The Republican journal., 1870-11-03
From the Boston Post, Oct 27.l
BOLD BANK BURGLARY.
GRAFTON, MASS, Oct .

GRAFTON, MASS, Oct 26.
This quiet country village, in the heart of the
Commonwealth, nine miles from worcester ana
been today the scene of the widest excitement 1t
ever Witnessed. In fact it has received shaking
TO its centre, from which it will be many months at
least before it recoycrs. The people will go to bed
to-nioht with feeling of insecurity dametrcally
opposite to their wonted pacidity, and will see vis-
ions and hear sounds ofdiretul import, In their
dreams Grafton has two banks, the First Nation
al in one or other of which the citizens have been
acclistomed-thoSe of them blessed with more
than ordinary supply of this worlds goods-to de-
post for safe keeping their surplus funds, Y. ,.
bonds. etc. Hitherto, these special deposits nave
been considered safely bestowed as though lad
away in the vaults of the Bank of England, or m
vested in real estate. But the events OF last nlgnt
have changed all this, and those VINO retired iasl
night with the comfortable feeling that they were
well to do are to-day reduced to the possession
merely of the houses and lands they occupy. ana
al this has been brought about by the daring ana
successful crime of gang of professional burglars
from some one OF the great cities, undoubtedly, and
perhaps from over the water. Indeed, the opera
lion throughout characterized by the audacity.
thp skill and the determined and deliberate perse-
ycrance which marks the finished English burglar.
HOW THE DEED WAS DONE.
About ten o'clock last evening, as Mr.. Lewis
Daniels who has for some three or four years
trustily and acceptably filled the position Of watch
man in the First National Bank, going from
his house across the little village common to begin
his nightly tour Of duty at the Bank. he was ac-
costeu near the lower end of the green by man
who inquired if the drug store was to be open again
if the druggist was going to return, as he had
The toothache and wanted to get some chlOroform
for it. Before MI Daniels had time to reply, he
WAS conscious of crushing blow the throat,
and simultaneously, some heavy woolen garment
wrap was thrown over his head as muifer and
Il gag was thrust into his mouth. His arms We're
at the same time seized from behind and firmly
held while a low, determined voice spoke, Bring
the handouts, Number Three In an instant a
pair of handouts were tightly casped upon his
wrists, closely pinionng his arms behind his back.
He then directed, on peril of his life to hold
his peace and lead the way to the Bank. His pock-
cts were searched and the keys of the building and
the various rooms taken, with which the villains
quietly effected an entrance. Mr. Daniels was taken
into The coal room, in rear of the banking room,
and thrown uron bunk. His legs were tied, and
the mutfer removed from his head, while he was
cautioned that the slightest noise or movement on
his part would insure his death. The inside blinds
of the banking room were carefully closed, but no
other movement made by the robbers till about II
p. NJ. when a lodge of Good Templars, which had
been in session during the evening in an upper sto-
ry. had adjourned and departed, When every thing
being quiet and in readiness to proceed they began
with the tools in their possession to force the vault
and approach its contents This work OF
time and labor but they had plenty of leisure and
sufficiently powerful tools, and worked without
hurry and with perfect quiet and system until they
We're completely successful. By half-past four this
morning the contents of the vault in their pos
session and they left the building and departed
with their plunder, leaving the watchman still
bound and gagged i'll the coal room. During the
long hours of the night Mr. Daniels was obliged to
lie a passive auditor of the proceedings, and Was
frequently visited by and another OF the villains
and quietly cautioned to keep silence, being tGid
that there We're twelve of them, and that they
would clean him out if he gave utterance to a
sound. About O'Clock this morning, Mr. B. New
ton. who occupies store in the building, in open
ing his store heard gr0ans, which he at first hOught
proceeded from his cellar, but looking there found
nothing. Then his attention being aroused, he
looked around the building, and a rope lead
ing out from the Bank entrance and shut under the
door Pushing open the door. the open and plumb
cred vault met his eye, and the groans growing
louder he followed them into the coal room, where
the watchman was discovered on the bunk in a
terrible state of mental and physical distress. The
handouts had been so tightly applied that they had
cut into his wrists and the consequent swelling of
his arms, from the pressure and the constrained
position in which he lay, had caused the flesh to
pun out around the irons so that they were nearly
hidden from view. 1t was necessary to carry him
u Il machine shop and have the irons cut and filed
away tr0m his wrists before he was released The
gag had bruiseu'and swollen his mouth and cheeks
ms legs were cralnped and swollen from the tying
ana constran they had undergone, while the mel-
tal prosration he experienced from the terrors and
haShlps OF the night had left him in pitiable con-
d,tion.