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THE WASHINGTON GAZETTE. VOL. XX. KING OF BURGLARS. REMARKABLE CAREER OF QRORQE H PROCTOR. A Colleoe Or.du.t. Who Prostituted Omt Tal .du to J **iledlphim Time.) George 11. Proctor, who was taken 1o the Eastern Penitentiary on Thurs day night to serve a sentence of nine and a half years for robbing the Uni ted Stales Express Copipany 0f540.- 000 an June, 20, 1883. is considered bv. Pinkerton detectives the most ex pert burglar known in the history of crime. The money belonged to the Erie Railway Company. Robert A. Pinkerton who spent months in working up tlie ease and in fastening the crime on Proctor, said yesterday that .t was the most important arrest that ins ever tnadc; that Proctor was the moat accomplished safe robber in the world and the most expert “fit ter’’ known in the art of burglaily. Proctor is about thirty years old. five feet nine inches in height, sparely built, with sharp features, lias sandy hair and red side whiskers and mous tache. He is a voluble talker, a col lege graduate, a first-class mechanic and a thorough musician. About the Ist of .Tune. 1882, Proctor went to work in the boiler shops of the Erie Railway at Susquehanna. After lie had been tliete for about six months; on account of his superior knowledge • and workmanship, lie was made fore man if the shops. He knew that 1 lie money, used to pay off hands was brought from New York City, and that it was sometimes kept in tlie safe of the express company fora day or two before it was distributed among the employes. PLASM XU A BOLD ROBIIKRY. Proctor in the course ot time found out who carried the keys of the safe. He learned that the agent of the ex press company at Susquehanna and two of the clerks each had a key and he set about making h'ts acquaintance. Oa account ot his education and his oa-y flow ef language he soou got to know the agent and the clerks,and one dav when one of the clerks was in the shops Proctor asked liini to lend him his keys to Hillock his tool chest. The clerk handed Proctor his bunch of keys. As he walked toward the tool chest the clerk followed. Proctor readilv picked out the safe key as lie walked along. Ip his hand hs had small piece of the while margin ot a newspaper. He rubbed the Key tight ly on the soft paper without the dork suspecting tor an instant what he was doing. The impression of the flat key was perfect. That was all Proctor wanted. Of course he found lhat none of the clerk s keys would fit the lock of his tool chest. He put the paper in his pocket and handed the bunch of keys back to the clerk. That night by ten o'clock lie had a key ex actly like the safe key on theclerks bunch. A lew days after the key was made Proctor got a leave of absence and went to Canada. Not wanting to be known in Hie burglary he hunted up two well-known local burglars in Can ada named Collins and Martin, told them of the scheme and engaged them to do the job. At this time they were living near Suspension Bridge. HOW TIIK MOVKT WAS STOLES. Proctor found out that tlie money would leave New York city at. six o'clock in the evening on June 20. The traiu arrived at Susquehanna at three o’clock in the morning. An hour later it had been pul in the safe by the agent and taken cut by the bur glars. Prec'or was not in Susque hanna, bathe had made everything clear sailing for his companions in crime even to stealing a bag from the express company like the one the money was sent in. He found an old seal on the bag and from that engravad a perfect seal. A number of packages were made up into “dum my” packages of money, were placed in tbe bag and it was sealed and ad dressed to the express agent at Sus quehanna. While the agent was busy in the waybill department at four o'clock in tbe morning Collins and Martin came up with the “dummy” money pouch and Martin entered the office where the safe was, while Col lins kept watch outside. The agent was out of earshot, as the way bill department was at the other end of the station. Martin opened the safe with the key that Proctor made and lookout the bag containing the $40,- 000. Then he put the “dummy” bag in the place of the ral money bag so as uot to excite suspicion. The safe was again locked and a few min utes later Collins and Martin, carrying the valise witli the 140,000, took the train for Corning. N. Y’. Then they took another train to Schenectady and then another to Suspension Bridge, where Proctor was waiting tor them. Ihe object in the circuit ousjourney was to throw anyone off the trail in case they were being followed. At Suspension Bridge they met Proctor and the stolen booty was divided. Proctor received as his share $13,000 and then started hack for the boiler shops at Susque hanna. TKVIXO TD LIVE DOWN THE CHIME. Collins and Martin remained in Canada spending their ill-gotten gains, while Proctor quietly returned to his boiler shop, donned bis over alls and went to work. lie AxpTessfcd surprise when lie was told ot the rob bery. it was still (he topic of the town when lie got back. Nobody dream ed that lie knew anything about it. The $13,000 that ho received as his share he put in n fruit jar, screwed the glass lid on tightly and buried it four feet under the ground in his lit tle garden. lie buried it with the mouth of the jar down so that water would not be apt to get iuto the jar and spoil the money. Neither his comely little wife nor his children knew of the burial. It was done at night while they were sleeping. For nearly a year alter the robbery Proc tor remained foreman of tho shops. The company lie had robbed in creased his pay from time to time on account of his efficiency, and the jar of money lay buried in bis garden until lie finally gave up his position and went to Buffalo. PROCTOR AK A ( Lin MAX, When Proctor went to Buffalo he dug up the jar in'the little garden and took it along. He speculated in •II and became a member of the Oil exchange, -lie soon got acquainted with many of 2ho' tfiost prominent men injßuffalo and it was only a short time after his entrance into the Oil Exchange that lie was elee’ed mem ber of the City Club, the most aris tocratic club in the city, occupying a position in Buffalo similar to that held by the 1* hiladelphia Club here. Ho opened accounts with threw differ ent batiks ami Donaldson & Abel, a weel-known firm, were his brokers. He lived an apparently comfortable, quiet life and was well liked. Ho has confessed since Ills capture lhat he look impressions of (lie office door -keys of Chase & Comstock, the largest furriers in Buffalo, who got to be intimate friends of his. His family remained at Susquehanna and Proctor visited them every Saturday, lie told acquaintances in Susquehan na that he had a friend connected with the Standard Oil Company who gave him inside information as to the movement of the oil market and in this wav induced several persons to join him in his speculations. Immed iately after the robbery was discov ered Robert Pinkerton put men to work in the Erie shops in the hope of getting some clue, but it was not till more Ilian a year after the rob bery that suspicion fell on Proctor. Pinkerton’s detectives heard of Pioc tor’s speculations in Buffalo and of fus weekly visits to Susquehanna. One of the detectives went to Buffalo and shadowed him ami it was soon dis covered that lie was in communica tion with men in Canada who were known to be professional thieves. These men were Marlin and Collins, who had helped him in the robbery. Shortly afterwards Proctor got caught l#ng of oil when a big break look place in the market and his mon ey was swept! away. HOW HE WAS CAPTL'KKD. Robert Pinkerton, as soon as the discovery was made that Proctor was in league with Canadian thieves, went to Buffalo and arrested Proctor one Saturday night at ten o’clock, just as he stepped out of the City Club on Ids way to take the take the train to Sus quehanna to spend Sunday with his wife and children. Detective Pinker ton took Proctor to Susquehanna and made him believe that he had a con fession implicating Procter. In that way lie got Proctor to make a clean breast of the whole job. On the promise that ho would induce Collins and Martin to cross the border into New Y'®rk State Proctor was tobeal WASHINGTON, GA., FRIDAY, MAY 8, 1885. lowed to turn Stale's evidence and get off'with a light sentence. Detec tive Pinkerton concocted lettors that Proctor was to write to Collins and Martin, telling them to come to Buffa lo, as he had another scheme on hand. In order not to arousii the suspicion* of Collins and Marlin, Proctor was not put. in jail. Detective Pinkerton hoping • lint Ids two partners would eotne across the border, so that he could arrest thorn ; hut although Proc tor was watched he got away and wont to Canada, where lie met Collins and Martin and told them all. Detective Pinkerton tlieu went to work to find out Proctor’s career ami soon learned lhat instead of his being a simple mechanic, as was supposed, ho had for years been a successful burglar who was unknown to the po lice). Pinkerton discovered that he was concerned in a hank burglary in Quebec, and when Proctor found lhat Pinkerton knew it he became fright ened and prepared to go to Europe. He started to buy tickets to sail from Hali fax, but changed his miml and decided to go from Portland. Pinkerton got a requisition and went to Island Pond, Vermont, just across the Canadian border, and arrested Proctor while he was asleep in a sleeping car on the Grand Trunk Rilway on his way to lake the steamer at Portland. Collins was on the train and escaped by jump ing through one ofthe windows. lit' was sitting up on watch at the time Pinkerton made the arrest. Proctor was taken to Montrose, Pa., the comity scat of Susquehanna county, where lie pleaded guilty. I’HOCTOII S CHECK EKED CAREER. Proctor's father lived in Vermont. He was a first class mechanic and and his son was trained in the fath er’s trade. He became foreman of the Portland Boiler Works in 1873. He had meanwhile 'the acquaintance of several Eastern burglars who easily persuaded him to join them. He was successful in his new trade until in 187t> when h,e was convicted of a safe burglary is*-Lowcli<md was sent to Hie Massachusetts State prison at Charlestown for four years. Being a good musician lie was made organist of Hie prison and in that way was al lowed privileges not given to other prisoners. He g6t acquainted with Charles Bullard, a convict who was serving twenty years for tlie robbery of tlie Bovlston Bank of Boston. Proctor and Bullard conceived a plan of escape. Proctor took impres sions ofthe cell-door keys and made keys out of old knives, it took him nine months to steal enough clothes from the prison authorities to fit out himself and Bullard. He hid Hie clothes iu the top of the organ. ESC ARE FROM MASSACHUSETTS. One night Proctor, Bullard and seven other convicts who were serving long terms escaped. Proctor and Bullard went to New York and then went to Canada. They made their headquarters at Toronto. While there they robbed the ticket office of the Grand Trunk Railway at Brook villc of $3,000, and also the ticket of fice at Atherbasco, near Quebec, ofs3,- 800. After that Bullard got Proc tor to get work in 11 10 Toronto safe works. After working for some time Proctor was promoted to a traveling salesman and sold a great many sales. He arranged the combination when lie delivered the sates and then wrote to Bullard and told him what the com bination was, and Bullard would follow a'ter him and rob the sales. After a time)! he safe com pany became suspicions and dis charged Proctor. Within a few weeks alter Proctor’s discharge Bullard was arrested in Toronto while trying to rob a jewelry store and was sentenced to five years in the Kingston prison. While Proctor was traveling in Can ada with Billiard lie went by the name of Stephen Brigham. STOPPED AT THE PISTOL’s POINT. Proctor had made one attempt to escape from the Montrose jail and nearly got away. One night he pried the bars off his cell door and the Sher iff stopped him in the prison corri dorat the point of a pistol. lie was sentenced to eight years’ solitary con finement for the robbery and one year and a half for attempting to break jail. After he was taken from ttie cell on Thursday pieces of paper were found in his cell bearing impres sions of the key of his cell door, the corridor door and the door leading to impression ol the keys to the doors of the mister mechanic’s office of the Erie Railway,and in thrt way helped himself to passes. Proctor has not yet been put to work In the Eastern Pen itentiary. Warden Casidv is puzzled as lo what he had better do With the “King of Fitters." Proctor says that he lias a brother who was at one time a professor in Dari mouth College. Unloss lie breaks out of the Eastern Penitentiary lie is likoly to apend the rest of his life in prison, at other charges will be brought against him at the expiration of his sentence here. JOHN MORGAN’S WOAPE. How the General and Hio Party Tun. nolod Their Way out of Prlaon. A correspondent writing from Columbus, Ohio, says: Chief Justice Hines, of Kentucky, who has been in the city for t lie past few days, gave ait account yes terday of the escape from tho peni tentiary here of the famous Confed erate raider, John Morgan, which finally nettles that mm h-dieussed subject. Budge, thru Copt, llincs and his chief and sixty-eight others were captured euily in November, 18<S3, wliilo raiding through the southern part ot Ohio, and himself planned and executed the successful delivery. Ho says that ho discover ed two foot belotv the tier of cells in which himself and six Olliers were confined, ran an air chamber, or sew er, wliipli emptied the prison walls. .Having purloined two knives from tlie dining-room, he dug his way down through tlie cement floor of his cell uutil he struck the sewer, secreting the debris in his bed after oaeli day’s work. Once in tlie sewer lie easily located the cells of his com panions, and in twenty-two days had dug a hole through the thin floor of each call large enough for them to squeeze through. On the night of Nov. 27, ni mid night they dropjied into the air cham ber, and giopcd their way toward the outlet,., They were dismayed ,lo find the mouth of the air chamber completely tilled up, large quanti ties of debris having been dumped at its mouth. Fortunately for them they wore but a few feet below the surface of the ground. After tunnel ing upward for a short lime they fotmd thomselves in the prison yard. The night was cold and dreary, a heavy rain falling attlio time,so they Ind but litlio lo fear from tlie guards, who were well under cover. To scale Iho wall was Iho work of a minute. Once free, the party separa ted, Morgan anil Hines bearded a train for Cincinnati, and got over the Ohio river before their flight had been discovered. The other five,,J. C. Bennett, L. 1). Hockeismith, G. ('. Magee, Ralph Sheldon, ami S. B. Taylor hid for a time but finally made their way South without trouble. JUMPING DOWN A CANYON. Tho Wonderful Encana of an Kng-tn-er and Fireman on a Canadian Railroad. A Yale. 8.. C, special says: A frightful accident occurred on) the western division ot tlie Canadian Pa cific railroad, fifty miles above Yale, on tlie night or February 2511i, no ac count which has hitherto been printed. An engine drawing twenty lumber cars-and a caboose was bowling rapid ly down the winding track along the Erases river. On one side were cliffs reaching to a height of 3,000 feet, oc casionally cut through by frowning canyons spanned by high trestles. A huge boulder, loosened by the storm had dropped from its height at the entrance of one of these trestles, and engineer Evans did not sec it in time to prevent a collision. The engine, alter striking the boulder, shot from the trestle, followed by the tender and four cars. The engine described a great arc, landing across the gorge 100 feet away, and then slipping 100 feet more down tne sloping granite wall to tho brink of the river where it stopped. Engineer Evans remained iu the engine, and, strange to say,Jwas unin jured though Doth the cylinders were broken and tho engine was otherwise badly wrecked. Fireman Gascoigne leaped from the tender down the side of t tie gorge and was seriously injured though ho is now fast recovering. The four lumber-laden cars were re duced to a mas of splinters on the rocks below, while ten passengers in the caboose in the rear, which remain ed on the track, were uninjured, save a few bruises. QEN. GRANT AND THE CBANKS. [From the Baltimore Amerioen] During the stress of anxiety when Gen Grant’* death was a matter of hourly expectancy, neither his physi cians, the family nor the reporters paid attention to the cranks who in fested the neighborhood of his resi dence, seeking admission, or who sent letters by tho score in tho vain hope that some reply would be given. Now that a favorable turn has come in the (liso&sc, and weeks or months of life seem to be assured, the doings of tho wild men and women are worth men tioning. Those persons may be di vided into two general classes—re ligious and medical. The former en deavored to make the General and those who have him in charge rely upon a miracle to cure him. Tlie mails wtiich are delivered at the Giant house fall into the hands of one or another of tlie sons. Scarcely a de livery wi'.hin the past six weeks has been free of communications from monomaniacs, who counsel the pa tient to abjure tho doctors and place liis faitli in direct intervention. A letter purporting to eotne from Mil ton Morgan, who described himself as a Frco Methodist evangelist, de clared that on a certain day, at pre cisely lon o'clock iu tho morning, the General would experience a sud den and complete relief from pain, and that thereafter his recovery would lie rapid—all becansc the congrega tion of Frco Methodists at Lansing hurg, N. Y., would, at that instant unite iu pruyor for his miraculous cure. An equally positive assurance came from Chicago, signed Amelia Gongdon, that a band of five prevail ing Christians would by their united petitions enuse a faith cure. Those are samples of many. Boston is now considerably agitated by the so-called mind cure; and not less than twenty letters have come from the disciples of that doctrine. Those have been destroyed carelessly, bill the best re collection of them is that they all agreed pretty well in counseling the General to recover by menus of an ex ercise of liis reputed doggedness of de termination. Tlie letters proffering nostrums were numbered by the hundred, and in a large proportion of eases tho med icine was sent along ready for trial. Some came from manifestly honest persons, and their proposed doses consisted of tlie catnip sort of mate rials, compounded in accordance with tlie recipes of old women. Proprie tors of patent medicines, too, took tlie remote chances of get ting an advertisement through an offer of their mixtures. Few of the current preparations for disease ofthe blood tailed to put in an appearance. Of course, none of the advice, selfish or loving, was taken into a moment’s consideration. The most persistent of the volun teers wore alleged miracle workers, who desired to lay tlieir hands on tlie General. Some of them were spirit ualists, male and female mediums, from the phenomenon imbued by na ture with marvelous electric powers to tlie mere human agents, through whom medical spirits wore accus tomed lo work cures. A fair percen tage were palpably insane, while otlicrs seemed intent only on a noto riety which might be turned to valu able account in tlieir business. Not one of the applicants for a trial got so near the patient as tlie inside ot the front doorway,where the errands were heard by one of tho family, usually Fred, who unceremoniously sent them away. “But there was one exception,” lie says: “an instance in which polite ness was required, for the .man was a clergyman famous enough lo have a name well-known throughout tlie entire country. He said that lie be lieved in the efficacy of prayer, and wished to arrange for a test. I told him that we were grateful, profound ly, for the prayers of all Christians, but that we did not feel like doing anything that implied expectancy of a miracle in father's case.” The cyclone that passed through Cherokee county. Ga., February lOtli 1884, blew away a feather bed be longing to Mrs. Johnson, of Walesca. In traveling in Towns county recent ly fifty miles from homo, she learned of a bed found iu the woods by some parlies, and it proved to lie her bed ami was returned to her in good con dition. NO. 19 UNLOADING AM ENGINE. Tho Ancuto. Glbeon and aondorovlUo Railroad Company Rooolvoo Mow Ena-lnoo and Railroad Supplloa. Yesterday the Chronicle went out. to the A. G. and S. R. R. depot to see tho new Mogul engine taken down from its perch on top of a. flat car. There arc few people, per haps, who have any idea how an en gine is taken down from this eleva tion. It is very simple. One of the switcii tracks in tlie yard is lifted up bodily—crosstics and all—and tho end of it placed on the flat car. Then a foundation of logs is piled under the track ready tor work. The new engine is No. 2 of the four which President Mitchell has bought for his road, and is called the “Ogecchec.” It is a handsome Mogul, with three driving wheels instead of two, like the “Sandervillc or No. 1.” .and is capable of pulling at much as the broad gauge engines. But the engine is not the only thing that attracted notice at the Augusta, Gibson and Sandersville yard. The turn-table has been completed, and is (lie handsomest in Iho Stale, and as finely balanced as a mariner’s com pass. It revolves on a high pivot, which rests on a rock foundation ten feet dc-p, and is as solid as tlie Rock of Gibralter. The table is made of solid wrought iron and weighs 20 tons, and yet can be pushed around with one hand or tilted up and down with the pressure of your foot, so perfectly is it balanced. A force ot hands is engaged laying tracks in Hie yard, and in a short time they will be laid in connection with tho turn-table, and Iho handsome Mogul can be swung around to face either Augusta or Sandersville as is desired. A short distance from tlie turn-table several brick foundations have beeu laid with contented trenches, over Which the engine can be run and tlie workmen got under them in ease of needed repairs. Over Chose will bo built tho round house, and be fore long depots for freight and pas sengers will be erected. Long trains are received daily la den with steel rails and building ma terials and the flat cars ot tho A. G. &S. carry them at once to the ter minus of the lino. The cars of the narrow gauge take tho load of the broad gauge cars car for car, and President Mitchell says lie can haul jus* as macli as the broad gaugers. He lias i number of open cars with canvas tops for summer excursions and picnic parlies, and the narrow gauge will furnish a now field for picnics which will boa relief from the places which have peen used year after year. President Mitchell is pushing tho work right ahead, und before the peo ple know it, a fully equipped and prosperous road will bo added to the avenues of trade already enjoyed by tlie city.—Augusta Chronicle. AN “ANGEL OF THE LORD” IN TROUBLE. (Macou Telegraph.) Recently at a baptism of the “un washed” in Utah, Mormon elders guaranteed that, the “angel of tho Lord” would be present and tend his influence to make the affair a giowing success. Great crowds assembled at the river and while the baptizing was in progress, watched with interest a high bluff' across the river, upon which, according to a programme, the “Angel of the Lord” was to alight. Public expectation was not doomed lo disappointment. The angel ofthe Lord made his appearance. He was dressed in white and moved about waving a prodigious pair of wings with grace and precision. A great awe fell upon tlie multitude. It was the first appearanco of an angel of the Lord in Utah, and tlie Gentiles wore overwhelmed with the solem nity of the occasion. But suddenly, while all eyes were bent upon him, tiicangcl of tlie Lord approached tho dizzy edge and the next instant fell, if not from grace, from (lie bluff and disappeared from sight in the flowing waters. In an instant all hands went to the rescue, for it had suddenly oc curred to them that ail angle of the Lord could no more fly with wet feathers than a jaybird,and very prob ably had not leat tided how to swiin. He was fished out nearly dead and proved to lie a locally 'prominent Mor mon. Some of the “bail boys” had pushed him from tlie bluff.