The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-01-11

1
| in the cells when / first came here. and
| that gave us plenty OF time to get ac-
quainted with each other. Now there $
| only one man in each cell. and. TO tell
| the truth. I'm glad of it. There's not a
| man in the prison in my class Besides.
| l don't think that the Warden would ask
me to room with one of these petty lar
ceny grafters.
We'll, to go on with Shinburn- \ few
years of high living in his castle melted
! his wad down TO nothing and he went
over TO Belgium to town where he had
heard that there was an easy baak. and
one night in company with an American
crook called Piano Charlie that he'd
come across over they climbed the wall
into the ward behind the bank. unscrewed
the lock from the back door, located
the safe, which was an old fashioned one
and then went away. intending to come
back Saturday night and open it at their
leisure. When they came to replace the
lock on the back door one OF the screws
was missing, so Shinburn filled the hole
with some wax from a piece that he
carried in his pocket. denied lit with his
nail to look like the head OF a screw, and
then they climbed the wall and were
nabbed on the other side by couple of
constables
They were held for examination, but
as no one in the town could recognize
them and they hadn't the sign of a tool
with them. and the bank hadn't been
touched the Judge discharged them. but
t.aF,x
messenger from the bank came rushing in
with the back door lock in his hand. for
it seems that the bank people got n
fright and thought they'd put stronger
locks on the door and in doing that they
found the wax screw head. Then they
compared that with the wax in Shin
burns pocket. and not only found that it
was one and the same kind. but there was
the missing screw, sticking to it.
They got ten years apiece on that,
and Piano Charlie died in prison. Shin
burn came back and was nabbed for an
expired term and sent away to New Eng
land.
The ''lifer's'' cigar was out, and he ac-
cepted one offered him by the visitor and
continued:
"Bill Brockway was another high class
An enjoyable surprise was given Mr..
man that it was a pleasure to talk with.
He was New Haven man, of good fam
lily, and was educated at Sheffield Scien-
tifc school. One of his sons is practicing
physician in New York, and his sister
was We'll known among the best people
in New Haven.
bill could have made fine living In
almost any business, but he adopted ex-
pert .penmanship as a profession, made
a specially of signing other peoples
names to checks, and finally produced
some of the best fac SMILES of engraved
bonds that the trade has ever known.
arts sake an dto hang his fac SMILES
on his parlor walls where he and his
friends could admire them, he might not
have got into trouble, but he insisted on
palming them off on people as the real
products of the government presses. with
the result that most of his life has been
spent behind the bars and he's ending his
days now in the State prison at Trenton.
II was really sorry to hear of his con-
fned>his business to New York he would
have been sent here instead of to Tren-
ton. and then I'd have asked the warden
TO put him near me at the table.
'Chauncey Johnson was very pleasant !
fellow, who used to make us visits Of
three of four years at time in the old |
lays, and it was during the last of these |
risits here that he died, but ne was a /
nigh class sport in the bargain. as this /
story will prove
What Mr.. johnson didn't know about |
,ank doors. front and back. and the per- |
'onal peculiarities of cashiers and tellers T
wasn't worth knowing. Now, in the
course of his exhaustive studies of bank
ng matters he discovered that certain 4
very short sighted clerk. who stood next
70 the receiving tellers of one of the big I
New York banks, was in the habit OF 4
up his money every afternoon, /
beginning the work few minutes before 1
hree the regular hour of closing. Mr.. |
johnson noticed, moreover, that there |
vas nothing between this clerk and his /
of bills and the lire at the re-
,eiving teller's desk except a light brass /
-ailing.
so, one afternoon. ne placed himself |
II the end of the line just opposite the !
Jerk who was deep in his work OF count /
ng. and with a long steel hook began |
pulling packages of tens and twenties /
through the railing. In less than it takes
o tell he had eighteen thousand dollars
n curreny in his coat pocket and there
&c -
clerk.
IF it hadn't been for his sporting in
tincts he could have slipped out of the
,ank with his p under and no one would
lave ben able TO prove the crime on
lin. But as he himself said when the
Jerk. seeing the last of the packages
travelling swiftly toward the brass ran,
artcd through the side door and laid
-iolent hands on him. 1t was a physical
for him to quit the game.
- L couldn't stop, he said patheticaIiy.
IS they shook the eighteen thousand out
f the side pocket of his jacket. 1 never
as having such fun in my life. l just
lad TO take that last package OF bills.
" Suppose you'd got that? inquired the
Jerk.
" Well said the old man. I'd make
p my mind that IL got that last pack
ge I'd put nv hook into your neck and
rag you out. too.
Il have not heard anything lately os
~ old friend. Bill the Brute. whose
cal name was Parker. but his case was
curious one. Once. while he was locked
p in Scotland he killed a keeper BY
MASKING in his head with a brick. and
Thle they were taking Rim to the court
com for trial re managed TO get away
nd cnrne hack To this cnuntrr