Jimmy Hope
Encyclopedia
James "Old Jimmy" Hope was a 19th-century American
burglar, bank robber and underworld figure in Philadelphia and later New York City
. He was considered one of the most successful and sought after bank burglars in the United States during his lifetime as well as a skilled escape artist for his repeated breakouts from Auburn State Prison in New York
.
A pioneering career criminal and safe-cracker, he planned and took part in many of the major robberies of the post-American Civil War
era including those of the Kensington Savings Bank and, in partnership with Ned Lyons
, the Ocean Bank and Philadelphia Navy Yard. His most infamous crime, however, was the 1878 robbery of the Manhattan Savings Institution with the George Leslie Gang.
in 1836. There he worked as a machinist, eventually married and started a family. On April 6, 1869, however, he and a group of men posing a police detectives stole between $80,000 to $100,000 from the Kensington Savings Bank. His partners in the robbery included Jim Casey, Jim McCormick, George Howard and three other men. Although they successfully escaped with the money, a fight over splitting up the cash resulted in the deaths of three gang members. Jim Casey was later killed by McCormick and Howard's body was found near Yonkers on the Hudson River
. While in custody in San Francisco years later, Hope claimed that a member of the Kensington gang was so upset over the split that he vowed to kill Howard. Hope told authorities that he believed this dispute was the motive leading to Howard's murder.
Four months later, he and Ned Lyons
, with two other men, rented a basement underneath the Ocean Bank, located at Fulton
and Greenwich Streets
, in New York City. They erected a partition to block passersby from looking into the basement from the street and then cut through the stone floor directly under the vault. They took over $1 million in cash and bonds but later discarded the bonds in and "took as much gold and silver as they could carry without attracting attention". This amounted to only a few thousand dollars. The following year, Hope and Lyons led another robbery against the Philadelphia Navy Yard burglarizing the paymaster's safe. Hope, by then a well-known underworld figure in the city, was a main suspect along with Lyons and two other men but none were brought to trial due to lack of evidence. Only Lyons was taken into custody and he later jumped bail. Hope was arrested for robbing Smith's Bank in Perry, New York
later that year, this time convicted, and sentenced to five years imprisonment at Auburn Prison
on November 28, 1870.
After three years in prison, Hope escaped from Auburn with "Big" Jim Brady, Dan Noble
and Charles McCann on January 23, 1873. In the fall of that year, he and several burglars, Jim Brady, Frank McCoy, Tom McCormack and George Bliss, rented a house next to the First National Bank of Wilmington. On the morning of November 7, Hope and his partners broke into the home of the bank cashier whose home was located nearby. Their intention was to hold the family hostage while the cashier went to the bank to open the safe for them. The servant girl managed to escape from the house, however, and alerted the authorities. Hope and the others were quickly captured by the police. All were given forty lashes and sentenced to ten years in prison on November 23, 1873. They were also made to stand one hour in the pillory
and pay a fine of $5,000 each. All four offered to pay $25,000 in lieu of the whipping but this was denied by the court. It would be over 30 years before another bank robbery was attempted in the state of Delaware.
eight months later using a steam-powered tugboat
to make their getaway. He spent the next several years out of sight participating in a number of minor robberies and burglaries including those at Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
in September 1874 and 1875. Like many members of the New York's underworld, he was associated with criminal fence
Frederika "Marm" Mandelbaum. In 1875, he was recruited by George Leonidas Leslie and spent the next three years preparing for arguably his biggest heist, the Manhattan Bank robbery. It was believed that Hope actually broke into the building long before to the robbery to study the bank vault. A few months before the robbery, he and Abe Coakley were briefly imprisoned the Deep River Bank in Deep River, Connecticut
and were questioned by police regarding the violent bank raid in Dexter, Maine
. Both refused to cooperate and Hope was taken to Dexter, where he was a suspect in said robbery, then to Lime Rock, Maine where he was tried for a bank robbery which occurred there eight years before. He was acquitted a week later. Approximately 80% of bank robberies in New York would be attributed to the Leslie Gang until George Leslie's death nine years later.
On October 27, 1878, Hope and several masked men stormed the Manhattan Savings Institution and held janitor Louis Werckle and his family, who lived in the building, captive. Holding his wife and mother-in-law at gunpoint, the men forced Werckle to open the outer door of the bank vault then bound and gagged him with the women. Hope and Samuel "Worcester Sam" Perris
then worked on the inner vault door and eventually able to gain access using their safe-cracking tools. The robbers quietly left the bank through the back door taking with them securities and money valued at $2,757,700; of this $73,000 was in coupon bonds and $11,000 in cash.
The theft was discovered within the hour, due to Werckle freeing himself to raise the alarm, but by that time the thieves had gotten away. A subsequent investigation headed by NYPD detective Thomas F. Byrnes revealed that Patrick Shevlin, a bank watchman, had given them access to the building. Shevlin confessed under questioning that he had obtained duplicate keys and given them detailed information about the bank. He also specifically identified Hope as the leader of the gang. The ten members of the gang, including Hope and his son John
, were arrested in different parts of the country and brought back to New York to stand trial. Both he and John Hope were convicted, along with Bill Kelly, but the rest of the gang were discharged from custody. Jimmy Hope was sent back to Auburn Prison but escaped within the year. Jimmy Hope swore until his death that his son John had no involvement in the robbery and had been wrongfully imprisoned.
s. He was confronted by Detective Isaiah W. Lees
and a police squad almost immediately after lowering himself into the bank. Hope pulled a revolver but surrendered when he saw the detectives, armed with sawed-off shotgun
s, outnumbered him. His accomplice, who was on the next floor, was able to escape but later identified as Dave Cummings. He and his partner were both arrested and given long prison terms. Cummings was sent back East while Hope served seven years in San Quentin and was then transferred to Aurburn to serve out his remaining sentence there.
Several Eastern lawmen were waiting for Hope upon his discharge on November 11, 1886. A local court ruled against the extradition order signed by then California Governor George Stoneman
, however, and a court battle postponed Hope's return to New York until May 1887. Lees assigned Officers Ed Byran and Harry Hook to accompany Hope and two New York police officers as far as Chicago, Illinois.
after his release and lived with his wife and daughter in a modest apartment house on Columbus Avenue. On the night of June 2, 1905, Hope suffered a fatal heart attack while leaving the Lincoln Hotel on Broadway
and Fifty-Second Street
. He had just visited noted sportsman Pat Sheedy, with whom he had enjoyed a long friendship, who believed that Hope was attempting to tell him "an important secret" before his death. Some newspapers at the time, such as the New York Times, speculated that secret may have been the whereabouts of the still unrecovered bonds from the Manhattan Bank Robbery. Sheedy was later interviewed by the publication and paid a tribute to the memory of his friend.
The funeral was privately held at the family home, however, there were so many mourners that neighbors opened their doors when there was no more room in the small apartment and adjoining hall. Thirty carriages showed up to the building and accompanied the funeral procession to Woodlawn Cemetery where Hope was buried. Sheedy took care the funeral arrangements and delivered the eulogy. The family wanted to deter curiosity seekers and announced the funeral was to take place at 2:00 pm, but the actual time was at 11:00 am. A large crowd gathered to witness the services despite the precaution. Among those who were in attendance included Hoboken Police Commissioner Patrick Smith, Tammany Hall
political boss
es Senator Timothy "Big Tim" Sullivan
, "Little Tim" Sullivan, Florence Sullivan, and Philadelphia politician Robert Daily. Hope was survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
burglar, bank robber and underworld figure in Philadelphia and later New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He was considered one of the most successful and sought after bank burglars in the United States during his lifetime as well as a skilled escape artist for his repeated breakouts from Auburn State Prison in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
A pioneering career criminal and safe-cracker, he planned and took part in many of the major robberies of the post-American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
era including those of the Kensington Savings Bank and, in partnership with Ned Lyons
Ned Lyons
Edward "Ned" Lyons was a New York City gangster in the 19th century. A burglar, he learned his trade in the property market around South Windham, Connecticut...
, the Ocean Bank and Philadelphia Navy Yard. His most infamous crime, however, was the 1878 robbery of the Manhattan Savings Institution with the George Leslie Gang.
Early years in Philadelphia and New York City
James Hope was born to poor Irish immigrant parents in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
in 1836. There he worked as a machinist, eventually married and started a family. On April 6, 1869, however, he and a group of men posing a police detectives stole between $80,000 to $100,000 from the Kensington Savings Bank. His partners in the robbery included Jim Casey, Jim McCormick, George Howard and three other men. Although they successfully escaped with the money, a fight over splitting up the cash resulted in the deaths of three gang members. Jim Casey was later killed by McCormick and Howard's body was found near Yonkers on the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
. While in custody in San Francisco years later, Hope claimed that a member of the Kensington gang was so upset over the split that he vowed to kill Howard. Hope told authorities that he believed this dispute was the motive leading to Howard's murder.
Four months later, he and Ned Lyons
Ned Lyons
Edward "Ned" Lyons was a New York City gangster in the 19th century. A burglar, he learned his trade in the property market around South Windham, Connecticut...
, with two other men, rented a basement underneath the Ocean Bank, located at Fulton
Fulton Street (Manhattan)
Fulton Street is a busy street located in Lower Manhattan. It is in New York City's Financial District, a few blocks north of Wall Street. It runs from Church Street at the site of the World Trade Center to South Street, terminating in front of the South Street Seaport...
and Greenwich Streets
Greenwich Street (Manhattan)
Greenwich Street is a north-south street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It extends from the intersection of Ninth Avenue and Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District at its northernmost end to its southern end at Battery Park, interrupted between Vesey and Liberty Streets by the...
, in New York City. They erected a partition to block passersby from looking into the basement from the street and then cut through the stone floor directly under the vault. They took over $1 million in cash and bonds but later discarded the bonds in and "took as much gold and silver as they could carry without attracting attention". This amounted to only a few thousand dollars. The following year, Hope and Lyons led another robbery against the Philadelphia Navy Yard burglarizing the paymaster's safe. Hope, by then a well-known underworld figure in the city, was a main suspect along with Lyons and two other men but none were brought to trial due to lack of evidence. Only Lyons was taken into custody and he later jumped bail. Hope was arrested for robbing Smith's Bank in Perry, New York
Perry, New York
Perry, New York is the name of two locations in Wyoming County, New York.*Perry , New York*Perry , New York...
later that year, this time convicted, and sentenced to five years imprisonment at Auburn Prison
Auburn Prison
Auburn Correctional Facility is a state prison located on State Street in Auburn, New York, built on land that was once a Cayuga Indian Village. It is classified as a maximum security facility....
on November 28, 1870.
After three years in prison, Hope escaped from Auburn with "Big" Jim Brady, Dan Noble
Dan Noble
Dan Noble, also known as Daniel Dyson, was an English gentleman burglar, confidence man, sneak thief and pickpocket active in the United States during the mid-to late 19th century. One of the most infamous criminals in New York City, he was involved in several major robberies in the post-American...
and Charles McCann on January 23, 1873. In the fall of that year, he and several burglars, Jim Brady, Frank McCoy, Tom McCormack and George Bliss, rented a house next to the First National Bank of Wilmington. On the morning of November 7, Hope and his partners broke into the home of the bank cashier whose home was located nearby. Their intention was to hold the family hostage while the cashier went to the bank to open the safe for them. The servant girl managed to escape from the house, however, and alerted the authorities. Hope and the others were quickly captured by the police. All were given forty lashes and sentenced to ten years in prison on November 23, 1873. They were also made to stand one hour in the pillory
Pillory
The pillory was a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, formerly used for punishment by public humiliation and often further physical abuse, sometimes lethal...
and pay a fine of $5,000 each. All four offered to pay $25,000 in lieu of the whipping but this was denied by the court. It would be over 30 years before another bank robbery was attempted in the state of Delaware.
Manhattan Bank Robbery
Hope and his gang escaped from jail in New Castle, DelawareNew Castle, Delaware
New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, six miles south of Wilmington, situated on the Delaware River. In 1900, 3,380 people lived here; in 1910, 3,351...
eight months later using a steam-powered tugboat
Tugboat
A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...
to make their getaway. He spent the next several years out of sight participating in a number of minor robberies and burglaries including those at Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
Wellsboro is a borough in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, 52 miles northwest of Williamsport. Early in the twentieth century, Wellsboro was the shipping point and trade center for a large area...
in September 1874 and 1875. Like many members of the New York's underworld, he was associated with criminal fence
Fence (criminal)
A fence is an individual who knowingly buys stolen property for later resale, sometimes in a legitimate market. The fence thus acts as a middleman between thieves and the eventual buyers of stolen goods who may or may not be aware that the goods are stolen. As a verb, the word describes the...
Frederika "Marm" Mandelbaum. In 1875, he was recruited by George Leonidas Leslie and spent the next three years preparing for arguably his biggest heist, the Manhattan Bank robbery. It was believed that Hope actually broke into the building long before to the robbery to study the bank vault. A few months before the robbery, he and Abe Coakley were briefly imprisoned the Deep River Bank in Deep River, Connecticut
Deep River, Connecticut
Deep River is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 4,629 at the 2010 census. The town center is also designated by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place...
and were questioned by police regarding the violent bank raid in Dexter, Maine
Dexter, Maine
Dexter is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,890 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Bangor, Maine metropolitan statistical area...
. Both refused to cooperate and Hope was taken to Dexter, where he was a suspect in said robbery, then to Lime Rock, Maine where he was tried for a bank robbery which occurred there eight years before. He was acquitted a week later. Approximately 80% of bank robberies in New York would be attributed to the Leslie Gang until George Leslie's death nine years later.
On October 27, 1878, Hope and several masked men stormed the Manhattan Savings Institution and held janitor Louis Werckle and his family, who lived in the building, captive. Holding his wife and mother-in-law at gunpoint, the men forced Werckle to open the outer door of the bank vault then bound and gagged him with the women. Hope and Samuel "Worcester Sam" Perris
Samuel Perris
Samuel "Worcester Sam" Perris was a 19th-century French-Canadian burglar, safe cracker and bank robber. An underworld figure in New York City and throughout the northeastern United States during the post-American Civil War era, he was called "one of the most notorious criminals in America".Perris...
then worked on the inner vault door and eventually able to gain access using their safe-cracking tools. The robbers quietly left the bank through the back door taking with them securities and money valued at $2,757,700; of this $73,000 was in coupon bonds and $11,000 in cash.
The theft was discovered within the hour, due to Werckle freeing himself to raise the alarm, but by that time the thieves had gotten away. A subsequent investigation headed by NYPD detective Thomas F. Byrnes revealed that Patrick Shevlin, a bank watchman, had given them access to the building. Shevlin confessed under questioning that he had obtained duplicate keys and given them detailed information about the bank. He also specifically identified Hope as the leader of the gang. The ten members of the gang, including Hope and his son John
Johnny Hope
John "Johnny" Hope was a 19th-century American burglar, bank robber and pickpocket. The son of James "Old Jimmy" Hope, he was alleged to have been associated with his father and the George Leslie Gang...
, were arrested in different parts of the country and brought back to New York to stand trial. Both he and John Hope were convicted, along with Bill Kelly, but the rest of the gang were discharged from custody. Jimmy Hope was sent back to Auburn Prison but escaped within the year. Jimmy Hope swore until his death that his son John had no involvement in the robbery and had been wrongfully imprisoned.
Imprisonment in San Francisco
Hope next turned up in San Francisco where he may have been involved in the theft of $65,000 from the bank of F. Berriton & Company. On the night of June 27, 1881, he was caught breaking into the Sather Bank at the southeast corner of Commercial and Montgomery StreetMontgomery Street
Montgomery Street is a north-south thoroughfare in San Francisco, California, in the United States.It runs about 16 blocks from the Telegraph Hill neighborhood south through downtown, terminating at Market Street. South of Columbus Avenue, Montgomery Street runs through the heart of San Francisco's...
s. He was confronted by Detective Isaiah W. Lees
Isaiah W. Lees
Isaiah W. Lees was a detective with the San Francisco Police Department. He served as Chief of Police from 1897 to 1900 and later served as Police Commissioner. He originally arrived in California during the Gold Rush.-References:...
and a police squad almost immediately after lowering himself into the bank. Hope pulled a revolver but surrendered when he saw the detectives, armed with sawed-off shotgun
Sawed-off shotgun
A sawed-off shotgun also called a sawn-off shotgun and a short-barreled shotgun , is a type of shotgun with a shorter gun barrel and often a shorter or absent stock....
s, outnumbered him. His accomplice, who was on the next floor, was able to escape but later identified as Dave Cummings. He and his partner were both arrested and given long prison terms. Cummings was sent back East while Hope served seven years in San Quentin and was then transferred to Aurburn to serve out his remaining sentence there.
Several Eastern lawmen were waiting for Hope upon his discharge on November 11, 1886. A local court ruled against the extradition order signed by then California Governor George Stoneman
George Stoneman
George Stoneman, Jr. was a career United States Army officer, a Union cavalry general in the American Civil War, and the 15th Governor of California between 1883 and 1887.-Early life:...
, however, and a court battle postponed Hope's return to New York until May 1887. Lees assigned Officers Ed Byran and Harry Hook to accompany Hope and two New York police officers as far as Chicago, Illinois.
Death
Hope settled in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
after his release and lived with his wife and daughter in a modest apartment house on Columbus Avenue. On the night of June 2, 1905, Hope suffered a fatal heart attack while leaving the Lincoln Hotel on Broadway
Broadway (New York City)
Broadway is a prominent avenue in New York City, United States, which runs through the full length of the borough of Manhattan and continues northward through the Bronx borough before terminating in Westchester County, New York. It is the oldest north–south main thoroughfare in the city, dating to...
and Fifty-Second Street
52nd Street (Manhattan)
52nd Street is a long one-way street traveling west to east across Midtown Manhattan.-Jazz center:The blocks of 52nd Street between Fifth Avenue and Seventh Avenue were renowned in the mid-20th century for the abundance of jazz clubs and lively street life...
. He had just visited noted sportsman Pat Sheedy, with whom he had enjoyed a long friendship, who believed that Hope was attempting to tell him "an important secret" before his death. Some newspapers at the time, such as the New York Times, speculated that secret may have been the whereabouts of the still unrecovered bonds from the Manhattan Bank Robbery. Sheedy was later interviewed by the publication and paid a tribute to the memory of his friend.
The funeral was privately held at the family home, however, there were so many mourners that neighbors opened their doors when there was no more room in the small apartment and adjoining hall. Thirty carriages showed up to the building and accompanied the funeral procession to Woodlawn Cemetery where Hope was buried. Sheedy took care the funeral arrangements and delivered the eulogy. The family wanted to deter curiosity seekers and announced the funeral was to take place at 2:00 pm, but the actual time was at 11:00 am. A large crowd gathered to witness the services despite the precaution. Among those who were in attendance included Hoboken Police Commissioner Patrick Smith, Tammany Hall
Tammany Hall
Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society...
political boss
Political boss
A boss, in politics, is a person who wields the power over a particular political region or constituency. Bosses may dictate voting patterns, control appointments, and wield considerable influence in other political processes. They do not necessarily hold public office themselves...
es Senator Timothy "Big Tim" Sullivan
Timothy Sullivan
Timothy Daniel Sullivan was a New York politician who controlled Manhattan's Bowery and Lower East Side districts as a prominent figure within Tammany Hall. He was euphemistically known as "Dry Dollar", as the "Big Feller", and, later, as "Big Tim"...
, "Little Tim" Sullivan, Florence Sullivan, and Philadelphia politician Robert Daily. Hope was survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters.
Further reading
- Fanning, Peter. Great Crimes of the West. San Francisco: Ed Barry Co., 1929.
- Dilnot, George. Celebrated Crimes. London: Stanley Paul & Co. Ltd., 1925.
- Hapgood, Hutchins. The Autobiography of a Thief. New York: Fox, Duffield & Company, 1903.