The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-07-24
ARREST OF SUSPECTED PAR
TIES AT BETHEL.
$4,000 IN BILLS AND BONDS
STOLEN.
TSpecial to the Press, |

WINTHROP, July 23-One of the boldest and
most successful and at the same time most
bungling bank robberes on record occurred in
this village early this morning. The Winthrop
National and Winthrop Savings Bank, with
John M. Benjamin as cashier of both, occupy
second story room in building on Main street
at the business centre of the village. The
bank is surrounded by dwelling houses and
stores and is as unfavorably situated for secret
operations as can we'll be imagined. There are
many wild stories current about the move
ments of the burglars last night, and to have
seen a suspicious character during the night is
assumed among the village gossips. But sift-
ing the stories and reducing the matter as
nearly as possible to establish facts he
History of this Robbery
is this: When the half-past three o'clock train
from Portland and Boston arrived yesterday
afternoon two strangers alighted at the depot.
They were hailed by third stranger from the
fields near by, and the trio joined company
and instead of seeking the village walked in
the opposite direction down the track. They
were next seen at about midnight, when they
walked up Main street toward the bank, at
tracing no more attention than would be
accorded to ordinary tramps. At one O'Clock
people in the hotel and in other buildings near
the bank heard an explosion, which they at
tributed to this cause and that, and then re-
tanned TO unsusnectipg sleep. There is no
Waterman in the village. An hour later there
was another and some say two explosions At
just three o'clock as the village bell was strik-
ing, there was a final
Very Loud Explosion,
which aroused the people in fifty or sixty
houses and was heard at distance of many
rods. The alarm now become general and sew
eral citizens arising and going to their windows
saw three or four men walking rapidly toward
the church. One man, a Mr.. Woodward, fol-
lowed them and says tina two wore light suits,
and that third was thick and with heavy
moustache. One carried water pail on his
arm. They went to shed behind the. church,
where man awaited them with a top buggy
and saddle horse. One burglar mounted the
horse and the others drove off furiously in the
buggy. They passed down Marston's Hill at
Monmouth at half-past three. They were fol-
lowed as far as Leeds Junction and there the
pursuit was abandoned. The
Proceedings of the Burglars
were as follows: The safe, an old-fashioned
one of the worst make, stood out on the floor at
the rear of the room to which access was read
lily obtained. One man was stationed across
the street and seen there by the vigilant but
not very active villagers. The first explosion
was that which opened the outside or fire proof
door far enough to insert a small can of frozen
nitro glycerine, and, exploding it with fuse,
a great hole was burst through the iron door
and the mortar packing scattered in every d.
rection. The bolts were easily Withdrawn and
the burglars came to the books of the bank,
which they did not disturb, and the so called
'burglar proof" which they did. One expert
mental explosion did not open that and these
cool scoundrels returned and inserted another
and
An Overwhelming Charge.
This they exploded at three o'clock. The door
and tie bungling old tumbler lock were blown
to fragments, promissory notes and currency
were mutilated as if the rats had been among
them; even the sashes were blown out of the
windows dozen feet away. The flash was
distinctly seen from windows opposite. One
man, it may be mentioned, had been lying in a
bed not ten feet from the safe, either asleep OF
afraid to get up and NEEDLE in such trouble.
some business. The craftsmen hastily scooped
up the contents of the burglar proof" filled a
water pail with them and issued forth as has
already been described.
AS to the
Contents of the Box,
the bank officers are reticent. The popular es-
innate is that the funds of the National and
Savings Bank therein contained amounted to
about $50, 0OO-$10,O 900 iu bills and $4,000 in
government bonds The National Bank is
very strong and its credit is not impaired.
Charles M. Bailey, the President-the oil cloth
manufacturer-states that he would be glad to
give 1.25 for it's stock to-day. He intimates
that the burglars did not get so much as is pop
ularly supposed. 1t has been against the policy
of the bank to take deposits. He is one of the
heaviest losers. Among the others are Mr..
Charles Wing and Levi Jones, who are direct
ors and had government bonds in the safe.
What the individual losses are it is impossible
to ascertain. In the Savings Bank the loss
comes principally upon girl operatives in the
manufactures who had here deposited
This is about all the story. That the bur-
glars were
Very Green or Very Bold
is shown by their protracted operations. 1t is
the opinion of a safe man w1o is here that ex-
perts could have opened the safe without nitro
glycerine and in half an hour. The tools left
behind show that their kit was incomplete and
primitive. In the forenoon the dispatch came
announcing the
Arrest of Suspicious Characters
at Bethel. Deputy Sheriff Carr and Mr.
Woodward, a man who had seen the burglars
went on Immediately. The bank was transact
ing business this afternoon under rather dis
heartening surroundings. That the National
Bank can meet its loss there is not shadow of
doubt 1t has surplus of thirty or forty
thousand dollars and sound hackers. The great
marvel Is that while so many people were
aware that something extraordinary was going
on nobody gave the alarm until it was too late.
Eyerybodv blames somebody else for this