The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-03-17
The Grent Robbery OF $780, 900 in
New Yorlk-Further Particulars.

The discovery of the robbery was
made on last Thursday morning, when
Mr.. Lord, on making IN unusual in
spection of the interior of his money
safe, missed the two tin boxes con
tanning the stolen bonds. At first he
was perfectly nonplussed, and sat
down in silence to deliberate on what
measures to adopt to secure the stolen
papers and the arrest of the thief or
thieves He was not long in arriving
at Il conclusion, namely: an imme-
diate visit to the police headquarters,
in Mulberry street, and there inform
the proper officer of his loss. The case
was Immediately placed in the hands
of Captain John Young, chief of the
detective force, who summoned a
number Of his most expert men to
''work the case up" Mr.. Lords
statement was very brief, and be could
give no information whereby the
officers could get clue, nor could he
give the name of a single person to
whom he attached suspicion. Captain
Young at once visited Mr.. Lords
office. 1t is q very unpretentious one,
on the street floor, near the Mer-
chants Exchange. Its furniture is of
a very plain character, and certainly
bore no indications of it's being a
place where SO large siam as the
amount stolen would be deposited.
The safe from which the bonds were
taken is the ordinary old wall or bank
safe, secured by simply-constructed
lock. Within this was another safe,
in which valuable papers, such as
stocks, bonds and railroad securities
were kept. The lock of the inner safe
has been out of order for some time,
so that it could not be bolted. Cap
tain Young made all examination of
the safe, and was not long in arriving
at the conclusion that it was rather
poor place to keep valuable papers,
as any unprofessional burglar or bank
thief could open it without extraordi-
nary skill or effort Mr. Lord is eighty
years of age, and it is said that of late
he has been apparently somewhat
careless as to the safety of his per-
sonal property The followingis told
by way of exemplifying his want of
ne care: It isasaid chat, slfooft time
since, he took from his safe a very
large quantity of Government bonds,
and then cut off the coupons, placing
the latter in his pockets and going
home, leaving the pile of bonds lying
loosely upon the table in his office,
When he ha gone, the porter no.
ticed the bonds lying there, and not
knowing exactly what to do in the
case, finally decided to put them in
his handkerchief and take them home
to Mr.. Lord. On handing the bun
die to him, he (Mr. Lord asked the
porter where he got them, and, on
being told, remarked quietly that he
did not think that he had ever done
anything like that before
It is also stated that, on the days
when the interest on the stolen bonds
was due, he would take the tin boxes
containing them, and, taking seat
in his Office. near the street window,
there occupy the greater part of the
day in cutting off the coupons.
When the detectives requested Mr..
Lord to furnish the numbers and de-
scription Of the stolen property, he
could not give them, and it was only
by the personal exertions of Captain
Young that the list embodied in this
report was obtained He did this by
visiting the Office of the Sub Treasury
and there examining the coupons on
which Mr.. Lord procured the interest
on the last payment day. It is further
stated that Mr.. Lord has been repeat
edly known to leave his safe unlocked
when going home; that, on recent
occasion, he did so, when it was care
fully locked by the janitor of the
building, who returned him the KEY
the next morning; that, on another
occasion, the janitor found the safe
key in the wash hand basin. On the
morning Of the discovery of the rob-
berry, however, this was not the case; :;
the outer door of the safe waslocked
and the key was in Mr.. Lords pock-
ct. The first theory of the detectives
was, that some person who was ac-
quainted with Mr.. Lords habits of
going in and out of his Office, during
business hours, got an impression Of
the safe key, from which duplicate
was made; but subsequent events
have dispelled this idea. OF the 81,
500, 900 worth of bonds stolen, over
81, 900, 900 was the property of Mr..
Lord, and the balance belonged to a
friend of his, whose name has not
transpired. 1t was in Mr.. Lords
Office not for business purposes, but
merely for safe-keeping. There is
one fact connected witE,this robbery
from which it msy beEfnferred that