Throwing off the Cars--Fiendish Recklessness--The Boot-Tracks--A
Scamp among the Printers--Obstruction removed--A Ruse--The Boots
secured--"Big Jobs"--The Trial--Unreliable Witness--A
Life-Sentence.
In the narrations of mail robberies which we have thus far given,
their perpetrators, though bold and unscrupulous, have not often
plotted the destruction of human life in order to further their
projects. But in the case we are about briefly to relate, murder on a
large scale was coolly contemplated for the sake of the facilities
which would be afforded to the plunderers of the mail, by the
confusion, distress, and preoccupation which necessarily follow the
throwing of cars from a railroad track. The certain destruction of
property and the probable loss of life which would be caused by the
successful execution of their plans, were nothing to these atrocious
scoundrels, as long as by these means plunder might be brought within
their grasp.
Rather more than a year ago, on a certain day in March, the locomotive
of a mail train upon one of the Western railroads was thrown from the
track by a "T" rail, which was placed with one end against a tie, so
that the other, projecting somewhat upward, was struck by the engine.
This occurred near a city in one of the Western States. No one on the
train was injured, and whoever placed the obstruction failed in
accomplishing his purpose, if that was to rob the mail.
No person was particularly suspected of the deed, but tracks made by
a boot of peculiar shape, with rows of large nails around the soles
and heels, were found in the soft clay in the neighborhood of the
spot, and an impression of them was taken for future reference. On the
same day the Superintendent of the road received a letter, of which
the following is a copy.
Adrian, March 7, 1854.
Sir: I have for the last few days written five or six notes to
send you, but as often I have changed my mind and concluded to let
the information that I wish to convey you, lie buried in
obscurity. But the late act of villany that was committed I may
say within sight of our city, forces me to disclose to you
information that I received a few days ago of the formation of a
gang of rascals who have combined together to commit, I may say,
wholesale murder, and other criminal acts, by obstructing the
passage of trains and endangering the same on the M. S. & N. R. R.
This gang of villains is under the management of two men that are
now known to me. The subject came to my knowledge by an offer from
them of a large sum of money if I would take part with them in
their intended villany.
This I refused, and scornfully regarded their proposals to have
anything to do with them. I further threatened to expose them if
they should attempt at any time to carry their intentions into
effect, and one of them said if I should ever disclose to any one
their intentions, that it would be certain death to me. I cannot
in this note explain to you the information I wish to convey in
full; but should you answer by dropping a line in the post-office
to me, I will, if you wish, disclose to you the names of the
parties; in fact, I will give you all the information that I can
of the parties and their intended plot, on condition that you will
give a liberal reward. I would be able to point them out or
describe them so that they might be arrested. I am satisfied one
of them has in his trunk documents that would disclose the whole
matter.
I hope you will keep this subject dark, as I am exposing myself to
great danger by disclosing this to you, and would also expose the
interest of the road by disclosing this subject to the public.
Yes, such would make the road a terror to all.
As I cannot write to any satisfaction, should you wish to know
further about the matter, let me know and I will go to your office
any evening that may be convenient to you.
For the present I remain yours,
A. S----.
The author of this document (who here signs a feigned name) claimed to
be a natural son of an English lord celebrated in literature, and
assumed the name of his pretended father. He seems to have been a man
of considerable shrewdness, though he did not prove to be quite shrewd
enough to outwit the business men and officers of justice with whom he
had to deal.
The Superintendent replied to the letter, requesting an immediate
interview. To this B. (the person in question) returned an answer,
stating that he had written to one of the leaders of the gang in New
York, and that he would call on the Superintendent as soon as he had
received a reply, which might give him further information.
Three or four days after this the interview was held, and afterwards
another in the presence of the attorneys of the railroad company. On
these occasions, B. repeated his story with some further details, and
offered to assist in the detection of the scoundrels, if he could be
assured of a sufficient reward. There were many suspicious
circumstances about this person, both as respected his appearance and
the statements which he made.
It did not seem very probable that any one should have so intimate a
knowledge of the designs of the villains as he appeared to possess,
without being, to some extent at least, involved in their guilt.
Notwithstanding their suspicions, the officers of the road concluded
to engage his services, with the intention of keeping a sharp lookout
upon him. He gave the names of several persons as concerned in the
scheme, and proposed to correspond with some of the leaders and draw
from them disclosures which would cause their detection.
About this time he went to work in a printing office, and was observed
to be irregular in his habits, being much out at nights. He had
occasional interviews with Mr. S. (one of the Attorneys above
mentioned,) rather respecting what he had _not_ discovered than what
he had, and sometimes showing letters that he pretended to have
received, threatening his life unless he left the country. These
interviews, however unfruitful they were in available information, led
to a result which was not anticipated by the cunning B.
Had this individual narrowly observed all the surroundings of the
lawyer's office, he would have seen a quantity of fresh damp sand
strewed upon the walk in front, through which he was obliged to pass
on entering. Of course he thought nothing of it; hardly any one would;
but the impressions which his boots made on that sand were found to
correspond exactly with those obtained from the clay at the scene of
the railroad accident before mentioned!
One evening, about three weeks after the accident on the railroad, B.
rushed into the office of the railroad company in breathless haste,
and informed the Assistant Superintendent that he had been applied to
by a certain person to put obstructions on the track a little West of
the city, to catch the 9 P. M. mail train West; but had got away from
him and hurried to the office to give this information. The Assistant
Superintendent and others immediately went up the road about two
miles, and found obstructions placed in the spot indicated, and
removed them. When the train passed, the light in front of the
locomotive showed several men running into the woods.
This was the third instance of attempted obstruction to the mail
trains upon this road, within less than a month (one having occurred
previously to that first mentioned, causing, however, but slight
damage,) and it was ascertained that there were considerable amounts
of money in the mail on each of those occasions.
It may be remarked in passing, that although B. had notified the
company in advance, of actual obstructions, and had given the names of
the parties concerned, yet no progress seemed to be made in detecting
the guilty individuals. It was evidently his policy to obtain money
from the company as the price of his disclosure, and yet to manage so
that no discovery would result.
In the mean time, the Post-Office Department had been informed of
these facts, and an experienced and skilful police officer in Chicago
was appointed Special Mail Agent to investigate the matter. He very
soon came to the conclusion that whoever the other guilty persons
might be, B. was "one of 'em" to all intents and purposes. As we have
before stated, B. had said that one of the leaders was in New York,
and at the request of the company's attorney, B. wrote a letter to
him.
The Chief of Police of New York was written to, and requested to
station an officer at the post-office to watch for and arrest the
party who should call for the letter, but during the time which
elapsed between the arrival of the letter and the officer who was to
watch outside the post-office, the letter disappeared, and even before
any one connected with the New York post-office had been apprised of
the arrangement.
Four days afterwards, B. informed one of the company's attorneys that
the man in New York had received the letter and sent him a verbal
answer to the effect, that he had better write no more by mail, "as
the letters might get lost." Mr. P., the Chicago police officer, went
in company with a lawyer to New York, with the design of finding the
man to whom the letter was addressed. Their efforts, however, though
assisted by the Chief of Police, and the Special Agent for the New
York district, were unavailing.
It was ascertained that he had paid his passage to Liverpool on the
ship Washington, but having been asked a casual question by one of the
officers of the vessel, concerning his relationship to a certain
Englishman, he had forfeited his passage-money, and disappeared.
Having returned to the West, Mr. P., the government Agent, determined
to arrest B., which he effected, and, without his knowledge, obtained
possession of his boots, which had already supplied such important
evidence against him.
He displayed much virtuous indignation, and talked largely of his
wealth, respectability, and high standing in society; but all this
availed him nothing, and he was committed to jail.
Although he had arrested B., yet Mr. P. doubted whether he had
sufficient evidence to convict him, and determined to condemn him out
of his own mouth. Accordingly he made arrangements with a deputy
sheriff of Milwaukie, to play the part of prisoner, and thus to obtain
the rascal's confidence.
Agreeably to this arrangement, when B. entered the prison, he found
the deputy sheriff already in his cell, apparently a fellow victim to
the demands of justice. For about four weeks this gentleman was most
of the time in the cell with B., representing himself as an "express
robber;" conducting himself in such a turbulent manner that B.
supposed the time of his absences was passed in the dungeon.
For some time, however, he failed in extracting any disclosures from
B., who confidently expected that his connection with the railroad
company would protect him. After he had been in prison about three
weeks, B. was informed that his arrest had been made by an United
States officer, who intended to make his boots convict him of
obstructing the mail train, and that the railroad company were
powerless to shield him from punishment for acts committed (as this
had been) previous to his employment by them.
He now saw his danger, and, on returning to his cell with his supposed
fellow prisoner, who had assumed the name of Harris, he manifested
great agitation. Harris asked what was the matter. B. hesitated for a
while, and at length exclaimed: "That rascally P. has stole my boots."
"What if he has?" replied the pseudo Harris. "They couldn't be worth
much."
"They are worth considerable to me, I can tell you, for he means to
send me to State prison with them."
"Send you to State prison? What in the world do you mean? How can your
boots send you to State prison?"
"Why, he is going to show that they made the tracks that were found
where the rail was put on the track East of Adrian."
"Well," said Harris, "that looks rather bad, but it isn't as bad as it
might be. You'll get out of it yet, and I'll help you, if I can. I
expect to get bailed out in a day or two, and if I can do anything for
you, I will."
"You are the man for me," said B., "and I shall want you to come and
swear on my trial that you saw a person by the name of A---- put the
rail on, and that I wasn't there."
"But if you are innocent," replied Harris, "you will get clear; and if
you are guilty, I don't believe I can help you."
"You must, by heavens," said B. "If you don't, I'm a goner!"
Here the conversation ended that day, but the next morning B. directed
his fellow prisoner to testify that his name was Grover, and that on
the night on which the obstruction in question was made, he went with
A----, and saw him put the rail on the track. (So minute, by the way,
was B.'s description of the place and the manner in which the
obstructing rail was laid, that the deputy sheriff going there
afterwards in company with Mr. P., easily found the spot, and
identified the very tie under which the rail was placed, though it was
the first time he had been there.)
"Well," said Harris, _alias_ Grover, (who seemed to grow rapidly rich
in names,) "if I help you out in this way, what shall _I_ get by it?"
B. replied: "If you get me clear I shall keep the confidence of the
railroad company, and will introduce you to a set of good fellows who
do nothing but big jobs, and my connection with the company will
enable me to get you a position where you can pay yourself."
Having by such inducements secured (as he supposed) the aid of his
companion, B. recovered his equanimity, and wrote as follows to one of
the attorneys for the railroad company:--
"To return to the obstruction east of Adrian in regard to my boots
such as I can prove by J S that I mentioned in my last, by him I
can prove where I was that night, as also where my boots were, and
as for the other man's evidence I am sure that I cannot be
mistaken as to my success on trial or examination. I hope you will
soon see Mr G again and be sure to have him at the time. As to the
danger of my going to Adrian for fear I would fall into the hands
of the engineers and firemen in that place, I will say for once
and all, let me go to Adrian--& as to the danger of falling into
the hands of rowdies I am not afraid of no! no! not if all the
fiends of Pandemonium was to raise against me I will not shrink
from anything as long as I am innocent or as long as I can have
the protection of the law on my side Justice! Justice!! is all I
claim and that I expect to have before a Court of justice and an
independent & impartial Jury, if I can't swim there let me sink.
Res. yours & Others, A. S. B.
P. S. I will convince your Engineers & firemen that I was their
friend, and that I have oftentimes run myself into danger for
their safety, as well as that of the Company & the travelling
public Yes & if they or the Co. have any feeling of gratitude in
them I am sure that they will not show it by prosecuting me but
first I must prove "_my title_ clear" & that I can do so Hurra
boys, &c., three times three.
Yours truly, A. S. B."
The railroad company could have no further doubt of his guilt. It was
plain that he had entered their service to betray them; and though he
had given the names of his accomplices, he had been careful not to
catch them.
At his request he was removed to Adrian for trial. He told his counsel
what he should prove by Grover; and was assured of an honorable
acquittal.
At the trial, the counsel for the prosecution examined several
witnesses in relation to the boot-tracks, which, for the time being,
were as interesting to the legal fraternity, as are the ancient
bird-tracks found in sandstone, to geologists.
The defence supposed that the counsel for the prosecution would there
rest, and were confident that they had the game in their own hands,
knowing, as they did, that the evidence thus far adduced was not
sufficient to convict their client.
But the prosecution called "Wm. B.," (the deputy sheriff,) when, to
the utter astonishment and dismay of the prisoner, his man Grover took
the stand!
This unexpected transmutation at once dissipated the dreams of triumph
and future villany in which he had been revelling; and as "Wm. B."
testified to the facts in his possession, and the disclosures of the
prisoner, this baffled scoundrel found the prop on which he had relied
falling beneath him, and plunging him into that gulf from which he had
made such desperate though vain efforts to escape.
He was found guilty on two indictments. On the first, he was sentenced
to imprisonment for life, the judge remarking that he would suspend
sentence on the other till the first had expired.
The interval between the pilfering of small sums and the deliberate
plotting of wholesale murder for the sake of plunder, seems a wide
one; yet no one who enters even the verge of the maelstrom of a
dishonest course, can tell how far within the vortex he may be drawn
by its ever strengthening current.
The case just related forms a culminating point in the series of
villanies which we have recorded in this book for the benefit of those
who, in defiance of the eternal laws of Providence, attempt to make
the way of the transgressor easy.