Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1895-06-27

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Draper, Red Iseary, Billy Connors,
James Burns, George Howard, Thomas
Dunlap and Robert Scott But the 81.
perintendent Immediately expressed
doubt about Howard being actually
engaged in the foray. Scott was only
! "a years old when the robbery took
place. He was married and had at
one time lived in Brooklyn with his
young wife. He passed as a man Of
wealth, and used to drive down the
road at Coney Island behind his own
team. Mrs. Scott was kept In entire
! ignorance Of her husbands occupation,
and believed him innocent, even after
J he had been arrested for completely in
/ the Northampton robbery, and stood
by him TO the last. Scott was tried
with James Dunlap at Northampton,
and both We're convicted Scott was
sent to the Warnersville prison, where
/ he died on April %, 1882, after sery-
/ ing four years and three months of his
term of twenty years. just before his
death the prison authorities allowed
his wife TO take him to a hospital, and
| here he died. his wife and Dunlap, his
companion in crime. being with him
J during his last moments. Scott
pledged his wife TO labor INCREASINGLY
for the pardon OF Dunlap, who, he
said, had been inveigled into the rob
berry, and who had been made 10 sui
fer, while the men who were the most
! to blame had been allowed to 90 free.
/ Mrs Scott kept her promise to her
husband, and interested large num-
Der Of persons in Dnnlap's case. She
even won over the president of the
/ Northa mpton bank, who had suffered
so severely from the depredations Of
the thieves Successive petitions were
presented to the board Of pardons, and
on Jan. i, 1898, Dunlap was released,
after having served twelve years Of his
sentence Of twenty.
The cases Of Scott and Dunlap are
thus referred to at length because
they were at one time the only men,
bers of the gang who knew OF the
bonds having been placed in the
4 church tower. The secret was not re-
yealed until Scott had been in prison
some time. The directions how to
find them were carried by Mrs. Scott
to Billy Connors, and the former has
said that Red Leary secured the booty
from it's quiet hiding place squandefed
Il good part of 1t in Europe and left
her husband to die in prison and Dun
lap to spend a miserable existence i'll
penal servitude. They were the only
men who were engaged in the robbery
who were never punished The others
appear to have ptMcha sed immunity
by making terms with the bank. Just
: before SCOTS death five Others of the
crackslnen were arrested. Upon The
arrest Of Red Leary compromise vas
effected by the terms OF which larsa
: part Of the stolen property was ie'
{ turned. Dunlap made an excellent
record as prisoner and made friends
of all with whom he came in contact
However uncertain may be The
), actual makeup of the party which
robbed the northampton bank, on the
night Of Jan. 26, 1876 it has been rs
. tablshed beyond the shadow Of 4
doubt that Red Ieary, Shang Draper
/. Scott and Dunlap participated in u
These, with others, met in Northamp
ton on the night agreed upon and pre-
pared for the raid which will so down
into history as one of the boldest rob
berries ever attempted by bank bur
glars, After putting on masks th'
thieves proceeded to the house of JOIN
Whittlesey, cashier Of the bank, woke
: Ia, a md
/ after binding all but the cashier, com
+ PEELED the latter to 30 with them to the
2 bank, where they forced him to give
, M the combinations on the vault dool
| and the one on the inner safe, whicl
t contained the bonds. The sum of SD,
600 In cash was secured, 100000 II
I coupon and registered bonds and $500,
900 in certified checks.
After the cracksmen had plundere(
: the safe they marched the cashier bacl
! to his house again, gagged him, tiglt
: ened the bends Of the members Of hi'
family ana departed. The securities
: thus obtained had a strange hiStor,
from the very first The tower of tn
: Church of the Redeemer at Astorl;
was not their only peculiar resuhi
place. While all Northampton wa
! wild with CONSERVATION over the boil
9 robbery of the bank, the bonds -ac
4 cording to the story Of Dunlap, givei
! out while he was in prison-wer
2 quietly resting between the upper NM
] lower portions of the teachers stool u
e the Northampton schoolhouse. Ats
2 the excitement had abated Scott an
Z an associate went to Northampton an
I brought the booty to New York |
o must have been soon after this thu
the thieves went over TO Astoria
$ elambered mp into the helfry Of n
= Church of the ReGeemer and put thes
Y precious bonds between the flooring
y from whence they were later to p
9 taken and restored 10 their rightfu
G owners.