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
Nothing more occurred, however, to justify the suspicion against
Crawford until the early part of 1890, when the persistent efforts of
the detectives were rewarded by an important discovery. It was then
that Robert Pinkerton learned that Crawford had told a deliberate lie
when examined before the bank officials in regard to his family
relations in New York. He had stated that his only relative in New
York was a brother, Marvin Crawford, who was then driving a streetcar
on the Bleecker Street line. Now it came to the knowledge of Mr.
Pinkerton that Crawford had in the city three married aunts and
several cousins. The reason for Crawford's having concealed this fact
was presently brought to light through the testimony of one of the
aunts, who, having been induced to speak, not without difficulty,
stated that on Sunday, May 6, 1888, two days after the robbery, her
nephew had called at her house, and given her a package which he said
contained gloves, and which he wished her to keep for him. It was
about this time that the papers contained the first news of the
robbery, and, her suspicions having been aroused, she picked a hole in
the paper covering of the package large enough to let her see that
there was money inside. Somewhat disturbed, she took the package to
her husband, who opened it and found that it contained two thousand
dollars in bank-notes. Realizing the importance of this discovery, the
husband told his wife that when Crawford came back to claim the
package she should refer him to him, which she did.
Some days later, on learning from his aunt that she had spoken to her
husband about the package, Crawford became greatly excited, and told
her she had made a dreadful mistake. A stormy scene followed with his
uncle, in which the latter positively refused to render him the money
until he was satisfied that Crawford was its rightful possessor. A few
days later Crawford's young friend, the man about town, called on the
uncle, and stated that the money in the package belonged to him and
must be surrendered. The uncle was still obdurate; and when Crawford
and his friend became violent in manner, he remarked meaningly that if
they made any more trouble he would deliver the package of money to
the Adams Express Company and let the company decide to whom it
belonged. This brought the angry claimants to their senses, and
Crawford's friend left the house and never returned. Finally
Crawford's uncle compromised the contention by giving his nephew five
hundred dollars out of the two thousand, and retaining the balance
himself, in payment, one must suppose, for his silence. At any rate,
he kept fifteen hundred dollars, and also a receipt in Crawford's
handwriting for the five hundred dollars paid to him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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