The New York herald., 1871-06-28
The NORWALK BANK ROBBERY,
Trial Of One Of the Accused in the Court Of
Oyer and TeRminer.
HISTORY OF THE CASE.

HISTORY OF THE CASE.
There have been few robberies In this country
more ingeniously planned, more boldly and success
fully accomplished and. rrom all the circumstances
surrounding it, startling in Its effects upon the
community. than that OF the National Bank Of NOrA
walk Conn.,, in October 1869, which occasion, al
will be remembered. the robbers cooly walked away
with about $l5o,ooo or United States bonds and
funds belonging to the pank and It's depostors.
Memory OF the robbery and "reminiscences OF it0
singular details are revived by the trial entered upon
yesterday in the Court Of Oyer and Termlner before
Judge Cardozo of Frank OKell, charged with being
one OF the robbers. Recapitulation of the
PARTICULARS OF THE ROBBERY
requires but brief space. The bank Is q brick buld
ing, with handsome brown stone front, and situs
ated In the principal street OF the city. Some las
borers, while on their way TO work early in thes
morning, observed some tin cash boxes and papers
lying around loose in front OF the bank This set
inquiries on foot, when 1t was speedily discovered
that the bank mad been robbed. The robbers, ass
was clearly to be seen enered the building by the
1ront door by means OF false keys, locking, Of
course, the door behind them. Opening tho
vault doors by wedges and '.jimmies, was
an easy task. Then they made o foraY
on cash boxes, sampling their contents and ap-
proprating what was valuable. But these were
none OF your everyday gentlemen, content with SUCH
small recognition OF their professional worth TheE
estimated themselves at higher figure They
struck for higher game burglar proof safe OF the
best and strongest MAKE was no bar to them.i
Patience pluck and powder, boring and blasting did
the WORK. They saw before them mine Of wealth..
rivalling that revealed to Hassam In the robbers,
cave and they helped themselves as freely Mean.l
miles away with their booty. 1t was neat job
neatly done. At once every means was set on foot
to get on the
TRACK OF THE ROBBERS.
Detective skill was employed. including Elder and
Tilley, reckoned among the snrewdest or city
detectives. AT length the disposal OF some OF the
stolen bonds at the banking house OF Fisk 4 Hatch
was traced to young man named william Droi,
who, andlng himself likely to get into serious dil-
Guilty, said they came from
FRAME o'KELL,
who then broker doing business at 6so Broad.4
way. o'Kell was accordingly arrested, and after
time 1t was concluded TO charge him with being one,
OF the robbers. lie was promptly indicted by the,
Grand Jury, and on arraignment plead not guilty.
He Is fine looking man OF about forty five years Of
age, wears no wnlskers has round ruddy face and
abundant hair, once OF raven-like blacKEess, evi-
conspcuously so about the temples. He sat behind
his counsel, Mr.. sedgwck, whom he was Dusily
The prosecution was conducted by Assistant District
Attorney Algernon 5. sullivan Ihe court room was
opening which he did very briefly. but clearly and
pointedly, IN his usual way. commenced calling the
TESTIMONY FOR TIE PROSECUTION.
Charles Rockwell, teller OF the bank, testified to-
his having locked the bank safe on the 30th Of Sep
tember. 1869. with bonds and boxes containing
the safe broken and the bonds gone next morning.
Robert 3. Craniord. Ebenezer Hill, D. w. Stewart
and Edward X. Lockwood, testified to their indi-
vidual losses, and gave the numbers Of several Of
the lost bonds.
bonds and three coupon bonds he had seen in the
SuO-Treasury, IN consequence OF after from the
Treasury Department; he had not sent them there,
{These bonds were produced from re ub-Treasuxl
and the witness identied them.)
Cross examined These bonds provided for the
payment or both principal and interest.
Mr.. Sedgwick said ne would move for q verdict OF
not guilty on the ground OF variance between the
Mr. Stewart was recalled and testified he had seen
one Of the bonds In the East River Bank; IL was
shown him by the president OF the bank.
MIR. John Van Orten, Cashier OF the Stuyvesant;
Bank, testified that IN october. 1909, Frank OKeI
ernment collateras: the first for $4,000, which
was closed out by sale OF the bonds through
White, Morris 4 Co: the second for about sixteen
thousand dollars the collateral In both was United
states bonds, and both were closed out Dy salesi
he could not say what were the numbers OF any OF
Cross-eXamned-Mr O'Kell had had an account
for over two years In the bank; his business Was
had had frequent loans before from four TO ten
thousand; this loan was called In in from eight to
Kept banded together with the name OF the owner
on them; the c0llaterals were kept in tin box he
dd not 81 know nov OF any loan on these collateras ob.
have known OF 1t; the securities were delivered to
White. Morris CO. BY one OF their messengers; he
could not tell which one; he had known Mr.. Oxen
for seven or eight years; his character was always
good.
sti in the banks the third resides In 10th street.
MIR. Newell Cashier OF the East River National
loaned him 81, 900 on iive.twenty bond this loan
was paid In september 1870; the number OF tho
bopd was 81, ,b25; when ne called In the loan Ars
Cross-examined-Mr O'Kell kept an account with
the bank from 1856; mis- business character was
rally on United states iivetwenties as collateras;
he was broker
and was their government clerk In October $780, ON
October IL the firm bought from the Stuyvesant
TO Mr. Sedgwick-They were handed me by the;
messenger OF the stuyyesant sank; won't swear to
that though; 1t may have been the cashier; it was
they belonged after taking the numbers on a slip; r
entered the numbers from the slip on the book. and
from the book took this Slip
question by Mr.. sullivan-what were the num-
berS Of the bonds?
Mr. Sedgwck objects that no connection was
made between the bonds deposited by MIR. Oxen
and the bonds received by the witness. The OBJ
lection was overruled aud the defendant excepted.
The witness gave the numbers or the bonds, all
81 ,00O bought by them the 1lth, and gave SINH
lar testimony as to seven $10O bonds bought on the
18th OF October.
on November Mr.. White. q member OF the firm.
received some bonds from the Stuyvesant Bank in
his presence-several bonds OF $1,000 and two OF
$780, He took the list from the bonds and entered
them as In the other case There was another pur-
chase OF three bonds on that day, but his memory
this last smaller transaction was not clear, ex
cept from hts books. He was allowed to give the
numbers. some OF these numbers corresponded
with the numbers Of tie lost bonds.
The trial has not been concluded. This man
O'Kell occupied part OF fne basement under the
Ocean Bank al the time IT was robbed. IL Will bo
rememDered the manner oil rObbing the Ocean and
Norwalk banks was much the same.
The case will bc resumed this morning