True Detective Stories from the Archives of the Pinkertons — John Shaqi
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
When he said this, Proctor supposed that Donahue and Collins were
asleep in an adjoining berth; but, even to save himself, he never
thought of betraying them, which goes to show that he was a "stancher"
man than Donahue and Collins had been led to believe. For some time he
endeavored to maintain his old character with Mr. Pinkerton; but on
the way to Susquehanna, realizing the hopelessness of his case, he
acknowledged the deception he had practised, and his full
responsibility with the others in the Susquehanna robbery. He also
admitted his previous criminal record.
At Susquehanna, Proctor was placed in jail to await trial, and there
Mr. Pinkerton visited him some time later. Something in the prisoner's
manner convinced the detective that all was not as it should be, and
he urged the sheriff to put Proctor in another cell and search his
clothes and his cell thoroughly. This was done, and there were found a
number of keys that fitted the locks of various doors in the jail, and
also a large key fitting the gate from the jail-yard into the street.
Proctor's rare mechanical skill had enabled him to make these keys in
his cell, from impressions furnished him by a woman who had been
allowed to visit him. Being a good talker, Proctor had won this
woman's sympathy, and had also made a strong appeal to her
self-interest by promising, on his escape, to share with her a large
sum of money he had buried.
At his trial Proctor pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to twelve
years' imprisonment in the penitentiary at Cherry Hill, Pennsylvania.
Here, again, he was caught in the act of making keys to aid him to
escape. He laid various other plans for regaining his liberty, indeed,
but all were frustrated. His imprisonment worked no reform in him.
After he had served out his sentence, some burglaries committed in
Maine brought him again under arrest, and, having been identified as a
convict from the Massachusetts State prison, he was taken back to that
institution, to serve out his unexpired sentence.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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