The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-12-15

$4,000 from the Marine National Bank.
In 1853 he walked into a Philadelphia
bank with a long steel wire, hauled
$4,000 out through the paying teller's
window right under the officials nose.
he took it in three packages and wasn't
detected until he had the third pack
age almost out. In 1867 he walked into
August Belmont's office at Wall and
William streets, New York, sauntered
past clerks and office boys, reached Mr..
Belmont's desk, took $4,000 worth of
government 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
buster; and while pretending to work
over some books, rifed the cash drawer
and safe of $4,000. He walked into a
New York bank one morning and no
titled the bookkeeper that he had been
discharged, and that he (Johnson) had
been employed in bis place. While the
indignant bookkeeper went to see the
president about the matter Johnson
vamoosed with $4,000. BY a similar
exhibition of nerve Johnson robbed a
number of hotel safes while the clerks
were on duty but a few feet away.
But his face became known, and 1t
finally became a police custom to ar
rest him every time he appeared on
the street. Prison life had robbed him
of his wonohFful nerve, and he de-
scended to the petty crimes of the
street, pocket picking, etc. An al
most similar case is that OF Edward
Rice. better known as Big Ed Rice.
He was last arrested for stealing a
pocketbook from a woman in a Twen-
ty-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 rob-
berry Rice broke down and confessed
that he had turned pickpocket be-
cause 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 aAd
articles of jewelry he had stolen from
men and women in street crowds. This
confession from a man who, with his
associates, had stolen millions in his
time. was interesting. Next to Shin
burn he was regarded as the most dam
gerous bank robber In the country.
Around the country to-day there are
probably a 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 pass
ed and every year two or three of them
are picked up for some trifiing crime
that fifteen or twenty years ago they
would have scorned to think of COM
hitting. Electricity and the modern
safe has driven them to the wall. Grad
ually they are dying off. James Dun
lap, the great bank burglar, and part
ner of Bob Scott, who was pardoned
by Gov. Russell of Massachusetts, in
1890, was recently arrested in Chicago
while polishing set of the portable
burglars tools that Max Shinburn in
vented. Bent with age and his IS years
of prison life. coughing his life away
with consumption, this one-time bril-
liam thief worked away over his tools.
which, as he afterwards confessed, he
was going to use to break into a candy
store. Luckier. far luckier than these
men, who have lived to taste the bit
terest experiences of life. are the score
or more men who used to be associated
with them years ago, but either died
in prison or. as the saying goes, with
their boots on, which generally means
by the bullet or the knife. Among the
most notable Of the associates OF Shin
burn. Johnson, Rice, Brady and Dun
lap, who died before they had passed
middle age, were plano Charley Bull
lard. big Ike" Marsh. Little Adam
Worth, Ned Lyons, Jim Mccoy Jim
my Hope, of Manhattan bank robbery
fame; Wooster Tom" Ferris. Rory
Simms, Billy Maher. Bob Scott and
Tom Kenyon.
Truly the old time bank breaker Is
passing away.