Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1869-07-08
SCIENTIFIC BANK ROBBERY.

The latest sensation in New York is bank rob-
berry, which was accomplished with such skill and
boldness as to amount almost to genius. The
Ocean Bank was entered, on Saturday night, by
means of hole made throug gh the floor into the
Presidents room from the basement Once inside,
the burglars soon got into the vault, and that with
out doing any injury to the lock- The keys to the
second vault door hung inside the rst so that the
door offered no impediment The third door was
more stubborn, and was forced open by means Of
a powerful screw. Here the labor Of getting in
ended, and that of carrying off booty began.
The safe containing special deposits to the amount
Of $500, 900, was thoroughly cleaned. out. These
deposits consisted of coupons, bonds, national cur
rency, &c., which could be easily used. Twenty
thousand dollars in currency belongngto the bank,
were also taken. But the burglars were too smart
to take securities which could not be transferred,
and too lazy or weak to take specie. The bank
contained 100000 in gold, which was untouched
After finishing their labors, the robbers partook
ofa lunch before leaving, the remains Of which
were found in the bank on Monday morning.
When they went away, they left behind them sew
eral hats coats and other articles of clothing, two
bowie knives, box of pistol cartridges and set
of ropes But the most valuable property left be-
hind was complete set of burglar TOOLS said to be
worth $780, The Journal Of Commerce gives
the following description Of them:
We have before us accurate pen and ink sketch
es and verbal descriptions Of the principal tools
used and abandoned at the hank. They are Of all
kinds, heavy, light coarse, fine, about 400 pieces
in all, designed and fitted for every professional
exigency, with the nice discrimination Of den
lists set of instruments to which the $50 sizes of
drills bear slight general resemblance. Most Of
the articles were specially made for the business,
it would seem, by skilled manufacturers in this
country or abroad d-another evidence Of the recog-
nized status of burglary as means Of livelihood.
The 'jimmies" for prying open doors were of the
finest STEEL beautifully finished, each of two pieces,
which screwed together There were Eve steel
bars, one and half inches thick, and four feet
eight inches long, chisel-edged at each end, and
unscrewing in the middle. All the implements,
including the powerful jackscrew, were construct
ed to be taken apart in small pieces and packed into
a close space or carried about in pockets.
Nothing could be more nicely contriyed than the
can with the flexible tube for filling safe locks with
fine powder The sledges of soft composition met
al, which gave out no ringing sound, the two hun.
dred brad avis for fastening muslin against the
windows, the gum oyer-shoes in which the robbers
could move about noiselessly, the thoughtful pro-
vision of strong cords and of handouts to gag and
to fetter anybody who should intrude on them un-
awares-these contrivances, like all of the other
details ofehs deed, are truly artful and scientific
Nothing was omitted necessary to the object sought
and that is the very essence of art as contrasted
with bungling empiricism. But the master-stroke
of the whole was the opening of the crack combi:
nation lock on the outer door, There are several
theories proposed to account for this, but they are
all based On the supposition that by cousion, or in
some other way, the burglars obtained the numbers
of the combination, to which the door was locked
on Saturday night.
But what if they have hit upon some device to
ascertain the combination by manipulating thelock
ITSELF making it tell its own secret and then open
the door as easily as the man who locked it? This
is flight of art which the combination lockmakers
have believed to be beyond the reach of mortals.
But the detectives say there are some burglars
the brightest graduates in the school-who can per-
form this feat hitherto supposed to be practically
impossible. They may not be able to open all
combination locks; but may not some be as easy
OF unrlddling as child s puzzle2 The third door,
We observe, was fastened with another pattern of
the combination lock, and it may be that that de-
fed their SKILL and hence the door had to be forced
with the jack-screw.
Ofcourse, the bank officers took immediate steps
for the detection Of the criminals; but police and
detectives, one after another, were obliged to con-
fess themselves at fault Three days afterward q
trunk, marked to Captain Jourdon, of the police,
was found in Elizabeth street. On being opened,
it was found to contain s26S,0O0 in bonds and
certificates belonging to the Ocean bank. Myste-
ry hangs over the affair still; and suspicious have
been exnressed that the chief Of nnlice of New