The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-04-17
BANK CASHIER KILLED
By TwoRobbers, Who Escaped With
Six Thousand Dollars.
DIED DEFENDING HIS TRUST.
The Crime Committed at Midday in a
Crowded Section of Asw Hamp-
shire City-The Victims Throat Cut
From Ear to Ear,

shire Cty-The Victims Throat Gu
From Ear to Ear.
Somersworth, N. H.. April 17.-whil
resisting the entry of two desperat.
and determined robbers, and during
heroic futile struggle to protect $3.50.
900 or more in money and securities il
the compartments of the open vaul
Of the Great Falls National bank, O
Somersworth. yesterday afternoon, tn,
cashier. Joseph A. Stickney, was strucl
down and brutally murdered near tn,
desk which he had occupied for years
After killing stickney the murderer!
ransaoked the vault and fled with al
the cash 1t contained, with the ex
ceptien Of IS gold piece. AS near a.
can be estimated about $1,000 wa,
taken. but 1t is possible that the los.
will considerably exceed this sum, a.
no one but the dead cashier knew the
exact amount that was in the institu'
tfon at the time. The robbers after
knocking Stickney down with a black.
jack cut his throat. n
The most remarkable feature of the
robbery is the fact that 800 900 in bonds
of the United States, which were kept
in one Of the drawers of the big vault
and which the robbers evidently ex-
amlned hastily, were not taken. Neither
was any Of the negotiable paper and
securities of the bank, in fact nothing
is missing except the cash.
No one was aware that there was
anything wrong at the bank until
nearly o'clock. or an hour after the
murderous work was done. The per-
petrators had ample time to escape,
and scores Of deputy sheriffs, marshals,
police and citizens are now securing
this section of the state and the ad-
Joining state of Maine, which from this
city is just across the Salmon Falls
river.
The men made their visit to the bank
at the busiest time of the day in the
locality where the bank Is situated, and
so completely and thoroughly did they
accomplish the robbery that only an
uncertain olew and very meager de-
scription Of them was obtainable.
The bank was besieged by hundreds
when the news OF the terrible affair
DCCdfIiC huoNDt aiu &c hulilDCiS VI
people came here from surrounding
cities. Had the robbers been appre-
hended soon after the murder and rob-
berry became public 1t would have been
found difficult to prevent a double
lynching in the Granite state. Great
sympathy is expressed for the family
of the murdered man, who, in addition
to his position as cashier and director
of the Great Falls bank, was city treas
urer.
No occurrence in Strafford county,
not even excepting that of the murder
of Deputy Sheriff Smith by the out
law, Macarthur, at Darlington a few
years ago, has caused such tre-
mendous sensation In this section.
1t has always been customary for
Cashier Stickney and the bank clerk.
Mrs. Parker Swazey, to close the bank
at u o'clock and not reopen it until
2. Yesterday Mrs. Swazey left her
desk at noon. The cashier, however.
remained looking over the banks ac-
counts, and it is thought he was pre-
pairing to go out when the robbers
entered.
The bank building Is situated in the
center Of the business portion of the
city. The banking room Is on the sec
ond floor in the front, but in the rear
the bank is on the !level with a hill,
by which there is second entrance
1t is not known exactly what time
the murder occurred but 1t was evil
IDENTIFY between l and lis o'clock. as
two men, strangers, were seen going
up the hill not very far from the bank
at 1:20 o'clock. One Of the men carried
bag.
The first suspicion that the bank had
been robbed was at 2 o'clock. when Mr..
Frank P. Reed, local merchant, went
up the staircase of the bank building
and found the thick plate glass
in the hall door of the bank completely
shattered. He was considerably alarm
ed, and without waiting to investf-
gate he hurried from the building and
notified City Marshal Katon. The lat
ter responded at once. They broke in
the door and then found evidence of a
desperate struggle. On the floor In a
great pool of blood was the lifeless
body of stickney. His head had been
nearly severed from the body. the rob-
bers having cut his throat. The head
was marked with several deep gashes
made by heavy blackjack. and the
skull was fractured. The body was
covered with blood. and the walls sU..
furniture bore additional evidence nt
the horrible deed. Stickney had died
fighting desperately.
A well known young man of this city
is suspected Of the murder. The man
y, l., oit a,, II.
commission of the crime, but a suspect
answering his description was arrested
in Milton, some dozen miles distant,
and will be taken to Somersworth to-
day.