Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-01-03
.BIDWE CAREER.
His Travels From Wall Street to
London Prison.
A New Book BY the Man Who Was Con-
nected With the Great Bank of
England Frauds.

George B.dWelrs stupendous frauds
on the Bank of England, which he and
his associates successfully carried out,
their subsequent Imprisonment, Bid
wells release and how he finally Sc
cured the release of his associates, are
matters more or less well known to the
public. Part of this story, which
startled and interested two continents,
has already been widely read in Mr..
Bidwells book called Forging His
Chains" That book, however, did not
give the complete story of the life of
man who, during the period which has
elapsed since his release from an Eng
lish prison, has been a good and useful
citizen.
This complete story now appears for
the first time in a book just published
in Hartford by Mr. Bidwell-where he
lives and where he has been doing work
for the temperance cause-entitled
"Bidwell's Travels; From Wall Street
to London Prison" The authors career
is mere sketched from his early days in
New York city, when he turned aside
from the path of uprightness and be-
came an accomplished ''crook."
There is a vivid picture Of the cor
life in New York in the days of Boss
Tweed and Jim" Fisk; and the reader
is clearly shown the way in which de-
tectives and police at that time aided
bank burglars and other rascals to
carry out their nefarious schemes.
Then comes BidwelIs first voyage to
Europe, following a shady transaction
in which he was concerned, his preli-
minary travels and adventures there
hi ~, .ly n q
other sob" is in waiting for him and
his confederates Another trip to Eu-
rope follows, and this time, after opera
tons in France and Germany, COM
bined with sightseeing, the interruptions
party arrive in England, where Bidwell
plays the part Of Silver king" and
where the stupendous- plan to defraud
the Bank of England is preached for
the first time.
This bold piece of crime, preceded by
voyage to South America, which was
not one for health or pleasure, and
more European travel adventure and
financial crookedness Is detailed, step
by step, in very realistic and interest
ing manner. The narration contains It's
own moral, in showing how a coter1e of
men, diabolically ingenious in obtaining
money by fraud and forgery, are sud
denly caught in the trap of their own
thought fortune had begun to smile un-
interruptedly on their evil plans. The
arrest of one or two of the men who
have hastily left the scene of their last
exploit, follows. Bidwell turns up in
Paris, where he is married, and whence
he starts on wedding trip full Of adj
ventures in Spain.
From Spain he goes to Cuba, where,
in Havana, he first learns from news
paper that the Bank of England fraud
has been discovered and a price set up
on his head. Here he Is finally arrest
ed by Pinkertol on warrant sisned by
the governor general of Cuba. His adj
ventures in the island and his sufferings
during his unexpectedly foiled attempt
to escape from Pinkerton's surveillance,
makes very interesting reading.
The final events in this true story of
a brilliant criminal career ere the sur
render of Bidwell to England by our
government. his condemnation to penal
servitude for life, his existence and suf-
ferings in Newgate, Pentaville and
Chatham prisons. Finally release is
granted through petition, after twenty
years of aging and weakening misery at
Chatham, and the curtain is drawn
never to be raised again on a wrong
career and its punishment.
Mr.. Bidwell's new book can not be
eXcelled if it can be equaled, as re-
alistic portrayal of a course of evil-ap-
parently about to win-suddenly con-
fronted by justice which it can not
evade and to which it, like every course
of evil, in some manner must finally
succunb. Suffering is the ultimate PEN
atty for all wrongdoing-tha is the
sound moral OF it.
The author is endeavoring to pay up
what debts he still owes, and he says
he shall do no more writing about him