The true northerner., 1898-08-10
kELD THE Town At BAY.
Six Robbers Loot a Bank at Rich
land, Securing Very
Large Sum.
SAFE IS BLOWN OPEN BY DYNAMITE.
Explosions NcsrIy wreck the Build
In. Citizens witness the Job,
hut Are Poweriess tn interfere
The Robbers Escape with
Bis sum.

Richland, Aug. 6.-After blowing
omen the doors of the safe of the Union
bank of this place with repeated ex-
plosions of dynamite Friday morning,
four robbers held the people OF the VII
laoe at bay while two others entered
the smoking ruins of the safe and cool
ly pocketed between $4,000 and $1,000
in cash. After securing the money the
robbers walked down the main street
of the little village, warning the trem-
bling townspeople watching them be-
hind the window blinds not to follow
at pain of death, and rode away in
carriage, waving their revolvers and
ioking over their good luck. There was
no pursuit The townspeople were too
alarmed TO recover their wits for some
time. By the time officers arrived
from Kalamazoo all trace OF the rob-
bers had been lost. The officers are en-
tirely at sea, and it seems doubtful If
the daring desperadoes will be cap
tured. The depositors In the bank Will
lose nothing, as the stockholders OF the
institution are all wealthy farmers,
who are amply able to make good the
loss.
Every Detail Planned.
The robbery was one OF the most dar-
ing that ever took place in Michigan.
1t seemed 10 have been carefully and
elaborately planned and every detail
was apparently carried through with
out a hitch. Richland is little town
of 800 inhabitants nine miles northeast
of Kalamazoo. Almost all of the stores
of the village are ranged along one
street. In the center of this town ana
bordering on its main street is park
and across from the park is the little
one-story building of the Union bank.
1t stands back from the street and quite
awav from any house or store The
robbers must have arrived at the vii
lage shortly after one o'clock Friday
morning They rolled quietly into town
on a handcar over the Detroit, Toledo
& Milwaukee railroad. Arriving in the
village at the point where the railroad
crosses the main street, the robbers
lifted off their handcar and climbed
into carriage that was waiting for
heard the sound Of horses hoOts gal
loping down the street, but thought
nothing of it until terrific explosion
shook the ground in the vicinity of the
bauk.
Residents See the Robbery.
Alvin Barnes, who lives nearest the
bank. was awakened, and, hastily
dressing. hurried out doors. In front
of the bank, dimly outlined in the
darkness, he saw carriage drawn up,
and near the carriage four shadowy
forms. \ man ran towards him, lev
cling a pistol and shouting that II he
moved he would be dead man.
Barnes stood still, as did the other
frightened villagers who had been
awakened from their sleep by the eX-
plosion. 4 little later two more men
rushed out of the bank, aud then came
another explosion that blew out the
windows in the front OF the bank. The
two men who had come out Of the
building went back and in few min
utes came out again. and a third eXplo-
sion shook the little town. While the
smoke was still drifting out of the
door the two men who were doing the
safe blowing disappeared again in
side the bank and came out carry
ing baskets jngling with coin. They
made several trips into the banks
vault, and then. after low conference,
all six of the robbers climbed into the
carriage and drove away. man on
the front seat of the carriage, who
had kept guard at the rear OF the bank
during the robbery, pointed a gun at
the white faces that looked out of the
windows of the houses by which the
carriage passed, and several times the
robbers shouted that anyone coming
into the street was liable TO be killed.
Wrecked by the Explosion.
II was ten minutes before anyone
dared venture out and then there was
no one who would volunteer 10 lead a
pursuit. The citizens gathered around
the bank, which looked like ruin. The
front windows had been shattered by
the explosions and the chairs and of
fee furniture smashed into kindling
wood against the front wall. The pic
lures had been blown down and most
OF the plastering shaken from the walls
and ceiling. An examination of the
bank doors showed that the robbers
had filled the cracks and covered the
outer door with paste dynamite.
The PIunder.
Three attempts were made before the
inner recess of the safe was reached.
The money, between $4,000 and 81 900 in
cash, was in a small steel chest, which
the robbers broke open with ease.
They took besides the money nearly
$4,000 of bank paper. gold watch
and chain, the property of the cashiers
wife, was not taken, but everything
else In sight that had the least value
was carefully carried away.
The sheriff and other authorities of
Kalamazoo county are making every
effort TO capture the robbers, but the
many conflicting stories told by the agi-