Year: 1879




THE STORY OF THE CRIME.


YEARS OF PLOTTISG-HOw THE wATCUMAN WAS


PERSUADED TO JOIN THE ETHIBvEs-ADMITTING


THE ROBBERS TO IHE BANK-FOLLoWING UP


THE Suspicious AGAINST sLEvIN.


After seven months of constant work the
police who have worked under the lead OF Captain
Byrnes, of the Mercer street Precinct were yesterday
enabled to tell in detail the story Of the robbery OF o
Manhattan Savings Institution, when on SuH
dag, october q, 1873 was despohed OF Inoney
and securities amounting TO nearly S8'ooo'-
600 To the two of the burglars who
are already behind prison bars, two more were addeu
Yesterday nearly completing the bandi the confession
Of one of these completes the chain OF evidence woven
by Captain Byrnes and his men with wonderful persist
ence and skin. The story told by Captain byrhes
discloses plot extending two years 1t Is simple
statement Of confessed aud unvarnsAed Iac's ABOUT
which no trace Of theory or speculation remains


The robbery that was carried out last october mad
been planned as far back three years before hat date
At that time emplOy6 OF the Mahhatah 9''-
ngs Institution, who held position as Waterman
at odd hours and worked for small wages was "p-
preached by thief named Little Tracey, VINO Is no"
in state Prison, and another nicknamed the Big hu,
both schoolrnates Of his, and was tempted TO JON
them in robbing the bank. Poor and struggling haro 70
get along, he became easily their prey anu huOcl VI
interviews with his former schOolmates leu III tHc
course of two or three months TO his initiation INTO i
membership in gang of thieves banded together Iol
this special purpose. burglar named Douard ana


Big" Tracey were in this band, besides those aready
mentioned These two serving terms OF nlprls-
onment for other offences in State Prison After SIX OF
eight months OF preparation ana preliminary "olH'
the band was broken up by the arrest and imprisonment
for long terms of most Of its members, WHO had eA
while been active in other directions. But Lltue
Tracey original protector OF the robbery Duseu ni
self in organizing new combination, In which Jimmy
oted of burglars,
nenf George Howard, the burglar who was murdered
afterward, John Dobbs, who IS now IN prison. auu
lin Brady, were leading members, and resumed the
negotiations with the bank watchman. Twice an at
tempt was made to break into the bank but eaeh time
it was frustrated by the inability Of the watchman TO
meet his engagements After some months this band
was also broken up much dissatisfaction having been
caused by the failure


STUDYING THE BANK VAULTS.


But Hope, thoroughly convinced OF the Feasibility OF
his scheme. lost time in reorganizng MIS- loroes'
Dobbs the Big Kid" who was free again, ana others
equally skilled and desperate, joined hlm ana Work
was begun in earnest. On Sunday morning when the
friendly watchman on duty in the BANK Hope was
admitted to the building and used his opportunity to ex-
anime the vaults thoroughly. The next Sunday he nc.
turned and taught the watchman how to use wax IN
taking the impression of key-hole The watchmall-
his name may here be mentioned as Patrick seVlh-WaS
an apt scholar and returned clumO OF wax winch
the burglar had brought with the edesredlmpres1ionfom
which Hope was able to make key for the outer street
door on BeckcT-st, which upon trial was louhu u NJ
and thereupon put by for use.


On the third Sunday Hope was in the back building
for an the forenoon He tried his tools on the
combination door of the vault took off the plate
ing il put it back I'm its place after carefully noting
the construction of the lock- Another week elapsed,
and the Sunday fixed foI the final work came Hope
and Do5bs were carly at the bank and were admitted
bv Watchman slevn. They drilled hole under the
combination threw back the four tongues OF the lock,
and the door being opened entered the vault But they
found the safes inside both made Of steel with cOmD
nation locks-stronger than they had expected, and
saw that they could not open them IN tho
fifty minutes that remained Of their time before an
other watchman would come on duty. Disappointed,
but resolved to come better prepared next sunday they


tried 10 lock the vault door. Hope succeeded in throw
ing back in their places three OF the steel tongues IN the
lock- Before he could put back the fourth he lost his
wire in the door and destroyed the combination. Know
ing that discovery would follow on the next morning,
when the door could be opened by the bank people,
the burglars devoted all their ingenuity to making
their wor, appear old Putty stuffed into the hole
they had drilled and was carefully rubbed with dust
and dirt. When on the next morning the bank people
gathered in CONSERVATION around the obstinate vault
door the big KID" looked leisurely on to note the
impression made by the discovery. He had come
in on the pretext OF wishing 500 bill





real cause OF the trouble then dscoverednot in
fact until the shoemaker had removed the door OF the
vault and found hole drilled under the combination
Opinons as 10 the time of the attempt at robbery
tnen divided but enough suspicion on the part OF the
back officials and uneasiness the part Of the thieves
were aroused delay further operations for several
months and ultimately break up the band.


ANOTHER ATTEMPT AND FINAL SUCCESS.


Frht months later negotiations were again opened
with Wachman slevin-ever ready for propostion-by
George Mason, skilled burglar, at an acci-
dental meeting in Third-ave The two met at
a beer saloon. William Porter, who yesterday
escapad from jan in Brooklyn" Big" Peter, William
Kelly and others Of their stamp and the robbery
discussed Mason to look the work TO be done,
and went TO do by appointment with Bloom. The
meeting took place, however FOR in front OF the
bank Mason was arrested by Captain Byrnes and after
being free again was almost Immediately sent 70
States Prison for year for burglary IN Eighthaye.


At last however, the oft attempted robbery was ac-
compllshed Jimmy" Hope released from prison. met
Waterman slevin almost nightly in Unionsquare
Satisfied after long testing Of his ays sincerity that
the watchman could be trusted, he fixed Saturday oc
tober 2G for the robbery On that Watchman seyn
was TO be in chargcof the band, but an accident rus
trated this arrangement and Steven met the band in
which Hope, Kelly and Dobbs wore the leaders, at
Beecker and Mulberrysts.. not ten rods from Police
HeadGuarters and warned them that the opportunity
was lost But they insisted that then never the bank
should be robbed and after consultation decided
make the ATTEMPT at o'clock. when the other watch
man had left the building Hope had previously been
IN the bank and thoroughly prepared the plan of opera
tons This plan was carried OUTFLOW successfully
every one still remembers. Securities worth nearly
s9OOOOO0 were carried OFF and not clew or trace Of
aught that might lead 20 suspicion Of anyone was
left behind. william Kelly, one Of the burglars
now locked up IN tho Mercer Street statlon-Aouse
was one Of those who stood guard the manaced
janitor. The old man was 30 frightened that after
diving the combination that opened the vault and the
way TO tho treasure Jimmy" Hope. he called him
back when half way down stairs aud repeated 70 him