Washington telegraph., 1849-04-18
BURGLARY AND ROBBERY
IN ST. LOUIS.

and audacions burglary than is recorded
in the St. Louis Republican of Sunday
last, the 25th inst. We give the full ac-
! count;
AT an early hour yesterday morning,
the citizens and business men on Main
street were somewhat startled and thrown
into confusion, owing to the report of a
| heavy robbery being perpetrated the night
previous, in the banking house of Messrs
| VIM. Nesbit & Co, corner of Main and
Olive streets The report circulated rap
idly, and in the course of the day thou
sands of persons focked to the neighbor-
hood, all anxious to ascertain the nature
and extent of the robbery.
! Rumor was rife, and the amount stolen
variously set down at from $4,000 to
SIC, ,OOO-very few fixing it below the
first mentioned sum. That robbery of
so extensive a character should have cre-
aled a general feeling of surprise and
alarm in the community, is very reasona-
BILE; yet, great as the feeling was, it
hardly bore any comparison TO that mani
tested by such persons as made personal
inspection of the operations of the bur-
glars. That such daring fete could be
performed on one of the popolous thor
oue ehfares of the city at any hour Of the
night, and none but the operators them
selves be cognizant of it. caused exclama-
tions of surprise from all, and led every
man to consider the extent OF his security.
Our city is guarded at night by what our
city authorities term "a night watch,
yet under their very nose IS perpetrated
we hazard but little i'll saying IT, one OF
the most daring burglaries OH record
The location of the building in which
Nesbit u co. have their banking house
is well known 10 the business comlnunl-
ty and others-t their Office being on the
lower floor the Perpetual Insurance Of-
flee being in the rear, on the same floor,
with an entrance from the pa sage On
Main street and door OH Olive street /;
and the Chamber of Commerce room,
second story, entrance on Main street,
from the passage leading to the lnsur-
ance Company's room. The northern
wall of the building has recently been re-
moved to allow the erection ofnew build
ings alongside, thus leaving the passage
way free of access, and fully exposed to
the street some distance up. The burglars
commenced their operations by forcing
the castings from the door frame 1T the
end of this passage, which being accom-
plished, crowbar or some other heavy
instrument was applied TO the heavy
iron-sheeted door, and the bolt OF the
lock forced from its position. BY this
operation. and certainly not one accom-
plished in few minutes time, they OBJ
tanned access to the room Of the Perpetual
Insurance Company, under which was
located the vault of the banking house.
The floor in this room for about two
| feet square was torn up, and bricks and
mortar covering the vault removed to the
depth of about eighteen or twenty inches.
An incumbrance in the shape OF heavy
piece of timber. being one of the Joists,
was there presented, which probably they
had not the tools to remove, aud caused
them to abandon the efforts at that point
1t appears that they then proceeded
through the Insurance company's office
to the Office of Nesbit & Co., the two OFF,
ces being separated by light wooden
door, From this room no obstacle pre-
vented them from easily descending to the
heavy iron door of the vault. An attempt
| was then made to force the door, but as
it resisted their efforts gunpowder was
| placed in the lock to- blow it open, but
before putting that scheme into operation,
another and not so hazardous plan
seems to- have been seized upon. Be-
tween the passage to the vault and the
main cellar, there is a brick wal. OF about
eighteen inches thickness. Through this
wall hole was cut of sufficient size to
admit the body Of medium sized man,
aud through this aperture an entrance to
| the cellar was obtained. From this
| quarter no obstacle oil consequence pre-
vented them from reaching the vault, III
which was buried the large and massive
iron safe. The wall by which this safe
| was encompassed is about feet thick,
built of brick closely cemented together,
and through this an aperture OF about 8
square feet was made. This aperture
brought them to the safe. made Of sheet
iron, and about three eigills of an inch in
| thickness. By the use of cold chisels 1t
is supposed, they cut three sides OF
square hole sufficient in size to admit the
passage Of mans body, and then priced
the piece about, thus affording all easy
entrance. In this safe was deposited the
money of Nesbit & Co., a small box con-
tanning the papers of the Perpetual lnsur-
auce Company, aud box containing
about $50, and all of the papers of the CHI.
zen's Insurance Company. One of the
burglars, evidently entered the safe. and
this circumstance would lead to the i'm
preston that he was either very small
man, or not one possessing much physi-
cal strength. In the safe was box Of
specie, which, being unable to lift to his