Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1905-01-20
GANG OF "YEGGS" BROKEN
MOST OF THEM CAPTURED WITH
IN FEW MONTHS.
Leaders Of Band Took Part in the
Newfane Savings Bank Robbery
Some Of the Other Jobs in Which
They Have Participated.

| for the past 10 year, terrOrlzing many
communities and especially officers OF
small banks and the country post
masters, says an article In the Boston
Sunday Herald. For the first five
years they operated almost entirely in
the far west and the south, holding UP
trains. mining camps and sometimes
whole communities, robbing banks,
postofiices and safes In business
houses of different kinds,
About five years ago they began
operating in the middle states and the
east, and finally the police of the en-
| tire country were aroused by the
police officials of the large eastern
cities. and big combination was ef-
fected for the purpose of rounding up
and exterminating the robber bands.
There have been many killings In the
conflicts between the police and the
burglars, but the police have captured
the robbers one by one, until now
nearly all are either under arrest or
have been killed. So far as their being
future menace to the wealth OF the
country Is concerned there is compar-
atively little danger, according TO the
police.
Some Of their earliest attacks In
this vicinity were made more than a
year ago upon the safe In the Middle
boro flour store, the bank at Amherst.
the Canton Junction postofiice. the
Forest Hills postofiice. the Mt. Hope
railroad station, the Metropolitan coal
office In east Boston, and upon post
offices and banks and business house
safes all through Essex county, in this
state, and throughout Maine and New
Hampshire. The safes In Connecti.
cut. Rhode Island and Vermont ala
not escape, and they even went over
into Canada and robbed severai
banks in the province OF Quebec. IN
August, 1904. bank at Slatersvllle.
r. l., was attacked. and following II
came the robbery of the Windham
County Savings bank at Newfane,
Vt, when one of the robbers was shot
and captured, one escaped, only to be
captured in this city by Chief Watts
personally and returned there Tor
trial and a third was captured IN
Brattleboro later and convicted.
The wounded prisoner was John
Howard, desperate western "yegg
leader, known as Frisco Fingers" :"
He was convicted and given IL to IA
wears at Windsor state prison. j. j.
Mccarthy. another of this gang, was
given seven years in the same prison
for being an accessory before and al
ter the fact, though he was not IN
the actual robbery, and John Hoiprook
Is now awaiting trial. Howard oper-
ated on the safe and used too much
soup, and the explosion aroused the
entire town, and a running fght with
the citizens resulted in the capture OF
Howard and the gang later.
Chief Watts learned that the
"yeggs" had hang outs" In Boston
in several saloons, one being on
Shawmut avenue, another down town.
and another resort being a house In
Willow park, Roxbury. With Inspec-
tors Harris, Burke, Cronin and Con-
way, Chief Watts spent many nights
watching these places, and finally, on
the night of Oct. 81, while his men
remained on guard outside, he and
Inspector Burke, with Special ON
GERS Burr KeHey and smith, went
into the house and faced the burglars,
who were held up at the pistol point
and ordered to throw up their hands
and surrender.
In the roundup Among them were
Harry Holbrook, who was later sent
to Vermont to be tried for the New
fame bank robbery; Frank Nelson:
Edward Conlon, Boston Jimmy
Kelly and others. Nelson and Con-
Ion had a fine array of 44-caiibre re-
yolvers. cartridges. jimmies, fuses
and a rubber bottle of nitro -glycerine
in their possession. Later Conlon ana
Nelson, alias Wilson. were convicted
of having burglars tools in their pos
session, and sent to the Charlestown
state prison for terms of five years
each. Conlon was sent to the Maine
state prison from Portland for saie
work, and Nelson was locked up IN
Pennsylvania once before.
"Roston Jimmy" Kelly was turned
over to the authorities of New Bed
ford for a car barn robbery, but upon
failure to identify him, he was re-
leased without consulting the Boston
police, who had a charge of having
burglars tools in his possession
against him. Kelly Is now being
sought.
William Morrey. alias Ky. Billy
who was one of this gang. is doing ~
years in the Charlestown prison Tor
shooting and killing sergeant from
the United States arsenal at Water
town, whom he attacked for no reason
in Wise's saloon at the South emu
last winter. Holbrook was In com.
pany with Morrey, alias Ky. Billy
at the time of the shooting, but was
the shooting and that Holbrook was
innocent.
when Chief Watts took this gang
into his office, the day after their ar,
rest. to interview them, he handled
their tools carelessly, and, though
they told him the rubber bottle con-
tanned nothing dangerous, he made
pretence of throwing 1t across the
room into a corner. Instantly all the
''veggs" Jumped to their feet, their
faces ashen and their limbs trem-
bling. and begged him not to handle
the "stuff' so carelessly, as 1t might
"go off" and blow up the square, Kill.
ing them all. Little & Walker, expert
chemists, examined the soup Tor
chief Watts. and testified, after Sc
ries of thorough tests, that 1t was
Enthusiastically nitro-glycerine.
THE most valuable information Sc
cured by Chief Inspector Watts In
connection with these men ana their
work makes It possible for him to
fathom the mystery of probably more
than 20 bank and 100 postofhce rob-
berries in this country In recent years.
and to connect some Of the prisoners
with the jobs.
II is charged that Carter, alias
De Ford: Holbrook. who was arrest
ed by Chief Watts in Boston in Oc-
tober. and sent to Newfane, VT, for
trial for that bank job: Morrey alias
Ky. Billy who is doing 20 years In
Charlestown for killing man In
Boston bar-room last winter: Joseph
Howard. alias Frisco Fingers" and
"Jocko" Mccarthy, who is doing time
with Howard for the Vermont job.
did the Job at the Middleboro -four
store. and made the attempt on the
Amherst. Mass. bank. and that these