Simon Wood
05-06-2009, 04:33 PM
Hi All,
I just came across this in my travels.
Brooklyn Daily Eagle, April 20th 1891—
"Thieves went through the Plateau Hotel in Hot Springs, Ark., Friday night, securing about $8,000 in money and diamonds. The thieves secured a gold watch and a considerable amount of money from Judge Duffy [sic], and $2,000 in cash and diamonds valued at between $5,000 and $7,000 from Dr. Tumblety."
It was one of a number of similar robberies at around the same time.
I discovered that Stephen Ryder originally posted the story in 2004, and that it was followed up by the indefatigable Joe Chetcuti who discovered that the crime had been investigated by Billy Pinkerton.
In the posts that followed two questions were asked: "What were Judge A.M. Duffie and Dr Francis Tumblety doing in Hot Springs?" and "Why should a theft/robbery in Arkansas bring a Pinkerton all the way from Chicago?"
The Arkansas Gazette reported that Billy Pinkerton had arrived in Hot Springs while these April 1891 jewelry heists were going on, and Joe posited that "The reason why Pinkerton handled these small locally-confined crimes himself instead of delegating the duty to one of his subordinate agents seemed to point toward the presence of Tumblety" in whom he had been interested since the Civil War.
Joe searched for more answers in the Pinkerton archive at the Library of Congress, homing in on Container Box 138 which focused on the Pinkerton's involvement in "Jewel thefts in the 1886-1897 period." But although the container had plenty of info on jewelry thefts, it was mostly concentrated on the New York area.
The Arkansas Gazette, 16th April 1891, had also reported that "the full facts in the case could not be learned as the managers of the hotels refused to impart any information."
This tight-lipped silence whetted my appetite. What secret could the hotels be guarding? What was it about these robberies that the Pinkertons didn't want in their archives? Could it really have had something to do with Dr Francis Tumblety?
Sadly, no. I soon discovered that long before Las Vegas was even a twinkle in Bugsy Siegel's eye there was Hot Springs, Arkansas.
New York Times, 18th March 1891—
http://i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac287/HowieNina/HOT20SPRINGS20NYT.jpg
I think we can now answer why Judge Duffie and Dr Tumblety were in Hot Springs carrying large amounts of money. Judge Duffie was was probably gambling, and Tumblety was probably preying upon the hundreds of halt and maim who came to the town's bath houses for the healing waters.
The New York Times of 13th January 1884 reported—
" . . . there are more doctors here than in any town of its size in the world. Some of them are first-rate, some are passable, and some are the vilest and most dastardly quacks unhung—or, I should say rather, unshot, for they rarely stop to hang them, but occasionally put a very beautiful period to their existence with a shot-gun."
And I think we can probably answer why there was such a Pinkerton silence about the whole matter. Gambling equals profit. Profit equals crime. Crime equals rivalry. And rivalry means the Pinkertons were busy busting heads on someone's behalf.
What happens in Hot Springs stays in Hot Springs.
Regards,
Simon
I just came across this in my travels.
Brooklyn Daily Eagle, April 20th 1891—
"Thieves went through the Plateau Hotel in Hot Springs, Ark., Friday night, securing about $8,000 in money and diamonds. The thieves secured a gold watch and a considerable amount of money from Judge Duffy [sic], and $2,000 in cash and diamonds valued at between $5,000 and $7,000 from Dr. Tumblety."
It was one of a number of similar robberies at around the same time.
I discovered that Stephen Ryder originally posted the story in 2004, and that it was followed up by the indefatigable Joe Chetcuti who discovered that the crime had been investigated by Billy Pinkerton.
In the posts that followed two questions were asked: "What were Judge A.M. Duffie and Dr Francis Tumblety doing in Hot Springs?" and "Why should a theft/robbery in Arkansas bring a Pinkerton all the way from Chicago?"
The Arkansas Gazette reported that Billy Pinkerton had arrived in Hot Springs while these April 1891 jewelry heists were going on, and Joe posited that "The reason why Pinkerton handled these small locally-confined crimes himself instead of delegating the duty to one of his subordinate agents seemed to point toward the presence of Tumblety" in whom he had been interested since the Civil War.
Joe searched for more answers in the Pinkerton archive at the Library of Congress, homing in on Container Box 138 which focused on the Pinkerton's involvement in "Jewel thefts in the 1886-1897 period." But although the container had plenty of info on jewelry thefts, it was mostly concentrated on the New York area.
The Arkansas Gazette, 16th April 1891, had also reported that "the full facts in the case could not be learned as the managers of the hotels refused to impart any information."
This tight-lipped silence whetted my appetite. What secret could the hotels be guarding? What was it about these robberies that the Pinkertons didn't want in their archives? Could it really have had something to do with Dr Francis Tumblety?
Sadly, no. I soon discovered that long before Las Vegas was even a twinkle in Bugsy Siegel's eye there was Hot Springs, Arkansas.
New York Times, 18th March 1891—
http://i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac287/HowieNina/HOT20SPRINGS20NYT.jpg
I think we can now answer why Judge Duffie and Dr Tumblety were in Hot Springs carrying large amounts of money. Judge Duffie was was probably gambling, and Tumblety was probably preying upon the hundreds of halt and maim who came to the town's bath houses for the healing waters.
The New York Times of 13th January 1884 reported—
" . . . there are more doctors here than in any town of its size in the world. Some of them are first-rate, some are passable, and some are the vilest and most dastardly quacks unhung—or, I should say rather, unshot, for they rarely stop to hang them, but occasionally put a very beautiful period to their existence with a shot-gun."
And I think we can probably answer why there was such a Pinkerton silence about the whole matter. Gambling equals profit. Profit equals crime. Crime equals rivalry. And rivalry means the Pinkertons were busy busting heads on someone's behalf.
What happens in Hot Springs stays in Hot Springs.
Regards,
Simon