The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1873-12-11
The Big Rapids Bank Robbery.

In our last issue we made brief
mention of the fact that the ex-
change bank at Big Rapids had
been robbed. The Pioneer of
Dec. 4tli, has tho following ac-
count:
Upon attempting to open the vault
doors Of the Exchange Bank in this city on
Monday morning last at the hour Of com
mencing business, 1t was found impossible to
effect an entrance after trial of half an
hour or more, and hole was then cut
through the wall of the vault through which
the book-keeper, Charles A. Stickney enter
ed, when he found the contents of the vault
in the utmost confusion, and the doors fast
ened with piece of scantlng some two feet
in length, placed in such q position as to
prevent the bolt work of the doors from
being moved. The safe had been left un-
locked and therefore presented no obstacle
to the burglars reaching the money contained
therein, which was about the sum Of three
thousand dollars, $4,000 ofwhich was taken.
The thieves entered the vault by tunneling
from the west end Of the building under the
joists, making trench some twenty feet
long and large enough to admit the body Of
a good sized man. The josts came very
close to the ground, and the earth removed
from the trench was closely packed on each
side of the same between the joists, filling
close up to the floor, and the stones taken
from the foundation Of the vault where the
hole was made through which the burglars
entered, were also scattered along the sides
of the trench, crowded under the floor, with
about half wagon load or more of them
taken nearly to the outside of the building
where large hole was dug in which man
could sit upright. The entrance from the
outside was made under the sill of the build
ing between two wood-sheds and was nine
inches high, by eighteen to twenty inches
wide; the trench being dug direct from this
opening to the corner of the vault. The
thieves left two pairs Of grey blankets, an
old checked cotton coat and piece OF sack
ing in the trench, and evidently had been at
work for some days and nights, using the
blankets for bedding as they were consider
ably soled with the moist earth, and several
pieces Of crackers were found sticking to
them. .sf
The officers Of the bank have offered re-
ward OF one thousand dollars for any in
formation which will result in the detection
AMI conviction OF the guilty parties. The
President Of the Bank, Gen. Bronson, says
he left the safe unlocked himself, on Sunday,
"a he wished to examine some papers therein,
and not understanding the combination lock,
left it unlocked as he had sometimes done
before, depending upon the vault to preserve
its contents. One Of the employees Of the
bank unlocked the safe at the Generals re-
quest. Two young men, the book-keeper,
Mr.. Stickney and Charles Milaer, clerk in
Perry Il Cos Drug Store, slept in the back
room Of the bank, upon sofa almost direct
ly over the place where the hole was dug
under the vault, and both say they remember
to have heard noises near them for several
nights preceding the robbery which they
could not account for. but thought they
were caused by mice. The work Of the rob-
hers was skillfully performed and srom ITS
magnitude evidently occupied several days.
and nights in its performance.