The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1876-02-03

Northampton woke up, yesterday fore
| noon, to learn Of the most audacious, deli
berate and startling bank robbery that
western Massachusetts,, If not the whole
country, has ever known 4 band of seven
men, who had been hanging about the town
for at least a month, it would seem, entered
| the house of Cashier WhittIesey, of the
| Northampton National Bank, and bound
gagged and guarded for hours seven people
( They compelled him to give them the com
! binationS on the safe vault, waited until
! they knew the night watchman had gone
( home, and then, getting into the vault and
! safe with only one of the four keys needed
! took large amount Of securities, locked
/ the vault after them, and departed on the
early morning Springfield train; and
/ whence they came and whittier they went
! up to date, IS a riddle. An expert had to
! be summoned from New York, and the lock
was not opened until an early hour this
morning. The result is sufficiently appal-
! ling The table of the securities taken
shows total Of SG70,0 OF course
much OF this is not negotiable, 5, that il is
/ difficult to estimate the real loss TO the
I
offer reward uf SO, 900 for the return of
. the property aud the conviction Of the
/ burglars The loss falls comparatitel
/ lightly upon the bank, the greater part Of
/ the securities belong to special depositors.
/ The table Of the funds taken shows SI5,-
0JD Missouri State bonds, $4,000 Chicago,
Rock Island and Paciis Rtilroad shares
! : }G0H Lake Shore and Michigan Southern,
! 81 900 Chicago. Burlington and Quincy
ei-hts, $4,000 Cleveland, Columbus and
/ Cincinnati, Sl4,0a0 Union Pacific, &I05,-
600 Ohio and Mississippi ID mortgages,
{ $4,000 United States bonds, $1,000
! Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fc, SI20
/ Fort Narue, jackson and Saginaw. Sj,-
/ GJ0 Og3ensburg and Lake Champluin.
, $4,000 Missouri Pacific. 3550,G0O to
( 100000 registered stocks and b4nls Of
I 5he United States and various corporations.
: $4,000 grcenJacNs and national bank bills,
s. ,n03 Detroit, Lansing and Lake Michigan;
total. SG7U.UG0
The band are supposed to have entered
the house of Mr. WhittIcsay, on Elm street,
about half mile from the bank, through
Il second-st0rv window He aud lis wifi.
were aroused about l ! II. and ordered
i,y two ot' the burglars 10 dress. The other
occupants Of the house, 7. p. Cutler, Il
/ Guzctie printer, and his wifi. Miss Matte
+ c. White, Of Wil.iamsport, Pa. Maria
Benton. an invalid boardar, and the servant
girl. had been similarly awakened, and were
filed into the Wnitticsey bed room. Al!
were bound and gagged, the burglars run
ming short Of rope and Gispatciling the
servant. for clothes line The men were
rather jolly set. inclined to pay some at
tentiou to the comfort Of their victims
they advised the women to put on three
pairs Of stockings SO ;hat the binding ropes
would not cut them. One Of them casually
remarked that he had noticed Mr. Whit
tlesoy's fine watch at Watch Hil, L. l.
two yerrs ago, and tried to claim acquJin.
tauce with him from that time. This watch
they took, but Mrs Whittlesey slyIy pitched
hers under the bureau aud 50 saved il they
picked her line cloak out Of the bureau, ano
she said, Give ne that old thing In
cold " and gained that One Of the Iadie,
said she was sick and needed medicine
whercupon IN attentive burglar offered her
4 spoonful Of brandy Conversation was
carried on more or less briskiy, but always
pleasantly, up to ! A. VI. The burglars
who wore kid gloves, were well disguised
by masks made from the legs Of satinc
drawers, with places cut for the eyes, l0ng
linen busters and blue overalls. They took
besides the watch, fifteen dollars from Mir
Whigdesey's pocket.
A1r. Whittlesey, when asked to give the
three combinations to the vault, for the
outer, inner and chest doors, gave then
wrong twice and thrice, but the burglar
wrote them down and made him repeat
! Of course they caught him, and a pisto
compelled the truth, though he told then
ttat four KEYS were necessary TO open thi
uatcnt lock. three Of which were at tht
houses Of the other bank officers. At
4. NJ. Mr. Whittlesey was taken to down
stairs bed room, the whole family gagged
and four Of the burglars withdrew TO oPerat'
on the bank. Three hours after Mrs
/ Whitties2y succeeded in freeing herself anC
giving the alarm from window. TIN
whole party were speedily liberated, anc
the cashier. still wearing the handouts
went to the bank 4 clever workman soon
fitted KEY, aud all the handcufied were
soon ieIeased Examination at the bani
showed that the cracksmen had unlocked
the outer door, but were apparently balkeo
by the safe lock, lacking three Of tn
requisite four keys They tried the meta
of the door with bars, and wrenched OF
two dials, which serve as an index for work
ing the combination, hoping SO to tampe
with the lock. They were entirely unmolest
ed. the watch having gone home. Their
IS every indication that six, and perhaps all
of them left on Conductor Adams o'cloci
Southern train Five Of them had ticket
previously bought aud one paid his fare
! It is surmised that one Of them may haY
cot left. for a man was inquiriBg, soon aitei
.Louon "a cnllnYr b.. rnor1IliIr fralu u