St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-01-03
CONFESSION OF BILL KENNY.

Did you ever notice. said cid Bill
Kenny, chow il is that one fellow gets
along with his work without any fuss
and feathers, while another puts on a
great burst OF speed and don't 20 half
as far in a day as the quiet fellow
Some people make hard wnrk out of
very simple and easy things. just look
al Molly Matches there, quiet, happy
go-lucky chap. whe never gets excited.
was never known 10 hurry III his lie,
but when it comes to getting watch or
a leather out of anybody's kick without
interfering with the ordinary rules Of :
politeness, there's nobody caa give,
Nelly any points.
Then, take Molly's partner there.
little jim Brady. He's the sport 10
make fuss about everything. Why
he could not get watch without put
ting hole in a guys ribs 10 save his
life. That's just the difference between
crooks the world over, and l acted as
sort of balance wheel when l worked
with him or he would have spent his
whole life in Jail.
There was all the difference In the
world between me and Soily Myers in
the methods of doing our work when
we were raIlroading for safes and mail
bags. Soily was a rough diamond, and
he mad the biggest heart of anybody |
met. He loved opposition, and
he would sooner win a bank roll
in fight than pick II up in the street
or from a sleeping gent. He had nerve
that the devil himself would have been
glad to possess; but his splendid cour-
age destroyed all his caution, and II 1t
had not been that he was clever, there
would have been trouble. | guess the
same thing goes in everything else,
whether it's crooked or honest. Brains
are what count in everything, after all.
1t does not make much difference how
big and strong fellow may be III push
ing his way along, If he has not got the
wit to appreciate that brute force be-
longs only TO brules, and ingenious
tricks are safer and more profitable, he
is going have hard time.
'Solly and | were partners from the
time We were kids, and we did long
bit in the TefOrmatory together. Ii was
always my rule to be a gentleman, drunk
or sober: and l have raised many a
smile among my partners by being so
polite when | was doing the masked
L
made I'D the Hudson villages with
Denny Lyons gang, that in some places
where the people who had given up
their valuabIes were actually sorry to
have ME go. Yes. my boy, politeness is
the great thing TO give you push along
when your luck has been very bad.
''Solly and had struck a lot OF tame
ducks, and it seemed as if there was
some sort of huodOo going along with
US. We were running OH stretch for
months when there was not dollar
came our way, and then all of sudden
came the boom that gave US little
fame and big Doodle. l was in Null
Inns billiard parlors in East Fourteenth
street one night when thSrs was nice
looking young fellow got into trouble
with tough young scrapper from the
East side over game Of billiards.
The good boy had been drinking
a little. When l saw that the
thug was trying to take an
unfair advantage OF him and was get
ting up nusS so that in the confu sion
he could win the lads watch, why, i IN
terfered in my usual polite manner and
dumped the sport into the soup. The
young fellow whom had stood by told
me that his name was Hoffman and he
TO him bit 10 find out whether or not
be had any wealthy relations that 1t
might pay me TO get acquainted with,
and | found out that he was the assist
ant secretary OF the New England Ex-
press company. That was good news
for me, for | was an expert in the hand
ling of express packages, and became
quite intimate with young Hoffman.
Il knew that this company used to
have the handling of about all the
iIeavv money shipments between tins
! city and all points East. and in my own
polite way, which some people might
| call a coy game, l began TO pump my
/ friend about the business. de was a
very taIkative chap. and when he saw
| that l was so deeply interested IN mat
! terS pertaining 10 railroad tranSporta-
| ton he was delighted to tell me all that
/ he knew. l led him around gradually
| TO the handling of the money packages
| so as not to make him suspicious. L
! knew that it Was equivalent to dis
/ found talking about such matters,
| but | had gained aoffman's con-
! ndence and he did not hesitate fol a
moment to tell all that he knew. He
| described in detail how the money was
counted in the Office before being put
! into little burglar-proof boxes. Then
! the seals were put on over the locks,
and thew were taken 10 the cars and put
| into large fire. proof safe in the express
car. There had never been robbery
on the road. and for that reason only one
express messenger was sent to guard
/ the Doodle in the car. The time when
| the valuable packages were shipped was
kept a profound secret, but Hoffman
! knew all about it because he had to sign
/ the receipts after the money had been
counted IN the Office. l learned from
! him who the messengers were, and
where the express car was Kept while
! lying in this city. all Of which lnferma-
tioa | gave to Solly, with instructions to
/ ind the car and look it carefully over
from the outside, ana inside if possible.
! Soly did his part of the work in great
shape, and the next time | saw him he
/ had complete diagram of the car. The
! car was PROVE ed with only ordinary
! outside locks aud au inside bar over the
! rear door, and did net present the slight
| est obstacle tC couple OF experts.
Il kept careful tabs OIL my young
I friend after all the preliminary work
! had been donP, and to draw him out
| said to him one evening That his fingers
| looked as if he had been handling a
stack of the long green. To my sur
prise and delight he said that my guess
was day ahead. and Oh the next day
there was going to be heavy shipment
| Of money and jewelry for the holiday
| trade. l got from him the time when
the train would start, and | invited him
| to have supper with me the following
evening. This was done so that ne
would not suspect that l had anything -
90 with the Work, and TO be sure that
the goods had gone. We had supper
down town, and he told me that the
| company had sent out the most vaIaa-
BILE shipment of the year. While we
were eating | told him that | had
received word that my mother was very