Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-09-21

What Is regarded 10 detective circles as
the ueatest job Of the swiudlers' art that
has been successfully carried out in
many day was the operation ~ Waiie-
". Warner. Jr., Who yictmizet tHe EA-
change Bank OF Boston oJt nl S5.rl]. a
few DAYS since ay the adr5it Use OF
telegraph wires and express companies.
Noone takes more interest in tae Pur-
salt ~ the criminal than William Tinker
Ton. as the baldues- aud originality with
which IS amer operated Shows him 80 be
a crook worthy or me attention Of the
ebrewdast detectives. PiukertOn rec0l-
lects of but one case with any similarity
20 This. and that was the scheme worked
by the express messenger and telegraph
operator. w. ". McCalla, whereby be
succeeded iu TobDipg the Union Express
Company Of Pittsburg, Penn, out OF 81 2O0
From Piukerton's recollection Of this
famous place 90 rOguery be was led 20 be-
ueye thar the description Of the man who
worked the express company was fdenu.
ded with the bank sharper, Remember
Ing that Thomas turiung, chiet OF the
Missouri Pacific secret service, was the
man VINO detected McCalla, PInkertvu
wrote 10 him % see II his surmises were
correct A reporter happened 70 be pres
ent when tue letter Of inquiry arrived
Furl0ng finished reading IL and then
threw himself back in bis chair with the
remark. Iheres letter that brings 20
mind the best case ! ever had In all my
experience ar detectFa.'
Ne read tae letter over again. alone
and added. "WauZer WAS RATHER, but,
] tell you. McCalia was the la-la. He,
was the man Who originated tho scheme
OF tapping telegraph wires and sending
bogus dispatches. The TWO Iobs are very
much alike. but the men have not the
least resemblance. MCCala was about
- years old when be turned his
trick in 1877. That would make him %
now, but he was a small man, not mucn
over 3 feet, while NHnZer Is described
as six-toOter. There is no similarity
IN their physique, but it is not unlikely
thai McCalla had something 10 do with
this bank operation. II is very much like
hin.
w hen McCalla took possession OF the
express car, be Immediately entered upon
the discharge Of his duties as messenger
IS though be bad served at the jlb for
years Boxes and packages we're put Of
AZ their proper places, and when the train
reached PIttsburg be took mis- seat on
bis safe in the express wagon, and rode
through the town until be GOT opposite
spite OF the drivers prOtestati0ns, and
disappeared. IL was IL O'clock that
ght before the robbery was discovered.
The driver bad told the Waterman that a
new messenger had brought the run IN,
and, nnally. getting tired of waiting for
him 70 turn up with the safe keys, re-
ported the matter to superintendent Bing-
ham. lie opened the empty safe and
called ia The police 70 investigate the rob
berry, aud they concluded, after an exam
inatiOn, that the safe had no money
IN Il. / Was ia Oil City at that time, and
also acted as special agent for the
Allegheny railroad. On the 18Th Of March,
1s75, II suddenly dawned upon the minds
Of the officials Of the Union Express
Company that they had been robbed. Joe
Cupples was then, and Is now a special
detective for the express company. He
asa myself were Sci at work 70 lind the
fObber. There wasn't the slightest clew
To his identity. All that we mad to start
on was the fact that the job had been
worked by tapping the wires and sending
q bogus dispatch. We Travelled along the
road, and finally located the spot where
the work Was done. II WAS between
hittanning and CowanshannOck. The
road runs along there under an immense
high 0iu4, where landslides frequently
occurred, and often big bOulders would
70 ] down on the track. To prevent &C
cidenls Of this kind watchmen We're
placed at convenient distances, and were
provided with little box houses TO shelter
them from the storms that whistle along
the mountain side. 1t was one Of these
places that NcCalla selected. He had
nO<r0ubie, for he knew all about tele-
graphing, 30 when ne told the watchman
be had come TO examine the wires no OBJ
lection was made. lie climbed the pole
and out Of half a dozen or more wires
selected the proper one TO answer his pur-
pose with a prOmptness that Al once
marked him IA an expert at the business.
II was the Pittsburg WIRE be wanted.
Cutting il in two without any hesitation,
he grounded the south end aud sent q
message TO the agent at Bardy's Bend,
inquirIpg the name OF the express mes.
songer who Was coming on train No. 2.
Signed George Bingham. George Bingham
was the superintendent Of the express
company. An answer came back prom oily
saying the express messenger on No. 9
was Bingham.
A BROTHER TO GEORGE.
McCalla then sent the following dis
paetch purpOrtlng to come from Pitts
burg: 900
5iAghGln, Messenger, Train No. q, htircA IS,
-. G.. Brooks win meet you atTemple-
ton on No. 10. You will turn over To him
your run and take his receipt for money
and all yaluahles. lie will bring your
run into Pttsburg, where you Will report
% Mcclellan, route agent, who awaits
you there I.t ta
GEORGE BINGHAM, Superintendent.
ANSWER.
"When Bingham, the messenger. re-
eeiyed this telegram ne sent the following
dispatch in reply:
'BRADY's BEND, March 10. 1871,
Ge0rge b,ngtdsH. haperiHfendeut. Pftfsburgs
VIII transfer with j. &. Brooks ut Tenn
pleton this p. m, and return on 10 and re-
port 10 Mcclellan ~ Parkersburg, as per
your message. WWH r.
(sigued THOs. BINGHAM, Messenge
''Ihis telegram never reached jts IN
tended destination. IL stopped On Nc
Caila'e ticker, where ne had tapped the
wire, between kittanning and COwau.
shamrock. With this assurance that his
plans had not miscarried Mccall then
readiusted the main wire and indicted
the following letter % himself, initiating
very closely the handwriting OF the sup
posed author:
'PITTsBURG, March l3, 1877.
Thomas biHghatn, MesseaDcr, Tram No. e.
The bearer, j. &. Brooks, Will take your
run Mt Templeton this afternoon and
bring IL 10 Pittsburg. You viii return on
u 10 Parkersburg and report there 10 Nc
Clellnn, who wants 10 sec you on an inn
uOrtauf mnttor IOu VIII take "A rppnlut