The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-07-10
A Russian Bank Robbery.

4 REMARKABLE PIECE OF WORk-DlGG1NG
sUBrERRANEAN PASsAGE-H0w THE THIEVES
WERE CAPTURED.
The Proueetelstuenni Festnih thus. de-
scribes the great robbery OF l, 100000 roubles
from the Kherson Chancellere: con June
10Th the Government officials at kherson
found on their arrival at kaznotcbstVo or
ChanceIere that the vault had been broken
into during the night, and the money be-
longing to the Imperial State Bank removed.
An inspection revealed that an entrance
had been effected from subtcrranean pas
sage, forty-fye feet in length. running
from q private house near the Chan
cellerie. This residence was found to be
empty, the thieves having fled from it after
uppropriating the Government money. As
soon as the cashier arrived the funds in the
vault were examined, and it'was then found
that bank notes 10 the value OF 1.579,GSS
roubles had been stolen. besides 1000 blank
forms for passports, 125 Government stamps,
and number Of Government securities"
A telegram received on the 18th ultimo adds
that, "thanks to- the energetic measures
adopted by the Governor OF kherson, the
principal culprits, with bank notes to the
value OF 1906 ,30S roubles, have been arrest
ed outside the town." A series Of teleerams
from the special correspondent of the GoloS
on the 18th ultimo gives fuller particulars {:
" The amount stolen from the khcrson
Chancelerie is found to exceed LOO, 900
roub!es. The securities in the vault Of the
Kaznatchisyo are kept in iron safes. OF
seven belonging to the Government Bank
three were found broken open on the MORN
ing OF the robbery, and these three were
precisely the ones which contained the most
money. The thieves appear to have made
n nn1p1vnp My of.
which only contained the current cash OF
the Kaznatcbisvo and the securities of pri-
yate individuals. They also left behind in
the three safes number of coupons and
bonds which they would have experienced a
difficulty IN disposing Of. Opposite The
large and massive building occupied by the
Chancellerie is House komsina.' A fort.
night ago (about the 5th Of June) this resi-
dence was hired by a lady who gave herself
out to be the wife of DR.. Nikitin. With her
were cook and Il page. A few days after
her arrival two bricklayers were engaged
by her to effect some repairs in her lodgings,
and these were seen to enter the house
every morning up to the date Of the rob
berry. The ChanceIlerie is usually closed on
Sundays, and the thieves took advantage
of this to break into the place on June
18th. Immediately the robbery was dis
covered ruSn WdS luaue 10 hOuSlua
House, which was found closed and devoid
OF inmates. The underground operation
OF the thieves excited great interest among
the officials. The length OF the subterra-
mean passage exceeded seven fathoms, and
was situated about six feet under the soil.
The passage was cut almost square, and
was about yard wide and high. The
earth had been removed in baskets and
stored in nearly every room in the
house. In order to admit air into the
tunnel a tube taken from the kitchen
1ue had been passed through the ground
in the garden. The whole affair was
very skifulIy and carefully managed" \
telegram, dated the 18th, adds: To-day,
on the steppe, six miles from kherson, the
police captured the leading cuiprits con-
cerned in the KaZnatchisvo robbery. They
had put up at house in Il Cossack village,
the Doctors wife and the bricklayer AleXal
Kolemenko, and in two bags in their pos
session were found 1,06G, 900 roubles in notes
and nearly all the passport blanks. The
dvornik, at Komsina House, and a man
named Stecherbatotf, at the Cossack village,
have been arrested on, the charge of COM
plicity in the robbery."':