BLIND.
JUSTICE—"I CAN'T SEE IT."
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.