Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1899-08-14
A NOTORIOUS SN|NDLER.
Austin BidWell, One of the
Most Daring Criminals
the World Ever Saw
ROBBED ENGLISH BANK.
Secured Five Million Dollars on
Forged Securities and Gould Prob
ably Have Gotten More.

Saw Much Corrupt Dealing and
Couldn't Remain Honest.
Austin Bidwell is dead His death
marks the end of the earthly career of
one of the most daring and successful
criminals the world ever saw, says the
Chicago Chronicle. Few men have
been able to rob the Bank of England;
Bidwell was one of that few. He Sc
cured S5,000,000 ON forged securities
and but for the vengeance of some
American confederateS in former swim
ding games might easily have made
the sum ten times greater. This NAM
moth crime stamped him as not only
very daring man but a wonderfully
shrewd crook.
Bidwell was finally caught and sent
to British prison for life. He was
pardoned and returned to America,
making Chicago his home until he died.
While his robbery of the British finan-
cial stronghold was his great feat he
had performed a number of feats in
this country of equal daring, but not so
great fame. All told he was the man
to whom all crooks looked for an ex-
ample in devious methods and certain
ty of execution.
AuSJlu DluWtll was Oh Yankee DlTLl.
He was born in Hartford, CT.
Bidwell commenced his New York ca
reer as office boy for a stock broker.
This was soon after the close of the
civil war when speculation ran riot all
over the nation. The boy was quick
and apt and by watching his chances
became possessed of many a dark sec
ret which forced the holders to let him
N m ba 10
much corruption in dealing-so he says
that if he had been the most honest
boy in the world he must have fallen.
In his autobiography, From Wall
Street to Newgate," he treats the ter
rible corruption of New York during
the A. Oakley Hall and Boss Tweed
regime without gloves.
Bidwell acted as broker in New York
for thieves who stole bonds and other
securities and made money rapidly un-
til he neglected to account for the pro-
ceeds of one sale and also to divide
with the police inspector, who was "in"
the deal.
This was in 1873 and Bidwell, still too
smart to be caught mapping, received
warning and coolly walked down to the
docks with roll and some more bonds
in his pocket and sailed for Europe.
There he went to Paris and disposed of
some of his goods without trouble, as
! they were negotiable and not registered
bonds He then joined his brother,
George in London, where the scheme
was hatChed to break the bank or force
settlement without prosecution.
The scheme was to procure some $50,-
100000 of the banks money, flee the
land for time until it could be safely
hidden, then offer to compromise on
the basis of the return of part In con-
sideration of the dropping of all action
against the schemers. 1t very nearly
succeeded, for the operators were too
sharp for the bank officials and but for
the 'squeal" of former confederate in
America would probably have been
played out to the bitter end. Austin
Bidwell opened an account with the
bank with the 100000 cash he had
with him. He went about his business
like any other well-to-do man dabbling
a little in stocks and showing that he
knew the markets well.
| He made some money and increased
his deposit Then he became very con-
1idential with some shrewd operators
on the other side. who were equally
confidential with the bank officials. He
showed these operators how to make
/ good money in America and was re-
warded by being introduced and dined
/ by his new friends. He became chum-
| my with the governor and as his tips
were always productive of fat returns
none had the ear of that functionary
more readily. Then he prepared for
his coup. That was to sell lot of
bogus bonds, get the cash and drop out
of sight.
Fortune seemed to smile on the con-
spirators. Austin sold the bonds and
/ George took the proceeds away TO
place them in safe place. The men
were winners to the extent of S., 700, 900
good, hard British gold before the
slightest suspicion attached to their
dealings. The leader was so skilled in
market lore knew and talked intimate
/ ly of the kings of finance on this side
and altogether bore himself as an
American who preferred to work on
the London board to going back to
New York. There seemed to be no
limit to the steal but that fixed by the
conspirators.
While his brother was making a
rapid retreat to France he kept up a
bold front, visiting the, bank he had
swindled and joking with the officers.
He was so cool that they delayed set
ting the detectives on his trail until
too late. He was laying lines all this
time to decamp, and one morning he
disguised himself and shipped for the
West Indies on a tramp steamer. He
had plenty of money when he started
too. He had an exciting trip and was
finally landed in Cuba, where he went
! into hiding for a time. He laughed at
the British detectives, but, as he naive
ly writes in his books, he forgot the
! Americans
George was caught in France after a
short hunt and taken back to London.
The former homes of the two men in
the British capital were searched and
the plant for the forgeries discovered /.
7ren the American detectives vera
put on the trail of the principal often
DER and he was finally taken. He was
extradited and at last Joined George
in Newgate.
j; Shakespeare in his plays touched up
on pretty nearly every subject of hui
IN hn II