Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-08-11


to send to New York for an expert
before the vault could be opened, which
was not accomplished until late that night
twenty hours after the attack had been
made Then it was found that the robbers
had only been too successful, having Sc
cured money and securities estimated at
Il million and Il quarter of dollars.
The robbery was committed by Joseph
Dunlap alias James Barton; Robert G..
Scott. Thomas Doty, William Conroy,
Eddie Goody, John Berry, James Greer
and John or Red" Lcary. who had no
small history. Bat the most valuable ms M
Der of that time was J. G. Evans, who
has been the subject of various mono
graphs in these columns. He was safe
lock expert employed by Il great safe
making ana bank vault building firm and
had the confidence of his employers and
that of the banks as WELL and thus pos
sessed extraordinary opportunities TO
study conditions and lay out the work Of
the burglar army which Dunlap ruled with
the tyranny and vigor that Ivan the Ter
rihlc excrted over his family.
ON the night of November 1. 1873. n
successful attempt to break open tn"
l'irst National Bank. Of Pittston, Pa, was
made. The bank occupied onc-stOry
building covered with tin roof, ana the
robbers decided to make the attack from
tho roof. But there was a serious diff
nculty in the fact that in case of rain
coming any time after they had begun
operations water might soak through the
openings they had made and bctray them
Dunlap's ingenuity, however. was equal
to this emergency; ana each night, after
tn hing their excavation, they carefully
rclaid the sheets of tin that had been dis
turhed, protecting the joints with red
putty which matched the roof in color. 50
well did they put on this putty That
although it raincd heavily the
very day after they began, not dror
leaked through,
/ on the night of November I only on,
layer of bricks separated them from thu
top of the vault. and II was decided Il
hniSh the work and do the robbery tha
night. TWO hours hard labor with drag
and "iacksCrew' suiIiced to effect M
opening ana Scott and Dunlap wer,
lowcGcd into the vault. Thcy found thrc,
Marvin spherical safes, protected b,
burglar alarm But Dunlap was somcwha
OF an electrical expert and was able Il
surround the burglar alarm with heaV,
boards as to render it of little or II,
danger. They experienced much difficulty
though, in blowing open the safes Thu
first one attempted yielded on the secon'
explosion and they secured 500 in cur
rency and $4,000 in bonds. The next on
was far more troublesome, not less than
ten explosions being required to make wa!
into 1t, and just as the task was ac
compshcd and they were on the point o
SELLING great sum of money there cam
n warning call from Corioy. who wa
doing sentry duty on the roof, and it wa
necessary to fly.
When Dunlap and Scott had bccl
dragged out of the vault by their as
sociatcs they were found scarcely able {,
run. During all the twelve explosions o
Inowder and dynamite they had never lcf
the vault. but. crouching behind III
boards that guarded the burglar alarm
had remained within arms length of tx
blossoms so violent that they tore apar
plates of welded steel and shook the Who'll
building. Worse than the shock OF thes
explosions were the noXous gases gen
Grated by them, which Scott ana Dunla
had TO breathe The walked thirty mile
that night to Lohigh, whore they hoardc
a train to New York.
In due time the whole lot were arrestc
by the bctraYals of each other. Scott am
Dunlap were convicted on Evans tcsti
mony and were sentenced to twenty year
each. Scott died in prison. Dunlap WI
IpardOnod and ut last accounts was Twin
in Sioux city, Iowa, a man of good loca
rerute and deservedly held in esteem b
his business acquaintanccs Evans, the in
, former, died only fcw years ago, haVin
lived quiet life. Red Ieary was klle
by Billy Train, the old bunco partner Il
Canada Fiji. A party. including these two
were in one of the New York Tendoroi
, saloons on Sixth avenue, They We're II
drunk ana noisy and there had been som
, fighting, Train so the story goes, pickle
, up a brick and cast 1t up in the air, Cryinl
II ook out for your heads boys" Th
, brick Is said to have fallen on Teary'
hoad-anyway that was the momcr
something hit him, fracturns his scul
, He died a few days afterwards, in lSS
from the effects of the blow.