New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-07-01
THE BANK ROBBERY.

Tho Ocean Bank robbery becomes Iu"lc anu
more exciting. The extraordinary operations
of the burglars in piercing through n iloor,
picking n combination lock, and tearing of the
massive doors of three strong safes by the aid
of the most costly and ingenious mechanical
appliances, were enough to make the robbery
one of the most wonderful on record. But the
remarkable way in which they carried the
money of is now overshadowed by the still
more remarkable way in which they have
brought most of it back again. Early yester-
day morning an officer patrolling Elizabeth-st
found ON the sidewalk small trunk, marked
"For Captain Jourdan, Sixth Ward" it was
taken to the Station-llouse, and discovered to
contain something like S35O,0OO of the stolen
property in checks bonds, and securities Of
various kinds.
We shall probably hear charges against the
police of completely with the thieves IN the res
toration of this money, just as We heard
charges of their carelcssncss, or worse, in per-
hitting it to be stolen. But we see no reason
why they should be blamed for the burglary
or supposed to have barganed with the rob
bers for the recovery of what they could not
use Give few expert craftsmen good base
of operations, and n day and half to work IN,
and they can open any bank without attracting
the attention of the most watchful police in the
world. Here they had basement Office to
themselves where they could not be overlooked.
When they got into the bank they could not
be seen from the street, and they darkened
the windows SO that no ray from their lanterns
could get out. There was no reason why any
body should interrupt them on Sunday, and
their tools were so good that they made very
little noise. OF course they ran risk of being
discovered at work; but the fact that they
escaped it only proves that they were lucky,
not that the police were careless. How the
secret of the combination lock was learned or
guessed is another matter, with which we arc
not now concerned. 1t will no doubt be duly
investigated.
The restoration of the money is not hard to
be accounted for. AS soon rs the robbery was
discovered the detectives were on the alert
There are not many gangs in the country ca
pablo of carrying out burglary so well, and
all of them are more or less intimately known
by the police. The circle Of criminals, there
fore, upon whom suspicion rested, was n mar
row one, and investigation promised to make
it narrower and narrower every day. Proba-
bly, the guilty persons felt that they were in
greater danger after the robbery than while
they were actually engaged upon it. The
bonds and checks were useless to them, for
they could not be negotiated, and, reasoning
as rogues would reason, it was the most nat
ural thing in the world that they should turn
them over to the police. They perhaps hoped
by doing so to conciliato their natural enemies.
They calculated that when the Indictment of
the promised rewards had been cut Off by this
maneuver the severity of the pursuit would
relax. The detectives would care little for tho
thieves after they had recovered the money
Perhaps upon the whole tho reasoning was
sound, but we think well enough of our police
to doubt it. The stimulus Of cupidity Is in
deed removed, but for this very reason pro-
fessional pride will DO still moro keenly
and the force, We trust, will DO moro
vigorous in their search than before.