Helena weekly herald., 1878-12-05
BIG BANK ROBBERIES.
Some of the Most Noted Bank Rob-
berries of Bygone Days...Methods
of the Robbers and Amount
of their Swag.


There is plan on foot to rob your bank to-
night. l want you to have your watchman
here and will have my men to assist. DO
not say a word, and by tomorrow the game
will be bagged." The cashier extended his
hand, thanked the officer, and left all in his
charge The night came, and the lieutenant
with his men were admitted to the bank.
There was parley. and three of the officers
and one watchman of the bank were detailed
TO take walk to shadow some of the men
outside. The watchman was sent back after
a certain time had elapsed, and when he re-
turned he found his partner handcuffed and
tied, the vaults open, and $500, 600 in nego-
table paper and money gone. When the
cashier came around he found that there had
been robbery, and then he suddenly re-
membered that he didn't know the lieutenant
didn't even know his name. The trick
was very clever, and the Kinsington bank
never recovered dollar. In 1872 three men
went to the owner of
THE THIRD NATIONAL BANK IN BALTIMORE,
and hired q room adjoining the bank. 'Gen-
tlemen," inquired one of the bank officers,
..what are you going to do with it?"
1--WE are speculators now" they said, land
if we succeed in our business we think OF
opening bank" The papers were made
out, the rent paid, and the business COM
menced. In two weeks they did open bank
the Third National Bank, next door-by
burrowing under the vault. They left the
country with $4OO, ,OOO not dollar of which
came back. The vault of
THE OCEAN BANK,
of New York, was opened by one man
Macmillan Shinburn-and robbed of $780,
600. He frequented the bank until his acute
ears learned by the peculiar click of the COM
binatiOn exactly how to work 1t. And he
made it, after listening for months, the very
first time. He fled to Belgium, where he
purchased title, and is now living there as
one of the nobility.
About eight years ago several men hired
room under
THE BOyLST0N BANK OF BOSTON,
opened business as the trio did in Baltimore,
and dug up into the vault at their leisure.
The amount which they dug out was $780,
OOO The men who did this work were Adam
Worth, Ike Marsh, alias 'Big Mike" Charlie
Bullard, alias "Piano," and Ben. Cochran.
They got away to Europe with 5000, 900
worth Of negotiable paper. Worth is living
the life of prince over the water still. Marsh
came back, cracked another bank, was
''pinched" by the Pinkerton agency, and is
now serving out seventeen years in Phlladel-
phia. Bullard went to Paris with his portion
of the ''swag" and opened grand 6outet at
No. 2, Rue Scribe, said to have been simply
magnificent. He remained III the city during
the siege, and might have been there yet had
not Chicago detective who happened over
there 'got on to him" The Paris police were
notified of his character, and in short time
they detected him in piece of crooked work
for which he fed the place. He came to
America, was arrested, and q short time ago
he escaped from the Charlestown, Mass,
prison. Cochran alone tried to be straight
He went to Canada, bought farm, and in
six months. the turn being called upon him
by the 'Hidden Hand" he passed in his
checks.
THE BENEFICIAL SAVINGS FUND OF PHlLADEL-
PHIA
was robbed of 81, COZ, 900 few years ago by
''holding up the cashier, who gave the CON-
binatiOn. Every dollar Of the amount was
recovered by negotiation, and the cracksman
retired on competency.
THE NORTHUMBERLAND VAULTS
gave up their treasures on account of q visit
which masked men made TO the cashier 6
residence, where he kindly handed over the
combination, and went TO the bank with
them. because he couldn't help himself.
THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF WILMINGTON,
DEL,
was entered, and the attempt to rob it was
.I,yA a. NINN ynH
Manhattan on last Sunday morning. The
craftsmen went into the jsnitor's room and
gagged him and his family An old niger
woman crawled under the bed, but forgot to
pull her heels in after her. One of the men
dragged her out A door chanced to be left
open, and through it she sped like q creased
arrow. She was chased almost to the police
station, and her flight saved the institution
1t was reserved for the cashier OF
THE CHAMBERsBuRG, Pa, BANK
to be wooed and won by two Chicago men,
Louie Claremont, the expert, and Abnel
Wicks, his br0ther-in-law. ClaremOunt haC
the vaults opened up for him, took the treas
ure, assisted by Wicks, got away, was cap
tured, and, as is well known. was taken back
under the Pinkerton plan and convicted. All
of the money was recovered. 1t will be re-
membered that ClaremOnt's wife made an ef
fort TO rescue him from the Central station
and would have succeeded had not certain
individual ''hired" the ''kid' to give bel
away.
1t sometimes happens, as detective stated
to Times man. that many of the bonds and
papers taken by these experts are
''RAIsEp' AND PASSED.
or sold to "wild-cat" spectators. Thi:
scheme. however, is not SO common now a,
it has been. There is nothing in the line OF
the crook which requires SO much nice worl
as this And so few have BEEN able to do i
successfully that 1t has been almost aban
doned.
There is an old man who is now serving
l. l. L. Ahn sAon Asnsx,