Durango semi-weekly herald., 1902-08-11
ADAM WoRTH's
WoNDERFU CAREER

This is the story of Adam Worth.
If fiction writer could conceive
such a story he might well hesitate to
write 1t for fear of being accused of
using the wildly improbable.
The sober cold. technical Judgment
passed upon Adam Worth by the great
est of thief hunters of America and
Great Britain is that he was the most
remarkable, most successful and most
dangerous professional criminal ever
known TO modern times.
Adam Worth, in a life of crime
covering almost half century loot
ed at least 100000 and most proba-
bly, as much as $4,000, 900.
He cruised through the Mediterran-
can on steam yacht with a crew OF
twenty men and left trail OF looted
| cities behind him.
He was caught only once, and then
through blunder by stupid confed-
crate.
He ruled the shrewdest criminals
and planned deeds for them with
craft that bade defiance to the best
detective talent in the world
The police OF America and Europe
were eager to take him for years, and
for wears he perpetrated every form OF
| theft-check forging. swindling, lar
ceny, safe cracking. diamond robbery,
mail robbery. burglary OF every de-
gree, ''hod-ups" on the road and bank
| robbery--under their very noses with
| complete immunity.
There were three redeeming fea-
lures in the life of this lost human
creature.
| He worshiped his family and regard.
| ed and treated his loved ones as some
| thing sacred. His wife never knew
| that he was criminal His children
are living in the United States today
in complete Ignorance of the fact that
their father was the master thief OF
the civilized world.
He never was guilty of violence, and
would have nothing to do under any
circumstances with anyone who did.
He never forsook a friend or accom-
| plice.
| Because Of that LOYALTY he once res
cued his band of forgers from Tur-
kish prison, and then from Greek brig
ands. reducing himself to beggary to
do IL.
Because of that loyalty he became
the man who stole the Gainesbor-
ough
The reason for that theft will be
told here for the first time. Until
now al! who knew 1t were under bind
Ing obligations of silence. The mo-
tive that caused the deed was unique
in modern crime.
And Adam Worth, who had millions,
who once tipped coins for goo TOSS
who At one time had an interest in
racing stable. he'd a steam yacht and
n fast sailing yacht. died a few weeks
ago as he had begun-a poor, penni-
less thief.
He lowered above all other crimi-
mails Of his time; he was so far In ad-
vance of them that the men who hunt
ed him weakened before his masterful
intellect; but the inexorable fate that
pursues the breaker OF moral law
caught him and finished him at last
where the man-made law was power
less.
When Adam Worth died he was as
much y mystery aside from certain
officials and detective inspectors OF
Scotland Yard. the Pinkertons and a
very few American police officials
even to the great majority OF police
J. officials OF the world. as he had been
throughout his life. If he had not be-
come prominent recently As the man
who stole and returned the Galnesbor-
ough portrait the public probably
: never would have heard OF him at all
Only very few of the most able de
tectives OF the world knew him even
by sight. Still less knew anything
= about him. Before he died William
and Robert Pinkerton sought him oui
, and induced him to go over the stor,
of his career as they had gathered Il
from time to time, and he told then
freely of all that he had done.