The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1912-01-12

in place of the real ones. Agar told
his pal that he would have to get q
wax impression of the. real keys in
order to make the duplicates.
That's too bad" was the response;
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, o became deep
er. Another employe of The company
succumbed to temptation. His name
was Tester and he was in a position
to lay his hands on the keys of the
safes.
This fellow was employed in the
Traffic department at London Bridge.
lie 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 ~cleverly 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, it was the second
key that bafled 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 o!i,2e
hanging in a little closet. Pierce as
certained this fact, and he hung about
the Office in the hope of getting his
clutch on 1t. His opportunity came.
One morning the cupboard al 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 1t to Pierce, who put it back
in it's 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-
srirators arranged their part of the
scheme. Carpet bags were purchased
and filled with shot which was in!
tened to replace exactly the amount
of Epld 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 adj
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 portersi
who placed them in the guards van.
AS the train was starting, Agar man!
aged to get into the a with Burr
CESS, while Pierce secured a seat in,
the first-class carriage. The indusi
trious Agar began work at once. Ha
opened the safe, secured the bullion
bags, removed the gold, substituted
the shot from the carpet bag, refast1
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
a portion Of the gold. The two other
safes we're robbed In the same mani
ner as the first. When the trainl
reached Folkstone the unsuspecting of!
icials removed the safes, which werei
filled with shot, and not gold. The
rascals went on to Dover. having previ1
ously obtained tickets to ,Ostend. Later
on they returned to- London unob1
served. and little by little disposed Of
the stolen gold. Il
The burglary, as already stated, was
first discovered at Boulogne. Nrsl
Kay said that when Agar was sen3
fenced to transportation for life and
knew that he could not escape, be-
handed to Pierce forty-nve thousand
dollars which he requested to be set7
tied ON Mrs. Kay for the support Of
herself and her child. Pierce; paid her
q few small sum and then calmly cond
flscated 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 misrraated' Mrs.. Kay
and he eagerly turned states evti
dence. Al q consequence Of this
Pierce, Burgess. Tester and several
others were arrested. convicted and
sentenced to life tefths in prison. Tho
company only recovered . very small
portion Of the stolen money.
This true story points . moral that
will not be overlooked BY the dis
eliminating reader. Il 10 that crime;
even viewed from . sofdid. worldly
standpoint does not pay. Pierce and
Agar had already spent many yse5s n
Jail and, their nnal crime msa1t that
the remainder Of their sexlstsnoe
L[4 y HNNL u