Connecticut western news., 1875-05-28
A STRANGE STORY OF CRIME.
How n Bank was Piundered and the Stolen Bonds Secured by a Bank Official.

How a Bank was Piundered and the Stolen | Bonds Secured by Bank Official.
 1 If some story writer should have writ ten romance with such a plot as thai contained in the narrative of the presi
 dent of the, Souhegan Bank, says the New York Times, most people would have laughed at his " extravaganza o1 fancy" From the robbery of the bank down to the return of it's property, the details of the story are of that character which makes men agree to the trite say
 ing that truth is stranger than fiction. Certain circumstances attracted gang of skillful plunderers to the bank a' Milford, N. H. They organized theil plans, and after what seems to have been elaborate preparation one. night broke open the house of the cashier, who was sleeping with his family. Six masked men, having first secured the other in mates of the house, led the cashier tc the bank building, and, under immediate fear of death, compelled him to unlock the vaults, where were deposited bonds and securities in considerable amount belonging to the bank and it's customers. This done, the thieves made good their escape and, so far as is publicly known, have never been found from that day to this. MT. Towne, president of the bank, some months afterward received con- munication from what is known as Gan independent detective" in Baltimore. This person signifed his knowledge of the whereabouts of the missing property, and his readiness to conduct negotiations leading to it's return. Probably the wide publicity given to the robbery, and the advertisement of the description of securities stolen, interfered with the i'm mediate sale of the property. The brigands wanted to "realize" without further delay. After various visits to the office of the "detective" in Balti- more, the details of which lend addi- tional mystery to the tale, Mr. Towne satisfied himself that the man could, if he chose, return to him the stolen bonds. The sum demanded was between $40, 900 and $5O,0OO. ,-..
 We are not told what amount was finally agreed upon as the price to be paid for the restoration of the property but an agreement was reached. Imagine the banker sitting alone with the agent of the thieves, in lonely chamber, at night, and in 8 strange city, and having | money. Preiminaries were arranged; the money to be paid was known to be in the bankers pocket. Detective and banker acknowledged their readiness to make the transfer. It must have been a the suave agents demand, the bank president counted out and placed on the table part of the large sum agreed l ho 0f %ha c4o
 ties. No wonder he thought he was sit matic effect, at signal from the detec- tive, door opened and bundle of bonds was thrown in from an outer room This was picked up and examined. The banker found it was a package of bonds. From it he honestly took only what be- longed to the Souhegan Bank. At least one-half of the whole was the property stolen property, evidently-of others. This performance was repeated with an- other bundle, which was thrown into the room as mysteriously as it's duplicate, when he had paid down a second install ment of the cash payment. From this package MT. Towne selected the securi- ties of his bank, leaving those to which he had no claim, and, on being assured that this was all that could be done for him." escorted by the detective to a place of security. he came off, happy and relieved.
 All this was the result of daring, skill, and organization. From the burglary of the bank and the kidnapping of the cashier to the ransoming of the stolen securities, the affair was conducted as smoothly and neatly as if it had been the formation of stock joint corpora tion for the transaction of legitimate busi- ness by an association of capitalists. The thieves do not seem to have feared the police. The bank people had no as- sistance whatever from that branch of the public service. The "private de- tective," of course, was only an agent of the robbers, thiply disguised, and en- tirely master of the situation. It is possible that the whole arrangement of seeming office, business of detective, and appearance of regularity, was part of the organized plan. Likely enough, the whole paraphernalia melted away as soon as the conspirators had secured the results of their compromise with the bank people. They played for high stake, and they won it. They could af- ford to be at some expense in the matter of machinery. They were ready to deal effectively with the banker if he had at tempted to make an outcry, or catch them in their own tolls. sThe transfer could only be made at the place desig mated by them. The banker was prob. ably watched when he went from his hotel to the rendezvous, and any de- parture from "good faith '' on his part would have undoubtedly resulted disas- trously to him. Under the circumstances, his course will be approved. He res cued the property of o.her people with the least possible loss to its owners.
 In olden times thieves and brigands levied tribute on the highway with semi-military bravado. The highway man of "Gil Bias, "who left his hat in the road with the command-enforced by 8 blunderbuss-fo the wayfarer to drop @ purse into it, " for the love of God" is 8 type of an extinct species. Delicate and costly tools, drugs and curious ma chinery form part of the equipment of modern thieves. And, when the booty is secured and the robbers are in safe hiding, they open negotiations for the return of so much of the booty as may not be safely or immediately available. MT. TOwne paid 9 ransom for the re- storation of the bonds of his bank and it's customers, just as much as any Eng fish traveller ever paid one for his de- livery from the camp of the brigands who have made the mountain passes of Greece and Italy a terror to tourists. And this sort of conspiracy is carried on here in the wel-watched cities and towns of New York and New England. The thieves are more alert, have better organization, and are more skillful than the professional thief takers. Of course, our police organization has great merit, but the thieves pay so well for successful skill that they are getting the better of the police everywhere. The system of compromising with defaultars. em-