Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1878-11-07
DARING BANK ROBBERY.

Between and o CLOCK Saturday morning,
26th ult., burglars entered the Manhattan Sa-
wings Bank building, corner of Broadway and
Bleeker streets, New York, hand.cuffed the
janitor and made him, under threat of in.
stant death, reveal the combination of the
safe and deliver up the keys of the bank.
They then rifed the vault of an amount Of
money, presumed to be large, as 20 tin boxes,
known to have contained bills, were found on
the floor empty. The building is six story
one, the bank occupying the ground floor,
with entrances on both Broadway and Bleek-
er street. Wendell Kohlman keeps barber
shop in the basement under the bank, and the
janitor lives on the second floor. The barber
opened his shop, and looking at clock in the
bank Office, saw it was three minutes past 6.
He says there was nothing unusual in the
bank at that time. At two minutes past
nine o'clock, he was startled by the appear
ance, at the head of the basement stairs, of
Janitor Louis Wortel, white with fright and
excitement, with hands handcufied tightly,
and the key of the bank clutched between
them. He was only half-dressed and gasped
Thieves, robbers, come and see" The bar.
ber accompanied him into the bank, and saw
the doors of the great vault wide open and
the floor Uttered with empty tin boxes, and
burglars tools scattered in every direction.
The barber notified the police, who were soon
on the scene. Doors, windows, and all means
of access, from without, were found intact,
and it was evident that the thieves had enter.
ed by means of keys Dan Keely, the night.
watchman, said that he left bis post at 6
o'clock, a. m., and aroused the janitor, as was
his custom, and left the building, locking the
hall door after him. 1t is certain that he left
the corner at 6.10 q. M, and then everything
was right and quiet.
The janitor, Wertel, created an unfavora-
be impression on cross examination. He
said that while he was dressing himself, seven
masked men suddenly rushed into the room,
handcuffed himself and wife and demanded
the keys of the bank. His mother in. law, an
Old lady VINO was present, screamed, when
the burglars drew pistols and threatened in
stant death to any one who made noise.
They then carried him into an adjoining room
and forced him to deliver up the keys of the
street doors. With these, four of the party
went down stairs, leaving three on guard
in his room. Three hours passed and Wer-
tel heard the clock strike 9, when one of the
men from down stairs returned, and after
whispered conversation all left. After he re-
gained courage, he went to the barber shop as
described. Wertel admitted to Superintend-
ent Walling that be had given the combina-
tion for unlocking the doors of the vault to
the robbers. He gave it under threats of in.
stant death hnt he failed Tn state how he oot
possession of the combination. His wife cor.
roborated his story of the attack, but said that
there we're only five men in the party. Mr..
Lent, a Broadway merchant, passed the bank
soon after A. NJ, and saw a young man
busting shelves and desks inside. 1t is sup.
posed that this was one of the burglars en-
deavoring to make things look as natural as
possible Officers Van Norton and Tully
said they looked through the bank window
between and 7 o'clock and all was quiet.
Inside the main door Of the safe vault the bur.
glars found shelves, upon which were tin
boxes filled with jewelry, silverware and valu-
able papers. These they emptied. They
overlooked box containing $4,000 in valu.
able property of Mr.. Edward Schell, president
of the bank, and brother of Augustus Schell.
The officers of the bank admit that the
janitor possessed the combination. They
formally state that the loss consists of securi.
ties to the amount Of $2,758,700, of which
$2506,700 we're registered in the name of the
institution, and are not negotiable; $l6S,O0O
are made payable to it; $4,000 are in coupon
bonds and $l1 900 in cash.