The sun., 1903-08-30
FIRED ON BY BANK ROBBERS.
III NNING FIGHT BY THE POLICE
or BANGOR, WE.
The Cracksmen Entered Bank I'm Brewer.
Across the Rlycr-Fied After q hls
Explosion, which shook Both Places
Posse Begins Lively Chase.

-FWsNS mtBNS b"VAy
BANGOR, Me, Aug 2G.--Robbers entered
the Brewer Savings Bank, in Brewer, across
the river from this city. at : o'clock tins
morning, wrecked the vault and thon fled
across the bridge to this city. The robbers
were met by two policemen at the Bangor
end of the bridge and pistol duel followed.
The robbers escaped and fed toward High
Head The entire police force OF Bangor
assisted by the Sheriff of Penobscot county
with force of deputies, started in pursuit,
armed with rifles and revolvers.
The explosion in the vault was heard for
fully mile. The lower part OF the bank
building, which is a three-story wooden
structure, was completely wrecked. The
manner in which the explosive was used
| and the great destruction caused by II
convince the police that the robbery was
the work of amateurs.
At o'clock the large posse Of deputies
and city police were following the robbers
to the south of the city The fugitives had
the advantage of about ten minutes start.
At duybreak the pursuing force was in
creased and the entire country in this
neighborhood completely secured.
An officer of the bank said that there was
only small amount of money in the wrecked
| vault.
The re bbery was one of the most daring
ever accomplished in Maine. The robbers
worked calmly and leisurely being appar-
ent ly aware that the city of Brewer is with
out police protection after midnight. When
interrupted in their work they merely fired
a few shots from revolvers proceeded to
rife the safe and then ed in haste.
The Brewer bank is in the second story
of a frame building in Penobscot Square,
! in the full glare of a street light. People
living near by were awakened by slight
! eXplC sion at about l'iU o'clock in the morn
! ing. l.. +. Potter, who lives ust opposite,
and Eugene A. Cram, who lives next door
to the bank, went to their windows and
| could see two men working in the banking
| rooms with lantern which was darkened
occasionally. Neither Potter nor Cram
! knew that the other was awake, and neither
had weapon or access to telephone.
After a few minutes two more light ex-
plosons were heard and at 81 big eX-
| plosion, which shattered the windows and
| was heard all over Brewer and in Bangor
After this explosion. one Of the thieves put
his head out Of the window and surveyed the
street. 4 man living near Potter shouted
at him, and received in reply two revolver
shots. Mr. Cram saw both men looking
out of the window, heard them talking and
| moving about. One Of them said:
These fools think they can scare us
away"
Cram also saw another man emerge from
dark corner and whistle to the two men
in the bank This man was tail and Wore
long coat. He walked away in he direction
! Of the covered bridge which leads to Ban
| cor The two craftsmen leisurely climbed
from tn" window and, with their booty,
also proceeded across the bridge. Manley
| Perkins, who lives on the Brewer side al
the end Of the bridge, saw them. They were
stout but no, TALL Wore short coats and soEt
hats They stopped at the entrance Of the
bridge and fred two shots in the air. These
shots were evidently signals, for thew were
immediately answered from point below
! Cram aS soon 80 the robbers We're around
the corner, rushed across the street 20 his
| place of business and called up the Bangor
police bv telephone. Four men We're hur-
ried TO the Bangor end Of the bridge. Po-
| licernen Golden and Clark were standing
at the foot of Broad street in Bangor, know
ing nothing of what happened. They
saw two men coming across the Maine
Central drawbridEe, which is near the
Maine bridge. Golden spoke to one of the
men in casual way, whereupon the two
| strangers opened fire AT a distance Of ahCut
twenty feet. The officer returned tho fire
and a running fight followed,
Chief Bowen ard several policemen
started IN the direction of High Head,
armed with rifles, and We're soon after
ward followed by Sheriff Gilman and posse
Of deputies, also armed with rifles. No
cIew was obtained until after o'clock
when II hit of burglars tools WIS found
near the Maine Central tracks.
Tr"a~urcr Howard Floyd entered the
bank thia morning. lhr safe had been
blown open with ritroglycerne and dyna .
mite AID was a cumplete wreck The bank