The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1912-08-16
BOB FUREY'S STORY.

1SS Sh-I ~ ShS"ss
1.-THE touch-Off on the Red Star Ex-
press? Do l recall it? Well should
smile. That was one Of the biggest
and neatest jobs ever put up in New
York. It was hair-raiser from start
to finish. A job like that ought to
have been worth million. 1t would
have been but for one of the unex-
pected things that come around to
crooks as we'll as to other people.
l tumbled on the business by acct
dent one afternoon as was going
from Washington to New York. I was
sitting in the smoker putting away on
a bit of Havana, when couple Of
gents dropped in and took the seat
in front. l did not pay any attention
to them until overheard them talking
about money bags and gold coin. !
picked up from their conversation that
they were agents for an express COM
pany that had 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
cage, a territory in which the cars
were believed to be perfectly safe, /
began thinking a bit. Before l reach
ed New York I had made up my mind
to pick up a few additional facts on
this subject. If it turned out as rosy
as these fellows indicated ] would
teach some of them 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
100000 about as closely as the or
binary citizen would nickel.
I gave these citizens a silent vote
of thanks when we parted. Imme
diately afterward / began an Official
investigation. q. had learned the trade
of machinist when was young fel
low, so the first thing Gid was te
make application for job in the Erie
railroad repair shops in Jersey City
While working On the car got &C
quainted with Pop Thompson. He was
called Pop because of his general goo(
= nature, and not because he was old.
made myself as friendly with him al
could. l found out where he livet
in Lafayette, N. Y, little station VI
the line a ways. I hired room in
boarding house near him.. We me
very often, and he seemed to TAX
a fancy to me. After a while he talk
ed quite freely about his business
though it was always about trips tina
he had made and never about trip
that he was going to take. -
When I got this far into the schem
I called in Johnny Dobbs, Big Jill
Brady, Walt. Herrick and Pete Dul
and, four of the wisest crooks tina
ever lived, and put them onto Pop an
his car, with the idea that one {
them would stick to him every day an
go away with him on every trip to &c
the run of the business. In this wa
Johnny Dobbs picked up III Chicag
that Pop had a weak side. In shor
he was leading double life, Nothin
could have suited me better, for thu
gave me a chance to pull him into til
traces.
There was no longer any use Of m
working in the shop, so / quit an
went to chicago to wait for Pop
turn up. It was some weeks before /
landed the,e, but fixed it so that
would meet him coming out Of b
home No. 3 in Chicago. which gay
me a chance to call him Down. H
was not as much surprised as
thought he would be, and It was n,
until he got ready to return home TIL
he suggested that it would he well
keep quiet what had seen.
I promised never to mention 1t, al
returned with Pop. It was the fir
show that I had to throw out q
feeIers. gently, rather playful
limited that Pop was carrying lar'
amount OF money for other people. al
it was wonder to me that none q
had ever stuck to his fingers. -
manifested more interest 10 snis q
than / had ever hoped for. He "a
he was tired Of working Tor nothln
aA limited that il / could suggest q