The Consolidation Bank would have
heon plundered, too, but for the jingling
Of u door-bell. The thieves had rented
M adjoining building and had knocked
Il hole through the bank wall and had
all Of their implements In there. They
heard the bell and supposed the watch
man had returned and they fled, leaving
everything behind them. l know Of Il
Chestnut street bank which employed
only one watchman, an old, decrepit
fellow. I've seen him sound asleep in "a
chair, with the door wide open, on many
u night. How that bank escaped being
robbed don't know There was another
that had two ancient watchmen. One
Of them would let the other out early Ill
the morning to 60 buy policy slips. There
was an opening here for the men who
worked the Kensington Bank. 1t would
have been the easiest thing in the world
for gang to rap at the door and get
admittance about the time the old fel-
low was to return. 1t Is a fact not
known outside Of detective circles that
a job was put up few years ago to rob
the United States Mint. The attempt
on the Sub-Treasury in the Custom
House building, in 1870, failed only be,
cause tho Cracksmen made a mistake
and got into the vault where pennies
we're stored, instead Of that holding gold
CONS The government had to get now
locks and new safe doors, The leading
banks all have inside and outside watch
men now. The, latter report every hour
and have to record their visits by d tell