Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1893-12-08
ROBBED A BANK BY DAY.
Took $4,000 From the Vaults
at High Noon.
BOLD THIEVES WHO LEFT NO OLBw.
While the Clerks werc at Dinner Robbers
Crept Into the South Bend National
Bank, Helped Themselves to Gold and
Greenbacks and Escaped.

" ME the " Gro - AAoDoeEh
Crept Into the south Bend National
Bank, Helped Themselves to Gold and
Greenbacks and Escaped.
South BEND, Ind. Dec s.-The South
Bend National bank, one of the largest and
soundest banks in northern Indiana, was
robbed of over $4,000 in broad daylight
while hundreds of people were on the street.
and the robbers succeeded in getting away
with their rich booty without leaving the
slightest clew
Chief Benjamin Rose was at once iu-
formed and set his officers At work imme-
diately, but no clew of any reliance has
been obtained. Every train or other means
of leaving the city is carefully watched, and
the officers hope to obtain some tangible
clew soon. Chief Rose believes there were
no less than four men in the gang and pos
sibly more.
Cashier Myron Campbell remained at the
bank, which is i'll the heart of the city, UNI
til all employees were gone, He then, as
he supposed locked the middle door of the
big vault and left everything in the usual
shape at the noon recess. Ii was 10 min
utes after II o'clock when he left. At 10
minutes of l he returned. entering by the
front door He passed down the corridor
alongside the cashiers, collectors and other
desks, and turned to his left To enter the
door opening back of this line of contiuu-
Gus desks. As he was aho"t to enter the
door his foot struck chisti.
He picked it up. but thuu- nothing of
the matter, as the plumbers had been in
the building and had passed 10y where he
found the chisel and he thought they had
dropped it. Ten minutes later Assistant
! Cashier John NJ. Brown showed him the
chisel.
ChIsel the Only CIew.
Mr. Browns suspicious were aroused to
such an extent that an investigation was
Immediately instituted, and the men found
a rear window open, the back door unlock
ed, and the door between the directors
room and the counting room broken. A
rush was then made for the vault. The
door was as Mr.. Campbell had left it. They
swung it back and examined the safe with
in. y glance showed that money had been
taken, but they could not tell how much.
The police were at once notified, and bust
ness went on about as usual. No particu-
lar effort was made to determine the exact
amount until the days balances were made
up, when it developed that the robbers Sc
cured SIS 900.
There is little doubt that the bank had
been watched for several days-perhaps
weeks. 1t is located on North Michigan
street and has an immense plate glass front.
The cashier is located less than 10 feet from
the front, and his desk books and currency
are always in plain sight from across the
street. One can see clear through to the
directors room and all over the counting
room. the vault doors being in plain view.
At the doors and windows are heavy cur
tains, but they were up at the time of the
robbery, and every portion of the large
counting room was fully exposed, with a
stream of people continually passing on
either side of the street.
North of the bank and surrounded on
three sides by good sized yard is the First
National bank. Two steps lead up to n
wide portico in front of the latter bank,
and from it across to the north wall of the
first named bank building is an iron fence.
AS soon as Cashier Campbell was out of
sight the robbers walked upon the First
Nationals portico, stepped on the fence,
jumped down into the snow and made a
straight line for the rear of the bank, back
OF which is a high board fence. y window
was then pried open, giving admission to
the directors room. The wood and glass
door between this and the counting room
was pried open and Il raid began on the
vault,
Succeeded by Mere Chance.
AS stated, Cashier Campbell locked this
or thought he did 1t is now pretty certain
that in turning the combination knob OF
the middle door-the one depended on ut
the noon hour-he did not turn it fan
enough to scatter the tumblers BY mere
chance the robbers happened to turn this
the right way to unlock the door. This
done, the unlocked safe was before them.
The raid was well planned, as is shown
by the fact that the robbers touched nC
money that would be at once missed. Or
top of the safe was tray containing 5000
Not a dollar of this was touched. They
confined themselves to the safe, which con
tanned in the neighborhOod of SIS 600 SI4
300 being gold. OF the gold only 81, 600 wa,
taken The rest of the SIS, 900 stolen wa.
in paper mouey-none in silver. On tn,
cashiers desk was quite n sum of change
but nothing there was touched
The robbers then closed the vault door
to nllay suspicion and left by the bach
door, which they unlocked, leaving tn,
rear of the building as they had approach
ed it. The chisel is the only object tina
appears to have been used. 1t is made o
steel and was purchased of n local deale
four days ago. There is every reason to be
lieve that the robbery was the work of pro
tessionals. as the preparations were per
feet, and the men were probably full,
armed for action if caught in tight place
Assistant Cashier j. +. Kelley of the Firs
National bank resides in the rear of tina
bank Windows in his home give a full
view of the window through which ell
trance was gained to the robbed bank
About the hour of the robbery MAJ
sailed him out to purchase potatoes osten
iibly, but it is thought that to distract hi
attention was the object, while the rot
bers were effecting an entrance. Fres
footprints back of the big board fence shoy
that some one watched from that quarter
which is almost under the shadow of tn
police station.