Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-09-09
TOM DAVIS VICTIM.
A Strange Story About q Famous
Crooks Death.
From TIE Philadelphia Ne'os.

A well-known sporting man Of Phila-
delphia tells an interesting story of Tom
Davis, the "boodle man" who was killed
in New York on Monday last by james t.
Holland, of Abilene, Texas, in connec-
ton with a once famous bank sneak
named dutch Heinrich" who was sup
posed to have been murdered by Davis in
the autumn Of 1878,
Heinrich was one of the most daring
and successful ''croOks" Of his day. His
operations were mostly confined TO New
York city, and the bankers and brokers OF
Wall street yet remember the disastrous
losses they incurred through the workings
of Dutch Heinrich and his clever pals.
His motions in abstTacting bundles of
greenbacks from the counters OF banks
ard Oan6ing-houses were as sklllful and
as eye-defying as the motions of great
pretidlgitateurs, and his GOODNESS and
braZen effrontery were equal to his skill.
Some of the hauls he made in Wall street
were to the tune OF thousands of dollars,
and We're the result OF weeks of careful
observation of the unlucky banks and
finely-generaled movements on the tempt
ing "bOOdle' lying on the counters. For
a long time Heinrich thriyed apace, and
at last he grew to believe himself above
the law and out of its reach. and there
were few of his accomplices in iniquity
that did not in this belief agree with him.
HEINRICH's MISTAKE.
But Heinrich was mistaken. At last
the tide of good luck that had been solong
in his favor turned against him. At last
his cunning planning and dett fingers, that
had brought sorrow in the counting-rOOms
of so many Wall street institutions,
seemed baftled bya series of misfOrtunes.
One robbery alter another that had been
expected to result in "bOOdle" mounting
high up in the thousands failed. One ac-
complete after another who had stood by
him for years deserted his failing for
tunes; the officers of law long set at de-
tiance were on his track, close at his
heels, and at last Heinrich was caught.
He had laid out Job on a big Wall street
bank, and had managed it so successfully
that the swag had been lifted, amounting
to 1000 in bonds, but some clue was
left by which even the New York detec-
tives were enabled to fasten the Job on
Dutch Heinrich, and he was tried, con-
Victed and cast into the Tombs. Ned
Stokes was there then, charged with the
murder of Fisk.
All the time he passed in the Tombs
was spent in endeavoring TO obtain his
release. He had lawyers working hard
in his favor, and Heinrich's wife and chill
dren went to the cOunselOrs' office day af-
Ter gay, DSseecnlnR Luem 10 OBTAIN JnS re-
lease Of their husband and father. More
than once Heinrich endeavOred to escape
from the great prison, whose annals re-
cord so few of the attempts successfully
made within It's walls; but his efforts in
this direction were total failures. Finally,
he tried the "insanity act" and this
worked so well that in a short time he was
liberated.
In his palmy days Heinrich married
the sister OF the murdered "bOodle man."
Tom Davis, and this was a match that he
brought about, but when his brother-in-
law was released from prison he found
that he lacked the ability to steal "big
money" and determined to get rid OF him.
Davis induced Heinrich to take passage
on a steamer for Europe, accompanied
him on the voyage, and in mid-Ocean one
night Heinrich was missed from the
steamer, and it was common talk that
Davis had got rid of the Dutchman by
throwing him over the side Of the steam
er.- So Heinrich never saw the land he
sailed to see, and Davis was rid of an old
'par' who had become burden.