Edward Pierce Research Paper

An Orphan’s Obsession
Edward Pierce, or Andrew Miller, or is it Robert Jefferson or maybe even John Simms… The identity of the supposed orphan who committed the Great Train Robbery remains ambiguous, but the motives behind it are not. Michael Chriton’s The Great Train Robbery sheds light on 1855’s greatest crime with details about Edward Pierce’s accomplices and impeccable criminal knowledge to show how Pierce’s livelihood as a criminal morphed into an obsession. The red-bearded man’s love affair with crime, a main factor as to why he robbed the train that one night in May, can be seen by his sophistication in the crime scene. Pierce was “exuberant in [his] approach to crime,” (6) such as how “Pierce and his fellow conspirators” (97) easily found the first two keys. However, he was not only stealthy and quick, he also forgot nothing, like when he bought fifty pounds of lead shot to replace the gold’s weight. After many years of practice and excellent economical habits, moreover, Pierce’s knowledge and wit shows that he truly lives on robbery, which helped him pull off a crime that went down in history.

Also, “it’s two years gone” (9) since Pierce last saw Agar, which means that Pierce was also involved in crime with Agar at least two years prior. Although Pierce had been involved in the crime scene for years, his livelihood was not quite an obsession until he involved five people just to steal a key he needed for further stages in the crime. Furthermore, this obsession with complex crimes led to Pierce’s involvement and eventual success in the train