The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1878-11-05
A GIGANTIC ROBBERY.
Loss Nearly $s,oOO,OOO.

~So 'NNe>' y NO10NO10Ocs
The New York papers of last week give
the following account of the robbery of the
Manhattan Savings Bank in that city.
The buglars entered the janitor's room,
hand cufled him and his wife, and forced
him to surrender the keys of the vault and
the secret of the combination of the lock.
They then entered the vault, where they
remained nearly three hours, breaking
open the safe and iifling it of part of its
contents. They carried away SO, 747,70O in
bonds and $11, 900 in cash OF the bonds
$2,506, 200 are registered and $l6S,000 are
payable to the order of the institution.
The bank has decided to take the benefit
of the sixty days act in order to prevent u
disastrous run.
Louis Wreckle, the janitor is little old
man, of no physical strength, and of appar-
entity less courage. lie has been over 20
years in the employ of the bank, and was
implicitly trusted. His wife is sufferer
from heart disease, and is more helpless
than her husband. The mother-in-law is
feeble old dame of 73 years, in her dotage.
The bank employs as night watchman
Daniel Haley, residing at No. 1S9 Greene
street. He went on duty as usual at
O'Clock on Saturday evening, locked him
self inside the bank, and remained on
watch all night.
AT o'clock yesterday morning, accord
ing to his statement made to the police, he
went out of the Blocker street entrance to
tho bank, locked the door behind him and
proceeded up stairs to Werckle's apart
ments, shutting the street door, which
closes with a catch after he had entered.
He raped with his club on,s Werckle's
sitting-room door to awake him, and hav-
ing heard his response passed down stairs
again and out, shutting the street door
behind him. He walked to the corner of
Broadway and, stood there 10 minutes.
There he met and spoke to Officer Tully,
who had been relieved at the corner of
Houston street at o'clock.
He then went home. AT that time, so
far as he knew, the bank was all right. He
saw no suspicious or other person about.
1t was Werckle's duty on being awakened,
as described by the night watchman, to
respond by rapping on the inside of the
door, and to dress Immediately and go
down stairs to the bank There was third
watchmau, named Patrick Shovlin, resi-
dent of Mulberry street, who was employed
on Sundays to relieve WerclSle. All three
were provided with keys fitting the bank
door aud the Bleecher street entrance to
the second floor, but Wcrckle alore was
entrusted with the key and the combina-
tion of the large vault
Part of his duty was tosopen the vault
and lay out the banks books on the proper
desks after having swept up and busted
out the Office. Werkle's story is that he
was awakened by Kealy rapping on his
door. lie went out of his bedroom and
answered his knocks, and began to dress.
About G.10, as he was engaged in drawing
ON his pantaloons, the door of his sitting
room suddenly and noiselessly opened, and
seven or eight men walked in. They all
wore masks. They seized and handcuffed
himself and his wife, and tied his mother
ln-law in a sheet
The women began to shout, and he turn
ed and told them to be quiet or the robbers
would kill them. They thereupon subsi-
ded. One of the men took away his bunch
of keys, and another, presenting revolver
at his head, ordered him to give up the
combination. He said he did not have it.
The robber leplied; "You lie, yon -
-; you open the vault every morning.
Give it up, or I'll kin you" Werckle says
he told them that even if he should comply
it would be Of no use to them, as they
would not be able to turn the knob Of the
doors. lyon leave that to u.s." was the
reply give us the combination"
Being again threatened he gaveit. Four
of the gang then went down stairs, leaving
three to watch himself and his wife and
mother-in-law. After a long while, during
which Werckle says he heard the pounding
below distinctly, one or two of the robbers
returned up stairs and whispered to his
guards, and they all quit together. A few
moments later he went out to the Blocker
street side of the building and looked out
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