The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-12-31
The American Exchange Bank Robbery.
ATE in the afternoon of Friday,


and started down the busy thorough
fare for the Office of the Adams Elk
press company, a few blocks distant.
They carried between them, each hold
ing one of the handles, a valise made
OF canvas and leather, in which had
just been placed, in the presence of
the paying teller, a package containing
S41, 900 in greenbaeks, to be transmit
ted TO the United States treasury in
Washington for redemption.
Although the ssengers-Edwar
S. Crawford and old Dominic" Earle
were among the banks most trusted
employees, their honesty being consid-
cred above suspicion, they were never
the less followed at a short distance by
Bank Detective McDOugal, an Old-time
police detective, whose snow-white
beard and ancient style of dress have
long made him parsonage of note on
Broadway. Detective McDougal fol-
lowed the messengers, not because he
had any fear they were planning a
robbery, but because il Is an impera-
tive rule of all great banking instiId-
tions that the transfer of large sums
OF money, even for very short dis
tances, shall be watched over with the
most scrupulous care. Each messenger
is supposed to act as a check on his
fellow, while the detective walking in
the rear is a check on both. In such
cases all three men are armed, and
would use their weapons without hest
tation should an attack be made upon
them.
The messengers walked on through
the hurrying crowd, keeping on the
east sidewalk as far as Wall street,
where they turned across, and contin-
ued their way on the west sidewalk as
far as the Adams Express eompany's
z building, which stands at SO Broadway.
Having seen them safely inside the
building, the detective turned his back
to the bank, where his services We're
required in other matters.
Passing down the large room
strewn with boxes and packages ready
for shipment, the two messengers
turned TO the right, and assembled the
winding stairs that in those days led
TO the money department, on the sec
ond floor. No one paid much attention
10 them. as at this busy hour bank
messengers were arriving and depart
Ing every few minutes. Still some of
the clerks remembered afterward, or
thought they did, that the old man.
Earle, assembled the stairs more slowly
than his more active companion, who
went ahead. carrying the valise alone.
Both messengers were present at the
receiving window of the money depart
ment when the package was taken
from the ValiSe and handed to th9i
clerk. who gave a receipt for it in tn Il
usual form: Received from the Anne ,
lean Exchange bank one packf 50
marked as containing SAL 900, for IT k1s-
fer to Washington" or, at least, 81 Jar
as has ever been proved. both mesoea-
gers were present when the package
Mas handed in.
The Two messengers, having nAr-
formed their duty. went away. Earle
hurrying TO the ferry TO catch ira n
put into New Jersey where he lived, |
and Crawford returning TO the bank /
With the empty valise. The valuable !
package had meantime been ranged |
behind the heavily wired grating along
With dozens of others. some of them |
containing much larger sums. The !
clerks in the money department of the |
Adams Express company become so |
accustomed to handling gold. silver !
md bank notes. fortunes done up in /
bags, boxes or bundles, that they
link little more of this precious mer-
'handise than they might of so much |
GOAL or brick. a quick glance. q /
ouch of the hand, satisfies them that /
he seals, the wrappings, the labels. /
he general appearance. of the pack |
ages are correct: and having entered /
hem duly on the Waybills and turned |
hem over to the express messenger |
Who is TO forward them TO their desti- |
iation. they think no more about them /
In this instance the $41, 900 package. |
Ifter a brief delay was locked in one !
f the small portable safes, a score
4 which are always lying about in
badness and was lowered TO the base
nent. where il was loaded on one of |
he cOmpany's wagons. The wagon was /
hen driven 10 Jersey City. guarded |
" the MESSENGER in charge, his assist |
M and the driver. all three men be- |
n armed, and was safely placed /
aboard the night express for Washing /
ON. II is the company's rule that /
he messenger who starts with a
through safe travels with it to its /
destination, though he has 10 make |
journey of a thousand miles. Some /
lines the destination OF money under /
ransfer is so remote that the service /
f several express companies is re- |
uired; and in that case The messenger /
f the Adams company accompanies /
he money only to the point where it /
delivered to the messenger of the /
ext company. and so on.
The next morning. when the package /
rom the American Exchange bank |
vas delivered in Washington, the ex- /
erienced treasury clerk who received /
/ perceived at once. from the c0ndi |
lon of the package, that something /
Tas wrong. Employees of the treasury
apartment seem TO gain new sense, /
nd to be able TO distinguish bank |
otes from ordinary paper merely by /
he feel" even when done up i'm bun
les. Looking at the label mark of |
IL 600, the clerk shook his head and |
allied the United States treasurer,
ames w. Hyatt, who also saw some-
hing suspicious i'm the package Mr..
Blanchard the Washington agent of
he Adams Express company, was sum-
aoned, and in his presence the pack
&c was opened. 1t was found to con-
ain nothing more valuable than slips
brown straw paper. the coarse va
iety used by butchers in wrapping up
neat. neatly cut to the size of bank
otes. The 81 600 were missing.
II was evident that at some point
etween the bank and the treasury a
ogus package had been substituted for
he genuine one. The question was:
Where and by whom had the substitu
ion been made?
The robbery was discovered at the
reasury In Washington on Saturday
aOrning. The news was telegraphed
New York Immediately. and on Sat
rday afternoon anxious councils were
cid by the officials of the American
Exchange bank and the Adams Ex-