Year: 1870




William Harvey, or. as he was better
known, English Bill, had that morning
pleaded guilty to a crime which gave him
TO the State Penitentiary for life, and as
took him back to his cell he told me to
come and see him the next day, and per-
haps he could tell me something. that
would astonish me- We detectives are not
easily astonished, however, and the oft-re-
peated assurance, by hopeless criminals,
that they could and would astonish us
with wonderful revelations, too often tell
Us little or nothing more than we know
A few new lodges, some robbery yet In its
infancy and only conceived, and occasion.
ally some really useful eiues or informa-
tion, generally being the substance OF the
prisoners confessions, and shorten the
present punishment and confinement 1t
was not with the expectation of hearing
anything of consequence that went, the
next day, therefore, to English Bills cell
That he was a celebrated burglar. thief and
criminal had long known, but as l said
before, it is seldom that reliable informa-
ton, which can be made OF use to us de-
tectives is furnished by such men.


Bill seemed none the the worse for the
severity of the sentence he had so lately
received, though, to a less hardened GRIM
inal, the bare thought of confinement for
life is generally SO appalling as to age them
In a few hours. But Bill had counted the
cost over and over again, and now the game
was mp, the race run, and all chance gone;
he was was prepared to pay the penalty
and meet his fate like q man.


1t is such men as these that alone make
the successful burglar or criminal; the cow
ard when his doom has come will have been
q coward before, and the chance are that
the very inmate cowardice has been the
ca lse of unsteadying his nerve or hand
and had led to his detection and capture.


After few words of ordinary CONVERSE
tion with Bill. he plunged into the matter
of his confession at once.


.You see. sir. he said (and Ill tell yoa
it in nearly the same words) IL have some
thing on my mind to tell you that think
YOU ought to know. You run me down in
this ere game, and did it we'll. 1 amt go
ing to blame You for doing that; that's your
business, not but what it's mean kind of
business. too, this running on u man down;
but somebody has got to do il suppose,
and after all it amt meaner than man like
me, doing something which requires ofi-
GERS TO run him down. However, that's
neither here nor there, and half forgive
you for baggipg mel don't quite forgive
you, you see-perhaps thatu come, and it
will come if you and me put together in
this little business. and you fx the folks as
fixed me. the ID villains"


told Bill could make no treaty or bar
gain with him, that all our dealings must
consist of his confeSsi'u tn me. but If he
was able to give ul- nfs.il information as
would result III my getting on the track OF
any rogues. he might rest assured I'd fol-
low up the trail and arrest them, and see
Au r1rp lch at fad ont m n NJ
lay in my power.


..wen. thatn have to do. 1 suppose; all
1 asked is to get them fixed and so here
goes for what the parson used to call
open confession. You remember that rob-
berry of the Surf Bank down on Tide street,
near the river. How it got pretty well
stripped, and how No one ever got trace
of the fellows"


remembered il too well, for the non-
success of the detective force in not being
able to get the remotest clue, mad been "A
constant gall to Us and the papers had Ia
ken Gaze that We should have rub upon
the old sore every two or three days


swell, said Bill, ''me and my pals fixed
no that thing, and if the other fellows had
worked square, wouldn't be here now
I'd be virtuous farmer in Australia or a
respectable citizen out West, living on my
money and taking good care of myself


That's what laid out to do il on, thanks
70 them villain pals OF mine, and thought
I'd have another try to make me raise, and
that's what settled me. .-


We'll, you see, we had our eye ON that
bank a long time, and I'll tell you how 1t
chanced to come about. -


One night me and some fellers weIe out
in boat on tine river looking around for
something that might be handy, and com
Ing around pier what should We run into
but q police boat Well we pulled for
ehore, and struck the butment hard and
stove in the boat.


The other fellers grabbed the wharf and
run mp it like cats and of they went, but
was kinder stunned and couldn't rnn.
looked around for amoment or SO, and right
near me was the mouth of o sewer. / put
into that hike streak and went up the pipe
on a run. Sometimes I'd trip up and go
down on all tours in the slush which how-
ed about six inches deep in the bottom.


a After little stopped to listen and found
no one was after me. / bad passed two ol
three glimmers OF light az ran and righ'
ahead OF me was another. Going up to il
l found thar it came down an opening
from the street. Getting q foothold agains
the wall of the sewer, clambered up, anC



It was one of those long and narrow sur
face opening which enter the sewers undel
the sidewalks at the street corners. 1t was
big enough for me to get my head ani
shoulders through, but no more. The gai
above Was burning brightly, and as look
ed round the first thing saw was the Sur
Bank rikht close to me the width of tn,
sidevalk only separating. just then heart
the slow, steady walk of q policeman, An,
tucked in my head. He passed within thre,
feet. and the first thing that struck me
was, now if I'd grudge against that feller
how easily I could ont with my revolve
and shoot him; and then / thought who's
ever look down in the sewer for the maj
who shot him and how easily ceuld &,
down to the river and get Oh. 1t flashed
then over my mind-if feller was to rol
q place ana had q friend down the sewer
how nicely he could hand him the swag
and then walk home with his hands in hi
pockets, and if caught, nothing could bs


These things set me thinking. and con
cluded had dropped on airst rate thing
You know yourself there amt any difficult.
worth mentioning in the way of rs feller
getting into any bank in the city, but tn,
police catch us as we 60 home with thu
stuff. IL amt the getting it that bother
A. but it's the way to fetch it home through
the streets. Well, to male long story
short, laid out to break into that YER,
hank which was SO handy te the sewers.
had the choice OF pals, and picked on
those thought could trust. was mis-
taken in that, but I'll fool EN- yet go
a feller to hire the basement under thu
bank, and then for a month or so let thu
matter lay still, only 1 was maturing my
plans all the while. At last AL was ready
and six Of us had sworn to stand by eacf
other through thick and thin and to shar,
equally the danger and the stun, only
was to have ten per cent on the five other
for finding ont and planning the lay.


Scotch Rob and me and Gentleman Tim
and Jerry Nudge was to be ins'ae the base
meLt. Gentleman Tim was the man tina
hired it for brokers' Office, and Charlie.
Ferris was 10 be in the sewer, and cut
Jack was 10 be in the street


We all four were to be in the basemen
ON Saturday, and as time for locking ul


...fx. - M,