The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-06
"RED' KATE IS DEAD
a NOTED cRooK AND WIFE or THE
SORTHAMPTON BANR ROBBER.

RED F." Kate Leary. widow OF Red" Leary OF
Northampton Bank burglary fame, and herself
one OF the most daring shoplifters and all
around criminals that ever operated In this
country. is dead. She .breathed her last on Fri
day night in q hovel on the most deserted part
OF the Coney Island sands, a victim OF drink and
poverty. She was 90 years old. Thirty years of
that time she had led o life OF crime. operating
with well-known old-time criminals. In all
that time she was the only woman
who enjoyed the full confidence of such
men as James Dunlap, big Frank Nc
Coy, Mark Shinburn, her own husband
and o dozen other notorious bank breakers.
She was implicitly trusted by these men, aud is
credited with having planned the Northampton
Bank robbery and other big Jobs. Her share of
the booty taken in the burglaries In which she
participated is said TO have been In tho neigh
borhood OF a half n million dollars. Most of
this money was spent In getting her accom-
plices out of trouble when they were under
arrest.
The balance was squandered In high living, so
that when her usefulness as q thief was gone
she found herself penniless, without any Of the
bcautyn which had helped rs much AS her deeds
60 make her notorious, and with no friends to
turn to for help.
A few hundred yards below tho last concert
hall at the board walk which they call tho Bow
cry at Coney Island is n little shanty called the
RED Light"
Beyond tho glimmer from the solitary lamp
which lights the interior. no illumination has
ever appeared there, Red, however. has always
been applied to the Learys, John Leary is
labelled Red" Leary in every rogues' gallery
in the country: his widow was Red" Kate to
the authorities far and wide.
Hundreds Of people In the last few years have
looked at the Red Light" shanty and Won
dered who lived there. Hundreds have seen
Red" Kate totter out In the last stages of In
have looked, wondcrsd, and forgotten. That
was because they knew nothing of the career OF
interesting hsurs to the picnieHers who used 10
wander up past her cottage had they known,
Who ,unnelisd through aiteem feet Of earth and
masonry into the Ludlow street jail. anda
awaiting reputation for his part In the robbery
of the Northampton Bank. But they didn't,
S Sbd 1h here Dorso mo rsa sSers s Rss ,h nots sh0q ts sd for
The Coney. Islanders who winter as well as
summer by tho ocean had missed Red Kate
n a; Inc :ha MY ~. 4 dSs!Sl was s called a a ,l Ne
'H ~ s'1 Gas : sSS,p sSsii' Pr q s's nishs. then died,
Which, G.t durtas her i h.sD shiriy.t nhsiGadidd ssfess and
other methods employed by The police had
Kate Leary was . shoplifter whom she was 90
years old. She Was . brantiful girl, stylish and
GSlsvss' but Suas Sora sriminai, and naturally s9Gpn
mepropolia. Like mos, notorious sAopl.fters.
che Invented ,most Of tie devices wlioh she
caasht In the very act. Of lifting thiuss
Lille o.. no inns to conceal, them. she
saocoeecd in putting thon, So safely away that
s,sa,%n;s 10 pieces. From being . shoplifter
ali rietpocknt the woman rose 70 higher
sphsssS OF crime. sae sngsged IN DISSEMINATING
s ss..S,aS' Red" PisEF s sls 'n aisS her Of a an aa'P Rai In
h:Swn eyss; 5rs tTmre: snd stunning Gnln ling gowns,
'2 AMY i back f II he Sar hs'sa II. Sophie Lyons and
Ga*e!l = suite OF rooms as . hotel; They plum.
dered tue ,ot:cn stores Itaht snd left without
ffsf was S.n q u ssiFsS's .ssra Isst s @iaS = shs WIFE x;st ana
1a:ntly; ls AGED With bs'e S on the street. fol-
s sSsf G, oss 70 Woman Sns h0i She " wslk tasrs s,e sheS Sp to fs q
victim. end called him to account Tor h,s treat
ciiunt was invited up to the rooms occupied BY
An hour later tho alternative was offered to
III; clothing tn:own out OF the window apd the
bell bog su,gmunad; He s!Hred the chock, but
s,.!. she had asked for mere than the Merchant
li4h in The bank on which tho check was drawn.
va. refused. A policeman followed Knte Dpc&
o'he A2iei and, reeoGn,z.ng the Lyons woman,
arrested Doth. SOPHIE Lyons gave the story to
fiat Was one Of Red" Hates esfly esperi-
ences. She worked other similar biackmailing
store for years after that having for partners
NJ various times such notorious women as 9sullio
fsGty. Wife wife q ae @n1ssfS M P2ic e0h0h1e' and Mrs.
Al of these women worked under the wing Of
THROUGH this same Mother MandelOaa1n thai
LED" Kate me-. John Leary. Leary wGf :"a
ln:s.. % her buElIe,S for ler and she rnreL ss,i
AL tie stun that he and his partne:s stole ut
i',gn 4% p ms m 1hsn rs sms pSia anybody ny t65 ,L else {,
the Franco-Prussian war under the name Of
Jean Rouge, and made a reputation for bravery
in our civil war and had been Colonel Of a Ken
tnckS regiment; His education had been en-
and notwithstanding the fact that he had
scarcely ever opened q book for the pun pose of
Spanish. lie was a man Of tremeIdous stature
ana great courage. and in his youth was a crack
lie was born in Albany, but lived most of his
early life in Cincinnati. He made himself no.
cHlnmnio an1re wien MlHe McJooi' aitesward ne
having whipped Lon jennings. came to Cincin.
natl to night an unknown; The unknown didn't
put In an appearance, so Leary. then 20 years OF
aye, jumped into the ring and offered to take his
place. the offer WAS accepted and Leary made
Leary drifted into a life OF crime. and at tho
time that Red" Kate came under Mother
expert bank burglar. the old fence bought
the two together. and from that time Oh they
worked side by side. Kate only engaged in
shoplifting when funds ran low. This was
quite frequently. as the money that was stolen
was spent Is fast as IL waA gained.
Then came the Northampton Bank burglary
on Jan. 25, 1870, In which Leary, the Dunlap
brothers, Jim and Bob. Shang Draper, a crook
named Scott. and several others engaged. 1t Ia
police history how successful this job was. and
how. after many weeks, several Of the gang
were captured. Among them vas Leary. who
was caught IN this city and lodgsd in the Ludlow
.treet jail. He was there for many days await
ing requisition. Had 1t not been for the delay
in the arrival of the papers he would have
served a long term for his part of the robbery,
But while the authorities were waiting. Red"
Kate and Butch Mccarthy hired a room In
the tenement adjoining tho jail and began 10
tunnel through to the iail. Every day Kate
would call on her husband and report progress.
He in turn would keep his eyes omen for any
syn that the keepers were aware of what was
going on.
On the evening OF May 7. 1879. a keeper in the
jail saw q carriage arrive in front Of the tene-
ment house next, door. Mrs. Leary and Nc
Carthy got out AID went inside. In q few min
utos they came out with a man all mufied up.