The San Francisco call., 1896-06-26
Excavated Beneath Cellars in
the Heart of the Business
Section.
DUG IN VAIN FOR RICHES.
The Safe.Crackers Frightened Away
After Weeks of Diligent
Labor.

. LOS ANGELES, CAL, June 25.-A re-
markbly bold scheme of bank robbers
one involving weeks of cautious labor in
the heart of this clty-has been uneartbed
by Los Angeles officers. The police have
discovered a tunnel which had been run
from Commercial street under cellars to
the vaults of the First National Bank,
which were to have been cracked by the
robbers at their first opportunity. Had
they been successful, they would have Sc
cured about $3OO,0OO The bank is one Of
largest institutions in this section.
Some time ago Chief of Police Glass
learned that an attempt was likely to be
made on local bank, but as nothing was
done the rumor was forgotten after time.
The Chief went to Atlanta, Ga, in May,
and then, it is supposed, the gang began
operations. Detectives had been cautioned
to be on the watch during the Chiefs abb
sence, and shortly after his departure they
learned that Billy" Matthaney, Gillespie
and Rierson, gang of clever safe-crackers,
were in the city.
The first clew to their plans was found
when Detectives Aube and Hswley
searched Matthaney's rooms. In a satchel
they found a suit of dirty, stained clothes,
gang was trying to dig into some bank.
The point at which they were at work
could not be found, however, so after
vaInly following the trio for several days
che officers arrested them and ordered
them out of town.
Early in the present month Chief Glass
learned that an attempt had been made to
rob the First National Bank. The steel
h,15It
the cellar The arch consists OF four
layers of brick then cement, and on top
of this two gridiron layers of steel rails
separated by cement; cement upon the
top rail, then steel axles, more cement,
and then the four-inch steel floor of the
vault.
Several layers of the brick had been re-
moved, while in the cement floor was
hole hidden by some old bricks. The Of
ficers could not get into this tunnel, as
the way was blocked by big iackscrew.
Further investigation proved that the
other end of this tunnel was in the neigh
borhood of the Anaheim Brewery saloon,
at 112 Commercial street, just around the
corner from the First National Bank,
which is at 226 North Main street.
On the 18th Detectives Auble and Brad
ish broke into the cellar of the saloon and
there found the other end of the tunnel.
The place had been run by man named
F. L. Jones. The bar was partitioned off
into winerooms, and the entrance to the
cellar boarded up and foored over, a trap
door being cleverly concealed in the floor.
In his cellar, which ia 35 by As feet in
dimensions, the work has been prosecuted
with care that was fully worthy of the
magnitude of the project. 1t was exactly
1o2 feet from the cellar to the point under
the vault, and the robbers had figured out
with such mathematical exactness, that
the tunnelis almost in direct line. 1t IS
about two and a half feet square, just
large enough to accommodate a man
working on all fours.
Picks, sboves, crowbars and other tools
were used to dig with. The dirt was packed
in q piece of carpet and hauled out of the
cellar with windlass A small bell was
the signal. As the air was foul in the tun-
mel piece of rubber hose was stretched
and fresh air was supplied by a bellows at
the cellar end. The drift was carefully
timbered.
The officers watched both entrances
carefully for several days, but at last
learned that the gang bad flown, so the
place was thoroughly searched. The tools
were found inside the drift, carefully hid
den by earth and sacks. In the cellar was
a tub of ater and in this were thirty-one
sticks of dynamite and a cigar-box half
full of giant powder, all wrapped in oiled
paper. Some of the dirt from the excava-
ton had been piled in the cellar.
James K. Stephens was arrested on
Tuesday ana charged with being impli-
Gated in the attempted burglary. His was
the only capture made, as the balance of
the gang decamped, frightened away by
some unknown cause.
The police are reticent regarding Steph-
ems. 1t is believed that Matthaney's gang
is at the bottom of the job. Its members
are expert safe crackers and no doubt
agreed with the less experienced men to
blow up the vault if the others would do
the tunneling. Jones, the saloon man,
disappeared two weeks ago, and has not
been heard from since. The police are
anxious to get him.
RETURNS TO Los ANGELES.