The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-04-22


By this time il was nearly 5:45 o'clock
In the evening, and Pitcher with his
basket hurried to the Union passenger
station To catch the train Tor worcester.
He had but few seconds To spare, and
he accosted young man named, Collins,
who was standing near, and asked him
TO carry a note addressed to Mrs. Pitcher.
s'Its very Important" said the teller, as
he gave Collins s2 bill. BY this time
the train was moving out OF the station
and Pitcher had TO run for IT, and sue
ceeded In swinging on to the platform.
The note was delivered to Mrs. Pitcher.
The robbery Of the bank and the flight
OF Pitcher were discovered early and
lowing Monday morning. The detectives
were quickly at work and before many
hours had passed Detective Parker had
commun icated with the authorities In all
the cities to which Pitcher would be like
ly TO go. Ii was mis- telegram TO the
Montreal authorities that led to Pitchor's
capture In that city, but very short time
after his arrival there. About 1880
o'clock on the Tuesday morning following
the robbery. Pitcher, who had just reach
ed Montreal, applied, under the name of
Roberts, at the Office OF the Allan Steam
ship Company for berth on the steamer
Partisan, which was To sail the next day.
detective watched him as he paid out
the gold in return for his ticket and the
very dexterity with which he did 1t con-
vinced the officer he was the fugitive
bank teller, but the arrest was not made
then. little later, while Pitcher was
lounging in the hotel lobby, hand was
laid on his shoulder and he found himself
under arrest. He was somewhat disturb
ed at first, but quickly regaiDed bis com
lIa 1A Aa..t al <f la not
that he was the missing bank teller, or
that he bad looted the institution. lie
declared that il was his intention to force
the bank to settlement and that IL the
officials would give him $3.50, 600 and
guarantee immunity from punishment
he would turn over all the stolen secu-
rites.
These securities, il will be remembered,
had been sent TO London, and Pitcher
thought that they were safe there and
that he could make them the basis of me-
gotiations with the bank. In this he
was disappointed. for the Union Bank re-
ceived from Brown, Shepley Co. a ca
blegram stating that they had received
several.psckages addressed to James A.
Roberts. By direction of the bank the
packages were opened and found TO con-
tain all the missing securities, so that
Pitcher no longer had any lever which he
could use either to obtain reward or
escape punishment. lie was vigorously
prosecutd for bringing stolen property
into Canada and made stubborn fight.
He was convicted, however, and sent
ence of seven years. imprisonment was
imposed on him.
Although not generally known, save to
those who make practice Of storing up
such things as curiosities in history, Ii Is
yet a fact that on several occasions the
vice. President has been sworn and In
Quoted int Office before the President
took the oath of Office. John Adams, for
instance, was sworn in and became the
Vice President OF the nation and the
president OF the Senate nearly month
before Washington was inauguratcd.
Thus there was presented the curious
spectacle of a Vice President without a
President, but 1t caused no comment and
attracted little attention from tho people
at that time who were just starting out
on q career of self-government, which was
in time to become the wonder IL not the
envy OF tho civilized world. Millard Fill-
more took the oath as Vice President on
Sunday, March a, 1S49, while Taylor, the
President-elect, who was strict Sabba-
tartan, did not permit himself to be
sworn into office until the following day.
The same thing occurred in 1877, when
March 4 fell on sunday, and Wheeler took
the oath OF Office on that day, while
Hayes, the Presidtnt-elect, because of re-
lgious scruples, was not sworn in until
the following day.