The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1877-05-31
KLEPr0NANlA.

the brothers Larned, in the town of Mill
bury, in Massachusetts,. - Il
There was in this place small bank,
which, like all the country banks of that
State at that time, had made an arrange
ment with the Suffolk Bank of Boston by
which their bills should be redeemed and
returned to them in convenient packages.
Mr.. Prentiss, the cashier of the Mill
bury Bank. going one day to the safe to
get some bills, took up one of these pack
ages, and, on breaking the seals and open,
Ing 1T; found, to his establishment, that
the bills had I'LL been taken out and re-
placed by pieces of newspaper, cut to the
proper size.
Another package was lying near it, but
not having noticed much the seals of the
first, he sent for two of the directors to
examine with him this second package.
They >llt agreed that the seals Of the
Suffolk Bank were perfect, and, on break
ing open this other package and finding
in 1t nothing, but newspaper slips, they
concluded that this substitution must
have been made before it reached there,
and while it was still in the possession Of
the Suffolk Bank. The latter stoutly de-
MED thfs.
While this discussion was going on,
Mr.. Waters, the president of the bank,
was reused from his sleep one morning
about one o'clock by two persons out
side, who insisted on seeing him.
Taking them for bad characters, he re-
fused at first to admit them, but when
they called out that they had brought
him some Of the stolen money of the bank,
he opened the door, and found them to
he the hostler and his wife, who were in
the service of MIR. Edward Larned, the
successful and wealthy owner of a cotton
mill near by.
They give him bag containing 5000
in gold, and q package of bills amounting
to 21,500, which was just half the
amount Of one of the stolen packages.
They stated that Mr.. Larned had come
home late that night, and the hostler had
gone up into the hayloft with lantern
to pull down some hay for the horse.
Finding the hay rather tightly packed,
he look around for some that appeared
to be looser, and on pulling in a certain
place found it so loose that his curiosity
was excited. After pulling away all the
loose hay, he found q hole cut into the
solid part, and, on putting in his hand,
he pulled out from the back part of the
hole the bag Of gold and the package of
Delighted with the treasure, he hastily
finished his task, and, going home, he
put both bag and package under the bed.
he found 1t, however, impossible to sleep
on account of thinking what he ought to
do. Finally, his tossing and turning
walked his wife, who insisted on knowing
what was the matter.
The moment he told her, she said that
it must he the money of the bank, and
that they must take it to the president
Immediately.
Getting up and dressing herself, she
made him do the same, and so thew
brought the money to the bank.
In the morning, the first thing to be
done was to find some trace of the rob-
hers. Everybody talked of it, and every
body tried to find out in vain.
A Boston detective was therefore sent
for quietly, and he went quietly to work.
Taking Oft the locks of the bank doors
and of the old-fashioncd safe, he found
that some small particles of soap were
sticking to them. This showed that an
impression had been taken, and false KEYS
made.
Mr.. Larned's cotton mill then became
the center of inquiry, and, among others
who were closely questioned was the
machinist, who, however, denied having
made any key for any one. He added
that the only thing he had made, apart
from repairing the machinery of the mill,
was small thing that he had made
some time before for Mr.. Larned, and
which the latter had told him was small
commencement that he wished to make
an experiment with.
The machinist stated that it was q short
brass rod, about six or eight inches long,
with a short piece projecting at right
giles from each end. He said that Mr..
Larned, when he ordered it, had handed
him drawing of it, which he had after
ward thrown away.
While going toward the Office, the de-
tective noticed that the sweepings from
the Office had been allowed to accumu-
late in heap not far from the door.
He Immediately engaged boy to pick
out of this heap every scrap of paper he
could find, while he himself stood by to
see that nothing of any possible value
should he neglected.
Taking these to his room, and putting
the pieces patiently and carefully togeth-
er, he was rewarded by finding some
drawings of the "cam- movement" and
on one of these he noticed some indenta-
tons that looked like the wards of a key.
On comparing these with the bank keys,
they corresponded exactly.
Mr.. Edward Larned was then arrested.
This startled the whole community, for
lie was q graduate of Yale College, sue
ccssful business man, and now a wealthy
mill owner with money enough for all or
binary desires.
The great majority of the people who
lived near could not believe that he had
robbed the bank, and he of course denied
it.
Their chief argument was that he could
not possibly have the seal of the Suffolk
Bank, and, therefore, he could not have
opened the packages and replaced the
seals.
While this discussion was going on,
the detective still kept quietly at work
by going to the different towns around
Miflbury that enjoyed the dignity Of a
bank, and inquired who had recently
deposited or exchanged any Of the Mill.
bury bills.
He found at four OF these that rolls Of
these bills had been exchanged for bills
ola large amount by drover.
They judged him to be drover from
his broad brimmed hat, his loosely tied
cravat, and his soiled and dusty clothes
The cashier of one of these banks, &
Young man who was noted FIR his cloa1