The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1912-08-31
soB FuREYs STORY.

BOB FuREYs STORY.
,.1,he touch-off on the Red Star Ex-
,rossq Do I recall it? Well l should
emile. That was one Of the biggest
and neatest jobs ever put up In New
York. It was a hair-raiser from start
d finish. A job like that ought to
have been worth million. 1t would
have been but for one of the unex-
nacted things that come around to
crooks as well as to other people.
q t,,mbled on the business by acct
liant one afternoon as l was going
from Washington to New York. 1 was
sitting In the smoker putting away on
Z hill Of Havana, when a couple OF
gents dropped in and took the seat
in front. / did not pay any attention
h them until overheard them talking
about money bags and gold coin. l
nicked up from their conversation that
they were agents for an express COM
spany that had a contract for hauling
money for the government, and had
charge Of the stuff while it was in
transit from Washington to the mint
in Philadelphia or to other eastern cit
les.
This Of itself did not specially in
terest me, but when / heard them talk
about how carelessly the coin was
handled by the agents east of Chi
eago. a territory in which the cars
we're believed to be perfectly safe, !
4 began thinking . bit. Before I reach
ed New York I had made up my mind
To pick up a few additional facts on
this subject. fit turned out as rosy
as these fellows indicated I would
teach some of them a lesson in the
art Of performing their duty. I learn
ed from them incidentally that the
Red Star Express, on the Erie, car
ried more money than any other COM
pany, and that the agents guarded
Sl000,0O0 about as closely as the or
binary citizen would a nickel.
] gave these citizens silent vote
of thanks when we parted. Imme-
diately afterWard I began an official
Investigation. / had learned the trade
Of machinist when was a young fell
low, SO the first thing did was to
make application for a job in the Erie
railroad repair shops In Jersey City
While working On the car I got &C
quainted with Pop Thompson. He was
called Pop because Of his general good
nature, and not because he was old.
made myself as friendly with him as
could. found out where he lived
IN Lafayette, N. Y, little station vi
I the line ways. I hired a room in {
boarding house near him. We me-
very often, and he seemed to take
q fancy to me. After while he talk
ed quite freely about his business
though 1t was always about trips tina
ne had made and never about trip
f mat he was going to take.
When got this far into the schem'
! called in Johnny Dobbs, Big jim
bfadF, Walt. Herrick and Pete Dur
and, four Of the wisest crooks tina
ever lived, and put them onto Pop AM
MS car, with the idea, that one Q
Them would stick to him every day an
go away with him on every trip to ge
me run Of the business. In this wa
Johnny Dobbs picked up in Chicag
mat Pop had a weak side. In short
Ae was leading double life. Nothin
could have suited me better, for tina
gave me a chance to pull him into tn
d traces.
There was no longer any use of m
working in the shop, so I quit an
vent TO chicago to walt for Pop
safn up. It was some weeks before h
aanded there, but fixed it so that
Would meet him coming out of hi
nome No. in Chicago, which CAV
ne chance to call him down. Fl
W. not as much surprised as
s,. Nc Woui0 De, and 1t was nc
ultil ne got ready to return home thu
Y suggested that it would be well
Assp quiet what ! had seen.
a ! PROMISED never to mention it, an
sseufneti with Pop. 1t was the fir
saoW that had to throw out an
seiers. gently, rather playful,
alleea that Pop was carrying larg
aasouns OF money for other people, an
was wonder to me that none of
Y ~ ever stuck to his fingers. Pc
!. aalIested more interest in this tai
sasa had ever hoped for. He sai
= J was tired of working for nothin
d united that If ] could suggest al