The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1886-11-10

The Queer Hiding Place selected by
a Thief TO Avoid a Detective.

The Queer Hiding Place selected by
a Thief 10 Avoid a Detective.
In the spring of 1864 an army paymaster
named Booth had in his employ as clerk a
young man named Theodore Cushman, a
good-looking, intelligent fellow, whose par
ents lived in small town in Ohio. Booth
had taken the young man on the recon-
mendation of Congressman, and was
much pleased with him. About the middle
of May, when Cushman had been employed
about six weeks, he suddenly disappeared,
and with him went the sum Of $4,000,
taken from the paymastera safe. His get
ling the money was very bold thing. The
safe stood open, and in the Office sat the
paymaster and friend, and there were two
other clerks beside Cushman. The young
man put on his hat and coat to go out,
placed the package of money in his pocket
unseen and had two hours the start when 1t
was missed.
When was placed on the case / soon
learned that Cushman, honest and respect
able as he appeared in the eyes of his
friends, was really the consort of many bad
people, He drank and gambled and was
| general favorite with several female adyerS
turers. Indeed, even discovered that he
had left Washington in the company of a
notorious woman named Bell Grover. He
must have been planning raid on the pay
masters safe and felt reasonably sure of
making haul, for the woman was packed
up ready to leave and both were on their
way to Baltimore within an hour from the
time the money was taken They had two
days the start of me, but traced them to
Philadelphia, from there to Trenton, from
Trenton to Jersey City, and they crossed to
New York only two hours ahead of me. In
Philadelphia Cushman bought the woman
$500 worth of diamonds. I had an idea
that they would plan to take steamer to
Europe, and had to telegraph to Washing.
ton for help in the case. We watched the
ship offices, oyerhauled all tho hotels, and
five days slipped away and we had not been
able to pick up the trail again. II was q
question whether they had not left the city
| almost rs soon as they had entered it.
After the first day there were four of us on
the case direct, while the police were rem
| dering us all the assistance possible. We
had mono of us met Cushman or the woman
face to face, nor did we have their photo
graphs. We were trailing them from de-
scriptions, and faulty ones at that.
Toward night on the afternoon of the
fifth day was crossing Union square when
encountered young fellow whom at once
spotted for Cushman. He had shaved off
his snustachc, changed his style of collar
and put on a new suit of clothes, but had
q feeling that he was the man wanted.
turned and followed him, and after bit he
looked about him in such way as to prove
that he was criminal of some sort He
went to hotel and wrote letter and en-.
closed $50 bill in it. From there he went
to a hardware store and bought revolver.
Then he started out like one going home
and followed him to boarding house ON
Lexington avenue.
Ten minutes after Gushman entered the
house / RING the bell, and il did not take
over five more to explain my errand to the
| Iandlady. She volunteered to lead me to
| Uushman's room, which was up two flights,
put at the same time informed me that
MRS. Cushman had left the house few
minutes before his arrival. When knock.
cd on the door / heard some one moving
| inside, but no answer was returned to my
summons waited Ave minutes and then
broke the door in, but Cushman was no.
where to be found. 1t was an elegantly
| furnished room, and the pair had gone
straight to the house from the foot OF
Desbrosses street looked out of the var
ious windows under the bed and behind the
sofa, but Cushman was not TO be found.
He could not have descended to the ground,
and made up my mind TIN. when he came
up stairs he had entered some other room,
although thought heard him move about
ifter knocked.
was about TO leave tho room to make a
Iearch of the house when / heard o great
sputtering and sneezing, and the wooden
mantel was pushed back and Cushman came
out of the fireplace. 1t was mock Are
CRATE, but 80 nicely. arranged that was
deceived. His quarters were terribly cramp-
ed, and the lime and dust had filed his
eyes and set him sneezing. He was terri
bly, ohagrined and crcst-fallen over his cap-
lure. But q still worse thing was in store
Tor him. The woman for whom he had
ruined himself had been intrusted 10 carry
the bulk of the swag," and she hsd taken
advantage of his absence to run away with
II. We did our best to find her, but she
got away to Europe with at least $1,000 of
the stolen money. Cushman was taken to
Washington, tried for the robbery and got
q ten-year sentence, not more than half Of
which had been served when he died.