The Republican journal., 1877-03-01
Three Famous Robbers.

| William Connors, alias ''Billy" was arrested
| while coming out Of Solari's restaurant on Uni
| verslty Place, New York, for completely in the
| robbery Of the Northampton (Mass.) National
Bank, on the 10Th of january, 1876. He was
| arraigned before Justice kilbreth, at the Tombs
| Police Court, and held to await the requisitiOn
of the Governor Of Massachusetts,.
| 1t will be remembered that seven masked
men entered the house Of the cashier of the
| bank, John Whlttlesey, on the night Of the
| robbery, found their way to the sleeping apart
| ments of the family by the aid of dark lanterns,
and bound the cashier and the other occupants.
They then got the key of the safe vault, and
placing revolver at the cashiers head, threat
| ened to make an end Of him if he did not fur
nsh them with the information necessary to
| opening the door Of the safe. lie did so, but
| incorrectly. They wrote them down, and then
made him repeat them, and on his contradict
ing himself, expressed their intention not only
to blow his brains out, but also those of his
wife and children. Having obtained what
they wanted, they left one man to guard the
cashiers house, while the others proceeded to
the bank.
There was no difficulty in opening the vault
door, but to get at the contents of the safe four
combinations had to be gone through The
cashier only knew one of these, the knowledge
of the other three resting with the President,
the teller, and director, respectively; all of
these three were left undisturbed, and how the
robber, succeeded in opening the door remains
u
amounted to about 300, ,0O0 $4,000 of which
WAS i'll United States bonds.
After the robbers had left and the guar,
Withdrawn from Whittlesey's residence, Mrs.
Whittlesey succeeded in liberating herself 1irst,
and gave the alarm. The other officers OF the
bank were summoned, and, with the cashier,
they went to the bank. Here they found the
sate-vault door open, but the safe, 10 all ap-
pearanees, had bathed the burglars. Upon
trial, it was found, however, that the lock
WOnIi NOT conclusion
was, nevertheless, that the cont ents were in
tact, and dispatch to that effect was sent by
the local agent of the Associated Press. lu
the meantime Il man was telegraphed for from
New Ori to open the safe He arrived late
on the 2Tth of January, and when he, after
some difficulty, forced the doors ajar, and the
various chests and drawers We're examined,
the truth that one of the largest robberies on
record had been successfully accomplished was
realized.
II was at once surmised that Il party of men
who had for erai weeks occupied rooms in
one of the public school buildings of the town,
and W ho were missing now, were the perpetra-
tors. No trace of them could be found, how
ever, at the time. About tive months ago Pin
kerton's detectives, to WkOm the case has been
intrusted, thought they had hit upon a clue
when they noticed several notorious "cracks-
mem hold frequent interviews with the mem
bers of II firm of Broadway lawyers who have
been known for some years to be in the Com
promise business. BY following up the thread
they soon became convinced that they We're after
the right men, and notified the officers Of the
!, !, " VII ~ 'a. eIest' Ie
ni I'af" "N 10" Sci' a.mi i.u many
Mltu t.le S"N peGteu "i 'iGs "liu lnAel.oil was
1S4utetou " t"he NJ actise slepS ioI llihe'
and the negotiations were dropped.
~ nuhtins up ui cFlueicc u. . " ITS peSuli
"lIesn, "lu 1'put @ zen uass 'go IL was suppose
enough u1u oGell 1!. Eatheleu 10 warrant lhe
i om i' tinSl I ptooeee,nss VIZ VIZ
pesun iulcl, ~ le''sl tiite no'oaious elial