The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-07-05

! once q sensation OF absorbing interest
1t was now July. 1854. Scarcely
eight months had elapsed since the
1 Martha Washington acqulttai-
! While out on bail on charge of ar
son and murder brought against him
! by the relentless Burton, kissane met
in Cincinnati Andrew Finlay, friend
of the conspIrators. He informed Fin
lay that he had business in New York
city, relative to an estate left him In
ireland. He urged Finlay to go with
him to New York, as opportunities were
there to make money. of which kis-
sane was in great need to meet the
pressing claims of the counsel who had
defended him in the Martha Washing
ton trial.
Finlay set out for New York, where
he was soon joined by Kissane and
later by Lyman Cole. During this visit
they were principally occupied in buy
ing and selling uncurrent money at the
office of John Thompson and Very &
Gwynne, brokers. In this manner they
became familiar with the firms bust
ness and secured their signed checks.
Having ascertained who made the
checks, Kissane visited that station
er's in Wall street and requested. TO
see their samples, saying he wished
book made for his firm. He gave an
assumed name. In looking over the
samples he purloined several of the
checks made for John Thompson and
Very & Gwynne. Kissane, Finlay and
Cole began at once to carry out their
plan for raising a, large sum of money
by dishonest means. Writing was the
most important feature of the scheme.
KisSane being an expert with the pen,
filled up the checks, signing the names
Of John Thompson and Very &
Gwynne to the checks they intended to
use.
A large portion of each day was
spent in practicing on the signatures,
instructing Finlay in the part he was
to play and preparing letters of intro
duction. purporting to be from Joseph
c. Hughes of Kentucky to Mr.. Van
Brunt of the firm of Van Brunt &
Watrous, pork brokers; also from
White, Cunningham & Co., to Robert
H. Burdell of Robert H. Burdell e Co
of New York These letters were to
be presented by Finlay, who purported
to be James Bishop
On the 25th of August 1854, Finlay
called at Mr. Van Brunt's packing
house and presented his letter. Van
Brunt was pleased to meet a friend of
"Old Joe Hughes He invited Mr.
Bishop to call at his place of business
the next day. He did so. assuming the
role Of a dealer in hogs, as though that
ton. In the course of conversation
Bishop expressed the fear, as he had
considerable money with him, that he
might suffer at the hands of rogues
while in the city (The money was
furnished by Cole who had raised it a
few weeks before in Cincinnati)
Van Brunt suggested to his partner,
Watrous, that he take Bishop to the
Chemical bank to deposit his funds.
s.1-.
bank where. on the strength of Wat
rous' introduction, James Bishop was
permitted TO open and account with
deposit of $4,000 in bills. The next day
Bishop started down town town to call
on Mr.. Burdell. Thinking proba bly, he
might wan to buy hogs during the
day, he stopped at the bank and drew
out $3.50 His reception at the office
Of BurdelI & Co. was not satisfactory
The. ''feeler' towards opening bank
account, was met by a. proposition on
the part Of Mr.. Burdell that Mr.. Bishop
should leave mis- money with the firm.
He became alarmed. He FASTENED to
kissane. who decided that the plan
as arranged must be carried out at
once. That afternoon. near 8 O'Clock,
Finlay, alias Bishop, called at the
bank. He pretended to be a little the
worse of odd Kentucky rye" He in
vited the cashier to inspect long bill
of hogs he had purchased, at the same
time requesting him TO place to his
credit a certified check drawn upon the
American Exchange bank by John
Thompson for 81, 600 and another on
the Continental. bank for S6.01S.50,
drawn by Very & Gwynne This done,
Mr.. Bishop stated that he would have
to settle for the hogs that day He
had been around with the boys. he felt
a little shaky: would the cashier be
kind enough to fill out a check for
S14S7O. and he would sign it? How
could the cashier decline to oblige a
gentleman SO well endorsed?
Elated with his success, Bishop lost
no time in getting TO the paying tel
ler's desk. As he presented the check
he remarked, Mr.. Teller, your city has
knocked me up"
How SOP"
We'll. you see 1 am used to travel
ing on soft ground and your hard pave
ments are too much for me-"
Satisfied from the filling that the
check was correct, and as it was 8
o clock. and the cash partly made up.
the teller counted out $3.50 in S1OG, $50
and $40 notes and the $4,000 in $500
bills. Bishop wished. smaller denomi-
nations but the teller refused, thereby.
as subsequent developments revealed.
probably saving the bank the loss of
the entire amount Of the check
Bishop left quickly 10 the relief of
Lyman Cole, who kept watch on the
side of Broadway Later in
the day the trio met in Thirty-second
street, where Kissape. it is supposed.
took $500 as his share and Finlav
$500, while Cole got the balance to- |
gether with the 81, $50 of his s.. GOO with !
which the account was opened. Early
next morning Kissane and Finlay
started for Cincinnati
DISCOVERY AND CAPTURE.
Towards noon of the day Of their de-
parture. the check drawn upon the
American Exchange bank was discov-
cred to be forged. 1t was returned, to
the Chemical bank AS soon as the |
press published the facts, a gentleman.
Mr.. r. Morton, at one time a banker |
of Cincinnati. who had suffered at the !
hands Of Kissane. called and stated |
that he had seen the conspirators in |
Broadway near the bank. On hearing |
thu conversation that took place at the |
telleT's window relative to the hard
Of New York. he identified |
Bishop as FinlaY. and gave the trio's |
history. A witness in the Martha |
Washington trial furnished the bank
further information. After some de- |
lay, the teller ard an officer started in |
pursuit of the forgers. Finlay was
found concealed in a house in BaIti- /
more, and brought to New York. Four |
thousand dollars IN $500 Chemical bank
notes were found concealed in bis
clothes.
kissane was arrested at Cincinnati
At Holmesville, near Buffalo. while the
tram was moving at a rapid rate. he
escaped the vigilance of the guards
and leaped through the water closet
window. The train was stopped. but
search failed to find him. Three