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WHY CRIME DOES NOT
No. 6 of a Series of Extraordinary Revelations
Written by SOPHIE LYONS
The Most Famous and Successful Criminal of Modern Times, Who Made a
Million Dollars in Her Early Criminal Career and Lost It at Monte Carlo, and
Has Now Accumulated Half a Million DoUars In Honorable Business Enterprises
Written by Sophie Lyons.
Copyright, 1913, by the Star Company.
O’
,r course, crimes, like business op-
I eraUons, are sometimes big and
sometimes small. They vary in im
portance from the pickpocket’s capture of
an empty pocketbook to the robbery of a
big bank. I will tell to-day the secrets
of the greatest bank robbery in the his
tory of the world—the robbery of $2,768.-
700 from the vaults of the Manhattan Bank
In New York, on the corner of Broadway
and Bleecker street, several years ago.
Every man in that remarkable gang of
bank burglars was an associate of mine—
I knew them, knew their wives, was in
partnership with them. It was an extra
ordinary enterprise, carefully considered,
thoroughly planned and ably executed;
and It yielded nearly $3,000,000 in stolen
securities and money. There has never
been a bank robbery of such magnitude,
either before or since. It was complicated *
by the difficulty of disposing of the great
bundles of valuable bonds, many of which
I had to look after.
In my long and varied experiences in
the underworld I have never been asso
ciated with an enterprise so remarkable
in so many different ways as the Manhat
tan Bank robbery. There were altogether
twelve men in this robbery, and every sin
gle one of them, with the exception of
one, got Into trouble through it—one. In
fact, was murdered. And here, then, In
the biggest, richest robbery of modern
times, we learn the lesson that even In a
$3,000,000 robbery ORIME DOES NOT
PAY1
Rank burglars, of course, are constantly
casting about for promising fields for
their operations and this great, rich Broad
way bank had long beon viewed with hun
gry eyes by Jimmy Hope, Ned Lyons, my
husband, and other great professionals
But not only were its vaults of the newest
and strongest construction, but there was
. a night watchman awake and active all
night In the bank. This watchman was
locked In behind the steel gratings of the
bank, and Hope and my husband could
not figure out any way to get at him and
silence him.
It remained for a thief named "Big
Jim" Tracy to solve the difficulty. Now
the curious past of this is that Tracy was
not a bank robber at all. Tracy was a
general all-around thief, and specialised
more particularly In second-story resi
dence burglaries and highway robberies.
Tracy was not even a mechanic and was
entirely Ignorant of the way to use safe-
blowers’ tools But Tracy was ambitious
and decided to surprise his acquaintances
hi the bank burglary line by doing a Job
Which would give him standing among the
high-class experts.
Stalking the Watchman
Tracy had one great advantage—he had
been a schoolmate of Patrick Shevelln. one
of the bank watchman. Knowing Sheve
lln, he was able to renew Into Intimacy
his old acquaintance, and soon broached
the subject of the contemplated robbery.
Shevelln was a married man. rather
proud of the trust reposed In him, and
would not consent to have any part In the
scheme. If Jimmy Hope or my husband
had approached the watchman be would
have exposed them to the bank officials,
but be had a friendly feeling toward Tracy.
Tracy was persistent, held out pictures of
a fabulous fortune, and Anally gained the
watchman's consent
When all was agreed upon Tracy de
cided to get an outHt of burglar s tools
and practice up for the Job. By this time
"Big Jim" was out of money, and he ran
up to Troy to pull oil a Job and put him
self in funds He selected an out of town
city because he didn’t want any trouble
in the neighborhood of the scene of the
projected bank robbery.
It was In July that Tracy, with a fellow
thief. "Mush'' Reilly, followed a man
named John Buckley out of a bank In
Troy, where he bad drawn a considerable
sum of money. Mr. Buckley got on a
street car and Tracy and Reilly crowded
in and began work. They were not able
to get the man's money without disturb
ing blm, and the result was that Buckley
put up a Aght. "Big Jim" and "Mush”
fought back, but were surrounded by other
passengers in the car and arrested. They
were tried, convicted and sent to Clinton
prison for Ave years
This misfortune to "Big Jim" Tracy
put an end to his designs upon the great
Manhattan Bank But the missionary
work which Tracy had already done with
Shevelln, ihe watchman, was destined to
bear fruit for others. While “Big Jim”
was serving his long sentence In Clinton
prison for the Troy robbery, it became
known somehow to Jimmy Hope that
Tracy and the watchman of the bank had
arrived at an understanding. This was
very Important news, and Hope at once
started In to pick up Ihe thread which bad
been so suddenly broken by Tracy’s mis
hap in Troy.
But this was not so easy to accomplish.
Shevelln had conAdence In his old school
mate Tracy, but be was afraid of strangers.
Jimmy Hope was the Napoleon of bahk
burglars and he bad In his gang the fore
most bank experts of the whole world.
Hope found a way to make the acquaint
ance of Shevelln and he tried every de
vice to win the watchman’s confidence
But the shock of "Big Jim” Tracy’s long
prison sentence had thoroughly frightened
the watchman.
With great patience, Hope began a cam
paign to remove Shevelin's misgivings
and make him feel that with such part
ners he need have no fear. One after an
other of Hope’s great experts were Intro
duced to Shevelln. At dinner one day In
a Third avenue restaurant, Johnny Dobbs
was produced, and the exploits of this
famous burglar were recounted. Next
was Introduced George Howard, known as
"Western George," and Shevelln was told
of this man’s extraordinary skill on safes
and vaults. And then came George Mason
and Ned Lyons, whose amazing boldness
and quickness with a revolver were al
ready known to Shevelln.
Nugent, the Policeman-Burglar
A few days later, John Nugent an able
operator and a policeman in good stand
ing. was presented, and a little later on
Abe Coakley, the venerable cracksman,
was Introduced. Finally the famous "Ban
jo Pete" Emersou and Billy Kelly and
Eddie Goodey were brought to bear on the
wavering fears of the watchman.
Shevelln was Anally overawed by this
powerful aggregation of skill, persistence
and audacity and consented to Join Hope’s
band of operators. As I look back over
that group of burglars. I am sure there
was never before gathered together on one
enterprise such a galaxy of talent With
such expert skill and such abundant ex
perience as were there represented and all
under the able leadership of such a veteran
cracksman as Jimmy Hope, surely it was
impossible that their enterprise could
fail. . Shevelln Anally realized this and as
he gave his pledge of help and loyalty,
Jimmy Hope shook his hand warmly and
Bald:
“And If wo get the stuff, Patrick, your
share will be Just a quarter of a million
dollars. And that's more than you will
ever make working as a watchman.”
Jimmy Hope now lost no time In setting
about his plans for the robbery.
While Shevelin's aid was absolutely
necessary. It was only a very short step
In itself toward Jimmy Hope's goal, the
currency and securities lying In separate
steel safes inside the great vault. The
entire system of steel plates and locks
was the latest, most complete burglar-
proof devised, it was universally sup
posed to be not only burglar-proof but
mob-proof. It had been demonltrated
theoretically that burglars working un
disturbed could not obtain access Inside
of forty-eight hours. Indeed it was the
very impregnability of the vault which
helped in its undoing.
Shevelln could give the band entrance
to the building and could bring them to
the door of the great vault. But here in
plain view of the street it would be im
possible to study out and assault the com
bination lock. As the lock could not be
studied inside the hank it was evident that
the problem must be solved outside.
For this task Hope employed a woman
very Intimately related to one of the band.
While I do not care to give her name, as
she is still alive. I may say -that she was
considered a very attractive woman.
Elegantly dressed she called at the
bank and opened an account with the de
posit of a few hundred dollars. She made
clear to everyone her charming ignorance
of banking. She was as amusing as pretty
and before long she was talking to Presi
dent Schell himself
It was in fact the president who proudly
showed her the massive steel doors and
the mlghtv combination lock which would
guard her small deposit. With innocent
baby stare she noted the make of the
lock and its date
Possessed of this Information. Hope,
who was nothing if not thorough, pro
ceeded to buy from the manufacturer a
counterpart of the lock As soon as it
arrived the lock was turned over to the
Inquiring eyes and Angers of George How
ard. Ensconced in a little house in a
quiet part of Brooklyn. "Western George"
made an intimate investigation of the
lock's vitals
Sophie Lyons—the “Queen of the Burglars
Howard undoubtedly was the greatest
Inventive genius in locks that ever lived,
unless, perhaps, Mark Shlnburn, a burglar
of a similar mechanical turn of mind. He
could have made no end of money design
ing burglar-proof devices, but preferred
demonstrating the weakness of the exist
ing ones in a practical way. Hope's con
Adence in Howard was not misplaced.
Within a few days George told the leader
he could open the lock by the simple pro
cedure of drilling a small hole Just be
low it and inserting a wire.
Hope watohed Howard demonstrate on
their own lock and at once planned a
prospective tour of the bank to see If the
performance could be duplicated on the
lock in the Manhattan Bank. If so. they
were in sight of their goal.
While the band was waiting for a con
venient occasion when Shevelln would be
on duty at the bank and coulo admit them
safely to test Howard’s grand discovery
a great blow fell upon the whole plan. It
was the mysterious murder of Howard
himself.
If, as some have suggested, the taking
off of Howard was the hand of Providence,
I can only point out that the hand was a
little bit slow, if Howard had been killed
two days earlier, I can’t see how the band
could have gotten Into the vault Hope,
with all his ingenuity and executive abil
ity, was no great mechanical genius on
an up-to-date lock, nor was any other
member equal to the task.
Howard was on bad terms with several
very forceful members of the underworld,
at least one of whom was In the dozen who
were secretly besieging the Manhattan
Bank. While the gang was rejoicing and
waiting a letter came to Howard request
ing his Immediate presence on Important
business at a place near Brooklyn.
Opening the Great Vault
The following week Howard’s body was
found In the woods of Yonkers, with a
pistol in his hand and a bullet in his
breast. The suicide theory was dispelled
by Andtng another bullet in the back of
his head. Investigation brought to light
that a wagon containing a heap of sacking
had been seen driving through the woods
and had later returned empty.
Hope and others suspected Johnny
Dobbs, of the gang, of doing the shooting,
but nothing was ever proved about it.
Dobbs and Hope soon after were let in
by Shevelin and they put Howard’s theory
Into practice. They bored a hole about
the diameter of a 22-calibre bullet just
under the lock, inserted a wire, threw
back the tumblers and had no trouble in
getting into the vault.
There stood the safes and from three
to six million dollars in money and se
curities. But this was only a prospecting
tour and the two burglars were careful
to disturb nothing. Returning, they softly
closed the huge door and Hope manipulat
ing the wire, threw back the tumblers
But Hope lacked the mechanical skill and
Ane sense of touch possessed by the late
lamented Howard, and he pushed one of
the tumblers the wrong way. He knew
be had made a mistake but was unable to
correct it This meant that the bank em
ployes the next morning would be unable
to open the door.
There was nothing to do but AH the
hole with putty so that it would not show
from the outside and see what the morn
ing would develop. Quite naturally Hope
assumed that the lock-tampering would
be discovered and his whole plan be
ruined. The gang prepared to scatter but
as it turned out they need not have wor
ried.
8ure enough, in the morning the doors
refused to respond to the cashier’s mani
pulations. The makers of the lock were
sent for and after inAnlte labor the door
was opened. The experts from the fac
tory who performed the feat were curious
to see what had gone wrong with their
mechanism. It was in “apple pie” order
with the exception of one tumbler which,
for no apparent reason had moved in the
wrong direction.
A Tip to the Police
Jimmy Hope's drill hole, puttted up and
nicely hidden on the outside showed black
and conspicuous from the Inside. The
lock mechanics observed the hole and
asked the ofAcers of the bank how the
hole came there. They all shook their
heads and the subject was dropped. A
portly and prosperous looking gentleman
who had been standing at the paying
teller's window after changing a one hun
dred dollar bill, heaved a sigh and walked
away. It was Jimmy Hope!
“Boys,” he said to the band who were
all prepared to abandon the job, "It's a
shame to take that money. Those simple
souls have found our hole and It doesn't
even Interest them. They are worrying
about a little $20,000 loan on some doubt
ful security, and here we are within a few
Inches of from three to six millions.’*
"Such fatth Is beautiful,” said Johnny
Dobbs, with mock piety, “let us pray that
it be JustlAed.”
Nevertheless the Job was postponed for
a year on account of information furnished
by John Nugent. Nugent being a member
of the New York police force in good
standing, was able to keep In close touch
with headquarters. He learned that the
presence of a dozen of the ablest bank
burglars in the world had become known
to the police. Not that the police had dis
covered their presence by detective work,
for this happens only in novels or detec
tive plays When the "sleuth” in aotual
life gets any real Information it is be
cause somebody for fear, hatred or re
ward has told him.
As I have said, there was bad feeling In
the band and I think someone interested
in Howard’s death gave the tip. At any
rate, the band took pains to scatter and
the various members were careful to re
cord themselves at different cities remote
from New York. The New York police
were much relieved and promptly forgot
the tip that "something big” was to be
"pulled off.”
Just about a year later Shevelln, who
was not by nature intended for a crook,
looked up from a drunken doze at a saloon
table into the keen eyes of Jimmy Hope.
Shevelln had neither the instinctive incli
nation nor the nervous system which bo-
long to the natural criminal. The bare
fact that he was connected with the pro
jected robbery had made a drinking man
of him.
He was in debt and in other trouble,
and was genuinely pleased to open nego
tiations again with the able and conAdence
inspiring leader. Everything was now in
order to go on with the undertaking.
There were no dissensions in the gang,
therefore the police had no inkling, the
bank was smugly conAdent of their steel
fortress, and it only remained to name
the hour.
Hope’s operations were much embar
rassed by the fact that Patrick Shevelin
was only a supplementary watchman.
Daniel Keely, his brother-in-law. was the
regular night watchman, and absolutely
honest, as Hope knew, both from his own
investigations and from Shevelin’s assur
ances. Shevelin's duty was as day watch
man, chiefly during banking hours. Tbe
only time when he did not share his watch
with either Keely or the equally incor
ruptible Janitor of the building. Louis
Werkle, was on Sunday. Therefore, the
morning of a beautiful October Sabbath
was chosen.
Hope saw that the weak spot of the
bank was also the vulnerable point in his
own operations, namely, the nervous and
somewhat alcoholic Shevelin. Hope de
cided it would be best for Shevelin to not
be on duty at the bank that Sunday, but
to arrange with Werkle, the janitor, to
take his place.
The Night Before
Had Shevelin been of sterner stuff, the
robbers would have bound and gagged
him and left him with a carefully re
hearsed tale of a plucky Aght against fear
ful odds to relate to bis rescuers. But
it was more than probable that Shevelin
would betray himself in the inevitable or
deal of hours and hours of tiresome ex
amination. Therefore, It seemed best to
have him at home, sick, where he could
establish an unshakable alibi and answer.
”1 don’t know” to all questions.
Shevelln admitted the band Saturday
night and concealed them in a store-room
in an upper part of the building. There
they sat crowded, cramped and uncomfort
able through the entire night. They dared
not smoke nor even eat for fear Keely, the
regular night watchman, who occasionally
poked hU nose into the room during his
unaccustomed
might notice an
rounds
smell.
This matter of smell illustrates how
oarefully Jimmy Hope worked out the
minutest details of bis plan. He foresaw
that ten men packed Into a rather small
room would, even without food or smoke
make the atmosphere seem close to the
nostrils of the watchman familiar with
the usual empty smell of the place.
For this reason Hope ordered his men
to bathe before the job and wear clean
clothing without any scent whatever. No
tobacco, drink or onions passed their lips
on Saturday. As a last precaution, at
Hope’s order, Shevelln broke a bottle of
■smelly cough medicine on the Aoor In tha
presence of his brother-in-law.
As I have said, the regular night watch
man was Keely—an honest, incorruptible
man. Shevelin was day watchman. Sheve
lln worked from six In the morning until
six at night, when Keely came on duty
for the night Job.
The janitor of the building, w<ho lived
over tbe bank with his family, was a
worthy, honest man, named Werkle. Every
body trusted Werkle, and so it had come
about that Werkle was now and then mads
temporary day or night watchman, when
ever Shevelin or Keely were sick or want-
eJ a day off.
Though, as I have said, the genius of
"Western George” Howard In discovering
a simple and speedy method of opening
the lock by inserting a wire through a
small hole bored beneath It was the one
thing which made Hope’s plans feasible,
yet at the last minute this method be
came unnecessary
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minute, and ten extra minutes would h %
doubled the value of the “haul.”
Shevelin went home with the ui
standing that Werkle, the janitor, wold
take his watch in the morning, w| n
Keely, the night watchman, went oft di j.
At ten o’clock, Werkle and his wlfq v it
to sleep in their little bed room atx e
the bank, and Keely made his rounds i i-
eventfully. At six o’clock, Sunday mo i-
Ing, Keely waked Werkle, the jank r.
and departed by the back door. The ci i-
Ing of the back door was the cue for is
gang to take their places and they had o
time to lose.
Jimmy Hope and Johnny Dobbs, a b
Billy Kelley and Eddie Goodey, Johi y
Hope, son of Jimmy Hope, Mason and i-
gent, and my husband, Ned Lyons, rap! y
but stealthily advanced upon the janiti's
bed room. To reach It they had to p is
through another bed room, where si it a8
the aged and feeble-minded mother if naif
Mrs. Werkle.
While gagging and binding the d
woman a slight amount of noise was mi e
Werkle paused in his dressing and i-
marked that he would step lr. and i<
what was doing.
The robbers forestalled him by enter ig
and covering him vith their revolvi b.
They presented a terrifying spectai e,
each man wearing a hideous black ms k
Rubber shoes on their feet made th lr
steps noiseless. They were received in
silent horror.
The tableau was broken by a lent
scream from Mrs. Werkle. Instantly c Id
muzzles were placed to their temples i id
InBtant death threatened in return tort te
slightest sound. Werkle’s keys,and le
combination of the lock were demands
Poor Werkle attempted to delay co n-
plying, but a few savage prods in his sr
with the point of Hope’s gun scattered •
last thought of resistance. He delivi id
the keys and told them the comblnatiTn
cor
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Consultation in the Dark
As if tbe bank had not done enough in
the way of kindness to the burglars by
Ignoring their little bole, they gave
Werkle, the Janitor, the numbers of the
combination and keys to unlock It Neither
Keely nor Shevelln were trusted to this
extent, and Shevelin only learned of the
janitor’s secret in time to tell Hope the
night before the robbery
This new information was discussed In
whispers throughout the night by tbe
gsDg. Hope had misgivings about using
the wire and the bole. The faot that he
had failed to return one of the tumblers
to its proper place on the previous occa
sion worried him. It was quite possible
he might make a wrong move and Instead
of opening the door lock it irrevocably.
In that case it was not to be hoped that
the easy going bank ofdclals would give
him a third chance.
On the other band forcing the Janitor
to surrender his keys and reveal the com
bination had great disadvantages. It
meant delay. He might give the wrong
set of numbers from fear or loyalty. At
any rate he was certain to hesitate. As it
proved, time was worth about $100,000 a
/
How the Great Robbe;
About ten minutes after Jimmy Hope
and his cracksmen bad departed the
early customers of Kohlman’s barber
shop, just under the bank, heard some
one leaping down the stairs from the
bank. In burst apparently a madman,
half dreased, hit hands handcuffed be
hind him.
A gag In his mouth added to hl»
strange appearance. Unable to apeak
or uae hit hands, he danced up and
down and made growling sounds like
s mad dog.
The barber shop emptied iteoif, and
Kohlman was not able at once to rex**
ognize behind the gag and the jaunty
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