Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1885-11-05
..Chauncey johnston. He's dead


now"
The lawyer turned his head away.
Then there was q moment OF sience
Then he pressed a piece of b.ottinS-
paper 10 his eyes.
| ''Chauncey was the most eminent
sneak thief that ever lived" he said.
''He made over S5O0, 600 in his profess
sion, and We: he died beggar. Sad.
isn't it? Well, that is the way OF the
world Chauncey once robbed the Fifth
Avenue Hotel. The story never came
out but I'll tell it now. Every year
the New England Society had dinner
at the hotel. When the comm ttee was
arranging for the dinner one day in the
little room at the back of the main
office Chauncey walked in. He was
/ elegantly dressed and picked his teeth
with gold toothpick. The hotel pro-
prietors thought he was member of
| the committee and the committee
thought he was one of the pro A'ietors.
There is safe close to the door OF the
little room. and Cnauncey stole the first
/ thing in it he could reach. When he
got home he found that he had stolen
very valuable papers belonging to an
English clergyman. The clergyman
went back to England and, of course.
put in his claim against the hotel.
shortly afterward Chauncey visited the
Fifth Avenue Hotel again and made
another haul from the safe. just as he
got to the sidewalk he was grabbed by
big Irish porter who saw him commit
the ROBBERY. Well. Chauncey hired me
and gave me the story. suggested to
the hotel proprietOrs that the English
clergyman ought to have his papers,
and they were returned, not. however,
before Chauncey's accusers recon-
mended the Court to give him light
| sentence.
QUICK WORK IN A BANK.
"When you talk about the manner in
which criminals get their liberty can
tell you some daisies. You've often no.
ticed that the paying tellers' windows
! in banks are guarded by little iron or
brass bars? Well, before Dutch Helm
rIch's time the windows were entirely
open. By the way, what a genius he
was"
The lawyer closed his eyes in ecstacy
and murmured the name.
'Heinrich used to wait till The teller
of a bani had a good pile of money in
front of his window, and then he would
reach in, seize an armful if he could
and get away 50 quickly that pursuit
was hopeless. During the war Heinrich
got away with two bags of gold FROM a
Wall street bank in this fashion. He
passed the bags to cOnfederates. who
managed to escape. Heinrich. howev-
er, was arrested. He offered to return
some of the gold Il he was set at lib
ertv. The President of the bank accept
ed one bag of gold and then bailed
Heinrich out. The case was before
Justice Hogan, and l remember it very
well.
TWO MURDERS AT SEA.
''I'll tell you of thing that saved a
mans life, and l didn't even have to
tell lie to do it either. In 1864 man
namei Griffin was mate of a big ship.
He wanted TO be Captain, and so he in
duced the steward, man named Lees,
to help him kill the Captain. They
rubbed blue vitriol on the edge of a
drinking-glass, and in this way poisoned
the Captain. who died. The owners
were notified. but instead of promoting
Griffin they hired another Captain from
the outside. Griffin was wild over his dis
appointment, and he killed the second
Captain in the same way. Again the
owners went outside for man to fill the
vacancy. The Mate made an attempt
to poison the Captain. but the owners
of the vessel suspected what was the
10 IS a.
murdered Captains eXhumed. Traces
of poison were discovered and both
Griffin and Lees were arrested. Lees
confessed, and when Griffin was tried
in New York l defended him. The
court was in Burtol'S Theater. in
Chambers street, on the very spot where
the American News Company's build
ing is to-day. My wife wanted to hear
me defend Griffin. and she came to
court With her little baby in her arms
Well. the trial went on. / made Lees,
the steward, admit that he had terrible
dreams, in which the scenes of the MUIR
der haunted him. Upon this mainly
/ based theory that Lees was
the real and the only murderer. and
that he was trying TO implicate Griffin
10 save his own neck. Nnen got up
to sum up the case l felt shaky. l
wanted to awaken some emotion in the
breasts of the jurors. and yet cou dn't
see my way clear While was talking
my eye happened to alight upon my
wife and baby sitting in a far corner of
the room. 1t was an inspiration. Point
ing at them 1 cried: oh. gentlemen!
gentlemen! Will you make that moth
er widow and that innocent babe an
orphan? Can you look upon those
guiltless ones and send this man to an
unde>erved death?'
The jury was moved to tears, and I
need not tell you that Griilin's life was
saved. My wife, who was too far away
to hear my words, never could under
stand why she suddenly became the
center of attraction for all the eyes in
the room. NAV as well tell you that
Griffin was unmarried. The present
Judge Andrews was Assistant United
States District Attorney in the case
The baby is now the mother of five of |
my grandchildren.
A BANK OF ENGLAND BURGLAR.
"Of course you've heard of Melon I
aid. the great Bank of England forger,