Evening star., 1901-12-14


was able to tell what the combination mum.
bers Were. With this mass of valuable In.
formation Shinburn and his ASSOCIATED
plundered Lilly safes all over the country
nnally driving the Lilly Company out Of
business. Time and again the man was
arrested, and several convictions are on
record against him, but no prison was ever
strong enough TO hold him for long With
the police OF the country after him Shin
burn went to New York city and invested A
large sum Of money In the stock market
ne was warned to fly. the authorities
were closing in on him. but he calmly
waited TO See how his investment would
turn out. A sudden rise I'm the market
Drought him fortune. and with over q
million collars Of stolen money he sailed for
Belglum, with which country the United
states had no extradltiou treaty at that
time He purchased the title and estate
OF decrepit nobleman and blossomed forth
as Count Shinburn. He spent thousands OF
dollars on entertainments, the magnttude
or his operations on the bourse staggered
the native spectators. and his enormous
winnings and losings were commented on
all over Europe. For fifteen years he kent
up this gait; then came a series of misfor-
tunes, and the great bank burglar was pen
niiess once more.
In Foreign Parts.
He went to Paris. met some fugitive
American crooks there and planned the
robbery Of the Provincial Bank at WHERE'S,
Belgium. The merest accident in the world
resulted In the arrest OF Shinburn and his
pals; he was sent to Jail for five years, but
escaped In month. Some OF the big Jobs
that Shinburn engaged in were the robbery
OF the Lehigh and Wilkesbarre Coal Com
pany's office at Whitehayen Pa OF $4,000
IN cash by tunneling his way to the vault
from an adjoining building; the robbery Of
the Walpole. n. H, bank Of $4,000; the
roobery OF the st. Adams, Vt, bank OF
$4,000; the robbery OF the ocean Bank on
Greenwich street, New York OF $1,000 Oo1
IN money and securities; the robbery OF the
west Maryland Bank of $4,000, and a
score or others. Shinburn has shot a dozen
men, been shot several times himself and
mas broken jail fully dozen times IL
was over hve years ago that Shinburu an
oIu man then, ran up against modern sell
eEce. IL was at the Middleburg NJ Y,
bank. He and his associates fought their.
way 10 the doors of the vault and had
down away every obstacle with nitro
glycerine before they realized that they had
set off a burglar alarm Shinburn escaped
on handcar. but was arrested later in
New York city.
Another Example.
Chauneey johnson. a man who stole over
S2.oo0,oo0 in his time. died penniless not
long ago while serving a term in prison
Tor stealing pocketbook from a woman
In New York city book store He took
the pocketbook because he was in genuine
need. In his time he was one OF the most
skiilful and successful thieves in the coun-
try, but the field for his peculiar talents
had disappeared. He stole 100000 from
the Hatter's Bank at Bethel Conn, and
100000 from the Marine National Bank
In 1868 he walked into Philadelphia bank
and with long steel wire hauled S14 900 out
through the paying teller's window right
under the officials nose. He took II in three
packages and wasn't detected until he had
the third package almost out. In 1867 he
walked into August Belmont's office at
Wall and William streets, New York saun-
tered past clerks and Office boys, reached
Mr. Belmont's desk, took $3.50 worth Of
government bonds from Il, 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. rified the cash
drawer and safe OF $4,000 He walked into
New York bank one morning and notified
the bookkeeper that he had been DISCHARGED
and that he Gohnson) had been employed
in his place. While the indignant book
keeper went to see the president about the
matter johnson vamoosed with S25. 600. By
a similar exhibition OF nerve johnson rob-
bed a number Of hotel safes while the
clerks were on duty but few feet away
But his face became known, and It finally
became 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, etc. An almost
similar case is that of Edward Rice, better
known as Big Ed Rice. He was last ar~
rested for stealing a pocketbook from q
woman In a 23d street car in New York
city. Once or twice before that he had
been accused Of picking pockets but thH
crimes could not be fastened on him. When
convicted Of the street car robbery Rio3
broke down and confessed that he had
turned pickpocket because there was noth-
mil r1aO -
he had for over a year was what he could
raise by pawning the scarfpins, watches
and articles Of tewelry he had stolen from
men ana women in street crowds. This
confession from a man who, with his assoc
ciates, had stolen millions IN his time waS
interesting. Next to Shinburn he was re-
garded as the most dangerous bank robbef
In the country.
Their PaImy Days.
Around the country today there are prob
ably score Of other crooks who thrivsd
and made fortunes by their nerve and skin
In the palmy days Of the cracksman- But
their day has passed and every year two
or three Of them are picked up for sons
trifling crime that fifteen or twenty years
ago they would have scorned to think Of
committing. Electricity and the modern
safe have driven them to the wall. Grad.
ually they are dying of. James Dunlauk
the great bank burglar. and partner OF Bob
Scott, who was pardoned by Governor Rus ,
sell Of Massachusetts in $780, was recently
arrested in Chicago while polishing a set ol
the portable burglars tools that Max Shin
burn invented. Bent with age and his
eighteen years Of prison life. coughing hiS
life away with consumption, this one-tine
brilliant thief worked away over his tools, {
which, as he afterward confessed, he was
going to use to break into a candy store
Luckier, far luckier than these men. who
have lived to taste the bitterest 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 sayind
goes, with their boots on. which generall3
means by the bullet or the knife. Amon&
the most notable Of the associates of Shin
burn. johnson, Rice. Brady and Dunlap,
who died before they had passed middle age,
Were Piano Charley" Bullard, big Il1ss
Marsh. Little Adam" Worth, Ned LyonA
Jim Mccoy, Jimmy Hope of Manhattan
Bank robbery fame, Wooster Tom" Perr1e
Rory: Simms, Billy Maher, Bob Scott and
Tom Kenyon.
Truly. the old-time bank breaker is pass