The evening times., 1899-08-01
TIE UP-9O-DATE BURGLAR
He Uses Electricity to Crack the
Modern Safe.
The Old Tools of the Craft Obsolete.
An Interesting Speculative and
Reminiscent Talk ON Expert Crins-
inals at Police NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
OF the Famous Cases Are Recalled.

| terS- "A nalI QOZen QetectlVeS were seat
ed around the safe of the property clerk,
and naturally their thoughts drifted to-,
and their tongues wagged of, great safe rob-
| berries, and then to great bank robberies.
A distinguished bank worker has the re-
| spect of the acute detective. He is re-
| garded as the highest type of criminal,
with the possible exception of the mur-
| derer who kills his victim by the use of
| microbes.
| One man said, while the gaze of all rest
| ed on the rusty SAFE, What an easy mark
| that would be to a good craeksman.' No
| one contradieted the observation. Then
| the speaker continued: THAT was a good
old strong box in its time, but its time is
no more. That frame and lock would have
| puzzled Little Horace and poor old Max
| Shinburn, but it wouldn't stand up against
| the twentieth-century cracksman. That
metal is proof against the "gripper, Bit
| stock" sledge, and punch and the other
| rusty tools OF the craft, but an upto date
| professional would burn that lock cut in
| the twinkle of an eye"
IF were going to crack that box said
another detective, Il would come hare at
noon and report the loss of a spotted dog,
or any other kind Of a dog. In that corner
l would drop a sulphuric acid bomb timed
| for 9 a. m At one minute after that hour,
the escaping fumes would have oyerpow-
cred every man on duty in the office. The
coast would then be clear. / would next
| throw copper line over that electric
| lighting wire, cut the insulator and make
connection. l would then apply one cleo
! trode to that combination and the other
| to the knob, behind and above which the
| lock is In another minutes the molten
metal would be flowing and in sixty sec
onds more the lock mechanism would have
| been burned away. Then would come the
| question Of the disposition of the plum
der"
| This method of applying the force Of
| electricity to the breaking OF steel vaults
was discovered and experimental with by
| Samuel Rodman, jr., a West Point gradu-
ate. The experiments took place in the
! presence of bank officials and secret ser
/ vice men and it was then said that no safe
| could stand, provided it were attacked by
| competent operator.
Then the conversation at headquarters
| drifted to "reminiscences of famous robber-
| les, and one OF the detectives recalled the
| plundering Of the vaults of the Metropoli-
| tan National Bank in this city somewhat
| more than twenty years ago The crime
| caused great excitement here. Thirty
! thousand dollars in Government bonds
were taken. Ii was Little Horace who was
| reputed to have done this notable piece
OF work. The bonds were promptly recov-
cred by a Washington detective and re-
| stored TO the bank. This was one of the
events which led up to the scandal revealed
| by the citizens investigating committee
| The Metropolitan Bank, the Shuster, and
| the Burchell Tobberies were the crimes
| that induced the investigation into the
methods of the local detective force.
| Perhaps the biggest bank robbery re-
corded in criminal annals was that perpe-
trated by the Bidwell gang in England.
! and generally known as the Austin Bid
well Bank of England forgeries." Austin
| Bidwell was an American, educated and
accomplished. He and his confederates
/ had amassed about $50. coo by a system of
| forgeries in Continental Europe. That was
! twenty-five years ago He took up his res
idence in London and set up a magnificent
! establishment under the assumed name of
| Frederick Albert Warren. The money ac-
| cumulated on the Continent was used to
establish credit in the British metropolis
and to open an account with the Bank of
England He was introduced to the bank
officers by a depositor in high standing.
! but who really knew nothing of Warren
except that he spent-money lavishly- He
| impressed the officers of the bank with
| his apparent wealth. This he did by buy
| ing good securities openly and selling them
secretly. using the proceeds of the sale to
| buy more securities. He kept turning his
money over in this fashion. He operated
! his wealth on the same principle that a
military parade on theatrical stage is
| conducted. He would draw deeply on his
account on one day and on the next he
would replace the money plus a little. He
dealt In bills of exchange and grew IA
mfIiar with the methods employed by the
| bank in discounting these bills.
| Finally he saw his opening. 1t was not
| then the custom of the Bank of Eng and to
| send acceptances, offered for discount, to
the acceptors for verifcation of sigma
| lures. This laxity gave Bidwell and his
associates their opportunity. He let it be
| known that he was about to engage in the
building of railway cars. and that his bills
| of exchange would be sent on from Bir
mingham for discount. Within six months
| after opening his account with the bank,
his credit was such that he found no diff
Guilty in putting through bills of exchange
with forged acceptances for approximately
! So. .000, coo. This practice was maintained
| for several months.
| Finally the forgers grew very bold. Bid
well was married to beautiful English
woman of social standing, and left for a
! tour of Spain, whence he sailed to the
West Indies. George Bidweil. his brother
remained in England, and continued to
| forward the forged bills of exchange, and
| to dispose of the plunder. The actual
| forging was done. by George Mcdonald,
whose apartments were in St. James
Place.
| As the forgers were about to close up
| and retire from the island they found as
they were about to burn all their papers,
! handful of bills which had not been used
They concluded to send these through the
mail for discount. There was just one bill
! from which the date of acceptance was in
advertently omitted. Here was the ruin
| Of the forgers The bank discounted this
bill without question, but as it contained
what they termed a clerical omission" a
messenger was despatched with the defec-
| tive paper to the London firm whose ac-
ceptance had been forged. The messenger
carried politely worded request that the
omission be supplied. The bill was pro-
nounced forgery and an investigation
| followed George Bidwell, George McDon-
aid, and another confederate whose name
was Moves were captured before they could
leave England, and Austin BidwelI was ar
rested as he was landing from a steamer
! at Havana. The trial took place in the
! Old Bailey Criminal Court, London in 1873.
All the defendants were convicted and SEN
| fenced to penal servitude for life, but af-
ter having served four years they were
pardoned.
Another sensational bank robbery was
| that of the Barre, (Vt.) Bank at midnight
ON July 6, 1875. The leading spirit in the
crime was prominent and influential citi-
zen of the town, whose name was George
! Miles. He associated himself with three
professional burglars one of whom was the
notorious Max Shinburn. They donned