Idaho semi-weekly world., 1892-09-09
AN oLo.Trme ROBBERY.


,ocat journal in writing up ths
h.nts ~ Pittsburgh recently oyerioOkeu
a very interesting point--the hrss ~ ns,
robbery, that Of the Farmers anu nv
cbanics' Bank in 1916.
Mr.. Morgan Neville, memoer oi 'no
notable Neville family that hgureu ..
prominently in the early hisDry u
PITTSBURGH. was cashier of the institu-
lion The bank was located on the hrss
floor of a two-story building on ING
corner ~ Third avenue and Hay scales
.i1ev This latter thoroughfare was
abandoned long ago. 1T ran from l.. n.Iu
to Fourth avenues, and the iron .i.y
National Bank occupies a portion oi i's
location. 49,.
In 1915 there came to Pittsburgh two
an nanad plunarth and Lemon. Plu-
-, y,a. an educated fellow, very
dasbing and stylish, and soon succeeoeh
IN obtainino the entree to Pittsburgh
best society.
These two men concocted scheme 70
rob the Farmers and Mechanics BANK
In those days matters were not CON
ducted az carefully about banks as tney
arc at nresent. The keys OF the bank
were left living around loose. Those oil
/ this particular bank were not taken otht
/ of the door from morning until night.
Lemon succeeded in getting into the
good eraces Of woman VINO Workeo
about the bank and who lived IN the
( dwelling part of the bailding. He per-
shaded her TO purloin the keys and ne
1 took an impression OF them and had
/ duplicates made.
This part of their plan accomplished
! Plumarth and Lemon went up to the
village of Elizabeth and had SKIN
made with a false bottom in it. They
brought it down to Pittsburgh and se-
cured it to post at the foot OF Ferry
/ street, making it secure with lock ana
( chain.
The two men and women waited until
/ dark and rainy night, when they drove
/ a wagon with the wheels muffied to the
/ rear of the bank building. An entrance
was easily effected by means of the
/ duplicate keys. The robbers secured
| all the valuables in the bank, consist
! ing of s16, 900 in cash and many metals
l and beirlooms of the Neville family,
4 presented by General Neville to his son
| Morgan. The plunder was taken ont
4 by the rear way, over high fence, and
/ placed in the wagon, driven to the river
/ and placed in the false bottom OF the
| skif. The boat was rowed down the
| Ohio river. and in the hills in the
| vicinity of Beaver the treasure was
! hidden.
/ 1t can well be imagined the commotion
a bank robbery would create in those
/ days. Two months passed without any
( clew to the robbers having been dis
/ covered Plumarth and Lemon still
/ moved around as usual, being enter
tanned by the best people in the town.
( The woman. however, did not seem to
get along well with the men, and at
/ last, after quarreling with Lemon. gave
away the secret. Lemon escaped, but
/ Plumarth was arrested.
! The prisoner was confined in the old
/ Jail on Jail alley, now Decatur street.
/ He retained John Henry Hopkins as his
attorney. Mr.. Hopkins afterward be-
came an Episcopal minister, and was
rector of the old Trinity church on
Sixth avenue, and later on in life was
/ first bishop of Vermont Against Mr..
/ Hopkins advice Plumarth made pub
/ lie confession of the robbery on the
/ steps in front of the old court house on
/ Market street. He laid in Jail for some
months, when one night he broke out
and was never heard from. 1t was
/ stated at the time that he was aided in
/ his escape by some of his old comrades.
While in jail Plumarth told Lazarus
/ Stewart, who was sheriff OF Allegheny
/ County at that time, where he had hid
/ den the treasure. The sheriff, with his
/ deputy took the prisoner down the
river, to point out the place. 1t was
! found near the mouth of Raccoon creek
below Beaver. The money was found
intact, except $50, which the men had
used. The relics belonging to Morgan
I Neville were found carefully wrapped
up in a buckskin bag and all safe.
This was the first bank robbery in
Pittsburgh, and probably the first in
the State. The Farmers and Mechanics
Bank never opened its doors again
Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette.