Daily Texarkana Democrat., 1893-12-11
A BOLD ROBBERY.
The Plano (Tex) National Bank
Sacked and Robbed of a Large sum.


some other equally daring gang of
bandits have paid the town of Plano
a visit as unwelcome as it was unex-
pected for, and taking their departure
as quietly as they came, have left the
Plano National Bank to mourn the
loss of from $4,000 or $4,000.
The first intimation of the robbery
was when Bookkeeper Wallace Hugh
ston and cashier II, G, Jasper arrived
about 1885 a. m. for the purpose of
opening up for the days business.
They were astounded to find the door
of the vault open, the combination
broken off and lying on the floor.
An inspection of the inside of the
vault revealed the fact that the safe
had been blown to pieces with dyna-
mite. A piece of the fuse eighteen
inches long with cap on the end was
found on the floor.
Papers and money were scattered
pell nell all over the floor of the
vault. A dark lantern was placed ON
a shelf and one of the bank lamps was
found on what was left of the safe
The safe had been overturned by the
use of jackscrew, which was after
ward found in Saigling's lumber
yard, about 200 yards from the scene
of the robbery, and the floor was lit
orally covered with tools taken for
the purpose from the blacksmith shop
of W. r. Richardson, around the mp
per end of the block.
An inventory Of the tools besides
the dark lantern mentioned is as fol-
lows: Three steel punches, three
wrenches, one pair of tongs, rat tail
file, an iron poker, chisel. screw
driver, brace and sledgehammer
The robbers were evidently artists
in their peculiar line Entrance was
effected at the rear door. Several
pancs of glass lying upon the iron
rafters of the vault had been removed
and laid where they would not add
to the noise of the explosion.
The time could not have been bet
ter chosen, the blasting having been
partly drowned, or deadened by the
roar and rattle of the south bound
through freight on the Houston and
Texas Central railroad, which passed
within forty feet of the point of oper-
alton
The force of the explosion was ter
rife, but was in itself the salvation of
the bank from a still greater loss, for
in addition to the damage of books,
etc, the sacks containing god and sill
YER coin were so badly torn that upon
being seized went to pieces, scatter
ing the shining ducats in all the di-
rections. As the robbers remembered
pressing engagement somewhere else
they had no time to spend in picking
mp refractory coin.
The money taken was gold and
greenbacks, the gang seeming to have
prejudice against deprecated silver
at a ratio of 16 to l. The currency
taken mostly was in $40, and 800
bills and gold in $40 and 500 pieces
with only a few pieces of smaller de-
nomination. Some of the coin not
taken was badly bent by the explos-
ion, and the vault was damaged to
some extent.
The news spread over the town like
wild fire, and in a short time the
neighborhood of the bank was a mass
Of eager, excited men, demanding Of
each other the details, and repeating
with generous expansion and detail
what they had heard. In short time
the front doors of the bank were OPP
ened, and the space outside of the
counter was packed and jammed with
living. moving, breathing interroga-
tion points.
Inquiries, however, were vain, save
as to the condition of the bank which
remains perfectly sound and solvent.
So far there is absolutely 10 clue to
the robbers, other than that taken
from sensational card recently pub
lished in the Dallas news, in which
the writer, who signed himself 'Ed
Dalton, leader of the Dalton gang"
threatened to rob this identical bank,
at an early day.
This same paper was the means
of saving to the owners and deposit
ors of the bank at least $4,000, or
100000, as the bank officials acting on
the threat thus conveyed at once ship
ped 1856 600 TO the State Satianal
Bank at Dallas, to be deposited for
safe keeping and made similar ship
ment TO New York Bank Tor like
purpose. Thus these sums of money
were saved from the bandits repacious
handa A reward of $1,000 has al