Originally posted by Robert
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An interesting set of articles on the JTRForum website. Thanks for sharing.
Despite the overwritten news essay by Vidette, his account is faulty about the Bidwells. They and their two confederates (one had the name George MacDonald) were not as vastly successful as stealing one million pounds from the Bank of England in 1872-73. They did well though, given the value of a pound in that period. They looted the Bank of about a quarter of a million pounds, so in American dollars they made about one million. Not a bad job - except they were caught. A book on the story was written back in 1969 (and finally published in paperback about 1983) called "Four Against the Bank of England" by Ann Huxley. They set up dummy companies using some of the money they made in earlier swindles, who passed amounts back and forth between branches of the Bank of England, and then used pretty good forged documents looking like Bank of England paper to create new transactions at the expense of the Bank. Oddly enough they almost got away with it in time - one paper had been left unused and the least involved member of the conspiracy presented it to the main Bank branch, but it failed to include an all important signature on it (that usually was on the financial papers that passed muster). In double checking the note to see if it could still be accepted, the Bank clerk discovered that no basis for granting the paper for payment existed, and the fourth man was seized. This led to the unravelling of the scheme. Both Bidwells eventually were released and (I believe) a "reformed" George Bidwell wrote his autobiography, with the "modest" title of "Forging My Own Chains!".
In the lesser "Famous Trials Series" (unlike the more detailed and scholarly "Notable British Trials Series" there is a volume, "The Bank of England Forgeries". Ironically, at one point, George Bidwell almost went to New York City from England on board the White Star liner "RMS Atlantic", but due to police activity near the boat changed his mind. He was lucky - the "Atlantic" hit a rock off Nova Scotia on the voyage home, and sank with the loss of over 500 passengers. [There is something about "White Star" liners....]
I've got to double check this Mrs. McNamara of 70 East 10th Street. Maybe in some old New York City directory she is listed. Also Ralston of "Frank Leslie's Illustrated Weekly", a popular weekly paper of the day - he would not accept Doc. T's challenge to a duel, but he was willing to have a serious fight in a hotel with him. Figure that one out!
We know Det. Inspector Thomas ("The Ripper will be caught by me if he turns up in New York City) Byrnes, a strange mixture of the brutal, the corrupt, and the brilliant in American police history (creator of the "Rogue's Gallery, to his credit, and forced into early retirement due to revelations from the Lexow Committee investigation in 1894, to his discredit). Det. Pryor of the 5th Avenue Hotel is a mystery. Was he a moonlighting police detective from the city now working as the house detective in the hotel (which it sounds likely)? He certainly was award of Tumblety's presence in the hotel.
Bidwell's list of notable figures who signed the petitions includes some names that are still famous, and some forgotten. Their motivations might be noted:
1) John Bright - Famous as a leading spokesperson (with Richard Cobden) for "Free Trade" around the globe (which makes his name with arch protectionist Joseph Chamberlain on the petition seem weird - but the subject is not trade). Bright was also interested in prisons and penology (he was an early vocal opponent to the death penalty), so he would be interested in early release of some criminals. He also was very friendly towards to the U.S. (given his "Free Trade" ideas, this seems natural). It was learned in the last century that during the American Civil War Bright frequently praised the North and President Abraham Lincoln, and that Lincoln kept a newspaper clipping of a speech Bright gave praising the President in his wallet - it was still in his wallet the night Lincoln went to Ford's Theatre.
2) Lord Randolph Churchill - Possibly he signed the petition in the interest of Anglo-American friendship, and possibly due to his wife being Jennie Jerome Churchill, daughter of the New York stock wheeler dealer Leonard Jerome. It should also be recalled that his two sons Winston and Jack were half-American.
3) Joseph Chamberlain - the master political party wrecker of his days (first Gladstone's Liberals in 1885, then Balfour's Tories in 1905) was (unlike Bright) a staunch protectionist and tariff lover, wishing with his Unionist followers to create a trading zone out of the British empire. However, he was farsighted about the need to have allies in the world. He tried to make friends (as Foreign Secretary) with Wilhelmine Germany in 1899 and 1901, but his attempts at a logical alliance between the countries failed because the Germans felt he was coming to them from a position of weakness (which he wasn't) and they felt he'd give up valuable colonies to them for their alliance (which he wouldn't). On the other hand he married an American woman (one of his sons - I think it was Nevil - was half American). However,
as Foreign Secretary he made sure that Britain supported the U.S. in the Behring Sea seal controversy of 1899-1900. This is a little surprising as he should have been supporting the Laurier government in Canada! They were the other party at the arbitration, who were somewhat shocked to see the British backstab their claims. However the U.S. appreciated the gesture (why wouldn't we?) and relations improved. No doubt Chamberlain had a long standing belief in hands across the sea, and signing the clemency petition was part of it.
4) Harriet Beecher Stowe - the author of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was active in several reform movements, including penal reform.
5) Secretary of State Thomas Bayard of Delaware - it was usual for the Secretary of State to get involved in matters of criminal release or lessoning of punishment for Americans abroad. In 1881 then Secretary of State James G. Blaine got the execution of Dr. George Henry Lamson for the poisoning of his brother-in-law delayed to have certain proofs of family insanity in Lamson's own family sent to England - although it did not eventually prevent Lamson from being hanged. Blaine (again Secretary of State in 1889 - 1892) help prevent the execution of Florence Maybrick for killing her husband Jack...err James Maybrick, and getting the sentence reduced to life imprisonment). Bayard's involvement with the Bidwell's was just typical for this activity.
6) General Russell Alger - a major Republican figure (and Governor) of Michigan, Alger would be a Presidential contender in 1892 and 1896. Eventually he was the Secretary of War for President William McKinley at the time of the Cuban-Spanish-American War of 1898. Alger's career hit a bad bump as a result of his being Secretary of War in that war. There was a major scandal (involving some deaths) in the war dealing with canned meat rations that were not properly canned, and were tainted as a result. Alger was forced to resign. As the Bidwells were from New England there was no reason (regionally speaking) for Alger to take any interest. One gets the impression that he signed the petition to help his Presidential dreams.
Jeff
Post Script:
Using Wikipedia I can add two more identified names here.
1) Governor Gray of Indiana - he was Governor Isaac P. Gray of Indiana (he is both 18th and 20th Governors, as he served to non-consecutive terms - at the time you could not serve consecutive terms). He lived from 1828 to 1895. Gray had been a Civil War veteran, and would have big difficulties getting his programs of reforms through the state legislature in his first term. In fact he would get the nickname "the Sisyphus of the Wabash". He'd be appointed our Minister to Mexico in the 1890s, and would die there in 1895, getting a military escort for his body from the Mexican government handing it over to the U.S., as well as the lowering of all Mexican flags in his honor.
2) John C. New (1831 - 1906). New had distinguished himself as the Treasurer of the United States in President Ulysses Grant's second administration (1875 - 76). In the Arthur Administration he became the first "Assistant Secretary of the Treasury (1882 - 1885). In 1889 he was appointed our Consul General to London by the Benjamin Harrison Administration. Probably this was why his signature is on the petition for the release of George Bidwell, and through his connection to fellow Indianan Gray it explains his signature as well.
Interesting final point - the article mentions that two New York Detectives and a London Detective in New York were on the pier that Tumblety's ship docked at, and followed him home, but THEIR NAMES ARE NOT GIVEN. Interesting isn't it?
Jeff
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