Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1876-10-27

THE MARION COUNTY SAFE ROB.
Berry.

THE MARION 93ggNr4 SggT. SAFE ROB-
Masked Men Clean Out the Marion
Tseasurer Locked IN the
to $40, 900.
Knoxville Journal, Oct. 11th.
| At o'clock this (Tuesday) eve
ming 1t was discovered that the coun-
ty treasury had been robbed. The
city was aroused by the ringing of
the fire bell. The Treasurer, r. NJ.
Faris, was in his office for an eve
ning's work on his books, when two
men in masks came IN. A state
ment of their interview with him is
gwen in his own language below.
The treasurer's office is on the
ground floor of the Court House,
and at the time citizens meeting
to elect night policeman, was in pro
gress in the Court room above.
There were proqably fifty men at the
meeting The Treasurer being lock-
ed in the vault by the robbers before
they left, he could not give the alarm
until Mr.. T. ]. Wallace, the night
watch at the court house went into
the Office at o'clock for duty. Then
Mr.. Faris kicked upon the door and
halloed and Mr.. Wallace turned the
key which the robbers had left in
the door, and released F. from his
prison, where he had been cofinned,
as he thinks about forty minutes.
Citizens to the number of hun
dreds immediately assembled in the
court room and organized with J. N.
DAVIS in the chair. B. A. Mawthews
and ]. F. Greenlee were appointed
a committee to send messages imme-
diately by telegraph in various direc-
tions.
Gov. w. M Stone, T. J. Anderson,
G. X. Hart, J. I. French and c. J.
Amos were chosen rs a chief Com
mittee, and authorized to give direc-
tons in general for the public safety,
sending messengers, etc.
Messengers were Immediately sent
on horseback on main roads in vari-
GUS directions, and to towns in the
county.
1t was almost 10 o'clock before the
telegraph operator at Abba could be
brought to his post to transmit mes
sages.
The robbers had their horses hitch
ed at the northwest corner of the
public Square; and the horses are de-
scribed as one brown and the other
a dun.
Parties met two horsemcn on the
road leading southeast, at about the
time that the robbers should be get
ting away.
The Board of Supervisors has been
notified and will probably meet here
early in the morning and offer re-
ward for the apprehension of the rob-
bers.
This treasury was robbed once be-
fore of $32, 900 OIL the night of Feb
ruary 9th, 1867 The robbers were
never detected,
MIR. FARIs' STATEMENT.
At about 1880 the men came in at
the door; the man who came in first
presenting a revolver and demanded
that l should open the safe. He
walked behind the counter and came
up to me. l grabbed the revolver
with my lett hand and pulled it down.
l told them that l would not open
the safe. They said if l would open
the safe l should not be hurt; but if
l did not they would kill me- l told
them l would die before would open
it. One of them proceeded to search
my pockets and procured the key to
the vault, and then locked the Office
door and unlocked the door to the
vault. Then he presented areyolvor
and ordered me to open the safe, and
l positively refused again. One of
them then pushed me into the vault,
and both again presented their re,
volvers and ordered me to open the
safe; and l again refused. One of
them put up his revolver and drew
from his breast pocket knife, the
blade of which was about inches
long, II inches wide, bright and ap-
parcntly new. He made feint at me
with the knife, making slight cut
on the lapel of my coat over my
heart and then by similar stroke
made similar cut in the right lapel.
At this time consented to open the
safe. They took the money from
the safe, except s25 IN gold, $40 IN
} fractional currency, and small
amount in silver in nickels, which
were in a small box, and not discov-
cred. They took also my private pa
pers from the wallet. They then
. took the money and returned me the
wallet. Then they proceeded to
lock me in the vault. Ipleaded with
. them not to do so, as my health
was such that l could not long sur
vlve in the close vault. But they
locked the door, and remained in
the vault until the night watch, Mr.
Wallace, came in to the office and re
, leased me.
Before the vault door was locked
one of the men told the other to go
to the horses. He also ordered me
to turn my face from the door.
heard only one of them leave the OF
/ fee. They put the money in a large
coffee sack. l think the amount tax
, en- was from $4,000 to $4,000
Within three or four days the books
can be posted so rs to ascertain the
exact amount.
The robbers asked me, "How much
is there in the safe-$2O,O00?"
answered, "No, not half of it." One
of them then said, awe expected to
get 100000"
DESCRIPTION OF THE ROBBERS.
The man who seemed to be the
leader was stout feet 10 inches
high, a heavy-shouldered, stout-buIlt
man; wore snutf-collered cloth
dress-coat, slightly worn; hat black
felt, little slouchy.
The other man as near as | can
tell, was low, heavy-set man; wore
dark coat.
r M FApyc