The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-02-19

upon the gentleman in charge to throw up
his hands and do it quick. The lack of
haste that Cashier Hopkins evidenced ap-
peared to offend the robber who had sue
ceeded in entering so unceremoniously
through the wic&er-framed window, so he
forthwith punctuated his demand with a
pistol ball which flew past the head of the
cashier and lodged, after glanCing from
a frame over one OF the desks. in door
of heavy oak.
By this time the cashier, who did not
seem to be in a hurry at first, suddenly
took it into his head to do as requested
ank the offending hands went up with
great haste, after which another man wear
ing long mask like his brother in crime
crawled in through the entrance that
seemed to be most in use, and added TO
several vociferous requests that both Cash
Ter Hopkins and Bookkeeper Hayhurst
get into the vault and stay there until
the men had helped thems< Ives to the
loose gold and silver visible Ii the cash
tiIls on the left OF the window. In the
meantime the third robber was maneuver-
ing around the door which he had fast
ened by fixing a screw between the door
frame and the casing. What happened
after the desperate men had taken posses
sion of the Office is best told in the words
of the cashier.
81 was standing at my DESK" said he,
when heard some one coming into the
room from the hallway. / turned and
started toward the window, but was sur
prised to see the first man bound through
1t as lightly as a cat. He got on the coun-
ter and took several steps to the right. all
the time carrying a pistol, which seemed
to be foot long, in his hand. Throw up
your hands, l say he commanded me,
but as did not realize the situation l did
not obey him. Throw up your hands, he
yelled again, and Immediately followed
his request by raising his revolver and
taking a shot at me. The bullet passed by
my cheek and lodged in the door after
CHANGING from part OF the top
frame of the desk at which l was working,
attracted me. The powder marks are still
on my face. Then, and only then, did
realize that robbery was intended and |
said: DO not make fool OF yourself.
will throw mp my hands OF course. You
have the drop on me and | am willing to
quit In the interval when we were talk
ing the other burglar got through the
window and was giving his attention to
! Mr.. Hayhursr, who was also covered with
gun. Immediately after my hands went
| up both men approached us and ordered
that we. get into the vault as soon as
possible"
"Were you forced in the vault as stated
this morning?" inquired THE CALL repre-
| sentative.
mo, we went in without further parley.
What else could we do? We had no arms
and they had the dead drop on us. 1t
would have done no good to talk the
matter over when they seemed to be so
| desperate and we retired at once. 1t was a
very fortunate thing that l had shot out
| the bolts and locked the com bination or we
| would have been smothered to death"
How did it happen that the bolts were
shot out and the combination locked?"
'Well, five years ago / gave an order
when we were running a bank up in
Fresno that when the doors opened in the
morning the combination was TO be set
and the bolts shot out so as to make it I'M
possible to shut the vault. l took that
precaution because l had read of so many
| bank cashiers who had been locked in and
absolutely smothered to death before as
sistance could reach them or the com bina-
ton could be learned. 1t is very danger
ons to remain long in tightly closed
vault and l did not propose to be caught
| in such predicament.
when we had entered one o! the rob-
| bers attempted to close the doors entirely,
but the protruding bolts made 1T impossi-
BILE. They thought it was because the car