Daily Los Angeles herald., 1878-02-26
DARING BURGLARY.

The Temple & Workman Bank Vault Entered
and Upwards Of Ten Thousand Dollars
Stolen-Artstic Cracksmen and the Details
of their Work
Our ordinarily sedate city was
startled from its propriety yester-
day by the rumor that the old
banking vault of Temple & Work.
man had been burglarized and that
$10,500 in gold and silver had re-
warded the daring craftsmen. 1t
will he remembered that, in the
Los Angeles papers Of the 4th and
9Th instants, had appeared card
from Mr.. Long, the assignee ap.
pointed by Judge Hoffman to set
tie up the affairs of the defunct
banking firm. In this card, which
was published by Mr.. Long at the
request of several creditors, that
gentleman gave an account of his
administration, in which he stated
that he had collected $2S,227 IS,
had pal out $17,20s 90 aud had a
balance of cash OH hand of
$11,ols IA. 1t is just possible that
this statement may have called
the attention of some enterprising
burglars to the inviting field for
their labors which existed in Los
Angeles. We copy from the E.r-
press of yesterday evening the fol-
lowing succinct account Of the
facts, so far as ascertained, of the
burglary:
Some time between the close of
business Saturday evening and the
opening of business this morning,
the office occupied by G. e. Long,
assignee of the Temple & Workman
estate, ia Temple Block, was en-
tered by burglars and effectually
rifled of its treasure. The main
door to the office, opening on Spring
street, fastened by Yale lock, was
opened either with the use of
an original or skeleton key,
there being no marks of
force employed in effecting an
entrance. AS there were good
many keys belonging to this door,
formerly In use by the employees of
the old Temple & Workman Bank
and more recently by the number
of tenants accommodated on the
premises with Mr.. Long, there is
little wonder in this circumstance
of such easy access being Sc
cured. TO obtain possession of
one of these keys was no great
accomplishment for an expert bur-
glar. The money-vault, built for
and long in use by the Temple &
Workman Bank was employed by
Mr.. Long asa receptacle for the
books, papers and treasure belong.
ing to this estate. The outer door
of the Maefarlane pattern, of SOL
Id cold chilled iron, with
massive slides and bolts,
is operated by "a combination,
known as 'the sound lock-" This
opens by turning a series of tum-
blers much the some rs an ordinary
combination, with the single dill
ference that it makes ticking
noise which guides it's manipula-
ton instead of requiring letters
and numbers. This lock was set on
the old combination in use by the
Temple & Workman Bank at the
time of its suspension, never hav-
ing been changed since it came UNI
der Mr.. Longs supervision. The
burglar or burglars were in possess
sion of this combination, and with
1t threw the bolts back with no
trouble. An inner door, fitted
in the same manner AS the outer
one but of less dimensions, was
not kept closed by Mr.. Long,
as it worked with some difficulty,
and the outer one was considered
sufficient. Within the vault there
is large safe of an old style and
pretentious dimensions anu name,
being called "rhe Reliance" and
designated as fire and burglar proof
by large brass plate on its door.
This was closed by bar and Fad
lock. This paddock the burglars
crushed, evidently with blow
from some ponderous implement.
The safe contained about $10,500 in
coin, constituting the entire cash
balance of moneys collected on &C.
count of the Temple & Workman
estate. Or this amount, about
$4,000 was gold coin and the balance
silver, although the proportions of
stated.
Neither Mr.. Long nor his clerk
were at the Office yesterday, and
hence the difficulty Of determining
whether the burglary was commit
ted Saturday or Sunday night. Mr..
s. Rothchild, who has brokerage
office in one corner of the apart
ment, was in there q portion of the
day yesterday, but he noticed moth
ing unusual. This morning Mr..
Phelps, book keeper and clerk to
Mr.. Long, entered the office at the
usual hour and he too saw nothing
out Of the way until he went
to unlock the vault door.
Then he found it locked with all
the tumblers instead of single
one, as he had left it. AS this might
have been caused by anybody
thoughtlessly turning or brushing
against the combination however,
he thought little of it. But glance
at the interior of the vault renewed
his suspicious in short order. The
floor was covered with papers and
scattered silver coin. The door of
the inner safe was standing sjar,
a nd xubap Mr. phalpa pinko I nm a