The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-07-05
BOLD WORK Of ROBBERS.
A HoId-Up by Ten Masked Men in a
E. Philadelphia Car Barn.
EMPLOYEES BOUND AND GAGGED.
The Robbers Tear Open Trolley Com
pany's Safe With Nitro-Glycerlne and
Crowbars and Secure Two Days. Re-
ceipts, Amounting to s4ooo-Telephons
Wires, Leading to the Office, We're Cut.

ceipts, Amounting to S400o-Telephons
Wires, Leading to the Office, Wera Cut
PHILADELPHIA (specia).-The boldes'
and most desperate robbery ever perpe'
trated in Philadelphia was committed
few days ago. The robbery was planned
with the strategy OF military genius and
executed with the dash and daring OF
band OF Western outlaws.
A gang OF masked robbers, probably ten
In number, raided the receiving office oi
the Fairmount Park Transportation Com
pany, at Belmont, in Fairmount Park, and
after holding up the receiver and five Other
employees OF the railway. blew open the
safe, securing over $4,000, the company.
receipts for two days.
Frank Levan, receiver; Frank Watson ane
Henry B. Whitehouse, conductors; Jane:
Cayanaugh, fireman Of the power house
Philip Eaves, electrician, and William CAD
mus, laborer, were bound hand and foo
with wire. In addition to the men who &C.
tually committed the robbery, others op
Grated far away from the scene by destroy
Ing telegraph and telephone wires connect
Ing with the trolley company's main otdce
Sitting in his Office, Night Engineer, Le
van had just finished counting the day:
receipts, and had put them in the safe
They aggregated $4,000, which, with S110t
deposited by the day receiver, made S4400
Suddenly he was startled by the command
Glands upl"
A rig, broad-shouldered fellow. attired
In gray, confronted him. The visitor had
a handkerchief over the upper part OF ht:
face, and there were holes In 1t tor tnt
eyes. A revolver was grasped in the riRh
hand.
"Get up" said the man in gray. "We'rt
going to rob the SAFE" A seccnd burglar
equipped like the first, with q revolver ant
having his face concealed with hand ker'
chief, entered the room and seized LevaI
by the arm and, at the pistols muzzle
marched him into the conductors room OF
the other side OF the partition.
Meanwhile Conductor Watson had beer
awakened from doze In the ADJOINING
room with the command: "Sit with youl
face to the wall, or I'll blow your hese
off,"
Watson swung around and replied: "Ge
out OF herel What dye mean?"
Then he saw he was staring into the bar
rel OF revolver. There was u man with I
drawn pistol at each Of the two doors ant
another man stood at the window. ON
masked robber seized him by the leg. ant
another by the shoulder. They turned hi
face to the wall and using twisted pictur
hunplne wire, tied his hands behind hi
back and fastened his ankles as we'll.
A minute later Receiver Levan wa
brought In by his captor and was similarly
tied.
Whitehouse, Cadmus and Euves were in
the oilhouse, which adjoins the conduct.
ors' room. They were eating supper wheI
three OF the thieves came upon them and
forced them to so into the conductors
room, where they, too, were seated on th'
bench and neatly trussed up with picture
wire. While the men were being tied
bell rang. It was the private phone with
the power house that the robbers had over
looked. The engineer was ringing to !earI
why the power had not been turned on.
A moment later there WAS "snip, snis,
and the telephone wires had been cut
Engineer Bergen, over in tho power house
wondering why he could get no answer
told his fireman, James Kavanaugh, to e
to the car barn and learn the trouble
Kavanaugh no sooner reached the entrance
to the barn than lie encountered masked
robber and revolver. He was taken into
the conductors room and trussed up like
the rest.
The prisoners were lined along bench
and gagged. Then the robbers, leaving
two on guard, went for the safe. They
first chiseled of the handle on the safe
the door and put IN small quantity OF nj
tro-glycerIne. The explosion was moi
powerful enough to break the lock OF
weaken the door. Although the burglars
had their own tools, they came to the con
cluslon that the work was too heavy to &C.
complish with them, and they went to the
barn machine shop. There they took the
car tools and a six-foot crowbar. Thu:
equipped they renewed their struggle with
the sale and at last wrenched open the
door.
Distributing the money bags among
them, they then left. Before going, how.
ever, one OF the robbers put some silver
a2gregatlng s16, In the pockets OF the
prisoners, telling them to have drink on
the gang in the morning.
After the robbers disappeared, the
bound and gagged men made desperate ef
forts to free themselves. After an hours
hard work Eaves, the electrician, got his
hands free and took the bandages of ol
the others. He hastened then to the Bel!
mont pumping station and notified the
police.
The car barn OF the trolley company, In
which the receivers Office Is located, stand:
in deep ravine leading from Belmont
Mansion, pleasure resort, to the Schuyl
kill River. The building Is surrounded by
heavy timber land, and its isolation rem
dered it perfectly adapted for the work o.
tho robbers.
Peter Dufiert and Charles Smith, wht
say they live in Newark, N. j., and Albert
Leeds, OF Philadelphia, were arrested ir
Fairmount Park on suspicion OF being con
nected with the robbery. They were sem
to prison In default Of bail.