Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1876-02-05
The NOrthAmntOM Rnnk II lhhcrY.

made clean sweep. The Springfield Repmb
lieon gives the following details;
A hand ofscven men, who had been hang
Ing about tho town for ut least u month, Il
| would seem, entered the house of Cashie,
Whittesey, of the Northampton National
Bank, and hound, gagged aud guarded for
hours seven people, They compelled him tn
waited until they knew the night watchmail
had gone hon 0, aud then, getting into the
vault and safe with anly one of the four k, Va
ncedcd. took u large amount of securities,
locked he vault after them. aud departed ~,
the early morning Springfield train and
to date, is u riddle,
An expert had to be su,,moncd from New
York, aud the lock was not opene until an
early hour this morning. The result il sui-
| iicicntly appalling, The table Of the securities
| taken shows u total of 100000. OF course
much of this Is uot negotiable, 50 that 1t is
difficult to estimate the real loss to the bank
and the ,lepositnrs, The bank officers offer II
II ward of $!5,UOO for the return of the proper.
tv and the conviction of the burglars The
loss falls comparatively lightly upon the
bank, the greater part OF the ste urltcs be.
longing to special drpositors.
The band are supposed to have entered the
house of Mr.. Whiltcsey M Elm street. about
half Il mile from the bank, through second
story window. sc and his wife were aroused
about a, NJ. and ordered by two of the bur.
glars To dress. The other occupants of H. Q
house-T B. Cutler, II Gazette printer, and
wife, Miss Matte &. White OF Williamsport
Pa, Maria Benton. an invalid boar,er, and
the servant girl-had been similarly awaken.
ed. and we're flea into the WhittIescy bed
room All were bound and gagged, the bun
glars running short of rope and dispatching
the servant for the clothes line. The men
were rather jolly set, inclined to pay some
attention to the comfort of their victims
they advised the women to put on three pairs
of stockings, so that the binding ropes would
not cut them.
One Of them casually remarked that he had
noticed Mr.. Whittlesey 8 fin watch at Watch
Hill * l., two years ago, and t;ied to claim
acquaintance with him from that time. This
watch they took, but Mrs Whittesey slyly
pitched hers under the bureau and 50 saved
u; they picked ner me cloak ont oil the beau
Teau, ~" Ing sa;u' u've me that oiu ining
said she was sick and needed medicine
whercnpoil an attentive burglar offered her Il
spoonful of brandy. Conversation was car
rita on more or less brisklv. but always
pleasantly, up to 4 A. NJ. The burglars wht
wore kid gloves, were well disguised D.,
masks made from the legs of satinet drawers,
with places cut for the ewes, long linen busters
ana blue overalls They took. besides tae
watch. SIS fl ON Mr.. Whittlesey's pocket
Mr.. Whittlescy. 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 dowi
and made him repeat. OF course they caught
him and pistol compelled the truth, though
he told them that four keys were necessary
| 10 open the patent lock, three of which were
at the houses of the other bank officers. AT
A. NJ. MIR. Whittesey was taken to "a down.
stairs bedroom, the whole family gagged.
aud four of the burglars withdrew to operate
Oh the bank Three hours after, Mrs. Whit
tlesey succeeded in freeing herself and giving
the alarm from Il window. The whole party
wearing the handouts, went to the bank. A
clever orkman soon after fitted II key and
all the handcuifcd were released.
Examination Mt the bank shaved that the
cracksmen had unlocked tho outer door. but
were apparently baked by the sate-lock
lacking three of the requisite four keys. They
tried the metal of the door with bars and
wrcncbed off two dials, which serve as an ia.
dex for working the combination, hoping 50
to tamper with the lock. They were entirely
unmolested, Me ,catch hdping gone home.
There is every indication that six and per
haps all of them left on Conductor Adamss
q o'clock Southern train five OF them had
tickets previously bought, and o,e paid his
fare. 1t is surmised that one of them may
have got left, for man was inquiring, soon
after, anXiously for II chance to follow the
regular train by freight and team driven
furously toward HolyOke was head by the
family of Sheriff Wright passing Oh Maple
street, where, also, a linen buster was picked
up.
The lock upon the vault was a peculiar and
supposed especially safe affair. 1t was Dex.
ter's double dial combination, with Herring s
patent for disconnacting the tumblers from
the spindle, was patented 10y 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 ms and outs
of locks, for when Mr. Whittlesey told them
that they could not enter with but one of the
four keys required they had responded, "We
know more about bank locks than you do"
OF course hey did, for, when the new lock
was put in, a conspicuous notice was posted
up warn ing burglars that it would be idle for
them to wrestlc with this four keyed comb.
nation This notice was probably sadly taken
down, early this morning, when the desecratod
inner sanctuary of the institution was reach
cd by the skilled workman,
There are many indications that tine bur.
glars have been planning their work for at
Least month Some four weeks ago, n
suspicious character lingering in the bank SO
long. on various pretences, that the Off
IN ,rked him for u burglar. A small hand
bag was picked up near the primary school
house on Bridge street. December q, contain
ing II pair Of new handouts, like those used
at Mr.. Whittlcsey's number of ring staples,
nails, etc.
Only Tuesday afternoon "A boy found in
the attic Of that same schoolhOuse another
bag, in which were several bits, u bitstock
and whiskey flask, the discovery of which
broke up the school for the day and brought
Sheriff Wright and Potter to make closer
examination. They found, in the same place
four new double army blankets, apulley and
rope, lot of sandwiches in
restaurant, roast chicken, apples, ETC.. IL copy
Of the New York Sam of December y. aud
a pair OF sltinet drawers minus one leg, which
was found in Mr.. Whittlesey's house yester-
lay, having been used as u mask.
The provisions had evidently been stored
1t least month. Still another bag was found
afternoon, under the old Canal
lepot, now tobacco warehouse, in which
was bottle Of sweet oil and pair of very
arge rubber shoes. AT Mr.. Whittleseys
louse were found four large slcdge amners,
i've dark lanterns, ii Iumber of handouts, Il
inen buster, several pairs of 0verals, two
'aps, one of which was made to serve as
mask, coat several pairs of rubbers, and a
'iece OF wrapping paper, on which was prili-
ed the advertisement OF Hall a. Prev of
his city, from whom the Overalls were doubt
ess bought. Mr.. Whittlesey attended a
olumittee meeting relative to the Edwards
,hurch, in the directors room Of the Hamp-
hire County Bank, Tuesday evening, which
lOsed about o'clock, when the clerk, in pull
ng down the curtains. saw four men run
rom the rear of the building.
The savings bank people, on the floor above
'i>l it understood that their securities can
e in no way affected, us their vault is en-
rely separated from that OF the national
ank. Upon the deposit rs in Northampton
nd the whole region, who had trusted that
ite shove all others, the 10 s will be crushing.
That with bad tobacco years. and the hard
mes. the calamity ranks almost with the
eaviest of our disasters of fire and flood.
Later reports make amount stolen nearly
not quite 81 100000,