Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1895-09-20


and her name nowhere else appeared in
the lengthy document. The old lady
was such termagant and so implacable
in her hatred that it was moral GER
tainty she would never relent and
change her purpose toward her daughter.
But James had also drawn up second
will Of his own and Brea's concoction,
and precious piece of villainy it was,
in which the wife was down for lega-
cies amounting to $3.50, 1000. The genu-
inc will James kept in his own posses
sion, ready to destroy the very moment
word came that the old lady was an i'm
mortal, while the spurious will was
kept in the vaults Of the Safety Deposit
company, there to remain until the
death of the testatrh, when, of course,
it would in due time be produced.
But money must be had at once, for
Brea and James were in sore straits,
particularly James, who had been
threatened with arrest and was so far
involved that he always entered and left
his house at night in order to escape i'm
Fortunate creditors. This was James
second interview with the men and the
first time he bad been alone with them.
he saw at once that he had to do with
able, clear headed men, took them into
his confidence and in order to excite
their hopes and bind them to him as
well he confded to them the plot of the
forged will, producing the genuine for
their inspection.
He assured them that it was sure
and speedy fortune, as the lady was old
and frail in health, and he also prom
ised they should share between them
$10O, 900, provided they would stand by
to give hand in the somewhat i'm
probable event of the other heirs disput-
ing the will, but above all if they would
devise some means to furnish him at
once $40, 900, or at least $5, 900. Money
he must have, and he could no longer
do without it.
The result o. our conference in James
Office was that the very next day an
office down town was engaged under
fictitious name and simple, unsuspi-
cious fellow hired as porter and messen-
ger. After some little negotiation he OBJ
tanned particulars Of parties banking
with the ther :,reat firm Of Jay Cooke
& Co., corner Of Wall and Nassau
streets. Briefly told, the result was that
four days later messenger walked into
their banking house with a check for
$50, 900, purporting to be signed by an
other firm, who banked with them.
Along with the check went a letter bear
ing signature we'll known to the cash.
ier, asking him to pay the check to bear
er, thu result Of all being that five
thereafter we were walking un-
concernedly up Broadway, and sending
o message to James to meet us at Del
monico's, corner Broadway and Cham
bers street, we sat down awaiting his
arrival He had anxiously been looking
for news, and almost before we had
seated ourselves he entered, eager and
anxious looking, but when he glanced
at our faces a happy expression came
over his own and without a word he
put ont his hand. After warm greet
ing produced the roll, and, to his de-
light, handed over to James ten five
hundreds. On the morrow I went to the
Office, and paying my messenger weeks
wages, besides making small gift,
told him he need not come any more.
With this 100000 coup we fondly
thought all our troubles and all our un-
lawful acts were ended We now had a
few thousands, sufficient to last until
the IS, 900 we had invested in the will
case should bring in dividend that
would mean fortune for US all. So we
took things easy about town, and alto
gether thought ourselves pretty good
fellows and this world very good sort
Of place to be in.
Thus the winter passed by and the
summer was at hand. Our thousands of
the year before had dwindled to hun
dreds, and the old lady whose heirs we
had constituted ourselves seemed to have
renewed her youth and threatened to
outlive us all
Besides this there had grown up a
repugnance in our minds to the busi-
ness, and when one day my friend MIC
remarked it was a scoundrelly business
to rob the heirs Of an estate, and they
women, George and I heartily acqui-
esced, and we vowed we would take no
part in the matter and then and there
resolved we would throw both James
and Brea over, but first to use Brea and
James for our own purposes. Once more
we found ourselves planning q coup in
Wall street. Talking the matter over,
we three soon had plan, and being
lowered with intense energy it prom
ised successful determination. Auda-
ciously enough we determined the light
ming should strike once more in the
same place-that is, to make Jay Cooke
e. Co. again the victims. Irving and his
honest fellows were to cooperate by
Watching everything, and if any arrest
threatened to be on hand to make it
themselves and then let the prisoner es-
cape Most important of all, when the
bankers drove up in hot haste to police
headquarters to give information, James,
honest James, would be on hand to re-
ceive him, would call in his two TRUSTEES
to get with him full particulars Of the
robbery and description Of the men.
Then the banker would be sent away
with the assurance that 1--WE know the