New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-09-22
PRICE FIVE CENTS.
CLEARING A BANK VAULT
OVER FORTY THOUSAND DOLLARS STOLEN
AT HURLEY, WIS
MONEY INTENDED TO PAY IRON MINERs-THA
LOSS FALLS ON THE UNITED STATES
EXPRESS COMPANY.
IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUSE.l


Hurley, Wis, Sept. 21.-One Of the coolest
burglaries ever known in the Northwest took
place in this city last night between 10 and halle
past IL o'clock. Agent Alexander, of the United
States Express Company, received $4,000, adj
dressed to the Ashland mine and intended to be
used to-day in paying the employees for laso
months work, at o'clock last night AS 1t wai
> too late to deliver the cash TO the mine ofice'
and the safe in the express Office none OF the
best, the agent took it TO the Iron Exchange Bank
and requested Cashier w. S. Reynolds to keep IL
for him overnight The doors of the vault were
unlocked and the package deposited inside. after
which the entire party left the building
The banking-room is illuminated by brilliant
electric light which is located near the vauis
doors and the entire interior of the room can be
plainly seen from the street. Notwithstanding
this, when the cashier returned to the bank,
where he Sleeps at half-past IL, the inner and
outer doors of the vault were open and the money
package was missing The transom over rear
door was found open, and through this the bur+
glars had gained ingress and egress. Near the back
door were found coat overcoat and hat belong-
ing to Cashier Reynolds taken from his sleepngI
room. From this it IS easy to infer that one OF
the burglars disguised himself in the clothing of
the cashier and boldly opened the door, relying
on the action TO disam suspicion. The mystery
is how did he learn the combination TO the vault
II was opened without the use of explosives or
Tools and this leads TO the suspicion that the world
was done by some one connected with the bank!
Yet both cashier and teller were with friends all
Of the time after leaving the bank till the robbery
was discovered. Nearly $4,000 in silver and
small coin was found in the bedroom. The thieves
retired to the and opened the packagci
leaving the silver as too bulky to carry. Twentys
five thousand dollars in currency and over Sl4.00Q
in gold were taken by the robbers.
1t is not known how many there were in the
gang that did the job. Indeed, it is possible
that it was done by one man only Absolutely
no cew was left TO the identity Of the bold
rascals who opened the doors of the vault, and
the Pinlzerton and other detectives who are work.
ing on the case are as much in the dark as any
resident of the place. Although this is not q
large place, the number of strangers is always
large and among their number there are always
plenty of suspicious characters. 1t is thought
that the booty was taken into the forest some-
where and buried. If so, nothing but accident
or the confession of the thief would ever reveal
its location, and if the guilty person is RESIDENT
of the place, as is likely, he could quietly stay
here for few weeks till the case dies out, and
then dig up his money and start for q safer
place.
The robbery has created great excitement and
much CONSERVATION among people who have
enough money to render it an object to look afteri
RumOrs that the city is infested with danger,
Gus gang of burglars from the East are rife, but
all efforts to find any foundation for these stories
have been fruitless The loss will fall on the
express company, as the bank took the money To
accommodate the agent of the express company
and used the precautions for its safe-keeplna
that it did with its own cash. except that the lat
ter was locked in a safe In the vault, ana there
was not room in the safe for the cash of the cxt
press company. Every stranger is being viewed
with suspicion by dozen or more detectives, but
the likelihood of the robbers being captured is
small The robbery SO boldly planned and
executed that the rascal who did it Will not TAU
into any ordinary trap set for his capture