Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-07-28
Eminent Mr.. Rogers.

Eminent Mr.. Rogers.
Mr.. Rogers is an eminent robber-
No. 1,967 in the Rogues' Gallery. His
functions require so much education
and Judgment that only half a dozen
men have been able to play his part in
what is known as bank sneaking."
The bank sneaks generally form q
"mob" of three or four, and confine
their operations to country towns,
though they sometimes visit cities. In
country banks there is usually some
time of the day when only n Dr. two
clerks are at their desks-perhaps the
paying and receiving tellers. The mob
ascertain the time Of day when this is
likely to be the case, observe the move
ments and habits of the employees,
enter the Office on business pretenses,
and get the lay of the land. The
"staller's'' function is to engage the
attention of the clerks while the
"sneak'' proper lays hands on the UNI
guarded v%aluables. Mr.. Rogers is a
brilliant s~taller, the most successful in
the business. He has a business-like
air, is a slow and easy talker, and
would be likely to get the respectful at
tention of any business man. If he en-
cages a paying teller in conversation,
he starts a subject in which a paying
teller would be especially interested.
II he is stalling an insurance man, he
has something to talk about which will
hold an insurance mans attention.
"He could engage the attention of
the smartest bank clerk in New York. -
a detective said yesterday, "long
enough for his sneak to get an Impress
sion of the lock to the door whichleads
behind the desks. He could return with
his pals, and they could engage so
many clerks in conversation that the
sneak could unlock the door and get
the Doodle. He has been implicated in
all such robberies that have occurred so
frequently in the last few years. Take
the remarkable case of the $4,000 rob-
berry in a Buffalo safe deposit company,
which was not discovered until the mob
offered to return for money the stolen
coupons and bonds. There they work
ed q rich old gentleman for months,
perhaps for years. They found out
that at certain times he went to the
company's vaults to clip coupons. To
get past the guard one of them took off
his coat, put a pen behind his ear, took
a bundle of papers in one hand and
passed without being challenged. He
looked as if he were going to finish
some interrupted business. The old
gentleman was busy cutting off coupons.
Something was done to distract his at
tention, and in a second the Doodle was
snatched from the table SO dexterously
that he knew nothing about it."
Country banks are most frequently
worked and stalled, but Mr.. Rogers
latest exploits were in other moneyed
institutions. His mob robbed Insurance
Agent Rufus Rose, of Albany, of So, 300
in the following manner: Mr.. Rose was
''worked" until it was ascertained that
he usually got large sums of money
from the bank and deposited them in
his safe. One day when he returned
from the bank with So, 800 he was fol-
lowed by the mob. Before he could lock
the safe he was ''stalled," and in the
midst Of a pleasant conversation the
sneak got the money from the safe.
Operations in the office of the Peo-
pies Passenger Railroad Company in
Philadelphia were similarly conducted.
While the principals were out, the
clerks in the outer Office were ''stalled,' -
and the sneak entered the inner Of
flee. From the safe he distracted
$1,000.
The mob also distracted in February
$1,000 from the Brooklyn P~ost-ofice.
One of the mob entered the office with
a letter in his hand. "I live in -
street." he said. ''This letter is correct.
ly addressed to me, but it was delivered
at the wrong place, and the delay has
seriously interfered with an important
business transaction"
While the officials attention was
thus engaged the sneak got in his work.
Mr.. Rogers is said to own considera-
BILE property, but his case is exception.
al. The proceeds of these joint enter.
prises have to be divided among SO
many, and institutions have to be worked
so long a time, that the share of each
member of the mob in the profits is usu.
ally not very large after expenses are
deducted,-N. Y. San.