Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1890-12-27
6uRRoWiNo FOR 100000.


The enterprise was planned and princi-
paliy pushed by = clever pickpocket
called ''Mollic Matches" alias John
LarSey. He was a man OF enterprise.
courage aud brains. and, what was just
as important ia a job Of this sort. he
had money--lots of 1t. Matches was
not a gopher man" himself. and in
no wise worked on banks in a practical.
personal way. He belonged to the
~aristocracy of rogues, was a prime
pickpocket. la fact, and If some light.
fingered McAllister ever writes o book
he will tell you such a man belongs TO
%roguery's 400"
Matches did the outside work. He
procured the tools. the section Jim.
mics. the %spreaders, pullers. wedges.
mauls. suction-pnmp. putty. powder,
fuse, saws, files, drills and drill brace,
as well as various corrosive acids for
eating iron and steel. These tools are
necessarily handmade. as in the
nature of things they can only he
ordered of trusted men. The men who
make them are among the bet artisans
in the world and the cracksman tools
they turn out are light. elegant, ac-
ourate and of great power. The tools
for the New Jersey robbery were made
IN Cleveland. under the direction Of a
man who was once the chief police
officer of that city. They cost Matches
81, 800. The bank was selected be-
cause of a acant dwelling-house on
one side, while two streets and an alley
were on the other three.
he ugali N GaU rivht hnr0 that
banks. and especially those weak hanks
ia small country towns which are the
''gophers" pride and joy, had better
know who has possession next door.
That Is where danger generally comes
from.
Matches began by bribing the ~ianitor
Of the bank, who was also its night
watchman. He let the talented robber
inside one night and an accurate plan
Of the bank with its money vaults was
made. Then Matches rented the house
next door. paving for a month In adj.
vance. One Saturday evening the
gang assembled aud the work began.
Saturday was selected because the
work was going to take time and they
would need until Monday morning &c
complete il. Their purpose was t6
tunnel into the bank from the neigh.
boring house. Descending TO the base
ment they began, guided by their map
OF the bank.
All night they moi,ed and toiled 10
the basement. A good deal of work
was before them, as they had to tun.
mel under the open yard between the
buildings for a space of ten feet, But
they kept on. for they were within fifty
feet Of 5000. 600. Az last the earth
taken out began 10 cucumber that part
OF the basement where the ''gophers'
were at work. One was detailed 70
carry it back in "A large basket and
dump il in a rear room, This reai
room had half-windows from which
Que could see into tho back yard. but
the ''gophers'' never thought of that
they were thinking only of the bank
and the s200,000 Matches was mol
with them. or this mistake might have
| been averted. He told me this story
himself. aud was confident nothing
would have goue wrong if his master.
mind were there.
Trouble began in this wise. The
card For Rent" was still ia the froui
window. The thieves overlooked that,
too. II caught the eye of IN old lrisf
woman bound for early mass on Sun.
day morning. She coveted the editic,
for a ''boordin'-housc." 1t was locked,
so she went about peering into the
windows and deserted a pile of fresl
earth on the floor. The '~'gophers'
had been dumping dirt there abou'
thirty minutes.
"Av Oi tux it," said the old Irisl
woman to herself, ord make tn,
landlord clane out the basement. shure.
Aud then she %journeyea on TO earl,
mass and the consolation OF her soul.
The morning and part of Sunda,
afternoon sped by. No bees ever
worked like the diligent ''gophers'
nearing the 500 900. The pile oil
earth in the back basement grew
apace. At 3 O'Clock in the afternoon
the old Irish woman her mind fraughl
with ''boordin'-house." determined to
take another look ut the eligible
structure that stood next the bank. She
was astounded at the growth of the
mound of earth in the rear basement,
From a small. iucousequeutiai heap il
had grown until tons of earth were
now numbering the floor.
''Howly virgin. but the house II
haunted complately!' exclaimed tho
Mortified lady. and started straight fol
a priest.
The cleric was not superstitious and
smiled at the spook theory. He starte,
for the house. On the way he notified
a sergeant of police ut q minol
station. The sergeant knew his bush
ness aud at once OWNED the scheme o.
the thieves. He vas also an ambitious
officer. and determined 10 make TIA,
capture without first notifying the cen
trial Office. This was contrary to police
rules and disarrapged matters might
lily. II be had notified his superior tn,
thieves would have got away. The
careful Matches had the chief fixed
aud a fleet messenger was in consfan
waiting in sight Of any signal which
the chief might give. to fy to the met
at work and notify them of discovery
The signal was simple. The chief wa
10 put mp q certain window OF hi
Office. That means Look out?'
But the sergeant did not notify thu
chief. He wanted the credit himself
so he took a squad and captured tn,
industrious ''gophers" in their tunnel
And they were within two hours o
the stuff, too" said Matches. sadly. n
he related the matter to me. ''Tw,
hours more and they'd had that $500,
000f'--KansGs City Star.