The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-01
AMERICAN BANK THIEVES,
Glowing TribIte to Their Talents
and Achievements.
From the London Telegraph.

From the London Telegraph.
In converse ton with a representative Of
the Daily Telegraph the other day, Mr. w.
H. Bosanquet of the firm of solicitors to
the Bankers Association instructed with
the calculation of the PARIS Bank mys-
terry, offered this expression of opinion:
From the experience of the past think
that Americans have probably. done the
job" Students of criminal detection agree
that the United States has produced the
biggest bank thieves of the century, and
the life history of the chief of notorious
"croWd," or gang-a king in his way
cannot fail to be instructive to the young
er school of officers who are year by
year filing the places vacated in the met
ropoitan and city police ranks by the re-
tirment upon pension of men of ripe eX-
perience. The following facts are vouch-
ed for by an expert of admitted rank in
the detective profession, which he has fol-
lowed for many years with unvarying sue
cess. They disclose that the thieves most
to be dreaded are those who are cosno-
politan, fitting from city TO city, as the
opportunity for plumber arises. For oh
Vious reasons the real names of the rogues
figuring in the narrative subjoined are sup
pressed.
Abel, to call the subject of my chat by
one of the many aliases that he has used
(said the expert, was born in a village
near one of the great cities of the United
States, 20 which his parents had emigrat-
ed from Germany. Little Abel in his
childhood days was very precocious full
of wicked mischief, and addicted to trad
ing with his schoo.fellows in playthings.
On every deal he came out on top A bout
fifty years ago-or rather less-he, as a
child of ., was educating himself in this
manner. He was drawn into trade bv
brand-new penny for two Old ones Abel
thought that so bright and clean a coin
must be gold. and he therefore gladly part
cd with two worn copper pieces for il.
When he reached home he proudly pro
duced his bargain crying, See, father!
Amt 1 got the best of him? 1 gave him
two dirty old ones Tor it But Abel re.
ceived a salutary lesson in the first prin-
ciples of banking. His father promptly
whipped him souudly to get it wen into
his head that in matters of currency old
coins were worth just much as those
fresh from the mint. From that day no
one-friend or foe, honest man or crook
Niger. Indian or white, relative or strang-
er-ever got tho better of Abel in business
transactions, ION the cross or ON the
square.
"As lad of "A. Abel ran away from
home and started Naga bond life I'm Ros-
ION. Rather less than forty years aro he
migrated w ANN" 'tN NY ddu engaged
in the then prevailing art Of bounty
jumping, but on his third enlistment no
vas recognized as a proficient and was I,
consequence. dispatched. with others Of
his class. chained together, to the front
with the army Of the Potomac. j was ~
tho period when Gen Lee of the SoufhcrI
army issued proclamation 10 the effa,t
that ell Federal soldiers who would desert
to the Confederate lines, bringing thor
arms with them, should receive $50 f.on,
the Confederate government and also
free pass TO cross the frontier back into
The United States by way Of Virginia and
kentucky. adjoining. Abel was moi the
man to despise hesa liberal terms, so one
night he deserted, in company with some