The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1905-06-16
DARING BANK ROBBERY.
Experts Do Clever and Successful
Job at Vernon.

Jab at Vernon.
Three expert criminals landed in
Vernon sometime early Friday night
and about 1 100 o'clock Saturday morn
ing pried open side. window near the
rear of H. B. McLaughlins store and
evidently with the finest of tools drilled
holes in the fire proof vault doors of
Garrison 81 Sargent's Exchange Bank,
and slipped back the bolts on both sets
of vault doors and then with nitro gly-
cerine blew the safe door into hundreds
of pieces-the charge being so powerful
that the explosions not only completely
wrecked the door but blew the safe over
on its face. This was apparently the
only error in their calculations as they
were compelled to secure crowbar
from the railroad shed and pry the safe
up a few inches. at time until they
could get at the contents using day
books and ledgers as props. The crow
bar which was new, was bent over one
third together. The robbers took only
the money, $500 of the firms, $11O
and $453. As in stamps, which Postmast-
or Lindley had in box there, taking no
papers or books and nothing from the
large and varied stock of goods in the
store.
In preparation for their escape the
robbers had gone to II. B. McLaughlin's
barn, laid horse blankets on the floor,
hitched up Mr.. McLaughlins well
known team of fine driving horses to
his canopy top carriage and driving out
quietly. hitched them where they could
reach them before any one else could
in case of alarm. Having secured the
booty the robbers drove rapidly north
and west and passed through Corunna
about 400 o'clock Saturday morning be.
ing seen there by persons who knew the
team. Their route after going into the
main portion of Corunna is not certain,
but they drove back east and arrived
one and half miles south of the court
house at Flint in time to secret them
selves in grove before being seen by
passers by or those. living near. The
booty was evidently divided there and
the robbers took different routes and es-
capped. Quite an amount of mutilated
coin, bills and postage stamps were left
where the team was found Monday
morning by German farmer living
near the grove, who notified the chief
of police Immediately and Mr.. Nc
Laughlin hurried to secure them, find
ing them in much better condition than
might have been expected and none the
worse for their hurried trip and lack of
food, the brides not having been re-
moved. Mr.. Mclaughlin says the price
of the team has gone up from $500 to
500 since the robbery, as he realizes
that none but the best of animals would
have come out of such an experience in
perfect condition, and he never realized
until he called out their names where
they were found, how well they knew
him and liked him and what faithful
servants they had been.
The total loss is about $4,000 includ-
ing the destruction of the safe and the
loss to Postmaster Lindley. The banks
loss is entirely covered by insurance
with the Fidelity and Casualty Co., of
New York, and the government will
undoubtedly stand the postmaster loss,
the banks vault having been the regu-
lar safety deposit for the postoffice for
years and report having been made to
the inspector as to its being the place of
deposit
The bank has ordered a new screw
door safe with a time lock, similar to
the one in use in the Corunna bank,
from the National Safe & Lock Co., of
Cleveland, and preparations are being
made to have 1t installed Immediately.
The burglars left behind; a portion of
The Toledo Bee of May 10. containing
railroad time tables the paper evident
ly having been wrapped around the
soap that was used; the syringeNwith
which the nitro-glycerine twas put in
and cold chisel and about fifty feet of
surgeons bandsge cloth and nine small
bladders were also scattered about the
room. About $35 in silver fell on the
floor under the broken pieces Of the
door and were overlooked-the coins be-
ing'badly bent out of shape, while por-
tions Of a $1.00, a $500 and Of as$20. 90
bill were also found on the floor.
1t is beyond the comprehension Of
most everybody how the store could
have been broken into, the unding
and drilling done and four tor five ex-
plosions occurred without arousing
someone, especially as three men slept
in house less than 100 feet from the
window where the robbers entered.
One of these men says bel heard Pc
culiar noise but made no investigation,
and school boy returning from ban
quet, heard peculiar whistle ibut did
not think of burglars simply hurrying
along home, being somewhat frighten-
ed.
The adjusters for the insurance COM
pany were prompt in their investiga-