Daily Kennebec journal., 1882-11-10
Miscellaneous.
Burglary ~ . Science.
THE KNIGHTS OF THE JIxMY KEEP PAcI
WITH IMPROVEMENTS.

There has been a marked advance in
the science Of doing things, and the trade
OF '.doing- mankind keeps step to the
music OF progress. The rascal has adj
vanced his craft and cunning nearly as
fast as his victim has invented burglar
proof safes aud chroDometer locks.
When the combination lock was invent
ed it was thought that burglars could no
more 90 a-burglarizing. In 1872 or 1873,
however. this fond hope was found falla-
cious, when Louisville bank was nearly
s.cleaned out of CASH" This adroif oper-
alton was followed for a period of four
wears by a number Of robberies and at
tempted robberies which have never been
equaled. The gentlemen Of the jimmy"
had the best Of the combination lock.
Some idea may be had Of the serious
character Of this fact, when the reader re-
fleets that during those years nearly three
millions Of money and bonds we're stolen
from various banking institutions. These
most skillful robberies were the work OF
one gang Of men. nor was the proof neces-
sary 10 convict obtained until the famous
Northampton Bank robbery, in the winter
of 1876, when four masked men took from
the vault money and bonds of the face
value Of nearly one and one-quarter mil
lion.
propose to tell the story OF two Of the
exploits Of this gang, which, although not
altogether successful. will show, in part, +,
the amount Of work required to break a
bank. 1t may deter lethargic persons
from adopting the profession, because il
will be found that even burglars have to
work for living. Robert Scott and jim
my Dunlap were the brains of the com
blnation, the former born in Warsaw, H..
and the other in Scotland. They were
both ''nervy," muscular and nobby. They
lived in considerable style and Jared
sumptuously every day. Scott owned the
cele ebrated trottiDg mare Knox. He. in
company with the blonde-mustached Dun
lap, created no end OF a sensation one sea-
son al Long Branch. being voted stunning
good fellows by the men, while they at
tracted considerable attention among the
ladies'. Billy Conners, a New York
"crook," was also member of the syn
dicate.
The Second National Bank of Elmira
was selected for attack. 1t was decided
to .'work the bank" through the floor of
the Young Mems Christian Association
room. directly above the vault. But they
were met at the outset by an unexpected
difficulty-the door of the room was an
iron one, and locked with Hall lock
They did not understand its mechanism.
One Of the party entered the house of
the Secretary of the Young Mems Chris
tian Association while he was asleep and
searched his pockets to steal the keys long
enough to get an impression in wax. The
young man however. had placed the keys
under the carpet in his room, and the rob-
Der was thus foiled.
They were now in ''quandary," and
were almost ready to give up. when Con-
ners heard of a lock expert who was en-
safe-makers. Considerable diplomacy
was employed and some half dozen in
terviews held before the expert consented
10 reveal the secrets of the Hall lock for
SJO.0
Corners came back to EInira. and Dun
lap. by some means, managed to have a
letter sent the New York safe men max
ing inquiry in regard to their goods. As
was expected. the expert was dispatched
to Elmira to "buz" the customer. lie
was careful to make known his business
II was mentioned in an evening paper.
Scott inserted a ball of paper in the Hall
lock, in consequence of which it was quite
natural that the expert should be sum-
moned to repair the same. The expert
took an impression of the key. and that
difficulty was surmounted. About this
time certain Mrs. Davis came to Elmira
and rented a small house in the suburbs.
She represented her husband as a COM
mercial man, who was almost always on
the road. II was queer kind of house.
keeping she kept. There was full set
of window curtains to the house. a few
blankets and a few culinary utensils. But
she was very careful to sweep the pave
ment every day and hung out an occasion
al washing"
Here the gang" spent their time.
never going out In daytime, and using
every precaution against discovery. The
reader will see at once the value of this
cover. These men. it must be remem-
bered. were suspected; some of them
were known breakers. Had their
presence been known in Elmira dozen
of detectives would have been Mt their
heels and all the banks would have been
warned. Bv this plan. however. they
were enabled to defy pursuit. for had
robbery been committed during their stay
there, no one knew they were in the city.
They were strangers to everybody; no.
body was familiar with their faces. In
this house they lived nearly two months
Every night they went to the Y. NJ. c. A.
room. unlocked the door and took up the
flooring. which they were also careful to
replace before the morning began to
blush over the hills.
There were not more than six men en-
gagged in this work: one OF the party was
obliged to ''pipe" outside. Ton after ton
of stone was carried upstairs in baskets
and deposited on the roof; they burrowcd
through five feet of solid masonry, and
thence through layer of heavy iron. A
plate of steel. nearly two inches in thick
ness. was the last barrier between them
and the coveted wealth They were at
work upon this. The President of the
bank. MIR. II c. Pratt. had occasion 10
enter the vault one night. and observed n
quantity of plaster dust opon the floor.
The President suspected. and hunted up
an officer; but the midnight masons took
the hint and escaped
In order to give the readers Of the Call
aclear conception of completed opera
ton. = description of the inside work on
the First National Bank of Pittston is APP
pended. This was a .one-story building
with a tin roof. Every night the boards