Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1866-01-11
THE GREAT EXPRESS ROBBERY.

Further Particulars-HaIf Million of Dollars
Stolen-Enorts to Arrest the Thieves-Payment
or Losses, &c.
Full particulars of the great robbery of the Adams
Express Company. briefly mentioned in Geographic
dispatches on Monday are given in the New Haven
(COnnectcuO journal of that morning.
The famous iron car belonging 10 the Adams
Express Company, attached to one of the New
Haven trains was broken open. last Saturday night,
while its way between New York and New
Haven, and safe containing some s7OOOOo in
bonds, specie, government Securities ETC., forced
open and the above property taken therelrom The
ear containing the safe is made entirely of irOn and
supposed to be perfectly alright with only one door
on the side, securely fastened with strong paddock.
The car was in charge of one of the company mes
sengers named Thorne, whose duty it was TO attend
to the opening and fastening Of the lock.
The safe was taken from the depot at 9th street
M TO the station 42l street and thence placed in
the car At the given time the train started the mes
senger going through the car and reporting all right
A the train neaTed Stamford The messenger found
that the door had been forced open, and upon fur
Their examination discovered that one Of the safes
had been broken into and it, contents taken. IL is
supposed that the thieves after having gained &c.
cess to the safes jumped oil the train at Coos Cut
about three miles west of Stamford. \ jimmy, three
dark lanterns, and a slcdge hammer were found in
the car supposed that the paddock was Knocked
away by A blow from the hammer. The most slngu-
lar part of the robbery was that the lock was found
inside the car showing that the thleVes were olu
hands at the business The plan TO rob the safe is
supposed To have been arranged by parties who
were familiar with the workings of the company's
express ears, and il no doubt took months before
they had it completed.
1.-THE scene in the car, when opened at this city,
must have been quite singular. The floor was
stewn with valuables which the thieves had reject
ed or overlooked. United States bonds in consider
able number lay around loose; n bag OF pennies was
picked up; quantity of silver foil was strewed upon
the oor and the envelopes and wrappers of the val
liable packages stolen were scattered about. Seeing
something apparently more substantial than the
other empty wrappers, gentleman asked Isn't that
money! and picked up $50, 600 in one handful. The
thieves left dark lantern. 1t is reported that s53-
600 of the treasure taken was in gold.
" In the amount taken, As well rs in the bo!dness
and success of the operation this is Of the most
remarkable robbericS on record"
The New York Post says:
The company have promptly advised all the ship
pers of valuabes to present their receipts for pay
ment at the Office of the company, No. 90 Broad
way. The amount stolen is estimated at S5OO,OOO.
Efforts are making to arrest the thieves and no
expense will he spared to accomplish this object. 1t
is a somewhat singular fact that robbery that
has been perpetrated OH this company ever escaped
detection and punishment.