The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-05-02
BILL VOSBURG,
CROOK, IS DEAD
Stole More Than 81, 100000,
But Died Poor.
STORY OF HIS BEGINNING
As Bank Sneak He Had No Equal.
Never Hurt ANY Person.
Honest at Last.
STORY OF HIS BEGINNING

NEW YORK. May From a two
story brick house on the upper East Side
there was funeral a few days ago.
and In Woodlawn Cemetery, over a
freshly made grave. is a small tomb
stone bearing the name of William Vos-
burg. That name does not conevy much
meaning unless it Is prefxed by the title
OF 'Old Bill" Then it becomes inter-
esting to students of criminology.
odd BIZ Vosburg was very near the
seVenty-year mark when he died. During
ing the last eight years he led an honest
life. For nearly half a century he led
a crooked one. VOsburg was one of the
greatest crooks this country ever bred,
and certainly one of the cleverest the
police ever had to cope with. As a
bank sneak he had no equal. During
his career he stole owed 100000 He
died a poor man.
Vosburg was born in Albany and came
of good stock His grandfather fought
through the Revolutionary war and his
father was in the war Of 1872 His par
ents died when he was a child and he
went TO live with relatives. He com
mitted his 4rst crooked act when he was
thirteen years old. Vosburg has told
how he first started on the hayward
path.
Had Gambling Fever.
Although only a kid. 1 had the
gambling fever" said he. and my first
chance TO do wrong came when
neighbor sent me with a package to de-
liver TO a cigar dealer in Albany. AS !
carried the package I became curious
TO know what ii contained and l opened
II. There was $375 in the bundle.
thought how easy il would be 10 get
money for myself by using my neigh
bor's money TO gamble with, and l
hurried to house run by a couple Of
rascals. They must have been rascals
or they never would have let a child
like me into their place lost the
money Of course, and then I began to
wonder how would ever get it back to
return IL 10 its owner.
There was a man named Fleming
VINO lived near where I did. and he had
the reputation among his neighbors of
being a thief. In my worry over losing
the money in the gambling house went
70 Fleming and asked him to helm me
1 was Just the kind of a kid he needed
tleming was burglar and made a spe-
SleIly OF rooOlng grocery stores. There
we're no saIeS those days and il was
That very night I met Fleming. and
We turned on grocery store and got
49, MY share Of the robbery more
thdh returned the money 1 had stolen
70 sdIlDis Win returned that money
700; from that time on Fleming and /
PaIo strict attention to the Albany gro
SeIy stores. and / don't believe Their.
was one IN the city that escaped US.
Never Hurt Anyone. i'' l'r
That was how I got in the game. and
= i
bocy who couldn't afford 10 be robbed
1 never carried a gun or a knife. and
never hurt anyone. The meanest thing
ever done was 10 marry a good wo-
man. She didn't know for MANY wears
the life l was leading. Why, I used Ia
walk out OF the house and tell nv Wiz
/ was going away on business. Several
times l didn't return for a couple of
years"
N2sburg's wife survives him. and her
husband worshiped her. They had
three children, daughters, and one OF
them married Harry Russell. the most
office thief Mrs Vosbur2 Is a VII -.
sSINfd, matronly looking woman. and
En- peesan. 70 weep when she was ask
cd about her husbands death
ne was good husband and GOOD
Ialner no matter what the rest OF me
world thinks about him " she said ~
s MS nlarTled forty years and he never
Nosburg was first arrested whom b,.
, - - cen years old. pal who sot
I1 sEIlea IN Albany received 500 and >
olo watch as a wedding pift from III hin q
Inc watch was traced and the nal IN IN
rested he peached on the eiver T. =
purg managed 10 beat the case AZ
iiett albany then, and went to New or
On Mississippi River.
Then he worked the Mississippi River
boats for nine years by sneakinr vi
tables from the staterooms. Nv stana.
ins IN with the boat crews he was abIe
10 90 this without being caught. ONLY
once was he arrested during that time
and then he didn't go to prison.
When the game got too warm for him
he joined crowd Of safe-blowers al
louisville. He was caught in first lob
anG did three years time Vosburg USED
70 say that those three years were ths
longest Of his whole life
When he got out of prison he car,e
North and settled in Buffalo. where he
n.araged TO keep out Of Jail and keen
himself we'll supplied with money. When
he came to this city TO live 1t didn't
take him long TO get with the good
crooks. Dennis Troy was one OF them
aud IN one haul he and VOsburg poi
$4,000 worth. Of bonds from a Madison
IN disposing Of the bonds 10 a fence
bur Troy came near getting nabbed
for the robbery.
NosDurg saw IT wasn't safe 10 try 10
get rid or negotiable paper throueh u
fence so he opened an account win "a
bank and let IL be known that he was
dealer in bonds and other securities
He not only got rid Of his own stolen
IaFer this way. but every other good
crock who wanted 10 dispose OF bonds
came TO him for aid.
Helped Bank Clerks.
VCsburg used 10 say that bank clerks
brought MIN paper 20 get rid Of when
they had fallen into crooked ways, but
that he used to point 70 himself as
horrible example and tell them the pen
atty of being crooked
The biggest bank sneak tricks that
were over worked in this town were
pulled of by Vosburg and a crook naia-
I'd Coleman. The latter was catlike c.,
his feet. and while VOsburg talked TO the
pay ing teller Coleman would sneak a
package OF bills and disappear In one
week TINS pair cleaned up $l33, 900 in this
way. II was C0mpara ffvaIv aagrr