JAMES BURNS

Alias: , BAKER, BIG JIM, BOSTON J1M, etc, HAWKINS, JAMES BOYLE, JOHN BOWEN

Specialties: BURGLAR, SNEAK

No: 165 Last Displayed: 5/10/2021

Description:

Forty-six years old in 1886. Born in Boston, Mass. Single. No trade. A large, well-built man. Height, 5 feet 8 ~ inches. Weight, about 200 pounds. Brown hair, dark hazel eyes, dark complexion. .Has fine spots of India ink between thumband forefinger of left hand. Generally wears a sandy-brown mustache and whiskers.

Record:

J1M BURNS, alias BIG J1M, is a celebrated bank sneak, burglar and forger. He is a native of Boston, Mass., and is called by the fraternity" The Prince of Thieves," on account of his great liberality with his money, and the many charitable acts performed by him. I t is a well known fact that he has always contributed to the support of the wives and families of his associates whenever they were in trouble.Some years ago, after a large and successful bank sneak robbery, Burns, and the others who were with him, returned to New York and went to their usual rendezvous, a saloon corner of Fourth Street and Broadway, New York, kept by one Dick Platt .. The entire party imbibed quite freely and Burns fell asleep. When he awoke he found that he had been robbed of his portion of the plunder. On being informed by one of his companions who had done it, Burns said, " I t was hard, that after doing a lot of work, and getting a good lump of money, to have an associate rob me. He can't be� much good, and will die in the gutter." The fact is.. that about one week after the occurrence the party referred to was walking down Broadway and was stricken with paralysis, fell into the gutter, and died before any assistance could be rendered him.Burns was connected with all of the most celebrated criminals in this country, and took part in a large number of the most prominent bank robberies.Owing to his genial good-nature he never was able to save a dollar. He has served terms in prison in Sing Sing, New York, and Boston, Mass., and is well known all over America and Europe. .He was arrested in New York City on March I I, 1878, for the larceny of a carriage clock, valued at $52, from Howard, Sanger & Co., Broadway and Grand Street. He was released on $500 bail, and when his case was called for trial he failed to appear.He was arrested again in New York City on December 17, 1878, for attempting to rescue" Red" Leary from a private detective. He was indicted, and again admitted to bail. While at large, he was arrested with George Carson (3) for the larceny of $12,000 in money from the Government Printing Office, in Washington, D. C. No case being made out against them, they were discharged on July I, 1879, by Commissioner Deuel, at Washington.Burns was arrested upon his discharge on a bench warrant in the old clock case, brought to New York City, tried, convicted of grand larceny, and sentenced to three years and six months in Sing Sing prison, on July I I, 1879, by Judge Cowing.He made his escape from Raymond Street jail in Brooklyn, N. Y., on Friday night, July 31, 1883, where he was confined for the larceny of a package containing $3,000 in money from the desk of the postmaster of Brooklyn, N. Y.After his escape he went to London, England, and from there to Paris, where he devoted his talents to picking pockets, and had to leave there to keep out of the clutches of the police. When next heard from he was in Stockholm, Sweden, with Billy Flynn, alias Connolly, and Bill Baker, alias Langford, where the party obtained about eighteen hundred kroners from a bank in that city. They were arrested for the robbery, but having no evidence against them a charge of vagrancy was preferred. and they were imprisoned for six months as vagrants. A few months after their time expired they went to Hamburg, Germany, where, on June 22, 1885, they succeeded in robbing the Vereins Bank of 200,000 marks, about $44,000. On July IS, 1885, the bank offered a reward of 10,000 marks, about $2,200, for them. They were all arrested in London, England, in the latter part of July, 18-85, and returned to Paris, France, they having been tried, corivicted and sentenced to one year's imprisonment each for an offense committed in that city. According to French law, any person may be tried convicted, and sentenced for an offense during his absence. After their sentence expires. they will be taken to Hamburg for trial for the larceny of the 200,000 marks.Burns's picture is an excellent one, taken in 1882.