True Detective Stories from the Archives of the PinkertonsMoffett, Cleveland
History
True Detective Stories from the Archives of the Pinkertons
Moffett, Cleveland
Crime -- United States; Criminals -- United States; Detective and mystery stories, American
Returning to Susquehanna, Proctor took advantage of his friendship
with employees about the ticket-office to get possession of the keys
long enough to take the desired impressions, and these he mailed to
Donahue, in whose service he was now fully enlisted. Donahue wrote
back, expressing satisfaction, and saying that he and another man,
named Collins, had paid a secret visit to Susquehanna, and had found
everything as Proctor had represented. A little later Proctor went to
Canada again, and was introduced to Collins. At this meeting it was
arranged that Donahue should procure a canvas bag like the one used by
the express company, and that a dummy money package should be placed
inside, so that a substitution might be effected on the arrival of the
next shipment. Proctor was to take no active part in the robbery, but
was instructed to return home and continue at his work, showing no
concern, whatever happened.
"If there's an earthquake at Susquehanna when pay-day comes around,
you don't know anything about it, do you understand?" Such was the
final order given to Proctor, and he obeyed it implicitly.
A month passed, and, hearing nothing, Proctor went to Canada again,
and had another talk with his two confederates. They told him that
they had gone to Susquehanna prepared to do the "job," but had
learned, accidentally, that the money that month had been sent in
gold, which would have been too heavy for them to carry away, and they
had therefore decided to wait until a month later.
This was in May, and the following month the robbery occurred. Two
weeks later Proctor went to Canada, and received eleven thousand
dollars as his share of the plunder. Donahue and Collins explained to
him that he did not receive more because they had been obliged to give
a fourth share to another man who had worked with them. They cautioned
him not to spend a dollar of the stolen money for months to come, as
the detectives would be always on the lookout for suspicious
circumstances. They also advised him to continue at his work, under no
circumstances giving up his position within a year.
Proctor had strictly followed these suggestions, living and working as
he had done before the robbery, and not spending any part of his
portion. Having changed the money into large bills and sealed it up in
a fruit-jar, so that the moisture could not injure it, he buried the
jar head downward in his garden. There it remained untouched for
months. But when the severe weather of the following winter set in, he
dug up the jar, and taking the money to Buffalo, deposited it in three
banks, in the name of his wife and his three children, with himself in
each instance as trustee.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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