New-York tribune., 1897-04-13
rHE CASHIER HELD UP.
,orn ROBBERY OF THE YoNKERs saw
INGs BANK AT NOON TIME.
cwo MEN AND A BOY CARRY OUT A DARING PLOT
"A REVOLVER THRUST IN THE FACE OF
THE AGED orFIcIA1.-MoRE THAN
s.4oo sToLEN-MANY THEORIES
But NO CLE0

But NO CIsEW.
A genuine holdup took place in peaceful Yon-
..rs Yesterday. The oldest bank in the place was
-ohhed at an hour which is ordinarily the most
husv Of the day. and with frontier GOODNESS which
rould enttle the perpetrators to high station in
.,s ranks Of desperadoes. The Yonkers Savings
r,rk which was the scene of the daring robbery.
,s IN the heart of the business part of the place
=, the principal square. where five streets con-
...rre and where the traffic of the city is the
..aetest The north end of the block is occupied
o. tho Getty House. and next TO this. in the order
~.nsd come the Citizens National Bank. the
rs.s, National Bank the Peoples Savings Bank.
-. yonkers Savings Bank and the terminus
..ns Yonkers branch Of the NewYork and Put
..m Railroad. The Yonkers Savings Bank has
,.sn doing a large business for number OF
Gears 1t was established in 1854. and occupies
,,s whole second floor Of a four-story brown
tome building The house is occupied also on
,,s Ground floor by offices; the Yonkers Bicycle
r,,h has the rooms directly over the bank. and
Masonic meetings take place on the top floor
The building is owned by the bank
soon after II o'clock yesterday young man
entered the counting-room Of the bank and asked
,yoan Cobb 1r.. the cashier. for 81 change. pre-
sentjng a 50 bin and requesting the change IN
a,ras Mr. Cobb. after looking into the money
SraU
ona the young man. on seeing depositor enter,
,a., the bank Mr.. Cobb alone in the bank
a. that time his son. Raffaelle Cobb and the
,ooskeeper George Read, having gone to their
luncheon. In order TO understand fully what
,orowed II should he known that the entrance
a. tho bankjng-room which is about thrty-fve
..st snuare is by way of vestibue, and once
mast this one stands in front OF an S-shaped
counter. which begins on one side OF this vesti-
bpl. then runs parallel with the front OF the
,uuding. and then straight back to the rear OF
-. hank. \ wire screen runs the whole length
n the counter, and this is pierced at seVerai
,,aces by windows through which the bank ON
cials transact business with their customers. The
window usually occupied by young Mr. Cobb Is
..-oo,1v onposite the vestibule, and at this his
fs,her stood at eleven minutes past II the de-
nositor had gone and there was no one else on
,ha eoor except ]. Henry Williams. the treasurer
~ the bank who was in his private ONCE IN the
rear Of the place.
ENTRANCE OF THE CONFEDERATE.
4 man who appeared to be about thirty years
old well-dressed in light suit. dark hat and
snring cvercoat entered and spoke to MI. Cooo'
who. in order TO hear what he had to say, had
% move awav from the window further toward
the front end of the counter. The man spoke
IN a business-lik way. but kept moving inch
bv irch further along the front Of the counter
sn5 the cashier followed along on his side of the
counter In the few minutes conversation. the |
man told the cashier that his name was Will |
,ans and that he expected friend to meet MN
AT the bank and that they wanted to open an
account and become regular customers. When |
he had drawn Mr. Cobb nearly TO the end OF the
counter the man looked at the clock and said: Il
don't think I'll wait any longer If man comes
and asks for Mr.. Williams, say that Will return |
al o'clock" and with that he left the bank.
The venerable cashier. who is past seventy |
years old, in returning 10 his desk stopped at
table which stands near the telers window 10 |
make note Of the name Williams. and while |
doing so his foot came in contact with an object
under the table. Thinking that dog rad slipped
in behind the counter while he talking TO
"Mr Williams" he stopped and before he could
suaighten himself again, the object leaped from
under the table In the shape OF a man. holding in
his left hand bunch Of bank notes, which he
1ressed against his face evidently to conceal MS
identity. and in his right cooked revolver
Say one word and I'll shoot you dead, Mr. |
Cobb heard the man say. and the words and the |
attitude Of the speaker overawed the venerable |
cashier. and before he had recovered from the |
fright the man who held the money and the re-
volver had backed out OF the door. through which
he disappeared in the street
THE WORK OF TEN MINUTES.
The whole transaction from the time the boy |
or young man went into the bank to get the two |
dollar bill changed to the fight Of the man who |
had robbed the cash-drawer while Williams"
held Cobb in conversation, was less than ten min
utes
The bank has a secret alarm 10 Police Head |
quarters end as soon es Mr.. Cobb recovered suf- |
1l@rI cfcrr
button. ran 10 the front of the Office and saw
the thief running down Hudson-st.. one Of the
s,rce,s leading TO the river 1t some time be- |
fne :he treasurer in the back room knew that |
anything had happened. and the police were late |
in arriving, because all the men who not |
on post were at their midday meal. and there |
Was 10 at the station to answer the alarm |
except by communication with the officer on |
duty near the bank, who appeared on the scene |
long after the man had got away.
1ae amount secured by The robbers 81 |
40 -. in bills and checks. There was one
SlOU0 bin and the rest were 81, -, $40 and 500 |
bills The check for triilc more than 500 |
lii his hurry TO get away after lie had been dis |
;ETbed by Mr. Cobb the robber neglected to |
touch the compartments containing the 81, $50 |
and 500 bills.
Everything points to the fact that the robbery |
Was planned by people who were thoroughly |
conversant with the habits OF the bank officials |
and with the place Getty Square is one Of the |
most popu.o parts of the place at II o'clock |
when the people from the shops and factories |
50 20 ,hcr dinners, but quarter Of an hour !
later the square is deserted, and that fact was |
undoubtedly discounted by the perpetrators of
'he Daring robbery. The boy who was sent as |
an advance guard to see If the coast was clear |
Nj Williams" and Tie man who probably !
reached the money drawer by crawling on all
four along the outside Of the counter and |
Through the gate at the far end while Mr Cobb |
listened - MIR. Williams's" story of large |
deposit. wore all posted 10 the ways Of the |
oank people, and Acting Captain +. II. Wood |
run Of the Yonkers police, said that they had
al probably made many visits TO the bank. The !
only person who saw the dcsperadoes was so
eazed by what took place that when asked how
i.c -ict 4 - l.cl u -