Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-11-08
GLEN 10 BANK THIEVES
Gang Operating In Northwest
Iowa Believed to Be at
Sioux City.
Leave Hiding Place In City After
Dark and Return Before
Daylight.
The Hinton Robbery One Of the
Boldest Yet Committed
Other News.
specIal to Times-Republican.

IoDpeTS WHO nave Decn operating on IN
4 small banks in this vicinity the pas
| month have headquarters in Sioux Cit,
/ prehend at least part of their number
| The general surmise is that the SAT
crackers go out after dark. complete
! their job and return before daylight
1T seems extremely probable that thi
gang of safe crackers has been epe.at
! ing from Sioux City, said A. S. Garret
| son, cashier of the First National Bank
They probably leave Sioux City aftel
dark and get back here before morning
| n'he city ought to be put under polio,
| regulations. Every man on the stree
ought to be able to produce papers L
show who he is. They did that in SaI
Francisco and Los Angeles when tht
thugs were shooting people almost every
right, and it proved effective"
Are the banks going to do anything
TO protect themselves"
What can be done?' asked the cash
Ter. 1T costs as much to build good
vault as to build bank building The
small banks can not afford to protect
themselves by buying burglar-proof APP
paratus. The Iowa State Bankers AS
ISOLATION has done nothing with 1t and
probably won't. The small banks Will
lave to protect themselves. They can
co business without cash, but they Will
doubtless hereafter send as much cash
as possible to the Sioux City banks.
w. P. Manley. president If the Securi-
ity National Bank, said that the Iowa
bankers had done nothing and probably
would do nothing. 1t lies within the
power of the executive committee of
that organization TO offer rewards, but,
since the big banks are amply protected,
and since most of the members of this
committee are interested in big banks,
it is not probable that the smaller In
stitutions will be given any protection
by them.
'.If the bank robbing gang has been
making Its headquarters in Sioux City
and if the police are unable to find any
OF them here, then say there should be
q change in the police force The as
serted 1.-THE average small bank has
safe that is little more than cheese
box. There is just as much difference
between safes as between newspapers
The burglars will never tackle bank
in a city OF this size. OF course, we are
interested in preventing these depreda-
lions upon banks, but as for ourselves,
no further protectionsis required"
The robbery at Hinton "Wednesday
night was boldly executed. The same
skill and the same carelessness were
shown as in the Salix job, for 5000 in
silver coins which was on self near
the safe, was overlooked. 1t is believed
at Hinton that the safe blowers are
members of the gang which did the
Matlock, Saiix and Jefferson, S. D.,
jobs, all within a week 1t has been
busy time for the gang If it did all these
jobs and very profitable season of &C.
tivity.
The bank of Hinton is a private in
stitution. George and Frank Crouch.
father and son, both of Merrill, own 1t,
and are respectively president and
cashier. George Crouch and his family
lived in Sioux City few months two
years ago, making Morningside his res
Idence, while his children attended the
The financial standing of the
bank is said to be good. The robbery
Will make no difference with its busl-
ness: 1t will continue-was continuing
today, in fact.
The two men opened a window in the
office of Edmunds Elevator Company,
which is a conspicuous small building
between the Illinois Central and the
Great Northern tracks directly east and
across the Centrals track from the
bank. 1t was cold midnight. The in
saders calmly lighted the office lamp,
out some coal on the fire and pulled up
.wo chairs to the comfortable warmth
# the stove They must have warmed
heir explosives there because a paper
,arton which had contained an explos-
We was found in the morning. Attic
he office windows are not curtained the
nen boldly stayed for some time, defy
ng detection. Evidently they were
,rmed and ready for fight. They could
zee up and down the tracks for rods and
when they were sure they We're safe
rom interruption crossed to the rear OF
he bank and sent a big stone crashing
hru the window, carrying away the
ash. the stone landing in the middle of
. bed ON which Frank Crouch usually |
ieeps. That night he was at Merrill.
There was no stir within and after
,ause the safe-crackers calmly crawled
hru the broken window and passed in
O the front bank room.
With jimmies, the door to the little
DOM in which the safe stood was pried |
pen. the door being wrecked The
burglars then used an air pump from
heir kit to exhaust the air from the
racks Of the safe. The nitroglycerine
vas thus forced in, and with a long
use the safe door was blown off. When
ound 1t was curled up like an autumn
eat
The safe which was rifled was about
our feet square and not burglar proof.
t was soon to have been enclosed in
'ault.
NJ. A. Bancroft returned from Hinton
esterday. You never saw such a
,reck as that safe was" he said. The
DOR was bent and the walls were con-
jderably wrecked. There is no new
lew to the burglary. 1 had not heard
hat any money was taken from the
afe. Frank Crouch was in the habit
f taking it to Merrill on the evening
rain. At Merrill his father would get
n the train with the cash from the
Ierrill bank and would take both pack
ges to LeMars."
II