The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-08-10

The transom was pried, and the burg lars soon had the front door open. lie young farmer never winced, lie car ried out orders. Waiting in the shauo" where he could not be seen, he let TWO burglars enter the door, and then' ann ing his shotgun, literally blew the heao off one of the crooks. Another was se- riously wounded. One burglar died, the other was arrested, and two escaped. That ended the attempt to rob that bank. When I read in the newspapers of the affair, it seemed to me harsh but effectual way of preventing panh burglary"
 The protective feature of the Amerl- can Bankers association was adopted in 1895, during the time that Joseph C. Hendrix, now president of the National Bank of Commerce, was at the head or the association. In 1894, from the rec ords which could be procured, 1t was found that American banks had lost $124,955 through burglaries and $lC4,9oo through forgeries, total loss through thefts of $229261. Ali over the country there were forming gangs of experts. Experts at forgery had become so clever that checks were "lSited" all over the country. The use of nitro glycerine was becoming common, and the burglars were working with such expertness that they were not often caught. All these facts led President Hendrix to advise the American Bank CTS association, to adopt stringent metslres for their own protection.
 The result WAS the formation of the protective committee, the members or which have been serving since lS9o, without their names, methods or work beink known to any of the other bank CTS Arrangements were made With various detective agencies throughout l this country and Europe to send to the protective committee in New York all | information about bank burglars, forg- CTS and sneaks. It was also decided | that the Pinkertons should assist the | bankers.
 The first step decided on was the con stant shadowing of every criminal of note. This was expensive, but the bankers found such plan necessary
 Another plan decided on was that if a crimnal should steal from bank 1T | the American association he was to be l followed all over the world, if neces- l sary, and no matter what the expense 1 landed in jail and prosecuted for the
 crime.
 In a few years the crooks began tc avoid the bank in the association. One
 instance of pathetic nature came to bank president who Is member ot the protective committee. A burglary hat
 been committed in a western bank, ant
 the proceeds, amounting to $40000 wer placed in a satchel in the hands of onf
 of the gang. From New York the or | ders were given to run down the gang | Thep separated. The man who helt
 the satchel was closely followed. Th'
 members of the gang could never ge together or divide the proceeds. To Nev
 York, and thence to Australia, wen
 the burglar with s40000. After chas lasting nearly two years the man wit the satchel gave up in despair. Hi life had become burden to him. Tray
 el ever so fast, and adopt all the vile
 he could. the detectives kept locatin
 him and forcing him to travel again
 He sent word to New York at last
 "For Gods sake, let up. My wife
 dying in America. I will deliver up eV
 cry penny stolen from the bank an
 will promise never again to break int
 a bank which is member Of the Amer
 ican association.
 The member of the protective com
 mittee refused to tell the outcome c
 this case In 1898 the number of ban
 burglaries, robberies or attempts there
 at were reduced to 43 all over the Unit l 0.1t1r t1t-n rf banks which were members of tn
 American association suffer. The nun Der of cases of forgery or attempte forgery. had decreased from over 1,OC to 400, and of this number 61 were con mitted on members of the America Bankers association. The hardest wor was to break up what was known l the Hogan band of letter box thieve and forgers. The Miller band of forgel also had to be broken up. So success fully had the work of the protectiv committee progressed that In 1898 onl one burglary was accomplished on tf
 safe of a member of the American a' = sociation. The association comprise thousands of banks, embracing nearl ) every city and town in the Unite States in its membership.
 l The one successful burglary of l members safe in the year 1898 occurre I at Noeblus, Neb., where $1,2S4.25
 cash was secured by two tramp burt | lars, who, by the aid of nitro glycerin . opened the bank safe of the Howal bank The tramp burglars were a rested, convicted and sentenced to Tor 5 terms in prison
 The year ended August 1, 1898, WI , one of the most active for the prote y tive committee. Thirty-three forge were convicted, and the total of se1 tences meted out to the criminals WI : 1O7 years and one month. Three fo gers were sent to reformatories and = burglars were captured and sentence - to a total of 91 years and one mont
 Two sneak thieves were cought al e sentenced to three years each. The tot
 fn9or n