Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-07-19
Max Shinburn In Bennington.

EXPLOITS OF THE FAMOUS BANK ROBBER
THE NOTED TRIAL WHICH RESULTED.
bennington county as we'll as Cheshire,
New Hampshire, mas reason to remem-
Der Max Shinburn, the bank burglar re-
Gently arrested in New York State, for
one of her most famous lawsuits was
fought there as IL result of one Of his in
genious rObberes. 1t was the first jury
trial held before Judge II. II. Wheeler
after he went upon the bench in this
State. In 1865 soon after the FIRST
National bank was organized there,
and while occupying little build
ing by itself. it was one night robbed OF
$4,000
The safe has a large combination four
wheel lock. Only four persons in the
world knew the combination and one OF
them was Eugene Graves, son of the pres
ident. and he was rather wild boy, who
happened t. be in Troy that night. AS it
could not be understood how the safe
was entered, suspicion was directed quite
strongly towards him. Among the Sc
curtieS stolen were $4,000 bonds belong
ing to the cashier and $4,000 To EuOS
Adams, placed IN the bank for loan
which had been partly paiL. Adams
sued the bank to recover the amount
and the case was twice tried, in Decem-
Der, 80, and December, 10. The first
trial resulted III a disagreement of
the Jury and the second in verdict for
the plaintiff for all bonds held as col
lateral. and as to the rest for the defend
ent. Besides all the questions regarding
the law of bailmen involved. the case
was on the question of the vindication of
young Eugene Graves.
- L. 4 TTfnn IN
arrested at Welhi, n. Y, for another rob-
berry and for bail had offered a $1,000
boud which was found to belong to the
cashier at Bennington, and to have been
among those stolen. In Shinburn' S
room at New York was also found the
bug which he had used to break the
safe, as the process was afterwards eX-
planned. This bug was a diamond,
and taking of the outer piece of knob Of
the lock, he adjusted the diamond so it
would make a scratch for each move
ment in unlocking, then put the knob
back on, he waited until the next night
after the record had been made of the
number of revolutions each way required
which he was able to read from the in
terror OF the mechanism by the use of
the magnifying glass. These diamond
marks were found III the lock and it
was also found that Shinburn had been
III town for eight days waiting for the
cashier to open the interior box in the
safe, in which was more than 500, 900
of cash and securities. He had gone
through with the same process on the
inside lock, but there was no occasion
in the meantime to 90 to the inside box
for the banks business, he had to COM
nit the robbery without it.
These facts with some other circum-
stances made 1T reasonably clear who
committed the robbery and relieved
young Graves from unjust suspicion.
The case was one that excited Intense
interest at the time, all the Bennington
lawyers being engaged on one side or
the other. Edward j. Phelps and South
worth fought for the detendent, while
the late Charles n. Davenport and at
different trials W. A. Beach and Judge
Fugsmau, now OF the New York Supreme
Court, then of the firm of Smith, Beach
& Fursman of Troy, took the lead for
the plaintiff. Mr.. Phelps argument in
vindication of young Graves was de-
clared by Mr.. Davenport to be one of
the finest ever heard in any court. 1t
was soon after this trial that Mr.. Beach
went to New York, as confidential
council for Jim Fisk and Jay Gould, be-
ginning celebrated career there, in the
TiltOn- Beecher aud other cases. Fisk
and Could first offered this position
with all It's opportunities to Davenport
who declined it.
The manufacturer of the safe testified
at this trial that it was the constant
study and struggle of that business to
keep ahead of tie bank burglars, but he
would have to admit that at that stage
the burglars were ahead and some new
way Of clrcumventing them would have
to be studied up. This was a frequent
experience of safe manufacturers as
against Shinburn. He drove the Lilly
safe out of the market by discovery
that the door could be pried off by the
use of a powerful jimmy after knocking
off the hinges. He also discovered that
person with an acute hearing, by put
ting his ear to the safe and turning the
dial, could discover at what numbers
the tumblers dropped into place. He is
undoubtedly the ablest sCoundrel this
continent has contained and his career
has been wonderful one. His robberies
will probably mount up into the hun
dredS. When he fled from this country
in 1869, he carried off over 100000, and
purchased an estate; silk mill and
title OF count in Belgium where he lived
a quiet life for several years. But he
was always reckless and profuse gamb-
Ter, and lost his money and returned to
bank burLlaries again, being finally
caught and spending five years in pris-
on The Cheshire county officers who
went over to New York last week to
get him to serve out his sentence in
New Hampshire had to come back with
out him. The New York authorities
refused to give him up because they
think they can convict him. -BrattlebOro
Reformer.