Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1889-06-26
A CONVICTS SECRET.
How It Was Wormed Out Of Him
by a Detective.
The Latter Went to state Prison to Un-
Garth n Great Bank Rob-
bery-How He Sue
ceeded.

bery-How He Sue
coeded.
II was the invariable custom OF the
night watchman of the Merchants g.
Mechanics Bank at Clio to throw open
The front doors and raise the curtains
at half-past seven o'clock each morn
ing. By that time all the stores were
open and the streets full OF people.
From half-past seven to eight he swept
and busted, and the bells had scarcely
struck the latter hour when the bank
officials began to arrive. Then the
Waterman went home, the doors were
closed, and at nine the bank was ready
for business.
One September morning the cashier,
teller and two of the clerks arrived to
find the heavy front doors still closed.
Peter, the Waterman, had been in
service nine years, and this was the
first time he had oversight his hour.
The grocer on one side and the shoe
man on the other had pounded on the
bank doors at a quarter to eight, and
not receiving any response, were GER
tain that something out Of the way had
occurred. There were nine OF us who
entered the bank as the cashier I'M
locked the doors. The curtains had not
yet been raised when we knew that
robbery and murder had taken place.
When we got the full light we saw
Peter lying on his back on the floor
outside OF the railing. He was fully
dressed, and had been struck on the
back of the head; and the blow had
crushed in the skull. The body was
cold, showing that death had occurred
some hours before.
Further investigation proved that
the door OF the vault had been drilled
and blown open, and that the bank had
been robbed OF every dollar OF its
cash on hand. Taking the loss OF
bonds, stocks and cash, the aggregate
was about $50, 900, about half OF which
fell upon the bank. Burglar tools,
fuse, flask OF powder, and other ar
ticles were lying about, and on a desk
we found the loaded club which had
dealt Peter his death blow. When we
came to investigate as to how the
robbers had effected an entrance
every body was at sea. They could
only have come and gone by the front
door. None OF the windows had been
raised. The back door was heavily
barred, and the door leading to the
cellar had not been tempered with.
Peter had no key to the lock OF the
front door. He could open it from the
inside, but not from the other. The
cashier and book-keeper. both old and
trusted men and stockholders, alone
had keys. He must, we concluded,
have admitted the robbers to the bank,
but the fact OF his having been MUIR
dered was proof OF his integrity. Had
he put up job with them, they would
not have finished him off. He was
sharp, shrewd fellow, and what excuse
they could have urged to gain admis-
sion was beyond our figuring. De-
tectives we're put to work on the case,
but not the slightest clew could they
get for weeks. 1t seemed as if the
robbers had taken wings as they left
the bank. Three months later two
men, who were suspected Of being
good fellows" we're arrested at a
point two hudred miles away,
and in another State, for steal
ing n horse and buggy. In follow
ing up this case to a convic-
ton it was proved that they had ar
ranged to do bank in country town,
and that the rig had been stolen as
part OF the programme. One Of the
men was recognized as a person seen
in our town about the time OF our rob-
berry. and the bank people became sat
isfied that both of them had hand in
it. They had no proofs, and the mat
ter would have been permitted to drop
but for me.
The loss OF cash was only about
eleven thousand dollars. About thirty
five thousand dollars in securities be-
longed to depositors, and the balance
was the loss OF the bank. None OF the
far, and it was my theory that the rob-
bers had them securely hidden away
somewhere. While / could not he
positive that either OF the men ar
rested for stealing the horse and buggy
was the party wanted for the job, two
OF our citizens we're so positive in
identifying one OF them that / was
ready to chance It. The bank had Of
fered big reward for the arrest OF the
robbers and murderers, and after due
elaboration with myself and several
consultations with friends, l deter
mined on plan. The men had been
sent TO prison for three years apiece.
When arrested they made fight, and
burglars tools were also found In their
possession.
visited the prison and learned that
one had been assigned TO the boot and
shoe department, while the other had
gone to the chair works. walked
through this department, and saw him
engaged In chair-painting. The two
were so widely separated that there
was no possibility OF meeting except
In the chapel on Sunday. The one in
the chair department was the younger
by several years.
One day, when I had my plans all
laid, | entered jewelry-store in the
city, from which the men had been
sentenced, and asked TO look at some
watches. A tray OF them was set out,
and grabbed one valued at forty dol
loxo ond roo o,,f I could have uof