Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1911-10-27

the keys are kept In the office OF the
company"
"Then we'll have to get an accom-
plice in the Office" was the cool re-
tort.
And SO the conspiracy, which had
been deep enough, now became deep
er. Another employee of the company
succumbed to temptation. His name
was Tester and he was in position
to lay his hands on the keys Of the
safes.
This fellow was employed in the
Traffic department at London Bridge.
He entered into the scheme with
avidity. He reported to his pals that
there were times when the safes were
sent to Chubbs for repairs, and that,
on these occasions, one Of the keys
was sent with the safes. Such an oc-
casion arose very soon, and then Test
er clever1y managed to abstract one
OF the keys; but there was still an
impeachment to the complete success of
the conspiracy. AS each of the safes
had two locks, and the key to but one
was sent to Chubbs. 1t was the second
key that baff1ed Testers best and
worst efforts.
But what they failed to get by
shrewdness came singularly enough by
| chance. One of the second keys was
always kept in the Folkstone Office
hanging in little closet. Pierce as
certained this fact, and he hung about
the Office in the hope Of getting his
clutch on It, His opportunity came.
One morning the cupboard was empty,
and Pierce, stepping into the Office,
which was vacant, grabbed the key
and passed it to Agar, who had a
handful OF warm wax. He immediate
ly took the impression of the key, re-
turned it to Pierce, who put 1t back
in its place, and the two of them left
the Office together without being de-
tected
The next thing to learn was when
the large consignment Of bullion would
be dispatched. Tester obtained this
information. In the meantime the con-
spirators arranged their part Of the
scheme. Carpet bags were purchased
and filed with shot which was in
tended to replace exactly the amount
Of gold taken from the bags. Agar
| more than once travelled up and down
the line for the purpose Of testing the
false keys that he had manufactured
| with Pierce's assistance. Burgess ad-
mitted them to the guards van, where
they fitted and filed the keys until
both worked easily In the lock of the
safe.
Finally the great night Of the enter
prise arrived. The conspirators pur-
chased tickets ON the Southeastern
train, boarded 1t and handed their
bags, filed with shot, to the porters,
who placed them in the guards van.
AS the train was starting, Agar man.
aged to get into the van with Bur-
CESS, while Pierce secured seat in
the f1rst-class carriage. The indus
trious Agar began work at once. He
opened the safe, secured the bullion
bags, removed the gold, substituted
the shot from the carpet bag, refast-
ened and resealed the bullion bags
and replaced them IN the safe. The
trick was partially turned. At Redhill
Tester met the train and was handed
q portion of the gold. The two other
safes were robbed in the same man.
ner as the first. When the train
reached FoIkstone the unsuspecting Of
flcials removed the safes, which were
filled with shot, and not gold. The
rascals went on to Dover, having previ-
ously obtained tickets to Ostend. Later
on they returned to London unob-
served. and little by little disposed of
the stolen gold.
The burglary, as already stated. was
first discovered at Boulogne. Mrs.
Kay said that when Agar was SEN
fenced to transportation for life and
knew that he could not escape, he
handed to Pierce forty-fve thousand
dollars which he requested to be set.
tied on Mrs. Kay for the support OF
herself and her child. Pierce paid her
a few small sums and then calmly con-
fiscated the remainder Of this fortune.
She came to the police In great rage
and disclosed the story OF the rob-
berry as 1t has been here related.
Agar, who was in Newgate. heard
how Pierce had misrreated Mrs. Kay
and he eagerly turned states evil
dence. AS a consequence OF this.
Pierce, Burgess, Tester and several
others were arrested, convicted and
sentenced to life terms in prison. The
company only recovered very small
portion of the stolen money.
This true story points moral that
viii not be overlooked by the dis
eliminating reader. It is that crime.
even viewed from a sordid. worldly
standpoint. does not pay. Pierce and
Agar had already spent many years In
| jail and their final crime meant that
| the remainder Of their existence
should be lived out behind prison bars.
Every one associated with the rob-
berry of the Southeastern railway suf-
fered lifelong scars-scars that might
have healed. but that nevertheless left
their mark on the victim.
Students Of criminology are unani-
nous In the belief that crime is the
III IL.