New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-10-28

The officers on examining the bank found the
outer door Of the vault open, but with no marks OF
violence upon it, Inside, at distance OF twelve
feet or more from the outer door, is safe
about seven feet III height, one door OF when
had been forced off by jimmies and the powerful
blows of sledge-hammer, both lock and hinges
having been broken. -Four books had been
placed on the floor, evidently to prevent
noise as the door fell. OF the four
compartments thus exposed to view, two
only had been opened. the one containing the cash
for daily use, and the lower compartment contain
ing many of the banks most valuable securities.
The cash amounted to about $1,000 in
small notes; this and the securities were
taken. The burglars attempted to open the
other compartments, and over the steel door of the
one on the right hand upper side jimmy remains
where 1t was driven without accomplishing the
work intended
On the shelves at the side of the vault
twenty TN boxes, filled with valuable arti-
Giles and securities left with the bank for
safc-keeping. Some of these had been opened,
and their contents were scattered on the
floor. There was silverware of considerable
value, and there were several thousand dollars i'll
silver coin, which the robbers did not take. num-
Der of the boxes not opened, and the paper III
which some were wrapped was not removed.
and said to contain vauables worth $4,000.
THE WORK INSIDE The VAULT
number Of burglars tools were left behind by
the robbers, some of which bore evidence Of
use. There were large and small jmmies,
apparently new, but with the points badly
broken by the mornings work. plates
to put on the floor for pulling ma
Chimes" and big sledgc-hammer weighing six
teen pounds. The vault is III the centre of the
bank, the easterly end, and facing the Broad
way door, through which the upper part can be dis
tinctly SEEM the lower part being hidden by large
desk, but the burglars, having once opened the
doors by the combination, could close them behind
them, and work on the safe inside by the light of
candles without danger of being observed from the
street.
THE OUTER DOOR OF THE BUILDING OPEN.
photographer who occupies a room over the bank,
to which he enters by the east Beecker-st. door,
told Superintendent Walling that he went to his
room at or little later and found the outer door
standing open. 1t closes with a sprinG-lock,
and the night-watchman says he closed
1t behind him. The janitor says that he heard
loud hammering in the bank during the time he was
prisoner in his room the photographer says he
heard no hammering, and the barber below heard no
sound, although he says that the tread of person
walking III the bank can be heard in his shop.
Officer Van Norton went from the Mercer Street
Station at a. M, and at 6:30 was standing in
front of the bank; at $40 he was also there, the
time being fixed in his mind by the fact that
woman on her way to church asked him the hour.
There were no suspicious sights or sounds at that
time.
man named Kent told Superintendent Walling
that he was passing the bank soon after z, and
looking in the window he saw man in his shirt
sleeves busting off the shelves This was not an
unusual sight IN the morning, and as there were no
signs of violence it only attracted passing thought
THE JANIToR's KNOWLEDGE OF THE COMBINATION.
Some surprise was manifested by the police Off
Gals conducting the investigation at the fact that
the antor should have been possessed of the secret
of the combination by which the vault was opened;
but it was evident that he had been intrusted
with it by the bank officers, and that
he had been in the habit of opening the
outer door every morning, and taking out the books
to be used during the day. The night-watchman
said to Superintendent Wallng before Wertell had
been examined, that he knew that the latter had
the combination; and Wertell, when relat-
ing the conversation with the robbers, said
that he at first denied that he knew
the combination, whereupon one Of the number
SAID that he lied, for he had seen HIM open the
vault. Superintendent Walling said it was strange
ianitor and particularly to one who evidently was
possessed of very little physical moral courage
Both Mr.. and Mrs. Wertell told superintendent
Walling that while they were held prisoners in
their room, their milkman came and gave
the usual cry at the outer door They
were unable to answer. and they hoped he
would come upstairs as they were usually very
prompt in answering his call, and Sunday morning
was their time fer paying for tho milk delivered
during the week. He, however, went away with
out repeating his cry. There is story in the neigh
bOrhOod but not traceabe to its source, that man
met the milkman on the stairs and told him the
family had gone into the country for day or two.
THE NUMBER OF THE BURGLARS.
There seems to be some doubt as to the
number of men engaged in the burglary.
The ianitor asserted that there were seven.
three of whom remained to guard him
and his family; his wife asserts that she saw only
FIVE 1t Is evident that the work in the vault was
that of more than two mon. Though they had three
hours in which to accomplish what they did, four
must have worked very hard and necessarily. How
the massive safe could have been broken open with
out making noise sufficient to rouse the entire
neighborhoOd is a matter of universal surprise.
People were passing constantly along both Broad
way and Bleecker-st, policeman was
walking his beat by the bank walls. and q barber
was in the basement yet no one except the janiOr,
who was imprisoned on the floor above,
seems to have been conscious of any I'M
usual sound. The police acknowledge that the
whole affair is one of the most mysterious and re-
markable crimes in the annals of the department.
AMAZING CONFIDENCE IN THE JANITOR.
Every one seems astOunded at the astounding con-
fidence placed in the janitOr in giving him free
access to the banks vault One of the trustees
went into the bank late last night to learn the par
ticuars Of the robbery. He look at the rifed safe
md at the unbroken doors of the vault and seemed