Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1876-02-04
The Northampton Bank Robbery.

! not only rs regards Its audacity, and the
skillful arrangement of details, but also in
the amount OF plunder secured. The burg
larry was perpeirated between four o'clock
| and half. past six in the morning, after tho
banks wstchman had gone home. The
following particulars are from the Spring
field Republicans account:
oAooINo THE CASHIER AND HIS FAMILY.
a band OF seven men, who had beon
hanging about the town for at least month,
| ii would seem, entered the house OF CASH
| ier Whittlesey, of the Northampton Ma.
tional Bank, and bound, gagged and guard
ed for hours seven people. They comnell-
ed him to give them tho combinations on
the safe vault, waited until they knew the
night watchman had gone houe, and then,
| getting into the vault and safe with only
Que Of the four keys needed, took a large
amount of securities locked the vault after
them, and departed on the early morning
train; and whence they came and whittier
they went, up TO date, is riddle.
An expert had 10 be summoned from
New York, and the lock was not opened
until an early hour Thursday morning
The result is sufficiently appalling. The
table of the securities taken shows a total
of $780, 900. The bank officers offer re-
ward OF s25, 600 for the return Of the proper
ty ami the conviction of the burglars.
The band are supposed to have entered
the house OF Mr.. Whittlesey on Elm etreet,
about half mile from the bank, through
a second-story window. He and his wife
we're aroused about l a. M. and ordered by
two OF the burglars to dress. The other
occupants of the house had been similarly
awakened, and were filed into the Whlttlc-
sey bedroom. All were bound and gag
ged, the burglars running short of rope
and dispatching the servant for the clothes
line. The men were rather a jolly set, in
clined to pay some attention TO the comfort
of their victims; theyHdvised the women
10 put on three pairs of stockings, so that
the binding ropes would not cut them.
Conversation was carried on, more or
less briskly, but always pleasantly, up 10
4 a. m. The burglars, who wore kid gloves,
were well disguised by masks made from
the legs OF satinet drawers, with places cut
for the eyes, long linen busters and blue
overalls.
GETTING THE COMBINATIONS.
Mr.. Whittlesey, when asked to give the
three combinations to the vault, for the
outer, inner and chest doors, gave them
wrong twice and thrice, but the burglars
wrote them down and made him repeat.
OF course they caught him, and pistol
compelled the truth, though he told them
flRof G,nr l-pVa to ,l,,
patent lock, three of which were at the
houses of the other bank officers. At
a. IN. Mr.. Whit.lesey was taken TO a down.
stairs bedroom, the whole family gagged,
and four of the burglars withdrew to oper-
ate on the bank. Three hours after, Mrs.
Whittlesey succeeded in freeing herself
and giving the alarm from a window. The
whole party were speedily liberated, and
the cashier, still wearing the handouts,
went 10 the bank. clever workman
soon after fitted Key and all the hand
cuffs were released.
HOW THE DAEK SAFE WAS OPENED.
Examination at the bank showed that
the cracksmen had unlocked the outer
door, but were apparently baked by the
"N'STASNNf A'NAih5 thANO Va NiS lNHulolAC
four keys. They tried the metal Of the
door with bars and wrenched off Two dials,
which serve as an index for working the
co mbinatiou, hoping so to tamper with the
lock. They were entirely unmolesled, The
icdtch hdring gone home. There is every
indication that six and perhaps all OF them
left on the o'clock Southern train; five of
them had tickets previously bought, and
one paid his fare.
Tho lock upon the vault was peculiar
and supposed especially safe affair. 1t was
Dexter's double dial combination, with
Herrings patent for disconnecting the
tumblers from the spindle, was patented
by Oscar Yale, last April, and put on this
bank only last October. For safety it was
accounted fully equal to, If not better than,
the chronometer lock. But the gang knew
all the ins and outs of locks, for when Mr..
Whittlesey told them they could not enter
with but one Of the four keys required +,
they had responded, "We know more
about bank locks than you do" or course
they did, for, when the new lock was put
in, Il conspicuous notice was posted up
warning burglars that it would be idle for
them to wrestle with this four-keyed conf
bination. This notice was probably sadly
taken down Thursday morning, when the
dosecrated inner sanctuary of the institu-
tion was reached by the skilled workmen.
EVIDENCE OF CAREFULLY CoNTRIvED
PLANS.
There are many indications that the burg
lars had been planning their work for ut
| least month. Some four weeks ago, a
suspicious character fingered in the bank
so long, on various pretences, that the Off
GERS marked him for burglar. A small
hand bag was picked up near the primary
school-house on Bridge street, December
2sth, containing pair of new handouts,
like those used at Mr.. Whittlesey's, a
number of ring staples, nails, etc.
Only Tuesday afternoon boy found in
the attic of that Same schoolhouse another
bag, in which we're several bits, bitstock
and whisky flask, the discovery of which
broke up the school for the day, and
brought Sherifis Wright and Potter to
make a closer examination. They found,
in the same place, four new double army
blankets, pulley and considerable rope, a
lot of sandwiches in paper bags from the
Stamford (Ct.) railroad restaurant, roast
chicken, apples, ETC., copy Of the New
York Sun of December p, and a pair Of
satinet drawers, minus one leg, which last
was found in Mr.. Whittlesey's house
Thursday, having been used as mask.
The provisions had evidently been stored
at least a month. At Mr.. WhittleSey's
house were found four large sledge ham