The Washington weekly post., 1900-09-25
ANOTHER SENTENCE AWAITS HIN
Considered the Peer Of Bank Robbers, and
Ha. Figured n ss Maay Gases that His
TsIal PsealaIions amsuBt TO Over Two
MHisn.->entsncea to FertV Years. WIN
Re Released In October, and Mast AssIa
serve Time-I. an Old sias New.
Prom Ii, csioass Tribun..

Hts period Of freedom will be brief for
At the gate officers Will be waiting 10 ar
rest and take him 20 Concord y. H.. 10
serve a term OF nineteen years. Shin
burne IL now sixty-seven, and unless he
lives 10 be eighty-six will die IN prison.
He has been called the champion bank
robbtr OF America and Is noted for the
number Of his escapes from prisons CT
from officers having him In custody
In the days OF his activity Shinburne
wore luxuriant ''Dundreary" wh.skers
was tall, ana Of fine physique and looked
like a college professor. His face was
fun and his cheek had dlmple. The dim
pie was a mark by which ne was recog-
nized by detectives, and II Is said at one
time he consulted the leading surgeons
Of the country with view to having il
removed.
He arrived in the United States about
lS0. ITS first robbery was at Moscow.
Pa. end the methods he employed there
were characteristic. He entered the room
OF Hannibal Butler. a storekeeper. at
night. found the merchants keys. made
wax impressions OF them in a few min
utes and departed without being dlscov-
cred. With the impressions he made du-
piicate keys TO the store and vault. and
one night soon afterward removed $1,000
from the vault, locked il and the store
doors behind him. and escaped undetected
Posed a Gambler.
He went 10 New York, where. I'm order
20 account in some way for his money and
ward on suspicious detectives, he pre-
tended 10 be q gambler and made mis-
heaquarters at Harvey Youngs gambling
house. He did not associate with crooks
and 10 the police was only a lucky gam
bier.
In 1864 Shinburne. together with con-
iedefate. George Miles, In some way se
cured wax impressions of the keys to the
vaults OF the Walpole On. H. Savings
Bank They entered the bank. secured
tso.yJ IN money and bonds, and before de-
parting tampered with the vault doors so
that Inc services OF an expert were nee
essary TO open them. A year later one of
the stolen bonds was offered for sale at
Scranton, Pa, and by some clever detec-
i've work the paper was traced TO James
Cummings, son OF a nurseryman al Tron-
duquOit, \. Y. Cummings lived in New
FORK city, posing as a broker, but spent
much time at Saratoga, where il was
found he got his mail through a post
ONCE box rented by New York banker.
The detectives found the banker In a
theater. and recognized Shinburne. the
habitue OF New York gambling houses.
ShinburHe was arrested and a number of
the Walpole Banks bonds were found on
him. On farm near Saratoga owned bv
Shinburne was found a complete outfit
Tor making keys and a cigar box full of
wax impressions. Another confederate in
the Walpole robbery was discovered in
George NJ. White, who had purchased d
livery stable and grocery store at Fitch
burg, n. Y, with his share of the pro-
ceeds. Shinburne was given ten years in
States prison, but broke jail the night of
MS sentence. over White the Jury dis
agresi. and Cummings was acquitted.
Rsbbed Cheshire Bank.
Soon after his escape Shinburne plann-
ed TO rob the Cheshire County Bank AZ
heene, y. Ii. Finding the cashier was
away with his family, Shinburne climbed
TO the second story of the cashiers home
found the keys, took an impression. and
walked out of the front door. He found
the servant girl sitting on the stoop. and
stopped TO reprimand her for her care
lessness in leaving the house so unguard-
ed
Shinburne was stopping at the Cheshire
House, pretending 10 be an agent for a
cigar firm. He found out that a company
building railroad deposited large sums
OF money in this bank. The following
Sunday he went TO the bank and found
S2S2,0pt. He concluded that there was dan
ger Of being observed il he carried away
the money, and quietly left the bank.
Before leaving ne locked the safe and
no one knew that he had been a visitor
Gnul detectives, who had been watching
ms movements, arrested him and secured
the story. He had intended TO wait until
midnight and take tine money away on a
train leaving al that hour A few davs
after his arrest he escaped from the Jail
In February 1866, he ana A number of
confederates attempted to rob a bank at
81. Adams. VT. but were fred upon by a
guard. They boarded a Boston train. on
which was one OF the Jurymen who had
tried ShinbuTne for the Walpole robbery
and who recognized him. He was jailed at
Concord the next day. ON the third night
OF his captivity he cut his way out and
escaped in a team awaiting him
In 1851 he was arrested for the robbery
OF the Delaware and Hudson Canal Com
pany's Office at Wilkesbarre, Pa. Here he
secured $4,000, but was captured There
was no prison in the place so the officers
engaged two rooms in hotel Shinburne
had concealed q steel pen under his
tongue. The officer 10 whOm he was hand
cuffed was tired and went 70 sleep. Shin-
burne used the pen 10 unlock the hand
cuffs dressed himself i'm the officers
clothes tore a sheet into strips, and let
himself down from the window
The next year when charged with a
Baltimore robbery, he signified his VIII
lingness 70 20 10 Maryland without eN-
tradition papers, but was released while
en- route through New Jersey. having
tricked the officers into bringing him int0
another State without a warrant
shinbnrne's Grraiest Haul.
That same year occurred the robbery of
the Ocean Bank, New York City. shin
burne's greatest haul. The gang cut a hole
in the moor OF the bank and entered the
room OF Mr. Martin, the president. through
this hole. They opened the vault. Inside
they found a bunch of KEYS. These kevs
admitted them 10 the treasure chest. and
over s., 10000 was secured.
Shinburne left for Europe. purchased the
title OF baron. and bought a country seat
with a castle
The money was squandered, and AZ the
END OF thirteen years he was comneIled
10 seek aid OF his crooked friends A
wealthy fence" OF London grew tired ~
lOaning him money and told him tbat n.
knew Belgian bank that could be crack.
ed easily.
The fence" notified the bank and Shin
burne was captured and sentenced n
prison. lie secured hts release from, the
belgian prison by identifying for the an
thorties the fence who had hefravsd
him, and who had been arrested for tbsf,
lie robbed some banks in England and
Scotland. and then returned 10 the I'nite5
States. He was arrested for trying 10 ron
the First National Bank OF Middlebnrg
\. Y, and convicted. His sentence eY.
pires next month, and then he will have
10 90 20 New Hampshire TO serve
out his sentence there, doubled because
he escaped prison.
In contrast with the bank robber OF TO-
day, Shinburne never used explosives nm,
always duplicate keys and II he were re-
leased now, would stand a Door chance
against the keyiess time lock safe. Mod.
ern Invention has made his methods use
less.
What We Need Nest.
Prom the Chicago Times Herald
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