Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1905-07-14

amined the terrible sore not a few of
whom gave letters certifying a worthy
subject for the charitably inclined The
pair Travelled through West Virginia and
Maryland as far as the Cumberland where
New York Ned had timed his arrival to
attend convention of "yeggs" from all
over the country.
At that place Mccarthy had the doubt
ful honor of meeting some of the most
prominent of the cult in the country. All
appeared to have some ailment and many
bore clutches. Some were represented
as paralytics, others had hip disease
rheumatism, sore arms, and what not;
anything to gain the sympathy and win
the money Of the gullible ones who were
willing to accept the hard-luck tales told
them.
The convention was a lively one, and
at the end of the second day a lively fight
was precipitated, in which none OF the
| lame, halt or blind gave the slightest evil
dence Of the ills which they claimed
afflicted them, and during which the re-
cruit made up his mind that It was an
excellent time for him to escape from his
hated task-master, New York Red"
He made his way to Baltimore and
| there by chance met two men he had
seen on the road known as Portland
Ned and Missouri Shorty" BY them
1t was proposed that the lad join the
| ranks OF craftsmen, and they agreed to
| initiate him. AS an apprentice It would
| pe MS uuly TO lTdNel ABOUT ana look up
| suitable places for robbery and report
| back to the principals. When the Job
was undertaken he was to act as an out
side man aud give information or warn
ing which might be necessary. The trio
| went to Norfolk Va, where the recruit
was introduced to the highest circles of
"yeggdom." There he was schooled in his
| work.
He was informed that after he had
| selected suitable postoffice or bank II
was his business to find out IL the estab-
ishment had burglar alarm, II there was
| any night watch In the town, the make
| OF the safe which was to be cracked and
the best way to get out of the place at
night II II was not on the main line of a
| railroad. In fact, he was to discover
everything which would be OF value in
breaking the safe, and then fix on the best
way to elude discovery in getting away
with the proceeds OF the robbery He was
told that towns Of from 300 to 500 popula-
tion were represented as paralytics, others
had no night watch and the postofices
| were almost sure to yield from $500 TO
| $1,000 in cash and stamps
Stamps were easily disposed of at the
rate of so cents on the dollar. They were
| sent or taken to the saloon OF a former
| 'yegg on the Bowery, In New York and
by him turned over to a detective on the
police force, who handed them to an en-
ploy OF the New York postoffice. by whom
that from 100000 to $40. 900 worth n year
were disposed of in this way. and that
| the New York gang was always ready to
| take all that could be furnished. II 1t
| was thought not desirable to get them to
| New York, there were plenty of crooked
| brokers in other cities who would accept
| them al the rate Of 70 cents on the dollar
The lads actual criminal career began
| Feb. Q, 1898, when he left Norfolk for
North Carolina. supplied with sufficient
| money to travel about the state and
| select promising postoffices or banks for
robbery. He was then in his 18th year.
Ten days later the apprentice returned
| and reported that he had found two
| places which offered promising outlooks
| for successful robbery. The first was
| Murfreesboro. N c.. town with about
| $50 population in Hartford county, on a
branch of the Seaboard Air Line and
/ about IS miles from Norfolk The other
was Plymouth, n. c., in Washington
| county on a branch OF the Southern rail-
road about so miles from Norfolk In
both places he reported that the safes
were old-fashioned, that the buildings
were not wired, and that there was no
Waterman. 1t was decided to make the
| first attempt at Murfreesboro.
Amusing Incident In North Carolina
Break.
The trio left Portsmouth, across the
| AANNl AIOHl 4NOIlOlht at l,OU o CLOCK IN the
| evening, few days later, and arrived at
| Boydton, the junction point on the Sea-
board Air Line from which Murfreesboro
is reached, at 10 o'clock. They then
covered the six miles to the latter place
| on foot, getting to the place about 1873
O'Clock. A locksmith's establishment sup
| piled the heavy tools they needed. and no
difficulty was encountered in entering the
postoffce. AS an apprentice II was Nc
Carthys duty to act as outside man,
| notifying the men inside II any one APP
preached and giving the signal that every
thing was all right when the proper time
for the explosion came. Hardly had he
tapped on the window glass that every
thing was o. X. than he heard the tinhle
of banjo up the street. Immediately
followed by the tuneful chorus of three
negroes voices. The lad did not know
what to do, and he lodged behind a tree
waiting for the singers to pass Just as
they reached a spot opposite the post
office door the explosion occurred
Mccarthy was frightened, because he
feared capture, but the negroes were con-
WINGED that the end of the world had come
and the lower regions were opened to |
receive them. The tuneful chorus ended |
abruptly and was succeeded by q COM
bination OF groans and shrieks as the |
frightened darkies fled precipitately up |
the street. The noise was not conducive |
to successful safe robbery. but the running |
negroes led the startled residents to be-.
lieVe there was nothing more serious than |
drunken row in town. and there was, |
accordingly, no occasion for the haste |
with which the robbers collected the cash |
and stamps In sight and departed for |
Boydton. At that point an early morning |
freight was boarded as 1t steamed up to |
the Junction, and daybreak found the |
three safe breakers secure in Norfolk
dividing $500 as the profits of the nights
work.
This was McCarthys first taste Of crime
and the experience was of a nature to
whet his appetite for more. 1t had proved
successful, despite the fright given him
by the negroes, and he felt that it would
be most satisfactory existence for him
to follow
1t was decided by the gang that It would
not be wise to make the attempt at Ply
mouth, n c., just at that time, and a few
days later trip was taken to Clarksburg,
Va, where $500 in cash and $3.50 in stamps
were secured without great difficulty, no
one in the town being aroused and no I'M
usual excitement heightening the interest
of the men at work.
From Clarksburg the party went on the
same night to brakes Branch, 10 miles
distant. There little difficulty was ex-
There is more Catarrh in this section
of the country than all other diseases put
together, and until the last few years