Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1885-01-02
now IT wAsDoxE.

hODerI Il. fJnkeTuOn, the genera
Superintendent of the Pinkerton DE
tective Agency has been giving an in
teresting account Of the way IN which
the robbery from the United State
Express Company in 1888 was tFae
ed. Although every effort wa,
made to find any clue, and every
stranger in Susquehanna on the night
of the robbery was looked up and To-
Gated, yet it was in vain. The profes
sional safe.openers, too, were ALI To-
Gated for the same night. 1t was only
because the Express Company insisted
on it, that the search was not given
up as hopeless. Detectives were plac.
ed rs employees in the express and rail.
way companies, but no clue could be
found. At length it appeared that a
man in Buffalo had boasted of being
concerned in it, and suspicion fell on
Proctor, who was being watched,
though not for this crime. 1t was
found that he was pretty well off, and
was specializing in oil, SO when he next
visited Susquehanna he was arrested.
He admitted being connected with the
robbery, and offered to. appear as a
witness against Martin and Collins,
whom he alleged to be the principals.
He was accordingly released, and told
to remain In 1Susqusaahna until lie
could be taken into Canada to decoy
the two principals into the States.
Proctor, however, skipped, and on
looking up'his character he was found
to be an old hand at.ssafe breaking,
and to have escaped. from Massachu.
sets, State Prison. He. then went to
Canada, apd being q Royal, Arch Ma.
son, succeeded in getting employment
in machine shop, and soon rose to
the position 81 foreman. ''As| Proctor
could not be extradited from Canada,
we had one OF Our. men make appar.
emily cautious inquiries from. Proctor,
but in such a way that it would reach
his ears and that Of his associates,
that they were being looked after for
u safe robbery which they had been
concerned in at Athabasca, Province
OF Quebec, some three years ago. This
inquiry caused Proctor'to believe that
he was not safe in Canada. The
watching OF them developed the fact
that the whole party were max.
ing preparations to $50 to Europe,
and as our agent who had made in.
quiries about the Atl1abasca robbery,
represented himself as coming from
Quebec, the men concluded that it
wash best for, them togo that: way
to Halifax, in order to get to Europe,
us they were afraid of being arrested
ut that point. 1t was also discovered
that they had purchased tickets on
the Grand Trunk road to Portland,
and had also. taken passage, on q
steamer sailing from Portland to Lon.
don. .-
lone of our detectives had ingra-
tiated himself into the confidence Of
these men, and was to go with them.
In going to Portland the Grand Trunk
Road crosses tile Zine into the United
States. AT Island Pond, point in
the northern part yf EerMont, l, with
IL requisition from the Governor OF
Pennsylvania on thefs Governor of
Vermont, On which. I obtained the
Governor of ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, wait.
ed for them. Tuesday | received a
telegram from detective at Montreal
that Proctor, Collins, and our detect.
i've had taken the 1915 p. III. train
from Montreal to Portland. On get.
ting on to the train, Proctor told the
porter that he was very sick, had his
bed made up and said he did not want
to be disturbed until he got to Port
land. Just previous to the train ar.
irving at the United States line, Col
Inns became suspicious Of Custom
House officer who came aboard, as
being q detective, and jumped from
the train on the Canada side. lie did
not have time to notify Proctor; who
was asleep in his berth ,iand when the
train arrived at IsfandP ohd, ! arrest
ed him. Proctor at first was so sur
prised that he was speechless, the color
left his face, but he immediately held
out his hands for the irons. -.
: "As to Martin and Collins, )" conclud.
ed the detective, "the express company
are not yet done with them. If, now,
theyare SO alarmed they cannot get
across the line into the United States,
the company, will spend, time and
money to watch them as to other
crimes they may commit ,in4the future
in Canada, andswill see toit that, they
are punished, The $4,000 stolen was
all lost in specializing, gambling, and
riotous living by the three principals"
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