The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-10-29
Two Lesson. from the Crca, Burglary,

Two Lessons from the Great BnfFlhfy.
Two lessons are forcibly taughtby the nm
cxamplcd burglary In this city ON Sunday
morning. one is addressed to bank officers
The other is addressed 10 persons who de-
post boxes of ValuablCs ia banks luf safe
Keeping
This robbery of sccurit ice worth nearly
three millions Of dollars from the Manhat-
TIM Savings Institution in daylight. on the
principal street of the chief city ~ America,
teaches, or ought to teach. bank officers not
To intrllst the combination Of thoir safe
locks 20 any one residing within co. near the
bank building.
Let us assume that the janitors state
mcnt IL perfectly true, and That hc revealed
the combination to the burglars under their
threat to take his life if he refused. IL does
not positively appear whether ho simply
gave them the figures of the combination, or
was compelled to open the safe himself In
most eases, however an oral description of
the combination would not suffice. The burg
lars would force the custodian 60 apply IL
for them. But the difficulty OF doing this
must alWays be vastly increased whore tho
only persons possessing a knowledge Of tho
comhinat ion reside ri a distance from the
bank liilding. There would be- 10 much
risk of detection in conveying q bank officer
under durcss even few blocks IN this city.
that We doubt whether the holdcst burglars
would ever undertake such scheme.
OF course 1t is entirely possible that n
cashier living up town. could be surprised
al night by masked burglars aud compelled
to tell them how To open the safe Of his
hnnk down town. Ordinary men cannot
Ice expected To maintain secrecy when their
own lives are balanced against the property
Of others Heroes are not met with every
day like the New England cashier who died
rather than disclose 10 the robbers the secret
Of his safe. But in the case W. have sup
posed possible. the opportunities Of hal,iing
the criminal, are 'lmo-t infinitely greater
than where the cu-todlar-.,f tnc c,mbina-
tion is close 10y tho Treasure. The element
Of time is ALWAYS important ia such crimes.
The person assaulted can give the figures
incorrectly without immediate detection;
and unless the burglars cxkosc themselves
10 the excessive danger oiiak'ng him long
way with them. n great deal OF time will
necessarily bc lost in going and returning.
This delay. in nine instances out Of ten,
would probably defeat the projected crime;
and knowledge Of this probability could
hardly fail 10 deter burglars hum such an
undertaking.
Where. however the combination is
known TO q person VIC sleeps under the
same roof that covers the safe the robbery
becomes simple matter If quiet terrorism.
II the guardian * weak. he Weld a. readily
rs did the ianitor Of the Manhattan Tnsti-
tuition. Stronger men sometimes resist for
u while, and then give way. II is only one
man in ten thousand who will die rather
than bctray such trust.
The second lesson which this great burg
larry suggests il that it is unwise To deposit
valuablcs with an institution under circum-
stances which do not make 1T Responsible
for their safe keeping. Wa know it is quite
customary in this city for people To leave
banks which assume the care OF the property
without charge; but tho reported loss 81 a
large amount held in this way at thr Man
haitian Institution wen illustrates the risk
such depositors run in SO doing. 4 corpora
ton or person taking property on deposit
without compensation incurs no liability
for losing such property, except in
case OF gross negligence. Whether il was
gross negligence or not to give the COM
hination Of the safe To a weak old ianitor
may be question; but. Ia any event, pru-
dent persons will prefer To- deposit their
valuahles whore they can bc insured against
! loss from whatever cause