Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1901-05-30

"a HIS Solid City was never more

+ disturbed than on Saturday morn
ing, when word passed from house to
house by telephone that the First
National Bank bad been broken into
during the night proceeding and
its funds to the amount of $4,000 car
ried off by thieves.
William O. Clark was the first to
make the discovery. On walking up
High street about four O'Clock Satur-
day morning, he noticed that the
law Office of Spensley d McIlhon, in
the same building as the bank, was
disarranged, shelving broken and
books scattered about, and the back
door of the office open. William
Sanders, coming up the street few
minutes later joined Clark, and to-
gether they entered the building
through the open rear door, aud saw
that the bank vault and safe were
wrecked. Clark went at once and
called Phillip Allen, the cashier from
his home. The latter hurried to the
scene, realizing that great loss had
been sustained. Within half an hour
the president and vice president of
the bank, Mr.. II. J. Penhallegon and
Judge Mclihon, and the assistant
cashier, Mr.. f. f.. Hanscom, were
called from their homes by tele-
phone. City Marshal Ovitz and
other officers, besides several citizens
were on the ground by five o'clock.
The methods of the robbers were
readily seen. BY rude ladder con-
sisting of II green oak pole about ten
feet long, with strips of pine board
nailed across at convenient inter-
walls, access had been gained to the
roof of the building at the north
west corner, where 1t is not over II
feet above ground, and shielded from
observation by the new fire COM
pany building on the west and
south and the saddle of the bank
building roof on the east and north.
| BY the use of Il llalf-iuch auger bit, II
hole II inches square was noiselessly
bored through the shingled roof to
| the attic. From the attic, the arcbed
brick top of the vault was reached
and the brick thereof removed, until
an opening into the vault sufficient
to admit man was made. From the
| inside, the vault door lock was
smashed, and the iron door forced
open, probably before the safe was
attacked. Nitroglycerine was the
force applied to open the safe, a viol
of the liquid and some unused fuse
being found on the premises. And
most etfectually it did the work the
door being blown entirely off, and the
safe itself broken into Il hundred frag-
ments, one piece being thrown ell
tirely through the iron vault door.
That the explosion did not arouse
people in the vicinity, Is accounted
for by its having occurred within an
eight inch brick walled vault in the
center of the building, and precau- |
ton having been taken to muttie |
sound by the use of sundry old grain !
bags and other things. The vault |
walls are shattered on all sides, and |
the books and shelving in Spensly Il
Mcllhon's Office thrown down, but |
net u pane ot glass in the windows !
of the building was cracked. Prob
ably the eraCksmen opened way of
escape through the rear door of
Spensley Il Mcllhon's Office before
the fuse 10 the sgpt4sivaTt
and retired to safe distance to
await the results, returning when
their blast had gene or to gather
up the heaps OF gold and green
backs released to their hands, and no
" bonanza minen blast ever made IA
richer exposure
The funds of the bank were insured
against burglars to the amount of
s ,0OoO, by the Fidelity Casualty COM
pauy of New York, and until adjust
ment is made with the company
the exact amount taken will not be
publicly known, but bank officials
Go not deny a common report that it
i $4,000 or more, most of it in gold
coin. Besides, the loss by damage To
vault, safe and building is estimated
at $4,000 or more. \ considerable
part OF the damage loss falls upon I
the city, rs owner OF the building
and vault. There were no securities
lost, and no material damage OF
books or papers. The solvency OF /
the bank Is in no wise impaired by 5
the robbery, and business goes on as Il
heretofore, except temporarily at
some Inconvenience. IT