The Minneapolis journal., 1901-11-02
HIS FINISH CERTAIN
Bank Robbers Chances of Escape
Exceedingly Slim.
STILL RoBBERIEs ARE FREQUENT
Some of the Forces He Must EIude
to Make Escape
Sure.

The startling number Of bank robberies
committed in the northwest lately has in
duced the widest speculation among bur-
glar- hunters and banking associations or
ganized for purposes Of protection. In
the past few weeks dozens of country
banks in as many different states have
been robbed and the criminals are still
at large. That men should engage in the
hazardous business of bank burglarizing in
prosperous times eXcites Wonderment, but
that they should attempt it at all in the
face of almost certain detection, surpasses
the knowledge of police officials.
No criminal moves in so narrow an or
bit as the bank burglar. When, for ex-
ample, a village bank is robbed Of $4,000
or $4,000, and the masked robbers make
good their escape, 1t might be supposed
that their chances Of being found out were
nil. But the burglars have not done
business with country bank alone. That
institution is insured against burglaries
and holdups, and the bank really loses not
a penny. But the insurance company,
with its experts and trained thief-catch-
ers in every important city in the country
is affected. No sooner does it learn of a
burglary than thousands of detectives are
put in touch with the case, and the thief
who escapes these argus-eyed sleuths is
one man out Of a thousand.
Another Strong Arm.
The insurance company's power to fer.
ret out crime is as nothing compared to
that of the American Bankers associaz
tion with its hundreds of millions of
capital. Any country bank can become
a member of this association by the pay
ment Of $5 membership fee, and it then
has thrown around it the best protection
that brains and money can procure. A
gang of burglars may elude the vigilance
of the associations officers for a month,
a year, but in time they will be lodged
behind penitentiary DOORS, This has been
the history Of all the celebrated bank
burglars, none of whom ever wholly
escaped the meshes of the law.
Vaults Are Easy.
A feature Of the burglary business at
the present day is the apparent ease with
which the vaults and safes Of country
banks are blown open. The explanation
is comparatively simple. A few years ago
only an expert machintst, employing the
most skillful judgment with his hands
and brain could drill bank safe and
explode it with satisfactory results. Now,
such is the dissemination of knowledge
regarding the use of explosives, that a
tramp Of ordinary intelligence can soon
learn to be a burglar, If he bankers for
that kind of life.
1t might be supposed that the country
banks, which always have accounts with
the larger banks in the cities, would have
been terrified into greatly increasing
these accounts because of the recent rob-
berries. Such has not been the case, how
ever. The country banks are almost with
out exception insured against burglaries
at a rate which is considered very lib
eral. Insurance of this kind costs usual
ly about $25 for 5000 for the first year.
A lower figure obtains for two years. IN
surance, and a still lower rate is named
for insurance covering a term of years
''The burglars make us spend money"
said a detective for one of the companies
this morning, "but not one of them has
ever escaped US. There is but one finish
for the bank robber,-the penitentiary
of the state in which he commits his
crime"