The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1912-09-19

ROBBERY with me as IL came from Tie
lips of the principal actors.
Willy M,TcHELL's YARN.
"A crook who Is up to snuff" said
Willy Mitchell, who is noted among
other things for having been tried and
acquitted three times for murder, "and
wants to get along in the business
without working too much for the
state, must be like good general.
He must always arrange his plans so
as to cover his retreat.
Some thieves are so constituted that
they do not mind going to Jail for
has no terrors for them, and, while
liberty is sweet to every man, they
take their medicine, and rather enjoy
prison life. I always had horror of
going to prison, but it was never quite
strong enough to lead me to become
honest When the big door closed be-
hind me every time that I entered Jail
it gave me chill, and I never got over
1t until I was out in the sunshine
again.
80 1t naturally happened that when
I was in active business, it was my
special desire to do everything in my
power to keep out of Jail. l always
paid a great deal more attention to
laying plans for a getaway after a
robbery than to the work itself. For
that reason I used to get into quar-.
rels with the men l worked with.
They did not like my caution, and I
have pulled many times out Of what
looked easy jobs just because I could
not see my way clear to escape. 1t
was my notion that any bit of work
would not pay, no matter how much
money there was in it. If it were fol-
lowed by a ten-years' contract with
the state in the stone-breaking line.
1T was this trait of mind which led
me into the Kingston National bank
robbery. At the time when l ran
against this trick was a fugitive from
Justice with the charge of killing Ned
Wallace hanging over me, so, natural
ly, had to 60 bit slow. There was
no doubt about my killing Ned, but I
had to do it to save my own life. l
knew that I would be acquitted if
we're pinched and held for trial; but
hated to go through it ALL and I
made up my mind that the best way
out of it was to keep under cover UNI
til the clouds blew away. I got over
to Kingston, where l had a solid
friend, and in my trips about the place
l struck the bank.
"My attention was attracted to the
bank by story in one of the papers
about a large sum of money which
had been deposited in its vaults by
some company that was going to build
railroad and a water works. l knew
in the bank for several weeks, so l
sent for Bill Noble, who was at that
time running a gambling house In
East Houston street, near Broadway
Bill was always ready to take a hand
with me because he understood my
ways and did his, and we never had
had any trouble. 1t was just what Bill
wanted, for his bank roll had been hit
very hard. I had not been out of the
house in the daytime because the MUIR
der of Wallace was very hot, and I
knew that the coppers were making
lively chase for me. I arranged with
Bill for him to do all the preliminary
work. He turned a book agent on
short notice, which gave him a chance
to visit the bank without exciting sus-
picion.
II don't remember what book it was
that Bill was selling, BUT he did such
slick work that the Clerks bought al:
his stock, and he hid to get more
books to fill the orceis, just to make
it appear all straight
while Bill was talking books he
sized up the vault, ard saw that the
door was an old-fasssirned affair, with
new and intricatA nck, which had
just come out, and wtss believed to be
burglar-proof. Bill cot everybody's
phiz in the bank tti-nly fixed in his
mind and the siga. on the desk il
front of them indicated the part Of The
business that each ,Fan looked after.
"The peXt step Els to find out who
closed UP the varN" This was g, very
delicate thing to ..Sck up without be
ing inquisitive. The fart chat Bill ha(
to deliver some more books at the
bank opened the way to get this infor
nation. He kept tab on the bank fo1
'sever2i day, and found out the time
that -lh man lc :, but he could nc
see :. -, the stree who had charge O.
the vaY It. When the books came Bill