Sunday Washington globe., 1901-12-29

against modern science. 1t was at the Mid
dleburg ~ Y) Bank He and his asso-
ciates got to the doors Of the vault aud had
blown away every obstacle with nitro
glycerine before they realized that they had
set off a burglar alarm. Shinburn escaped
on a haudcar but was arrested later in
New York city.
Chauncey Johnson, a man who stole over
100000 in his time, died peuniless not
long ago while serving a term in prison for
stealing pocketbook from woman in
New York city bookstore He took the
pocketbook because he was in need In
his time he was one of the most skillful and
successful thieves in the country, but the
field for his peculiar talents had disap.
peared He stole SIoo, 900 from the Hatter's
Bank at Bethel Conn. and 100000 from
the Marine National Bank In 1868 he
walked into a Philadelphia bank with long
steel wire, hauled $4,000 out through the
paying teller's window right under the Of
hcials nose He took it in three packages
and wasn't detected until he had the third
package almost out. In 1867 he walked in
to August Belmont's Office at Wall and Will
liams street. New York sauntered past
clerks and Office boys reached Mr. Bel
mont's desk, took $4,000 worth Of Gov
ernment bonds from it, put them in his
pocket and walked out again A month
after this he walked into the Office of the
Adams Express Company in New York
just as the cashier was leaving his cage to
go TO luncheon. He slid in the cage as the
cashier went out, put on the latter's Office
hat and duster, and while pretending to
work over some books, rihed the cash
drawer and safe of $4,000 He walked into
a New York bank one morning and notified
the bookkeeper that he had been discharged
and that he johnson had been employed
in his place While the indignant book
keeper went to see the president about the
matter Johnson vamoosed with $4,000. By
similar exhibition of nerve Johnson robbed
a number of hotel safes while the clerks
were on duty but few feet away. But his
face became known, and it finally became
a police custom to arrest him every time he
appeared on the street. Prison life had
robbed him of his wonderful nerve, and he
descended to the petty crimes of the street
pocket picking, SC
An almost similar case is that of Edward
Rice, better known as Big Ed Rice. He
was last arrested for stealing a pocket-book
from a woman in Twenty-third street car
in New York City. Once or twice before
that he had been accused of picking
pockets, but the crimes could not be
fastened on him. When convicted of the
street car robbery Rice broke down and
confessed that he had turned pickpocket
because there was nothing else for him to
do. The only money he had for over a year
was what he could raise by pawning the
scarfpins watches, and articles OF iewelry
he had stolen from men and women in
street crowds. This confession from man
who, with his associates, had stolen millions
in his time was interesting. Next to shin.
burn he was regarded as the most danger
Gus banksrobber in the country
Around the country to-day there are prob
ably score of other crooks who thrived
and made fortunes by their nerve and skill
in the palmy days of the cracksman. But
their day has passed and every year two
or three of them are picked up for some
trihiug crime that fifteen or twenty years
ago they would have scorned to think of
committing Electricity aud the modern
safe have driven them to the wall. Grad
uallY they are dying off. James Dunlap a
great bank burglar, who was pardoned by
Governor Russell of Massachusetts in 1900
was recently arrested in Chicago while pol
ishing set of the portable burglars tools
that Max Shinburn invented Bent with
age and his eighteen years of prison life,
coughing his life away with consumption,
this one time brilliant thief worked away
over his tools, which, as he afterward con-
fessed, he was going to use TO break into
candy store.