Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1922-02-11
True
Detective Stories
MASTER CRIMINAL

y founded the detective agency
which was destined 10 be feared
by So many criminals, II number Of
banks and financial institutions
throughout the country were made the
victims of Il particularly clever gang
i Of crooks headed by Walter Eastman
+ Sheridan, the man whom Pinkerton
in his memoirs declares was the clev-
eres; criminal he ever tracked.
i The operations of the Sheridan or
ganization were marked by simple
ity which was almost startling. Their
favorte trick was To plant one of their
members in line leading to the win
dow of the receiving teller of prom
inen, bank shortly before the closing
hour. The man so planted would take
up Il position behind someone who held
In his hands large roll of bills. and
would wait until the depOsitor had al
most reached the window. Then he
would tap him on the shoulder. call
his attention 10 u bill which "he had
dropped on the floor" and the man
would naturally stoop to pick II up.
in nine cases out of ten placing his
money on the teller's shelf as he bent
over. The criminal would then snatch
The money and make of.
While the hauls secured in this man.
ner were. of course. of varying sizes,
sheridan and his men picked up $780,
UOO us the result of less than five
minutes work at "A Baltimore bank.
After several other coups of sim
liar nature. Sheridan tried the same
game AT the First National bank of
Springfield. H.. but was arrested lie
promptly Skipped his bail, however.
and the next that Pinkerton heard OF
Linn was when he assisted at the rob-
berry of 4 Cleveland bank which net
ted the gang some $4,000. This was
followed by Il raid upon the Mechan.
les bank of Scranton, Pa. where
Sheridan and one Of his men got away
with $4,000 worth of negotiable bonds.
His next exploit-one which took
more than four months of careful
planning-was the footing of the Falls
City Tobacco bank in Louisville, Ky,
when upwards of $4,000 was Sc.
cured.
As aaresult of these operations. to-
sether with the shrewd manner in
which he had invested his money.
Sheridan was worth fully $250.OoO.
Feeling certain that his past ex-
ploits had left no clue To his connec-
tiOn with the robberies. and having
obtained his acquittal of the only
charge on which he had been arrest
ed. Sheridan joined In series Of the
most gigantic frauds ever known In
Amerlca-ihe issuance of bonds pur-
porting 10 be worth more than $1,000
coo. These fOrgerieS were so clever
~ executed as To deceive even the
officers of the companies involved. aud
the discovery of the swinde ruined
scores of Wall street brokers and pri-
,utc investors.
ON the eve OF the day on which the
bubble burst, Sheridan quietly cashed
all his assets. closed his office ut No.
GO Broadway. and sailed for Belgium.
which at that time provided safe
manned there. he would have died a
free man. But he could not resist the
lure of gambling with the law, and he
slipped back into America under the
name of William A. Stewart. estab-
fishing himself in business In Denver,
and finally opening a bank OF his own
in RuSita. Colo.
Even up to this time Pinkerton had
no idea that the master criminal had
returned 10 the states. Pinkerton,
however. Glanced To have bust
ness which carried him into the min
ins districts of Colorado. and IL was
ON the streets of Denver that he came
face 10 face with the man whom he
was certain was Sheridan.
Investigation developed the fact
that Stewart" had been leading an
apparently upright and honest life,
and beyond his arrival In Denver short
~ after Sheridan had left Brussels.
there was nothing 10 connect him with
the bank robber and bond forger.
Realizing that Identification snder
the circumstances would be extremely
difficult. Pinkerton determined to re.
sort 20 ruse which would serve "a
double purpose-that Of proving
whether Stewart and sheridan were
one and the same man. and at the
same time duplicating him. il guilty,
H. the planning Of new crime. Ac-
cor,lingly. Pinkerton sent two Of his
hes. men 10 Colorado with instruc-
tlOns to make the acquaintance Of the
bank president at RosIia, and finally
TO lay before him the details of
huge swlndle which they were sup
posed To he planning.
IF Stewart is really hones:," ar
gued the detective. "he will not listen
to such proposal. But IL he Is the
man | think he is. he will not be able
Ia resist the bal;, and will come to
New York to participate in the fraud"
The plan worked out precisely as
Pinkerton had figured. Stewart" not
only agreed To handle some OF the