Sharp County record., 1888-06-21
A DETECTIVES TALE.
The Story Of the Great Concord
Bank Robbery.

While walking up Washington street.
Boston, last week, l encountered a
well-known New York detective, who
said he was going to the Massachusetts
State Prison at Charlestown, and invit-
ed me to accompany him. We were'
of course, speedily admitted, when the
detective had mysterious interview
with two of the convicts.
At the invita- ton of the warden we
subsequently made tour OF the
prison. In the shoe shop my detect
i've friend called my attention to a
pale-faced man who was bending over
a pegging machine.
naarNed the detective while we We're
in our train to this city, Though he Is
better known to the police as Langdon
w. Moore. He is one of the most
skillful bank burglars in this coun-
try"
us he in now for robbing bank"
] asked.
Yes. He and n gang broke into
the Cambridgeport Bank in 1880, and
be is now serving out sixteen-years
sentence. He will be out during the
summer of 1892, owing to the COM
mutation for good behavior, and we
will have to keep our eyes open after
that"
why, he is quite gray" said ]. "Is
he not too old for more crimep'
"Thieves like him are never too old
for work. Adams was born in 1880,
and has spent half of the past forty
years in prison. He always aimed at
getting big plundeE He got so much
once that the authorities were afraid
to prosecute him."
How was thatp' l asked, seeing
there was chance for story.
"Well, you must remember that at
the close of the war there was an i'm
mense amount of money invested in
Government bonds. Adams and a
pal of his emptied the safe of bank
and carried off nearly million. When
arrested he gained his liberty by sur
rendering the greater part of his
booty
The Concord Bank, of Massa-
chusetts, had for its president Mr..
George Haywood. who was also the
cashier of the County Savings Bank,
and he kept all the securities belong
ing to the latter institution in the
vault of the Concord Bank. All of the
merchants and most of the farmers in
that neighborhood had bonds on de-
posit in the vault for safe-keeping,
though, as 1T turned out they could
not have chosen more convenient
place for the burglars.
"A man named Harry Howard, but
more commonly known as English
Harry was a well-known and very
skillful burglar. He had met Charley
Adams while they were in prison to-
gether for bursting into different
banks. In the early part of January,
1865. he happened to be in Concord,
when the idea occurred to him that !
the bank might be safely cracked. On
the impulse of the moment English
Harry entered the bank and request
ed change for 500 bill Mr.. Che
sheir, the teller declined to give it,
net liking Howard's appearance.
This only angered the ex-convict,
and he at once proceeded to Farming
ham, where Adams was living on his
farm. The result of their conference
was that week after Adams called
at the bank and opened negotiations
for some 7-30 United States bonds.
Having his eyes open. he soon discov-
erGd that the cashier kept the key to
the vault on ledge near the door,
and was also foolish enough to have
the combination on paper beside it.
adams and Howard then began
working out plan for robbing the
vault They first took an impression
OF the lock on the outer door, and
sent 1t to New York to have a hey
made Fifteen days and nights