Part 21

Another more recent artifice is the telephone; the confederate of the "sneak" at an appointed minute "calls up" the bank and requests that the paying teller be sent to the 'phone, and there detains him in conversation while the "sneak" thief operates; confederates, as may be necessary, engaging the attention of other employes.

CIRCUS DAY BRINGS A HARVEST.

Many sneak robberies were formerly committed in medium-sized towns on circus days, while most of the employes were at windows or doors watching the circus parade. This offered "sneak" thieves the opportunity to enter the building by some unguarded door or window, or having, prior to the parade, concealed themselves in the bank or store, to commit the robbery while the parade is passing, virtually behind the backs of the employes.

A favorite scheme, especially in savings banks, is for one thief to attract the attention of a customer who is counting money, to have a bill purposely dropped in front of him on the floor by the thief and, while he stoops down to pick it up, believing it part of his money, another thief steals the then unprotected money he, the customer, was counting. Often professional "sneak" thieves have posed as bank clerks or porters, wearing office coats or porter's uniforms and, when the opportunity presents itself, committed robberies of considerable magnitude.

Some of the old-time "sneaks" used specially made steel instruments of various shapes to move packages of money from one section of the teller's cage to a point nearer the teller's window, so that it could be more readily extracted. This practice, while the utmost caution is necessary to avoid suspicion, has been quite successful.

At times thieves have used large satchels or dress-suit cases to stand upon and, with a long wire hook, extracted money by reaching over the wire screen surrounding a paying teller's cage.

A method sometimes used to commit money drawer or "till" robberies in stores is to select some innocent-appearing storekeeper, usually a foreigner, whom one of the thieves wearing a silk hat would approach, informing him that they had just made a wager that the hat would not hold more than a gallon of molasses, and requesting that the storekeeper measure a gallon of molasses into the hat at their expense, to decide the wager.

BLINDING VICTIM WITH MOLASSES.

Seeing the prospect of a sale, even if the wager was a peculiar one, the groceryman would concede to this request. The hat being partly filled, one of the thieves would place it quickly on the merchant's head, blinding him with the molasses, while they stole the contents of the money drawer.

The "sneak" who commits the robbery, to be successful, usually is of small stature, active, alert and noiseless, as upon him mainly depends the success or failure of the venture. He must judge from the operations of his associates when the opportunity to commit the robbery has arrived. There are no signals or conversations between the confederates and the "sneak" designating the moment for him to act. He must decide this from observation of what his confederates have accomplished in preparing a safe way for him. If there is a suspicion or a discovery by employes, it devolves upon his confederates to do their utmost to confuse and obstruct the pursuers.

I once asked an old-time professional "sneak" thief how he was first introduced into a band of first-class bank "sneaks." He explained that he was raised in a small village having a general store presided over by a widow; that she at times would go to the cellar for certain merchandise, leaving the store unguarded. This suggested to him how easy it would be to rob the money drawer during her absence in the cellar, which he afterward did, and which was his first successful "sneak" robbery. Afterward he stole from a small window in the same store, packages of chewing tobacco, pipes, etc., also occasionally again robbing a bakery of pies and cakes, and occasionally again robbing the "till." But one afternoon, before a Fourth of July, in attempting to steal some packages of fire-crackers and some loose torpedoes, a couple of the torpedoes dropped to the floor, causing an explosion and resulting in his discovery and arrest and final imprisonment. In jail he met with other criminals, and finally became one of them, joining with the first-class "sneak" band of professional criminals. This man for years was a most successful leader of "sneak" thieves, stealing fortunes, finally dying in prison and leaving a family in actual want.

RARELY USE PISTOLS.

Among the old-timers were some of the most remarkable criminals operating in any part of the world; their thefts requiring, in almost every instance, dexterity and great presence of mind, a quick eye and unflinching courage, yet few of these "sneaks" used firearms or weapons of any kind in the commission of their crimes.

Among the younger element appear the names of the cleverest thieves of today, some of whom have operated extensively in this country and abroad.

THE LORD BOND ROBBERY.

One of the largest "sneak" robberies ever committed in the United States occurred late in the sixties, and has always been referred to as the "Lord bond robbery." Lord was a wealthy man, and had an office at 22 Broad street, New York City. He had invested $1,200,000 in 7-30 United States bonds, all being coupon bonds, payable to bearer, which any one with a knowledge of finance could easily dispose of at this time. A band of "sneak" thieves, consisting of "Hod" Ennis, Charlie Ross, Jimmie Griffin and "Piano" Charlie Bullard, planned to steal these bonds.

Awaiting their opportunity until a morning arrived when Mr. Lord was absent from his office, they entered it when it was in charge of only two clerks.

Bullard and Ross engaged these clerks in conversation, while Ennis "sneaked" into the vault, seized the tin box containing the bonds, and walked out with it. While these thieves were expert in their particular line, they did not fully understand the negotiating of the bonds, and for this called in George Bidwell, since renowned as the Bank of England forger, who went to England and disposed of a large part of them. The thieves were at the time suspected, and Ennis fled to Canada, but was subsequently extradited to the United States and convicted of a crime committed some time before. He was sentenced to a long term of imprisonment. Charlie Bullard settled in Paris, but afterward returned to the United States, and with Adam Worth, successfully committed the Boylston Bank robbery, after which both returned to Paris and opened the celebrated American bar under the Grand Hotel, 2 Rue Scribe, which flourished for many years. Bullard afterward was arrested for an attempted bank burglary in Belgium, and was sentenced to prison for a long term. Bullard, Ross, Ennis and Worth all stole millions of dollars in their day and died poor.

ONE MAN'S BOLD OPERATIONS.

Another celebrated robbery was on January 7, 1878, of $500,000 in bonds and securities from the office of James H. Young, a banker and broker at 44 Nassau street, New York City, by "sneak" thieves headed by "Rufe" Minor, alias "Little Rufe," exceptionally clever in his line, and who had with him George Carson, Horace Hovan and "Billy" Marr. They were located at Petersburg, Va., on March 23, 1878, and found all of the stolen property in Minor's trunk. Minor was a Brooklyn-raised boy, small of stature, of good appearance and engaging manners, a most expert "sneak" leader, and was in his lifetime concerned in many great "sneak" robberies, among them being: $80,000 from the Commercial National Bank, Cleveland, Ohio, 1881; $12,000 in bonds from the Bank of Baltimore, Md.; $114,000 in bonds from the Erie County Savings Bank, in 1882; $73,000 from the Middletown Bank, Middletown, Conn.; $32,000 from the Detroit Bank, Detroit, Mich.; $70,000 from the Boston Safe Deposit Co., and $71,000 from the Guarantee Safe & Safety Deposit Co.'s vaults, Philadelphia, Pa.

In Chicago, many years ago, a band of professional bank "sneaks" planned to rob the Subtreasury, then located in the Arcade Court. Philip A. Hoyne, a leading republican politician in those days, had an office in this building. He was also a candidate on the republican ticket for some local office. At a ball game "Joe" Parrish, a professional pickpocket and bank sneak, picked the pocket of a clerk. Among other articles found in the pocketbook was a key and the personal card of the clerk, which showed he was employed in the Subtreasury.

Parrish imparted this information to Walter Brown, Sam Perry, Little Joe McCluskey and Jimmy Carroll, all members of a noted bank "sneak" band, then operating.

HIRE A BAND TO HELP THEM.

After several visits to the Arcade Court and trying the key in different doors, it was finally found to open a rear door to the Subtreasury office. On the day the robbery was planned to be committed, the thieves hired a brass band to play in the Arcade Court as a serenade to Candidate Hoyne, the plan of the thieves being to start cheering for Mr. Hoyne, expecting that the band and the cheering would attract the attention of the Subtreasury clerks from their desks to the windows, giving Little Joe McCluskey, the "sneak," an opportunity of using the key to the bank entrance, passing into the office at the back of the clerks and stealing as much money as he could carry. About the time the plans of the thieves were completed Mr. Pinkerton learned of them, and communicated with Elmer Washburn, then chief of the United States Secret Service at Washington.

On the day the robbery was to occur the band appeared as arranged, the Arcade soon filled with people, and there was prolonged cheering for Mr. Hoyne. Not one clerk left his desk, and when McCluskey tried to open the door with the key he found it would not fit. Through precautions taken by Mr. Washburn, the lock had been changed and instructions given to all clerks to remain at their desks when the band played, which prevented what would have been a very heavy loss to the government. Owing to the way the information had been obtained, and not wishing to expose the source, no arrests were made.

Walter Sheridan, known under many aliases, an accomplished "sneak" thief, was a Southerner by birth and of gentlemanly, dignified appearance. In addition to being a sneak, he was also a general all-round thief, counterfeiter and forger.

IMPORTANCE OF BEING ON GUARD.

One night in 1873, at Chicago, while Mr. Pinkerton was on his way home, he recalls seeing Walter Sheridan, "Philly" Pearson and Charlie Hicks on a street car. He followed them to the Chicago & Alton Railroad station, where he saw them purchase tickets for Springfield, Ill. The following day the vault of the First National Bank of Springfield was robbed of $35,000 by Pearson, while Sheridan engaged the attention of the bank officials, and Hicks remained on guard outside. Later Hicks was arrested, taken to Springfield, convicted and sentenced to eight years in Joliet prison. Pearson fled to Europe. Later Sheridan was arrested at Toledo, O., for this robbery, at which time Mr. Pinkerton identified him, and $22,000 of the stolen money was recovered. Sheridan was mixed up in a great many crimes, but in the last years of his life was looked upon as being cleverer as a first class bank "sneak" than in any other line, although he has been a successful leader of bands of note counterfeiters.

"Billy" Coleman, undoubtedly one of the most expert "sneaks" of modern times, who, between 1869 and 1904 was arrested thirteen times, and who spent almost half of his lifetime in prisons, is now serving in the Auburn, New York, state prison, a four and one-half-year term for the theft of $30,000 worth of jewelry from a safe in the Clark Estate building at Cooperstown. The stolen jewelry belonged to Mrs. Ambrose Clark, a daughter-in-law of Mrs. Potter, wife of Bishop Potter.

LOOKED LIKE COLEMAN'S WORK.

Mrs. Clark arrived at Cooperstown to spend the summer only a few days before the robbery, and placed the jewelry in a safe in the Clark Estate building for safety. Investigation showed the thief had entered this building, which in many respects resembles a bank, at the noon hour, when all the employes were absent, opened the vault, the lock of which had been left on the half-turn, taking therefrom a tin box, which he carried to the cellar of the building and pried open with tools found on the premises, taking therefrom all the jewelry and also valuable papers. From descriptions of the thief we obtained from witnesses who had seen him loitering in the vicinity of the Estate office, and from the manner in which the robbery was committed, we believed it bore the earmarks of Coleman's work. Subsequent developments satisfied us that our conclusions were correct, and we caused Coleman's arrest, two weeks after the robbery, in New York, by Police Headquarters' detectives.

The tin box left by the thief in the cellar was covered with blood. From this an incorrect inference was drawn, that the thief had cut his hands with one of the instruments used to open the box. A careful examination of Coleman showed no cuts or bruises of any kind, on any part of his person, from which blood would have flowed. The grand jury refused to indict him for the crime.

On his release, knowing that Coleman had most mysterious ways of hiding the proceeds of his robberies, he was placed under surveillance, which continued for some time without result, but eventually he was traced and found quite early one morning, digging at the side of a building through the snow into the ground, whereupon he was re-arrested and, in uncovering the spot where he had been digging, most of the stolen jewelry was found in an ordinary fruit jar, buried in the ground about two feet.

DIAMONDS BURIED IN JAR.

In the jar were found several settings from which some of the diamonds were missing; sixty-nine of these were found in Coleman's home, hidden in a small pasteboard box in the earth at the bottom of a rubber plant jar, and one of the largest diamonds removed from the ring was found sewn in a ready-made four-in-hand necktie. After his second arrest Coleman acknowledged committing the robbery, and explained that a year previous he had made a tour through several New York State counties to locate a bank which would not be difficult to "sneak" in the daytime. He found the Clark Estate building in Cooperstown, which he believed was a bank. He visited it at that time, while the employes were absent, but did not obtain anything, although he made a note of it as an easy place to rob some time in the future.

When he did commit the robbery, and did not find any money in sight, he picked up the tin box, little suspecting it contained a fortune in valuable jewelry. When Coleman was questioned about the blood stains on the tin box, he explained that, as the day of the robbery was very hot, and he had to work quick, in his great excitement his nose bled freely, covering the tin box as it was found. Coleman has been a professional bank "sneak" all his life, and in times past was renowned for entering bank vaults and paying-tellers' cages in the day time without being observed. He never used firearms, and there is no record of his having shed blood of anyone in the commission of a crime. After all of his years of successful stealing, he is again in Auburn (N. Y.) prison, without means.

JOE KILLORAN'S SMOOTH WORK.

"Joe" Killoran, alias "Joe" Howard, a rather picturesque type of criminal, came from good old New York stock, was a rather brainy planner of bank robberies, and was usually the one of a band to engage an employe in conversation while the "sneak" committed the robbery. Killoran had the appearance of a well-to-do business man, such as might negotiate a loan from the bank, representing himself as from some firm of brokers. He has frequently played the part of the sick man seated in the carriage with a crutch, and not able to go into the bank. He is notorious as escaping from the Ludlow Street jail, July 4, 1895, with Harry Russell and Charles Allen, then United States prisoners. He was in many "sneak" robberies in the United States, and one which I especially recall was the theft of $22,000 by him from the First National Bank, Plainfield, N. J., on July 2, 1895. He was accompanied by George Carson, "Sid" Yennie and Little Patsy Flannigan. Yennie, Carson and Killoran held the attention of the employes while Flannigan committed the robbery. After Killoran's escape from Ludlow Street jail he fled to Europe, and, strangely enough, met with an accident which necessitated the amputation of one of his legs, which made him in reality carry a crutch until those he operated with supplied him with a wooden leg.

He was arrested about two years ago in New York City, decidedly broken in health, and was sent to Illinois to serve a term for robbing the government postoffice at Springfield. After his release he returned to Europe, and was, in September, 1905, arrested at Vienna for stealing $100,000 from a depositor in front of the paying teller's window in the bank in that city, and was, on March 19, 1906, sentenced to six years in an Austrian prison. It looks as though he had committed his last robbery, and that this crime will cause him to end his days in prison.

THE HOTEL SNEAK.

THE USE OF FALSE KEYS.

"Hod" Bacon is an illustration of the professional "sneak" who confines his operations more particularly to the rooms of hotel guests. He works systematically and prepares his plans as the skilled detective works to capture the expert criminal. This thief frequently would follow a victim thousands of miles to commit a successful robbery. He would watch hotel guests continuously for several days, until he observed them purchase theater tickets or going out for the evening, first determining how many (if a family) occupied the apartment, and how many servants they had, and assuring himself before committing the robbery they were all absent. He enters the rooms with false keys, locks himself in, and works at his leisure; also unlocks, with false keys, the trunks, bureau drawers, etc., abstracting from them such valuables as he considers worth taking. He invariably takes from the ladies' trunks some ladies' wearing apparel, endeavoring to cast the suspicion that the theft was committed by a chambermaid or other employes in the hotel having access to the apartment. On one occasion Bacon robbed a traveling jewelry salesman's trunk in a Chicago hotel. Not satisfied with the valuable loot of jewelry he obtained, he stole the salesman's overcoat, after which he secured sleeping car passage from Chicago to Pittsburg via Pennsylvania railroad. On the same evening's train, it so happened that the salesman he robbed was then enroute east, and, peculiarly enough, had been assigned a berth opposite the thief, in the same car. After the train left Chicago, observing his stolen overcoat hanging in the thief's section, he telegraphed to Pittsburg, and on arrival of the train the thief was arrested, and identified as "Hod" Bacon.

CELL TERMS FOR "CON" MEN.

FOUR ARE SENTENCED FOR LONG "GRAFT" RECORDS.

P. L. Tuohy, Philip Bulfer and L. E. Burnett Are Found Guilty of Systematic Fraud by Means of "Fake" Contracts--Their Clerk Is Fined $250--Many Poor People Appear As Witnesses on Fraudulent Employment Bureau Also Operated.

June 11, 1907, one of the most persistent and systematic "confidence" gangs that ever operated in Chicago was broken up for a few years at least, when Patrick L. Tuohy, Philip Bulfer, L. E. Burnett, and J. C. Daubach were found guilty of obtaining money under false pretenses by a jury in Judge Ball's court.

These men were organizers and managers of the Chicago Mercantile and Reporting Agency, with offices at 171 Washington Street. It was a "fake" employment agency with a side line of swindling by means of getting contracts on carbon paper. Bulfer, Tuohy and Burnett were sentenced to the penitentiary, while Daubach, who was only a clerk, was fined $250. The sentence in prison is from one to five years.

TRIUMPH FOR WOOLDRIDGE.

The conviction was a triumph for Detective Clifton R. Wooldridge who has followed the men for years. The raid which resulted in the present trial was made by Wooldridge and his men on February 11, 1906.

Philip Bulfer. Bulfer's pedigree from his home town is interesting. Philip Bulfer was born and raised at Marshalltown, Iowa. His parents live there and have for forty years. The young man was educated, and when still a young man left for Omaha, Neb. There he started in business with his brother, and in a short course of time they were doing a good business, but finally broke up in a dispute with his brother, resulting in a "skin."

Later on he became a messenger for some express company, operating on B. 7 M. in Nebraska, and he ran through the State of Iowa for a good many years. He left that job or was discharged.

He left there anyway and finally came to Chicago and married a school teacher by the name of Mrs. Crary, from Goshen, Ind. After marriage he moved to Chicago Heights and edited a paper there for some time. Moved back to Chicago and became a reporter on the Chicago Times, and finally started in a loan shark business, loaning money at reduced rates and making it a business to fight loan sharks, loaning money on personal property, afterward going into court and enjoining them.

He finally was arrested on many charges before Justice of the Peace Fred E. Eldred, at Logan Square, on charges of obtaining money by false pretenses, embezzlement, larceny and on many other counts.

Was held to the grand jury and indicted in the case of Detrich, which was finally nolle prossed before Judge Stein, after making a settlement with Detrich, who promised not to prosecute and was taken care of so he could not be compelled to appear as a witness in the Criminal Court. This occurred about 1897 or 1898.

He was also indicted one time for assault or attempt to kill Oscar or Frank Arnold. Another compromise was made. Many times he was arrested before different justices: Underwood, Wolff, Hogland, Woods, Prindiville, Caverly and many others. Cases were disposed of in some way. He was held to the grand jury many times, and finally was arrested charged with conspiracy to cheat and defraud a school teacher. Was indicted and had an accomplice--Theodore D. Courtney.

He was convicted and sentenced for three years. Was taken to the penitentiary and there served as bookkeeper and tally-man for about five months. Later was released from the penitentiary on a writ of habeas corpus by Judge Farlin Q. Ball. Was taken to the county jail, his case being continued from time to time, meanwhile was obliged to remain in jail for about a year. Arrangements were made that if he gave evidence to indict John W. Ronksley, Thomas D. Courtney and Isaac A. Hartman, the State's Attorney's office would in some way be lenient with him, and this he did. He gave evidence that caused the indictment of the aforesaid persons.

They were afterwards placed on trial. Ronksley was fined $100 and sentenced to six months in the county jail by Judge Horton.

Hartman was indicted several times in the same proceeding and placed on trial before Judge Horton and was acquitted. Many indictments against Bulfer have been nolle prossed, due to a settlement of some kind.