The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-07-31
B1DwELL, THE BANK RoBBER.
How He Swindled the Bank of England
Out of $5,OOO,OOO.
From the Ne,o York Graphic.


From the NetD York Graphic.
George Bidwel, the man who swindled
the Bank of England some years ago out Of
81 100000, was seen at the meetings of the
National prison association. Bidwell is near
ly G2 years of age. He has a strong and at
tractlve face. Ills head is quite thclly
sprinkled with gray hairs and has suspi
cOn of thnncSS on the top, He wears a
closely crop Ell black moustache.
In the plot to rob tho bank there were
four mon, and they got at least 81 10000
out of the bank before the Swlndlc was dis
covered. Bidwell was arrested with his ac
completes, tried, convicted and sentenced to
imprisonment for life. He served fourteen
years in prison, and last year he was freed
on n ticket ,of-leaye and came to this (his
nativc) country, where he has since resided
with his family at East Hartford, Conn.
Upon being asked as to how the gigantic
fraud was successfully accomplished, Bid
well said: After a long course of fraud
and crime in this country | found myself
in England with three accomphces, and by
accident we discovered an unguarded loop
hole in the business transactions of the Bank
of England and | concocceda sc neme TO take
advantage of this to swindle them to the
best of our ability.
lyon see, this bank was in the habit of
receiving our bills of exchange i'll deposit on
account without verifying either the sigma
ture or the acceptances, and slowing them
away until they became due. We took adj
vantage of an account we had opened under
an assumed name with the bank some tune
previous, got Il lot of bills of exchange
printed on c'uuterfeit plates, and flooded
the Bank of England with these bills from
all over the world, profusely signed AMI nc
Cepted, and the bank unheSltAtmgly cashed
thatp and mt thA nyOCpnlS 10 orr credit
81 kept no account of the sum We got out of
them, nut at the trial they claimed that
their loss was about 81 100000,
IAN we It we'll until we were about TO
make last move aud leave the country,
when unfortunately, | elected to date the
acceptance OF two of the fraudulent bills.
These wero sent 10 the acceptors for the
omission to be supplied, and Of course they
were at once prouoM.c cd fraudulent. I'm
mediatcly tao whole police and detective
force were put on our track After some
weeks | was captured Ill Edinburgh and
sent up f life. After serving fourteen
years time | am now n free man through
the exertions of my people in this country
aud England while my three confrderateS
are still i'm cOntinemcnt--AuStin, my brother
Mt Chatham, f. Twin Hills at Portsmouth
and George Mcdonald at Portland My
prison l,te was spent Mt New Gate, Benton
vile, Dartmoro, Woking and Mill Bank.
con my return to this country | was re
ceivod at New York by an officer, who ar
rested me, but was obliged TO release me hv
order of the court The Bank of England
people now pay detectives TO dog my foot
stops in this country, aud my every move
mont Is telegraphed to London. However,
am perfectly safe in this country, and am
determined now at my age to lead an hon
est life
Mr.. Bidwell is man of much native
ability, ST eaks French and German as well
as Eng ISL, and has n TRANSMITTING knowledge
Of italian, Spanish and Latin. Many promi-
rent people IN this country have taken much
interest IN him, aud it is expected that his
address 70 the association will be very in
structivo.