The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-30
CRIMINALS DO NOT REFORM.
So Says the Old Detective, Who Cites
the Case of Jim Dunlap, the Bank
burglar,
From the New York Sun.

FROM the new Ork sun.
The old detective. who doesn't believe
that criminals ever reform, found another
example with which to sustain his conten-
ton the other day, and of course his
fri nds, who are more charitable in their
views, had to listen. Once or twice they
have differed with him, and the result
has been a long succession of sto les from
the old detective. on the subject, some
of which have already be n printed in the
Sun:
Its jams Dunlap this time. boys" he
began. Maybe you don't know Jim, but
you will recall him when 1 tell some of
the things that he did. Jim was one of
the leading lights of the cd Dave Cum
mings gang and the Dave Cummings
crowd was the crowd that robbed the
Northampton Bank of cool million and
a half in the late 70s. There was Biliy
Connors, now prosperous bookmaker in
this city, Shang Draper, posr old Bob
Scott and Edison, who finally squealed
and had them all roped in, after one of
the bigge and most succe sful jobs ever
carried out in this country.
well, l won't stop to tell you about
the Northampton Bank robbery, because
it's the duty of every man to know about
such a famous crime as that, anyway.
What / wart to talk about is Jim Dunlap,
the brains of that affair, and of many an
other. You know that don't tn nix there S
such thing as criminal re 'orming. I've
| told you about Ma k Shfutu and a half
a dozen others, and the only one of all
the CID timers that's mae a bluff at
keeping straight is Dan Noble. Now Bob
Scott and Jim Dunlap got a twenty bit
pisce as the result of Edson's s1ueal, and
moved into Charlestown prison near Bos-
ton, to serve it out. If ever two men got
it hard those two did. They were young,
bright and strong men, when they went
in and determined effort was made, I'M
der orders, l suppose, to break them
down It's a trick, they have of killing
crooks in prison. and don't look that
way because l know what I'm talking
about.
wei, Bob Scott died under the gaff
they gave him, but before he gave up the
| ghost he sent down to New York for his
wife. Mary Scott now the wel-known
| Mary Scott Rowland. the complexion wo-
man, and he told her that it was only
matter of days with him, and thar he
wanted her to transfer her interest in him,
after his death, to his pal, Jim Dunlap.
| and to never cease working TO secure
| pardon for him. Mary Scott swore that
she would do il, and after Bob's death she
| never missed making at least one visit
month to The Charestown prison, TO see
| Jim ana 10 90 all lndl she COulu 70 ma
his prison life brighter. Say. her kindness
| to her late husbands friend was the only
| raw of sunshine in his life, and Ii kept him
| alive. Furthermore, she made misera BILE
| the life of every Governor of Massachu-
| setts with her never-ceasiug pleas for me
| pardon of Jim Dunlap. Her fight for the
man attracted universal attention and
| there was great deal of sympathy for
| her But Jim Dunlap was generally re-
garded as a dangerous man TO the DOM
muuity in which he moved, and the police
of every city in the country protected
against his being pardoned.
MARY SCOTS efforts We're all in vain
| until GOV Russell came in. Al that time
Dunlap was a phy steal wret k. He d en-
In the hospital for weeks and It WASH I
thought that he would live long. Mrs.
Scott painted such a picture of Jim Dun
laps sufferings that it moved Gov. Rus
sell. and after eighteen years in prison
Dunlap was pardoned.' He came out of
Charleston a physical wreck, and l re-
member that there was a great sensation
at the time BECAUSE of the mans great
crimes and his interesting record Mrs.
Scott brought him back to New York. and
when the train pulled in a the Grand Cen
trial Station there was a small army of
reporters at the depot 10 get interviews
with The famous Northampton bank bur
glar who had been shut up in prison for
eighteen years The next day the papers
Interview with the woman who had done
so much to secure his pardon, in which
she said that Dunlap was broken in body
and spirit. and would not live long. His
i remaining days. she said. would be spent
in some quiet retreat. There was a whole
lot more stuff written about Jim Dunlap
and his re-entrance into the world, but
greater stress was laid on his penitence
for mis- crimes and his determination 10
spend his last few years OF life in a decent
way than anything else.
VERY lttle was heard Of Jim Dunlap
after his release. but l heard from some
crooks that he had entirely recovered his
health. ! asked them what he was do
ing and they only winked, so as II was
not any business Of mine as long as he
wasn't in New York I Let it go at that.
Just the same / had my own views on
the matter and how correct they were
you will see in a minute Not long ago