The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1888-09-21
A Gigantic Ewindle.
BANK OF ENGLAND OUT OF f1,-
100000.

HOW GEORGE BIDwELL FLEECED THE
BANK OF ENGLAND OUT OF f1,-
100000.
One of the most noticeable figures
among the people who were attending
the meetings OF the National Prison
Association was that of George Bid
well, who became notorious through
out the world fifteen years ago by plan
ming gigantic scheme to swindle the
Bank of England There were four
men in the plot, and they got at least
81, ,000,0O0 out Of the bank before the
swindle was discovered
Bidwell was arrested with his accom-
plices, tried, convicted and sentenced
to imprisonment for life. He served
fourteen years in prison, and last year
he was freed on ticket-of-leave, and
came TO this, his native country, where
be has since resided with his family at
East Hartford, Conn., Bidwell is nearly
sixty years old. He has a strong and
attractive face. His head is quite
thickly sprinkled with gray hairs and
has suspicion of tbinness on the top.
He wears a closely. cropped black
mustache. A high forehead, promi-
nent features, and massive jaw and
chin 70 to make up decidedly inter-
esting face, and one which is all the
more interesting when one thinks that
behind that brow throbs the brain that
planned what was probably the great
est fraud in the annals of crime.
When one looks at the man as he is
now, and at his picture taken in Paris
in 1872, before the inception of the
fraud which has made him famous, the
terrible change wrought in him gives
an inkling of the mental and bodily
torment he was compelled to undergo
during his fourteen years inside the
prison walls. For five years he saw
neither sun, moon nor star, but was in
solitary confinement. and for six
months wore sixteen-pound chains for
an attempt to escape.
To reporter Bidwell said "After
a long course of fraud and crime in
this country l found myself in England
with three accomplices, and by acoi-
dent we discovered an unguarded loop
hole in the business transactions of the
Bank of England, and l concocted a
scheme to take advantage of this to
swindle them to the best of our ability.
You see, this bank was in the habit of
receiving bills of exchange in deposit
on account without verifying either
the signatures or the acceptances, and
slowing them away until they be-
came due. We took advantage of an
account we had opened under an
assumed name with the bank some
itime previous, got lot of bills of ex.
change printed on counterfeit plates,
and flooded the Bank of England with
these bills from all over the world pro.
fusely signed and accepted, and the
bank unhesitatingly cashed them and
put the proceeds to our credit. kept
no account of the sum we got out of
them, but at the trial they claimed
that their loss was about $1,000, 900.
All went well until we we're about to
make last move and leave the country
when, unfortunately, I neglected to
date the acceptance of two of the
fraudulent bills. These were sent to
the acceptors for the commission to be
supplied, and of course were at once
pronounced fraudulent.
Immediately the whole police and
detective force was put on our track
The wires flashed reward for our cap
ture to all parts of the kingdom, and
every seaport was guarded to prevent
our escape. | was the last one captur.
ed. l was chased through England
Ireland and Scotland for days, and ]
threw the detectives off the track agair
and again by shrewd devices. Aftel
some weeks / was captured in Edin
burgh.
cater the trial, in which the bank
officials attempted to show that the
whole affair was the result of a plo
carefully conceived and matured for 6
year or more, we were sentenced fol-
lite, and after serving fourteen years
time am now free man, through the
exertions of my people in this countr,
and England, while my three confeder
stes are still in confinement. Austin
my brother, is still at Chatham, Edwin
Hills at Portsmouth and George Nc
Donald at Portland. My prison lif'
was spent at Newgate, Bentonville
Dartmoor, Woking and Millbank.
son my return to this country wa
received at New York by an officer
who arrested me, but was obliged t,
release me by order of the court. rh'
Bank of England people now pay de
tectives to dog my footsteps in thi
country, and my every movement il
telegraphed to London. However,
am perfectly safe in this country, ant
am determined now, at my age, to lea,
an honest life"
l Mr.. Bidwell is a man of much nativ
ability, speaks French and German a
well as English, and has a translatin,
knowledge of Italian, Spanish AM
Latin. Boston Letter.