Ottumwa weekly courier., 1878-10-30
The Janitor Gagged and the
Vaults Rifled.
Three Million Dollars I'm Securities
Stolen.
The Operation Performed in
Broad Daylight.

of the compartments of the inner safe
and
HELPED THEMSELVES TO THE CONTENTS.
According to the statement given by
Werkle to the police, he was waked
up yesterday morning by the night
watchman At the usual hour, 6 o'clock.
About g go O'Clock, while he was
dressing, seven masked men rushed
into his room and handcufTed him
and his wife, and also put a guard
over the old woman. His wife be-
gan to scream, but he told her to
hush or the men would kill her. Three
OF the men remained up stairs in the
room, while the other four having
gained possession of the keys. went
down stairs, entered the bank, lock
edithe door after them. Werkle told
his story twice before admitting that
the burglars obtained knowledge OF
the combination from him. The con.
fessiOn was finally extorted from him
by Superintendent Walling. He
told the Superintendent that the men
took him into an adjoining room and
and told him If him did not give up
the combination they would Kill him.
He answered that if he gave them the
combination it would be of no use
to them as they would not know how
to turn the knob. They said, "Give
it to US and we will manage that"
HE THEN GAVE IT TO THEM,
and they went down into the bank.
The men in his room remained there
for some time, he could not tell how
long. At last they went away leav-
ing him and his wife handcuffed. The
burglars, having secured the keys, en-
tered the bank by the Blocker street
door. locking it after them, and open
ed the vault by the combination. The
vault is built with separate walls, and
is about thirteen feet long, eight feet
wide and eight fee. high. Over the
door is q large, ornamental clock,
which can be seen from the Broad
way door of the bank. Within is a
passageway, about four feet wide,
with shelves on either side. Upon
these shelves arc placed every night
the books of the bank and the janitor
was given the combination of the
vault lock, to enable him to take the
books out every morning in time for
the days business. At the end of the
passage spoken Of is screen door of
thin wire. Behind that is space
about five feet square. In tnis space
against the wall on the left hand side
is large safe and on the right is.
ROW OF SHELVES
upon which were kept the private
boxes of depositors. The outer
doors of the safe were made by Lille.
The right hand wing Of the door was
removed by knocking off the hinges.
For this purpose the burglars had
provided themselves in advance with
an enormous sledge hammer, weigh
ing at least sixteen pounds, which
was afterwards found by the police
in vault. The interior Of the safe
is divided into four compartments,
each Of which has q separate door.
Two of these compartment doors
were made by Valentine & Butler, and
two by Lille. One of them contain
ed, according to the statement of the
police, $ll, ,OOO in cash, but according
to Vice President Mclean, at least
$4,000. The burglars must have
been frightened off while they were
in the act Of opening another, as q
cold-chisel remained firmly driven in
to the door. The number of private
boxes upon the shelves to the right Of
the safe is not definitely stated, the
officers of the bank being extremely
reticent on this point. The police say
the number was between twenty and
fifty, and that at least twenty were
opened and sifted of their contents.
Another evidence that the burglars
WERE FRIGHTENED AWAY
before they completed their work 10
that many pieces Of jewelry, taken
from private boxes, were found by
the police scattered over the floor OF
the vault. Some Of the boxes, too,
were left untouched, as for example,
one belonging to Mr.. Augustus
Schell, the Tammany candidate for
Mayor, which contained upwards of
$50, 600 in bonds and other valuables.
As soon as all of these particulars
were noted by Inspector Murray and
his assistants, the bank officers werc
notified, and steps were taken to find
out and arrest the burglars. The jan
itor, Werkle, who was found W ith the
handouts still on him.. was relieved
of those Membranes, and carried
over TO the Fifteenth Precinct Station
House, where his statement was to.
ken, and he was detained all day. In
the evening he was released. Supt.
Walling, who had been notified, ar
rived shorty and took charge Of the
case. Kealy, the night watchman,
was also carried to the Fifteenth Pre-
cinct Station House and detained
there, and guard was put over the
jsnitor's wife and mother-in- Jaw to
keep the reporters from getting at
them. Kealy also was released in
the evening. The Sunday day watch
man, Patrick Shoultin. was likewise
to the Fifteenth Precinct
Station House AMI
CLOSELY QUESTIONED.
The night watchman said that he
woke Werkle up promptly at 6 o'clock,
and then descended to the street, lock-
ing the street door after him. He
stood ON the corner of Bleecker street
and Broadway until 6 10 and then
went home. Everything was right
up to that time. Officer Vanarden of
the Fifteenth Precinct, whose beat
was ON Bleecker street, betw ween
Broadway and the Bowery, stopped
In front Of the door by which the bur
glars entered the bank at 6 :35 q. NJ,
but saw nothing to create suspicion.
The only person in sight was an old
woman with . prayer-book In her
hand, who stopped, in passing, to ask
The officer the time. A little after 9
o'clock Officer Kent, Of the Fifteenth
Precinct, whose beat was ON Broad
way, In passing the bank saw man
IN his shirt-sleeves, busily busting the
counters. He supposed the man was
IN employe Of the bank, and there
.ore passed on. The man was eyi-
lently one Of the burglars. The up
Der part of the vault door can ba seem