Dan Snow's History Hit The Real Moriarty with Ben Macintyre
Jun 24, 2024
Ben Macintyre, the author of 'The Napoleon of Crime', delves into the life of Adam Worth, a renowned criminal mastermind who inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Moriarty. From faking his death to stealing priceless artworks, Worth's audacious heists and gentlemanly code of ethics captivate audiences as his story unfolds.
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The Boston Bank Heist Through The Wall
- Worth partnered with 'Piano Charlie' Bullard, a famed safecracker, and they drilled through a wall to rob Boylston National Bank in Boston.
- They posed as a chemist's shop next door while tunneling into the bank's vault below.
A Criminal Code Without Violence
- Worth styled himself as a gentleman thief who forbade violence and preferred cunning and planning over brute force.
- That strategic, non-violent criminal code made him an attractive model for Conan Doyle's Moriarty.
Pinkertons Shaped His Myth
- The Pinkerton Detective Agency both hunted Worth and helped shape his myth by preserving his letters and photos in their archive.
- That archival collusion made Worth a constructed celebrity criminal in US and British imagination.