St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1883-04-28
A BIG HAUL.
The Night Waterman of the Metropolitan
Bank of New Orleans Gagged and Over
$4,000 in Cash and yaluables Taken.

The Night Watchman of the NIetropolitan
Bank of New Orleans Gagged and Over
$4,000 in Cash and yaluables Taken.
NEW ORLEANS, April II.
The Metropolitan Bank, at the corner OF
Canal and Charities streets, was robbed yes
terday morning by a gang of professional
buAglars. The work was executed in the
best style of the burglars art, and the char
acter of the tools left behind by the cracks
men bear evidence to the fact that the job
was done by men at the head of the pro-
fession As cred" Leary was reported down
here a short time ago, he is credited with
having had something to do with the matter.
The burglars forced their way into a vacant
house on Chartres street early Saturday even
ing, and bored their way through next door.
From this house they attempted to cut their
way through brick wall into the bank, but
having worked at this all Saturday without
success, they gave the job up. They then
descended into the back yard OF the bank.
and cut their way through the thick iron
door which led into the building. This
must have been done early Sunday
night, as the night Waterman, E. Cautini,
entered the bank about nine o'clock. HeWas
seized by three masked men. He resisted,
instrument, rendered senseless, and gagged.
The burglars then attacked the vault and
drilled several holes in it. At two o'clock
in the morning they blew open the vault,
the explosion being very loud, and, as Cau-
tint who had recovered his senses, declares,
breaking the glasses in the building and extin-
| gushing the lights. Within the vault were
two safes, the loose change of the bank, its
pledges, and the boxes Of the depositors.
No attempt was made to open these safes,
| nor were the pledges touched. The banks
money, mainly silver, was tied up in bags,
but one of these bags, containing 81 900,
was left in one corner of the building and
another with $500 thrown in the gutter at
the corner. Altogether the burglars Sc
cured only 50, 500 of the banks money, all
| in silver. But in the boxes of the deposit
ors they reaped rich harvest, the
exact amount of which is as yet unknown,
and will be unknown until each
| of the depositors has been inter
viewed. There were fifty of these boxes In
the bank, all of which were ransacked and
| all the valuables removed from them. The
boxes were mainly owned by foreigners
| Creoles and Germans-and many contained
| large sums of money. One owned by, a
fruit-dealer is reported to have had $50, 600
in cash and $4,000 in diamonds, and
others are bnown to have held
sums of $4,000 and $4,000 each.
The loss is estimated at anywhere
from $50, 900 to 100000. 1t will probably
be about midway between the two sums.
| The bank refuses to give any account, and
/ will not give even the names of the owners
of the robbed boxes. The robbery was very
leisurely and coolly performed, the burglars,
who where five in number, enjoying sup
per in the Presidents room and leaving the
building about daybreak by the side door.
The robbery was discovered some hours later
! by a policeman, who entered the building
and found Cautini gagged and bound on
the floor. Cautini was roughly handled by the
burglars, having received several cuts on his
neck and face. He lost half dozen teeth
and is injured about his neck and legs. His
injuries, however, are pronounced not dan
gerous The robbery is said to be due to
the pennywise policy Of the bank, which
made Cautini perform the duties Of porter,
runner and Waterman. Several suits are
threatened by depositors who have lost theil
valuables The bank offers a reward Of
$4,000 for the capture of any Of the
burglars. The location of the robbery is
central and at the very moment Cautini en-
tered the building and was gagged several
/ hundred persons were standing in front OF it
--N-A---ss