Union and American. [volume] (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1875-1877, 1876-02-03
BANK ROBBERY.
Over Half Million In Money
stocks, and Bonds made Away


of the robbery of the Northampton
Bank Tuesday night, by masked
robbers, state that the result is
something appalling. The table OF
securities taken shows a total OF
$670,OO0. OF course not much OF
this is negotiable, so that it is diff
cult to estimate the real loss to the
bank and depositors. The bank
officers offer reward of $4,000
for the return of the property and
the conviction. of the burglars
The loss falls comparatively light
upon the bank, the greater part Of
the securities belonging to special
depositors. ....
DETAILS OF THE ROBBERY.
The robbers entered the house
of Cashier Whittlesay and bound,
gagged and guarded for hours seven
people. They compelled him to
give them the combinations of the
safe vault, and waited until they
knew the night watchman had gone
home, and then getting into the
vault and safe with only one OF
four keys needed, they took large
amount of securities. All expert
had to he summoned from New
York, and the lock was not opened
until an early hour this A. NJ
Cashier Whittlesay, when asked to
give the three combinations to the
vault, outer, inner and the chest
doors, gave them wrong twice, but
the burglars wrote them down and
mace him repeat them. OF course
they caught him in the attempt to
mislead them, and the exhibition
of a pistol compelled him to tell the
truth, though he told them four
keys were necessary to open the
patent lock, three of which were at
another house. Ala A. NJ. Whittle-
say was taken to a down stairs
bedroom. The whole family were
gagged and four of the burglars
withdrew to operate on the bank.
Three hours after Mrs, Wllittlesay
succeeded in freeing herself and
GIVING THE ALARM
from a window. The whole party
were liberated and The cashier, still
wearing the handouts, went to the
bank. At the house a workman
soon afterward fitted a key and all
the persons were released. An ex-
animation of the bank showed that
the cracksmen had unlocked the
outer door, but were apparently
baflied By the safe lock, lacking the
three requisite keys. They tried
to get off the door with bars, and
wrenchcd off the dial which served
as an index for working the combi-
nation. They were
ENTIRELY UNMoLEsTED,
the watch having gone home
There is every indication that six
and perhaps all Of them left on the
6 o'clock train. Five of them had
tickets previously bought, and one
paid his fare. Many of the appli-
ances, it was remarked, were home
made. The gags were childrens S
rubber balls pierced with q stiff
wire. The masks were drawers
legs, some with one hole and some
two for the eyes. When the rob
bers saw Whittlcsay was watching
them carefully for some marks Of
indentification, they blindfolded
him, but he observed that one was
Of very commanding stature. Two
of the robbers left to guard, caught
the train for Springfield.
Of the stolen amount q loss of
only $4,000 falls on the bank
The heaviest individual sufferers
arc as follows: Judge c. Z, Forbes,
q hundred thousand United States
6 per cent. bonds registered; twen-
ty-eight thousand 5 per cents reg
isterej, and seventy thousand ma
tional stocks; Henry Hlnckley,
100000 United. States bonds,
Henry Bright, a large amount of
negotiable bonds; j. S. Lathrop,
thirty thousand dollars in Georgia
bonds; Jas. Warner, fourteen thou
sand dollars negotiable bonds; O..
j. Spellman, three thousand dcllars
negotiable bonds; William Gaylord
fifteen thousand dollars United
States bonds. Mrs. L. M. Lurner,
DR.. 5. A. Fike, Richard Knighnan
and Horace o. Collins are also
among the principal esufIerers. A
small safe in the vault which the
burglars considered too insignif
cant to touch contained $4,000 de-
posted by Harvey Kirkland and
$4,000 in bonds belonging to the
Hopins Academy and much other
valuable property. BY locking the
doors ofthe vault, til burglars got