The pioneer express., 1912-08-16
BOB FuRErs STORY.

detection.
BOB FUREYe STORY.
'"The touch-of on the Red Star Ex-
press? Do recall It? Well I 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 q million. It would
have been but for one Of the unex-
pected things that come around to
crooks as well as to other people.
I tumbled on the business by acci-
dent one afternoon as was going
from Washington to New York. was
sitting in the smoker putting away on
bit Of Havana, when couple Of
gents dropped in and took the seat
in front. Ibid not pay any attention
to them until overheard them talking
about money bags and gold coin. I
picked up from their conversation that
they were agents for an express COM
pany 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
cago, a territory in which the cars
were believed to- be perfectly safe, I
began thinking a bit. Before reach
ed New York I had made up my mind
to pick up a few additional facts on
this subject. II it turned out as rosy
as these fellows indicated I 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
$1,000,000 about as closely as the or
dinary citizen would a nickel.
I gave these citizens a silent vote
Of thanks when we parted. Imme-
diately afterward I began an official
investigation. had learned the trade
Of machinist when I was young fell
low, SO the first thing I did was to
make application for job in the Erie
railroad repair shops in Jersey City.
While working on the car got ac-
quainted with Pop Thompson. He was
called Pop because Of his general good
nature, and not because he was old. I
made myself as friendly with him as
could. I found out where he lived
in Lafayette. N. r, a little station up
the line a ways. I hired room in q
boarding house near him. We met
very often, and he seemed to take
q fancy to me. After while he talk
ed quite freely about his business,
though It was always about trips that
he had made and never about trips
that he was going to take.
When I got this far into the scheme
! called In Johnny Dobbs, Big Jim
Brady, Walt. Herrick and Pete Dur
and, four Of the wisest crooks that
ever lived, and put them onto Pop and
his car, with the. idea that one Of
them would stick to him every day and
3 60 away with him on every trip to get
the run Of the business. In this way
Johnny Dobbs picked up In Chicago
that Pop had aweak side. N short,
i he was leading double life. Nothing
could have suited me better, for that
gave mo q chance to pull him into the
8 traces. Ill
There was no longer any use of my
4 working in the shop. 10 I quit and
went 10 chicago to wait for Pop TO-
tnrnTup Il was como weeks hefore3he
landed there, but I fixed It so that I
would meet him coming out of his
home No. 3 IN Chicago. which gave.
+ mo 8 chance to call him down. He
y was not % much surprised O. I
thoug ghtl 40 would 10. and II was not
y until hs Sot req return home that
\ hs ssuggsstsd t6at sit would sbe we'll To-
4 kssp auist sSWghat. d had seen s,
I promised nSyeg to mention 4, and
rsturnsd witl Il ~ Tho flrst
show that \ Ind q throw ont any
ssfsslerl. M ssnltll :. rafhss playfully,
B hinted that POP H. % Trying = iargsj
y y jsaount of lponesy. sfoe y q psople, and
& WsssS yyc1ds 81 y III n1ss of III
ma eyag stic 4 ~ q Pop
I nanifs ~ raoitn n q n taak
tsI i hsd isSl = h "a id
II itaS