The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-02-09
George White, Alias George
Miles, Famed as Bank RObber
HE ROBBED BARRE BANK
With Two Other Men He Led Cashier
King From His Home to Bank with
Moose Around His Neck--white Died
in Keene, N. H., Yesterday.

Death drew the curtain on the check
cred career Of one of the most noted
bank robbers of the last half.century,
when Il yesterday claimed George White,
alias George Miles, the man who in fifty
years Of crime had robbed banks of
probably million dollars in the aggre-
gate, and who was one of the gang of
men who tapped the safe in the First
National Bank of Barre on the night
Of July 6, 1875. and caused very great
excitement as he fed through Vermont
to New York City. White, or Miles,
died in Keene, n. H., whittier he had
been taken on Sunday afternoon to sub
init TO an operation, made necessary by
an accident sustained in New York City
ten days previously.
When Miles returned to his home In
the little town of Westminster in south
ern Vermont ten days ago, he was all
bandaged up and had al the appearance
of having gone through terrible ex-
perienee. lie explained his condition by
stating that while in New York on one
OF his periodic visits he stepped of an
electric ear directly in the path OF an
other. Whatever the cause, he was badly
hurt, an injury to the skull being the
most serious. Bis family physician, DIR.
Craig, was summoned, and he expressed
the opinion that the only way to save
the patients life was TO perform an
operation. Accordingly, Miles was placed
in an express team and made as com.
Portable as possible for the drive of
twenty miles to Keene. The improvised
ambulance arrived there late Sunday, but
the trip was to be of no avail, for death
ensued early yesterday morning.
Miles, during the latter part Of his
life, had made no bones" OF proclaiming
his wicked practices, even going so far
as to write book entitled, From Boni-
face to Burglar in which he related
with considerable detail the many bank
robberies in which he had participated.
He referred but briefly in this volume
TO robbing the National Bank of Barre,
evidently considering it small Job, as
he dismissed it with the simple state
ment that on such and such date he
telling what they got.
AS matter OF fact, the robbers of
the Barre bank got but little, the loss
being mainly a package Of unsigned
notes Of the bank to the amount Of 81 800
which, though unsigned by the bank Off
cials, the robbers proceeded to make ne
gotiable by inserting names. At various
times these notes have come filtering
back to the National Bank OF Barre with
the forged signatures. They are recog-
nized not only by the signatures, but
by the numbers.
The robbers gained access to the local
bank by going to the residence OF the
cashier, G. A. King, and after placing a
rope around his neck forced him to acr
them to the bank and open the
vault. Kings nerves were 50 shattered
by the experience that he had to resign
his position with the bank after having
taken long vacation in the attempt
to get back to his former self.
After the robbery the bank officials |
sent out the following notice:
"BuRGIARYl BURGLARY!s.
Notice to National Banks.
"On the night OF July 9th, 1875, a |
package Of unsigned notes Of the Ma. |
TIONAL BANK OF BARRE, YER
MONT, containing &c impressions oil
plate 10, 10, 10, 20, bank number in left
half corner 9ll to $50 inclusive, amount |
ng to 81 300, was stolen from our vault
by gang Of masked burglars. As those
notes were unsigned by the cashier or
We shall decline to redeem
them.
Charles A. King, cash, n. w. Braley,
pres't.p
Converted in Prison.
Miles was run down and sent to prison
or the robbery in Barre, one of the
several convictinos in his Dr. Jekyl and
Mr. Hyde existence. 1t Is said that he
'pent eighteen or twenty years OF the
asst fifty behind the bars During the
,ast seven years, however, he had been
snown as the reformed burglar" and i
le lived quietly in the town of West.
Minister, where his sister, Mrs. Robert
}. Farr, lives. 1t was while he was
n tho state prison at Windsor that he
vas converted, and after his release from
hat institution he had been engaged in
vangelist work, besides doing some writ
ng for newspapers and books. He re-
emily contributed two-column article
o the New York Herald
His literary work on his robber-life
furnishes some exciting reading. In his
From Boniface to Burglar" he tells the
tory Of being really bounded into crime
vhen he was proprietor Of hotel in
leene, n H. He explains his statement
" saying that while running this hotel
e came under suspicion and the police
ept him under surveillance so closely
hat he was forced into crime for
wing. The TruaN Printing company Of
bellows Falls published this volume. and
lilies was getting ready to write another
ook on his career. Miles died poor
nan. although he had stolen probably
undreds Of thousands of dollars. He
Tas ~ years Of age last October %.
aving been born in Westmoreland. n. r..
he son of Captain and Mrs. Charles
White. Besides the sister in Westmin.
ter he leaves another, Mrs B. I. Sleeper
{ Bellows Falls, and a brother in South
Iakota.
His life was full OF adventure. as woll
5 Of crime, and the details be osten
iscussed with his friends and aganaint
nces. He had also written kftess to
arsfifs Rarze 4Aeanla ess=,sa ~ .chssh ...-r. ii