The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-10-21
A GisOTESQUE ROBBERY
a Niscr's Den Rsansncked.

AN ECCEnrRIC coISsELLER ROBBED OF
S100,0 WHILE HE WAS IN THE ToMBs
CHARGED WITH BUYING STOLEN POST
AGE STAMPS.
An eccentric old man who, although
wealthy, lived in populous tenement
house, u III although having neither wife
nor childr, II dil not invite any friends to
share his home, was robbed of property
worth 800 0)0, which he had sccreted in
his room, on Sunday night, Oct. IL.
Luther Bryant wa, born in the year 1901
near the village of Cummington, Berkshire
County Mass, where his father, Il physi-
clan, was practicing medicine at the time
AT the age of IA he was graduated from
Williams College and he then Travelled in
Europe for over two years. Returning he
studied medicine, was soon given his ply
scan's diploma, and began work in his
profession. After residence of many
years in Burlington, VT, he changed his
homo, in 1913, to Charleston, S. G.. He
out; when, being ill-treated on account of
his Northern birth, he came to this city
Thinking that years might pass before he
could obtain a remunerative practice in a
city where he had only few acquaintance
he determined to erect stand in the busiest
part of the city and buy and sell old coins,
revenue stamps, and mutilated currency.
For many years before he had bought old
coins out of curiosity and had become an
expert in regard to their worth. lie Sc
lec:ed as his home two looms on the third
floor of tenement house which had just
been erected at No. l Forsyth ST., and lie
has since lived in them He then began
business on the principle of buying cheap
and selling dear. Believing that it was an
indiscreet business habit on the part of a
purchaser of old coin to offer high price
for rare coin to a person who had acci-
dentally become possessed of one, and was
unaware of its true value, he adopted the
practice of refusing to give over a certain
small amount for coin, at least 200 per
cent below its true value. If the keeper
of an old coin stamp should offer $40 for a
coin worth 500, the person intending to
sell the coin would almost invariably re-
fuse to sell and go away to make inquiries
concerning its true value. Whereas if the
proprietor should offer Is cents for Ro.
man coin of the time of Augustus, the
owner of the coin would usually think he
had got avery good price for it. Shortly
after arriving in this city, and beginning
business on the principle described, BROTH
er of his died and bequeathed him bonds
worth many thousand dollars. He con-
tinued in his business, Notwithstanding the
legacy, and made money. Having always
lived alone, never hiving been married,
and being very economical, frugal in his
diet, healthy, abstainng from both liquor
and tobacco, he had accumulated small
fortune even before reaching this city. 1t
has been his habit for 10 years past to lie I'VE
his home at s a. m walk to a restaurant
in Chatham ST., eat breakfast, and then CO.
ing to his stand begin the work of the day.
His stand was placed against the iron fence
surrounding the old north Dutch church,
at Fulton and William sts., and being pass
ed daily by many thousand persons, was
consequently in excellent position for a
seller of old coin. Here he would remain
until p. M, summer and winter. Then
closing up the stand he would again 20 to
the restaurant in Chatham st., eat supper,
it being his habit to have only two meals a
day, and then would go home. 1t was sell
rooms. Never during the daytime, and
for only few moments at night, did friends
remain in them. The door leading out in
to the hallway of the house had three locks
"a patent paddock, a night-latch lock, an
ordinary house-door lock. Attached to
the inside of the door there was also large
chain, which could be so fastened to the
jamb of the door as TO prevent its being
opened further than two inches Although
there was such number of locks, the pan
el of the pine door was so thin that with Q
moderately sharp knife a thief could easily
and quickly cut hole large enough &c
crawl through. There were two rooms
the larger and outer rooms being used as {
sort of parlor, and the inner room as
sleeping apartment The floor of the outer
room was covered with handsome brus
sells carpet, and the walls were almost hid
den from sight with multitude of small
chrome paintings and glass vases of curious
shape and different colors. The furnitur,
was good, the attention of the visitor to tho
rooms being especially attracted to a small
rosewood bureau, upon the top of which
rested large and costly French clock
visitor looking at the bureau would hay,
thought that there were only three drawers
and if prompted by curiosity to have omen
cd them, would have found within tn,
clothing of the occupant of the room. I'm
derneath the third drawer, however, Their,
was secret drawer, easily discovered new
ertheless if the drawer above was pulled
out of the bureau. In this secret drawe
and on the floor beneath it, Bryant declare,
he placed $4,000 in 800 gold pieces durinl
the past IL years. Before concealing tn
coin he would weigh it carefully, so as Il
be certain that it was piece OF full weigh
and then would punch small hole in tn
head of the Goddess of Liberty on the fac
Of the coin. lie would then inclose ON
hundred pieces of the coin in silk pape
and store away the rolls in the secre
drawer. The clock upon the bureau wa
sheltered from dust by large glass cover
1t was theory of Bryants that if any por
son should gain entrance to the room du
ring his absence they would not dare 4
move tho bureau, and thus uncover tn
rolls of gold on the floor beneath il from
fear of breaking the clock. The burea,
did not conceal, however, all the wealth i,
the room. A shelf seven feet above Nm
floor supported large tin case. This cas-
was almost filled with rare coins, accum,,
lated by the occupant during the thrice
years he had been in business. lie ha