The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1903-12-25
B|DOELL' s PARTNER
IS UNDER ARREST
FAMOUS SWiNDLE OF THE BANK OF
ENGLAND AND OTHER lNSTl-
TUTlONS is RECALLED.
BIDDELLS ONCE IN BUTTE
One Of Them, With His Foot in the
Grave, Sold Book in Montana,
Telling Of Crimes.
ny ASSOCIATED pRrss

ny ASSOCIATED PRESS
New York, Dec. ss.--Onc of the men
involved many years ago in the famous
Bank of England forgery case and who
in 1877 set fire TO Sing Sing prison, and
escaped in the confusion, has just been
arrested in this city at the age of 90, OH
charge of arson in the first degree
lie is best known as Charles William
son. alias Perrine, but has passed recently
as Pat Hall, which is said to be his right
name.
Posing as a retired banker in 1874. he
flooded Wall street with alleged forged
Buffalo and Erie, New York Central and
Chicago and Northwestern bonds. He
bought the Van Allen place at New Ham
burg, Duchess county, agreeing to pay
$4,000 for it.
lie paid $500 down and insured the
house for $4,000. Four days later, on
February II last. the house was burned.
The circumstances discovered led to the
withholding OF payment OH the policies,
and Hall disappeared He has been living.
the police learned, in New Jersey, and
when he returned TO this city he was ar
rested
Hall is said to have passed s8 years
III prison. He served four years OF his
sentence in the Bank Of England case, and
then turned queens evidence and was re-
leased. 1t is said he showed the bank
governors how their notes had been raised
and how 10 prevent it.
There is local interest in the above
dispatch, as reference is evidently made TO
the famous swindle perpetrated upon the
Bank of England by the Biddell brothers.
both OF whom visited Butte few years
ago, selling their book telling Of their
lives, and one of whom died here The
other died subsequently.
George and Henry Biddell were old men.
broken in health from their long confinc-
ment in Portland prison, when they came
TO Montana and Butte four years ago, Of
fering for sale the book they had written
descriptive OF their swindling and pointing
out how hard is the way OF the trans
gressor.
George Biddel had virtually one foot
in the grave when they came to Butte. He
died soon afterwards, and money was
raised here TO send the body to New Eng
land. The other brother went east later
and soon afterwards died.
Gigantic Swndle.
The swindle perpe,rated by the Biddel.s
was the most gigantic OF the age. 1t was
probably never equalled. There were three
OF the brothers who operated so success
fully against the "old lady OF Thread
Needle street" About 80 years ago these
men, then in their young days, started on
their career of swinding.
They began at FIRST in small way.
Many bank lost large sums. They COW
cred up their tracks so successfully that
they were never apprehended, and they
went to Europe looking for big game.
Their manipulation Of the pen and the ink
eraser made them a terror to bankers in
the old world. Finally they planned
great and final coup. They decided to
tackle the financial stronghold of the
world. the Bank of England
They opened an account of several hun
drcd pounds sterling and purported to
carry on legitimate brokerage business
dealing in cotton and other East Indian
products. For several months they CON
Quoted their transactions with the bank in
an honorable and entirely legitimate man
ner, thus completely throwing off sus-
picion. They often borrowed large sums
of money upon bills OF ladng for goods
they had purchased, the banks not suspect
ing them in the least
The Great Coup.
Finally they prepared for the great coup.
They issued forged bills of exchange and
bogus bills OF lading for tremendous sums
Of money. These were presented to the
bank and discounted. The money was
placed on deposit in the bank and nothing
was suspected.
They secured several million pounds in
that manner, and were planning to escape
when the day of reckoning came. The
bank finally became suspicious. One of
the indells presented himself at the
bank for the purpose Of Withdrawing two
or three million pounds. He was detained
a minute while detective placed him un-
der arrest.
The swindle was such gigantic one that
the stock exchange felt its effect, and
there were several runs on banks.
The other two Biddclls fed the coun-
try in novel disguses. They went to Cuba
and joined the revoutionists and were
finally captured several years after the dis
covery Of the swndle. They were given
long terms and finally pardoned The
story of their experiences was written as
n moral instruction to young men rather
than as a thrilling tale. The two surviv-
ing brothers became evangelists and fire.
quenty lccturcd upon the evils OF wrong
doing