The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1865-02-14

On Thursday evening about o'clk,
our community was startled by a rob-
berry which in its boldness and magni-
tude has seldom had parallel.
The Bank of Crawford County was
entered and robbed of box contain
ing United States bonds, Of different
kinds, amounting to nearly 100000.
The Cashier, Mr.. Officer, and his son,
were at the cash-table counting and
arranging the moner preparatory to
making up the Dash account and depos-
iting the money in the vault, when sud
denly the gas lights were all extin-
guished, a window crashed in, and be-
fore light could be obtained the thief
escaped through the window with the
box containing the bonds.
The alarm was given as speedily as
possible; but, as is often the case in
such excitement and confusion, no
plan was adopted with promptness to
secure the thieves, who were yet in
close proximity to the bank. In an
hour or so the box was found a short
distance in the rear of the bank, brok-
en- open, and emptied of most of its
contents, only few packages belong
ing to individuals being left in it, A
close watch was kept up in the vicinity
during the night, and in the morning
most of the bonds were found conceal
ed in various places about some out
buildings in the rear of the bank. The
evident intention of the thieves was to
return and secure the packages during
night. Three or feur suspicious char
acters were arrested and searched, but
nothing was found about them tending
to convict them, and they were releas-
ed.
From all the indications the robbery
had been "worked up" by professional
thieves, who had entered the bank du-
ring some previous night, drawn the
nails from the window strips so they
could be showed in easily, unscrewed
the main gas pipe at the ceiling so that
it could be knocked off quickly, and ex-
tendedla string from the inside to the
outside to be used to signal between
the operators. One of the party had
managed to get inside of the back room
of the building and had probably been
concealed there under the bed during
most of the day. The doors between
the rooms were open SO the thief could
watch the movements of those in the
bank without being observed, and EN-
brace favorable opportunity for &c,
ton.
In less than five minutes after the
book-keeper left the bank, the thief ap.
preached from behind, with long
wooden bar knocked off the gas burn
ers, at the same instant his accomplices
on the outside smashed in the window,
and he was off with the box. The
whole job was the work of less than q
minute, and before Mr.. Officer or his
son could recover from their surprise
and give the alarm, the thieves had
made secure retreat. The box sal
on a table at the rear end of tho Office,
and to this circumstance, in all proba
bility, Mr.. Officer owes his life: for had
it not been there the thief would have
made for the cash on the counter, and
to get it would undoubtedly have disa
bled Mr.. Officer with the heavy bar US
ed to knock out the gas.
4 The whole amount of bonds not yet
recovered is $27,55e. of these s25,
:. 500 were seven4thirties just received
from the Department. Of this amount
there were fifteen 81 900 bonds, most o.
the ramaipdcr were $500 bonds. The
numbers of these are known ant
will be published, to guard tht
public from purchasing. The actoa
loss to the bank will in the end proba
bly, not exceed $4,000, and even IL Tho
whole &27 $50 should be lost It will no'
linrthcleass impairfhe credit Of the hanI
! ".sysb vol nilhW