Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1896-09-03
A DEAD MANS HONOR.


In the year 1863, which you will re
member was fraught with more excite
ment- than any other of the civil wRr,
the firm of Bass, Williams & Girdef,
which was doing business in town on
the New England coast. appeared in the
newspapers in connection with a series of
startling incidents. The firm dealt largely
in iishermen's supplies and in fish and
lumber, and in connection with its general
store it had a private bank and the town
postofiice George Bass was postmaster,
at least in name; John Williams ran the
store, and Joseph Girder conducted the
bank. The head man" Of the firm was
Philip Lacy, who was a bachelor and had
grown up with il from boy. He was
implicitly trusted and any one of the part
ners would have suspected one of the
others as soon as Lacy.
On the morning of July 5 in the year
named one of the employees opened the
store TO find Lacy sitting on chair in
the bank with gag In his mouth and his
| legs and arms tied to the chair. He was
| released at once hut it was an hour be-
fore he could tell the story. He had been
in the habit of remaining at the store
until a late hour in the evening, looking
over books and accounts. On the pre-
yious evening, just after 10 o'clock, and
as. he was ready to leave, he had suddenly
been attacked by two men, who must
have been secreted in the store with that
object in view. He was seized from be-
| hind and checked into a state of insensi-
bility, and when he recovered he was sit
| ting on the chair, bound and gagged, and
| the two men were at work on the door of
the bank vault. The vault was merely a
brick closet, defended by an iron door
which had none too safe lock. There
was no safe inside. All the money of the
store, bank and postoilice was placed in
this vault at night, and on this occasion,
besides about $4,000 in greenbanks,
there were government bonds amounting
to $4,000.
1t was not until detective was called
into the case that the finger of suspicion
pointed to Lacy. The employee who found
him gagged and bound suddenly recol-
lected that all the knots were loose and
that it was little work to throw off the
ropes. Lacy had seemed much exhausted,
but this might have been n sham. Lacy
had been heard to wish for money to go
into business for himself-had said that
he was tired of working for other folks
had attempted to borrow considerable
sum of money to buy share in fishing
craft. Once the tide turned against hin.
IT was easy TO make out strong case.
After weeks investigation the detec-
tive was satisfied that the trusted head
man had robbed the concern and had
hidden the booty, and there were so many
points which favored this idea that Lacy
was held for the crime. Three days after
the robbery a boat was picked up on the
| hnrl,nr bnl
was rightcd two dead men were found in
her. That they were not sailors was easy
to see, and that the craft had been stolen
from town a few miles away was soon
ascertained.
Any man who has made study of crime
VIII tell You that a perfectly innocent
man often misleads justice or conyicts
himself by his demeanor when under
charges. When Lacy found that his story
was disbelieYed he felt so grieyed that he
sulked and refused to answer questions
and thus made matters worse for himself
: There was nothing which he could moi
have explained, and yet when asked t.
: explain in order to accquit himself hi
, silence was construed as sure indication
. OF his guilt. The fact that he had beer
; fuliy trusted for twenty odd years wen
: Tor naught after the detectives repor
2 and he was sent to prison to await tn,
: action of higher court. x week befor,
7 his trial was to come off he hanged him
self in his cell. His suicide was there
7 fore accepted as the strongest proof of al
D that he was guilty. He left no messag,
| behind him, but that made no difference
e He had closed the case and PRACTICAL,
j admitted his guilt and the public pres,
G dropped it at that point The firm wa
5 rich enough to stand the loss and go ahea,
{. and in year the great robbery was ;
5 thing no longer gossiped about.
= II Lacy took the money and bonds--an,
y all were agreed that he did--where did Ii
S secrete them? That was a query whicl
y was coming up daily until after his sui
eide Detectives and others searched /,
s vain for the plumber, and il was final,
agreed that he had an outside confederate
Q This man. whoever he was, had been ad
e united to the bank; he had tied Lacy II
e they found him; he had taken away tn
plunder to share and share alike. Tha
i ne mad not come forward after Lacy
e arrest with money to retain counsel wa
n part of the plot; that Lacy had no
G "peached on him was because he hone,
$ to get clear to enjoy his share of the haul
Everything worked out nicely to max
A out case. and hut for his suicide the ma
l. would have surely gone To state priso
d for long term of years. There was Jus
!. one man in the firms employ who did no
IL believe Lacy guilty, and he was a clerl
;, IN the store by the name of Thornton
= lie nad not been there over month whel
q the robbery took place, nor had Lac
!? spoken TO him dozen times. He was
q young man of 20, and so strong was hi
d belief in the prisoners innocence, and 8
, vigorously did he combat the theories, a
d the detective that suspicion was directe
If against him and he was discharged. Ii,
v however, secured a place with anothe
Il firm in town and continued TO champio
n Lacy until the matter passed out of til
e public mind.
1t was year after the robbery an
Il seven or eight months after the suicjd
Il that Thornton got ZIP one morning to te
Ii MS employer queer story. He silent i
70 corner of the store on the first floor. Fl
= had gone to bed tired out after a long da v
10 work and had slept soundly until mid
10 night, when he suddenly awoke. He ha
J eStinguished the light but vet there wa
strange light in the room. and by its nj
:, he saw Lacy sitting by his bedside. Tba
i, he was terribly frightened and upset ma
: readily he believed and yet he held hi
- nerve and asked the ghost, us he believe
II to be- what was wanted. Lacy did N,
"a reply, but heckoned him to follow. and /,
~ SliDDed on his trnrIsnrS and tb,,os - -