The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-11-08
FIFTY YEARS A CROOK.
The Remarkable Criminal Career
of Mary Doyle.
SIZE IS ALMOST AsEPTUAGENARIAN,

Her Life Behind Prison Bars, and
Has just Been Sentenced to Serve
Five Years More.
New YORK, Nov. S.-Chief of Police
George c. Tenney, of Elizabeth, was MOI
born when Mary Doyle began her re-
markable criminal career, and was a
schoolboy when she committed her first
theft in that town, so Mary was con
siderably surprised last month when
after an absence of thirty years, she was
arrested in Elizabeth, and, having give,
her name as Eugenie Hoffman, was ad
dressed by the chief as Mary Doyle. She
confessed her identity and talked little
about her career.
She is a German, so years old, and has
been thief for nearly half century,
thirty years of that time having been
passed in prison. She is very interesting
to the police from the fact that she has
never been tried for crime, always
pleading guilty when arrested, and be
cause of the great and many services she
has rendered criminals under arrest. 1t
is assumed by the police that she pleads
guilty not only because that generally
insures a lighter sentence than would
follow conviction after trial, but because
she has a stronger objection than most
criminals to the investigation into her
record which a trial would necessi-
tate. 1t was an accidental interest in
her career that made Chief Tenny famil
lar with her appearance and methods
and enabled him TO identify her.
An Interesting History.
Long before the war Mary Doyle was
married TO man named Ed Miller. 1t
is not known that he was criminal, OF
ever aided her in her work. Miller en-
listed i'll the Union army early in the
war, and that was the last she ever heard
OF him. She afierward married Doyle.
who died five years ago. So far AS her
record is known she has never com
mitted but one class of crime, sneak
thieving, and has always been found
with the same implements of her work.
a chisel and a bunch of skeleton keys.
Another feature of her career is that
every otfense she has been charged with
was committed during some public eX
citement.
Her first appearance in Elizabeth was
thirty years ago, when she sneakGd into
room of hotel just when an exciting
piece Of war news was being discussed,
and stole box of silverware. She was
sentenced to three years imprisonment
| for that, but only served fourteen
months, when she was pardoned 70.
| good behavior.
The day after Lincoln's assassination
| a Harrisburg bank lost box containin,
| $1,000 in greonbacks and $1,000 in gov
ernment bonds. The theft was com
mitted while the excitement over the
news from Washington was so intense
| that business was practically suspended.
| A woman WAS seen to enter the bank
and lolter about the counters, apparently
listening to the exciting news received
| and discussed. When she left the bank
| the cash box was gone. 1t was never
| recovered. Mary Doyle confessed to
! Chief Tenney that she took that box.
Much of that large haul, she says, she
used to help well known crooks out of
trouble. a considerable part of it went
as forfeited bail for the crooks she be-
| friended.
Her Second Term at Trenton.
She afterward served term in the
New Jersey state prison for a theft com
| mitted in Newark She was found by a
| Newark woman in her bedroom in IA
boarding house, and Mrs. Doyle said she
had called to pay her daughters board
and had got into the wrong room. The
| Nplli'll Nt1 suspicious anu tulltA htI
husband. He heard the story. saw the
thiefs tears and believed her. His wife
told him he had better look in his bureau
draw. He did so, and found that n
| 81 900 bond which he was holding as
treasurer of a building and loan associa-
tion was missing. He accused Mrs.
Doyle and she returned the bond and
offered the man 500 ii he would let her
go. He declined the offer and had her
| arrested.
She was next heard of, after serving a
term in the New Jersey state prison, in
St Louis, where she stole S5O, 900 worth
OF Fenlan bonds payable by the republic
OF Ireland, which proved to be worth
less. She then went to Ohio, where,
after several successful raids, she was
captured while sneak thieving and served
a term in the Columbus pcnitentiary.
After that She returned To New Jersey,
and served Il term for thett committed
| in Caldwell.
The last conviction and sentence, prior
to her return to Elizabeth last month.
was Philadelphia. She was sentenced
on Saturday to FIVE years Imprisonment
In the prison at Trenton.