During 1980 we
were exploring Canada's Northwest Territories. One of our most
memorable stops was to visit the Northern Museum at Fort Smith. It
had all sorts of interesting things to see, but the most fascinating
was a story about the great gold bars theft in the 1950's by a man
named Tony Gregson. I've often thought it would make a great movie.
Tony was a colorful character who didn't like the
ordinary, humdrum way of doing things. He was easy going,
seemed well educated, was athletic, handsome and popular. He
carried off the gold in 1954, eluded authorities until his arrest
in 1957, and was sentenced to 30 months in prison. During his
freedom he had a good time spending and traveling.
The man who wrote about him knew he'd just been released
from prison in 1960, so went to interview him at some mine where
he was allegedly working. Those he inquired said "Tony had left to
parts unknown." Later the boss said, "It wasn't true...that Tony
was there, either at the chute, or the local bar; that the men
felt Tony had paid his debt, and didn't cater to strangers asking
questions." The writer found Tony. Later, at his hotel room they had a
couple of drinks and cigars, and Tony told his story.
When he was fifteen Tony enlisted in the British army.
Later he joined the Scottish army and traveled Europe. He didn't
like doing things in a dull way, so after his army days he stowed
away on a ship to America. Then he sneaked into Canada by hiding
under a bridge at the border. He got caught, but the Authority in
charge was fascinated by his story, so let him stay if he promised
to work in the meat packing plant for a year. He complied and then
moved on to Northwest Territories where he worked in Yellowknife
before moving on to Consolidated Discovery Mine. It was about
sixty miles to the north and only accessible by bush plane or
winter Cat train. After working there a little over a year, he
told the mine manager that he was moving on. This was normal for
single men employed at remote mines. There wasn't anywhere to
spend money, so they saved a lot in a short time. For most, the
isolation became boring, and they longed for adventure. The
manager was sorry Tony was leaving and told him he'd have a job
waiting if he decided to return.
Discovery Mine head frame
Tony had noticed miners carelessly putting gold bullion on
sleds and sending it to the bank with an Indian. This gave him an
idea he began working on. He got a job with a mining company, and
had a man make him two lead bricks. He stashed a boat, food,
supplies and reading materials at Yellowknife. Finally, just before the weekend, he quit his job at the
mine. The mine had a 72 and 52 pound gold brick ready for shipment
to the Yellowknife bank that day. Tony, another man and the pilot
took off in a plane. The other man and the pilot sat in front
while Tony took the seat in the back. It was a tedious flight
during which the two passengers slept part of the time. The pilot
made a stop, and when he got out Tony switched bags. His looked
just like the mines...right down to the stamp, or so it appeared. When they reached Yellowknife, and were leaving the plane,
the pilot helped him unload his gear. "What've you got in here...a
gold brick?" the pilot joked. "Just geiger," Tony replied. He hurried to his stashed boat...assuming it wouldn't be
long before the theft would be realized. The boat motor wouldn't
start. He worked on it for an hour before it finally ran. Since
the police hadn't shown up, he changed his plans about holing up
somewhere along the lake for the season. Instead, he headed for a
city where he could get lost.
The theft wasn't discovered until Monday. A clerk noticed
that the number on the bags and weight didn't match his data. He
phoned the mine, and a warrant was issued to arrest Tony Gregson
on sight for theft. But Tony was long gone. (I can't remember
where). He'd taken a plane to some city in another province and sent
a letter to a friend living in an area in the opposite direction to
his location...where the authorities were searching. He instructed
the friend to mail the letter inside the letter...to the mine. The
letter was a request that the mine give his back pay to "The Society
For the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals." This sent police
scurrying to the area postmarked on the letter.
Meanwhile, Tony bought a hacksaw that he used to saw off
slices of gold he turned into cash. The shavings and dust were put
in an aspirin bottle for later. Eventually he bought a fishing
boat for $3,500. The captain wanted cash, rather than gold. Tony
hired a crew, bought supplies and they were soon on their way. He
now went by the name of Anthony Johnson. When they weren't fishing
they partied. They only fished to make it appear that was how Tony
earned his living, and sold their catch at various ports.
His trail grew cold with his change of profession, and
because he didn't have a steady girlfriend, or visit old friends.
Eventually Tony paid the crew and sold the boat. One evening two
men knocked on his door. He thought they'd finally caught up with
him. The gold was in the closet on the floor under some clothes.
However, the men were merely checking on one of his employees
concerning a minor infraction....never realizing the gold was
nearby.
Tony traveled to Los Angeles, California for awhile, and
then to Cuba. When he tried to sell some more gold, the
authorities got wind of it and told him to leave...which he was
anxious to do. He went back to Canada and returned to working in
mines. By now he was number 10 on the Mounties's most wanted men's
list. They put out posters with his picture. (He had a scar on his
cheek.) People recognized him and reported it. The trail grew hot.
Sometimes a couple of days or 24 hours separated him from
the detectives. Eventually he stowed away on a ship going to
India. He went five days without food or water before making his
presence known...making sure they were far enough away from
Canada. The ship's Captain tried to put him off in different
countries, but they refused to take him. Tony was finally handed
over to the Canadian officer who had chased him all those years.
Tony asked him, "You always get your man eh?"
The officer chuckled, "Well, it's a little tougher than in the
movies." A fascinated lawyer took Tony's case. The gold was gone,
and Tony was sentenced to 30 months in prison. (For
more of the story read some
excerpts from "Advocate For The North"
by Frank Wade).
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