The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-07-25
MAX SHINBURN.

associates, and outside of his young Eng
lish confidential agent he allowed none of
his old associates to know where he had
gone and located. For 15 years he is sup
posed to have lived respectable life. 1t is
said that he operated heavily on the bourse,
and in this way he lost his fortune and
business, and having no other means of
making money easily he went back into
the bank and safe burglary line again.
Among the banks robbed by Shinburn
from 1860 to 1869 was the Walpole Saw
ings bank, In Walpole, N. H., in April,
1865, and for that robbery he was arrested
and sentenced to ten years Imprisonment.
Soon after his conviction he effected his
escape in very bold manner in the day
time from the state prison at Concord. He
was not apprehended again until 1868,
when, with others, he attempted to rob
the st. Albans bank, at st. Albans VT.
The burglars were surprised by the watch.
man and fled. Shinburn boarded train
at the Vermont Central railroad station
and was recognized by one OF the jurymen
who had convicted him for the Walpole
robbery. He was captured and sent back
to Jail, but after serving nine months of
his sentence he again escaped, with, 1t Is
thought, official assistance.
In 1867 he engaged in the robbery Of the
vault of the Lehigh and Wilkesbarre Coal
company, at Whitehaven. In some'way he
studied out the combination of the vault,
and such was his daring that twice he en-
tered the vault, and because there was not
sufficient money to satisfy his cupidity left
1t without taking anything more than his
bare expenses and the cost Of his railway
ticket. He robbed the vault, however,
upon third occasion and took from 1t over
$40, 900.
Other depredations committed by him
were the theft from bank at Cadiz, o.,
Of about 500, 900, and the great robbery Of
the Ocean bank In this city, from which,
1t was asserted, he stole In money and Sc
ourities upward Of 81 1000, 600. A reward
of $50, 900 was offered for the return of the
securities, and John s. Young, chief of the
detective bureau at that time, succeeded
In arresting Shinburn, and by threatening
to take him back to New Hampshire as an
escaped convict forced him to give up the
securities. Shinburn escaped from custody,
and 1t was always thought that his escape
was due to police connivanoe.
The work of this criminal and his asso-
oiates compelled banks to build strong
vaults, and after the Northampton and
Manhattan bank robberies of some 20
years ago no extensive burglaries In banks
were committed in the United States un-
TIL about three years ago. From then un-
til the present time there has been seyies
of such burglaries In country banks. The
leading hand In these affairs has been
proved TO be Shinburns, and after long
chase he was hnally arrested, as already
described. There Is little doubt that this
will mark the beginning of the end OF his
career, as he is now 90 years old. In the
last year he Is known to have been con-
cerned In the burglaries at the First Ma
tional bank of Griswold, Ia. Ph@nix
bank, Phoenix, N. r.; banks at Milan
and Sandusky, o; the Thomaston Ma
tional bank, Thomaston, Conn; ST. Hya-
cinth bank, Montreal, another at Toronto
and the First National bank of Middle
Ao-a. NJ W