The morning times., 1896-01-26
BIDVELL, FORGBR, TALKS
Review of the Career of a Re-
formed Criminal.
IS AT PRESENT A SPEcULATOR
Studied the Bible While Serving
Time in an English Prison.
Advice to Young Men.

Austin BidweIl, whose remarkable forger-
les upon the Bank of England in 1872
startled the whole business world, ar.
rived in Pittsburg week a go and is now
at the Central Hotel, says the Pittsburg
Press. Times have cha nged for Mr. Bid
well since one night, in 1873, he stood in
the dock of the Old Bailey, in London,
and was sentenced TO penal servitude for
life. When requested to give some parttc-
uars of his career, he said:
II went into Wall street in the COS an
ardent youth of 6, and soon became known
not only as one of the most successful but
also as one of the fastest young men around
the Stock Exchange Ispeedily embarked
in the primrose way to the everlasting bon
fire. and found it a very tormenting and un-
happy tnoroughfare. However, the day
came when l found myself on the wrong
side of the market, and just at that time
chance was given me to make $50.00o by
selling block Of stolen bonds in Europe.
This negotiation l conducted successfully
and compromised with my conscience by
secretly vowing l would never again en-
bark in any similar transaction. Needless
to say, having taken one step in the wrong
direction, soon afterwards took the sec
ond. and almost before knew it became
known to all the high class crooks In Amer
ica as a "a fe IN an to negotiate stolen securi-
ties. All this time kept my office In Wall
street, maintaining an outward show of re-
spectability and honorable dealing. But a
day came when my name appeared in the
newspapers in connection with deal in
bonds. and, finding myself ruined in Wall
street. 1 took the next step and embarked in
forgery.
THE result of it was that finding my
self in London in 1872 with very clever
partner and about 500, ,000 in our pockets,
we resolved To tackle the Bank of England,
Strfl
where the balances are heavy. We figured
the matter out to our own satisfaction that
the bank was a fossil institution and special
ly open to attack II one had that very rare
combination outside of the law OF capital.
determination and financial Knowledge.
determined to go to the front myself. Within
a few days not only had an account opened
with the bank, bIt fairly good credit es-
tablished. and all this under a fictitious
name. Within few months tad borrowed
nearly S.. .0I o 900 from the bank as collate-
raj, and printed my own collateral.
II left England. believing the world was
mine and settled down in the West Indies
| settled my scheme in life ard set out to en-
Joy myself not in an Incorporate way.
Il had no fear of the English police, as
knew the English have an inoTdmate idea
OF the ability Of their own police, and never
counted on their employing the American
police after their own had failed to tocate
HE. un,uoky for myself. l was mistaken,
John Bull had his back up and determined
TO haze me in his ciut ches, no me tier what
IL cost so after the English police failed to
find me, the bank employed the Pinkertcns.
with orders to spare no expense. The Pink
ertons put twenty of the best men Gu the
case and soon let daylight into the whole
matter.
In the end I was arrested in my own
house, taken TO London, and faced an
English jury in the faiao1s O!d Bailey court
OF course / was perfectly willing to pay
Justice her due, and fell that L ha6 TO right
to protest, If / should receive sentence
of even ten or fifteen years. but when the
Judge, Lord Archibald. hur.ed sentence
of Imprisonment for life at ME l felt that
Justice was weighing the in her balance
with pretty good effect. Now, in England
a life sentence means life with big L. but
/ thought that anything wouli DE possible
il | only had coara &c to endure. Ireso.yei
l would endure all the peltings of the pitiless
storm knew was ahead of me. This dill
with more or less fortit1de for over twenty
years. / never lost my faith that there was
corn md wine in Egypt for the still.
Terrible to think or In an English
prison one is not only starved physically.
but mentally as well. For the first four
teen years had only Bible, q dictionary
and life of the prophet jeremiah, and my
Jeremiah was with me until the end.
Every time l looked around my cell for
twenty years ] saw that Internal Jere-
miah staring at me from the shelf. and l
had him on the brain SO badly that would
gladly have esten him up. binding and all,
to get him out of my sight. Alter four
teen years / obtained a volume of Sha ke-
speare through the American minister, Mr.
Phelps. How grateful was to him! To
him owed it that new life was 20 stream
through the ffuted glass Of my cell window,
that henceforth q new world was open to
me. and the world itself grew brighter to me.
MANY IL month and year afterwaTd my
cell was filled and my heart cbeered by the
multitude of friends the tivine William pro-
videt. 1t is beginning TO he believed that
his wonderful genius stands aione in the
history of mankind. For Me he not only
stood alone for many ear, but he was the
of humanity, i'll very spe-
cial sense, all n.ankind's epitonie, and even
now when the terrible ordeal is past, can
look back with a feeling almost of pleasure
to the DAYS when used to take refuge from
the worst of it's beatings under the shelter