Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-10-30
The Manhattan Bank Robbery

The Manhattan Savings Institution Is six
story brick building, having two entrances on
Broadway and two on Blocker street. One of
these doors on each street enters the bank, and
the other leads to the rooms overhead none OF
which have any communication with the bank.
To the North. on Broadway, the bank is bounded
by the St. Charles Hotel, and to the east on
| Blocker street, by the DeSoto Hotel. In the
northeast corner of tine building is "well-hole
bounded on two sides by the walls Of the bank
building, and the other two by the ST. Charles
and the DeSoto Hotels The windows in these
walls are guarded by iron shutters. which were
found tightly closed and secured At the head of
the first fight Of stairs leading from the esstery
entrance on Blocker street. Louis Wcrtell. the
janitor, lives with his wife and bis wife's mother
an old lady of seventy. The room originally large
one, has been divided into three rooms BY tempo.
rary partitions. the only light received being from
window in the "wel-hole." Wcrtell is mid
dle-aged German of good reputation, and has been
in the service of the bank for six or seven years.
Samuel Kelly is night watchmsn employ ed 10
the bank. whose treasures he has guarded by
night for eight years. 1t is his custom before GO
ing home in the morning to leave the bank by the
enter the easterly door the same street, ascend
| ed to the janitors room, and knock on the door;
then hearing reply, to leave the building, clos
| ing the door which fsstens with q spring lock.
The Waterman testified before the police officers
that he pursued the usual course Sunday morn
ing; that he knocked on Wertells door and heard
knock in response; that he left the building and
stood on the corner Of Broadway and Bleecker
street until 6 10. He was able to tx the time
with accuracy by the fact that be met officer Tul-
", who was on bis way home, having been re-
lieved by Officer Van Norton q 8. He was posi-
tive that he had lef the hank secure at that time.
Louis Wertell, the janitor, told his story with
much agitation, with some slight contradictions,
and in a manner which evidently did not impress
Superintendent Walling aud Inspector sDilks H.
vorably. He said that he heard the night watch
mans knock and responded TO il; and that be
arose and began dressing. While sitting on the
edge of the bed, putting on his trousers, seven
masked men rushed into the room, with pistols in
| their hands, which they pointed at him, his wife
and his mothern-law. They then handcuffed
him and his wife and threatened to kill them if
they cried out The aged mother in law not
handcufied, hut was efrectually prevented from
making any attempt to escape by loaded pistol
| which was held against her forehead. The rob-
| bers then told Wertell to give them the keys to
toe bank on pain of having his brains blown out;
he obeyed, being as he said, 10 fear Of his life.
| The Superinte ndent asked Wertel how the rob-
hers had been able to enter the vault which has a
combination lock. At first Wertel denied all
| knowledge of the matter, saying he had simply
given them the KEYS, but finally he admitted that
| they bad demanded the combination, and he had
given it TO them, saying "Well, you can't open
| it anyhow
| Wertell said further that he and the women
| were taken into smaller room. where they were
left under guard of three of the robbers The
others went out and down the stairs. At 8 o'clock
one Of the men returned and called aside one of
hose in the room after brief whispered conver-
sation between the two the others were Summon
ed, and all went away. Werte then went to the
| barber shop, visited the bank with Kohlman,
found that the safe had been ri6ed, and requested
Kohlman to inform the police. This was all the
janitor professed to know about the matter. "a Il
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 twelve
feet more from the outer door, is q safe about
seven feet in height, one door Of which bad been
forced off by jimpes and the powerful blows of
a sledge hammer, both lock and hinges having
been broken. Four books had been placed on the
floor. evidently to prevent noise 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
containing many of the banks most valuable Sc
curities. The cash amounted to about 81 600 in
| small notes; this and the securities were taken.
The burglars attempted to open the other compart-
ments, and over the steel door Of the the
right band upper side jimmy remains where 1t
was driven without accomplishing the work in
tended.
| On the shelves at the side Of the vault were
twenty tin boxes, filed with valuable articles aud
securities left with the bank for ssfe-keeping.
Some of these had been opened, and their con
| tents were scattered on the floor. There was sill
verware OF considerable value, and there were
several thousand dollars In silver COIN which the
robbers did not take. A number of the boxes
were not opened, and the paper in which some
of them were wrapped was not removed. Among
them belonging to Augustus Scher, and
said to contain vausbles worth $4,000.
A number of burglars tools were left behind
by the robbers, some Of which bore evidence of
severe use. There were large and small jimmies,
apparently new, but with the points badly
broken by the mornings work, plates to put on
the floor for pulling machines," and q big
sedge-hammer weighing sixteen pounds. The
vault is in the centre of the bank, near the east
erly end, and facing the Broadway door, through
which the upper part can be distinctly seen, the
lower part being hidden by large desk, but the
burglars, having once opened the doors BY the
combination, could close them behind them, aud
work on the safe inside by the light of candles
without danger of being observed from the
street.