Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-05-01

"o''u' one almost incredible and with
o"SeIuehces which cannot vet be esti.
'a'eu' he says: A most abOmina hi.
=. VIC was perpetrated night before las,
bennington. A gang of criminals
"is with many millions of capitaI
"' successfully carried through what
vas Always considered an impossihI.
p'ah' namely, to burglarize the Irnito1
.aa'cs treasury and t. take from #
Is-oo.ooo,eoO In gold and silver.
! ~ 'he present time the fact ha c
neP' secret from the press. and 7
SUI became acquainted with it only
through curious accident during NV
recent presence in the national canitaI
ne Whole thlnS is to be kept secret ,
iols as possipie' at least until the gov
."l,'eht mas succeeded III finding traces
vi 'he CRIMINALS, who have fled across
the ocean in their own ships. as far ,s
may DE at all possible to find su,.o
traces. For then there nav no co.,,
chance of getting the treasure back on
tircly or in part.
| The millions Of the United St,tcs
| treasury We're protected through a ,..r,.
| complicated invention in such a MAJ,
ner that burglary was considered in,
possible. for through this nrote,tn,
| alarm signals are fixed on each of rho
IL main treasury vaults, CONSISTING ~
Il system Of electric automaticary
worked Indicators, md the very mo-
ment that such an alarm signal sounds
not less than 1900 special guards Of tho
secret service. policemen and soldiers
of the garrison are called simultaneous
ly TO the treasury.
The fact that this arparatus did
net work, although even in this month
several examinations were made. leaves
| no doubt that the criminals had accom-
rliccs among the highest officials of tn.
| treasury. for only so can ii be EXPLAINED
| that the electric current lost itself in
the ground instead of giving the alarm.
1t is less remarkable also that the IS
night Watchmen did not hear ANYTHING
or did not want to hear anything for
| these fine officials know only one care
to draw their salaries on the first of the
month.
| However. it may also be the fact
| that their attention was not called To
| anything remarkable, fer the machine,
used by the criminals worked perfectly
noiseIessly. Today after the treasury
vaults have been robbed of their entir,
contents, they are shown during the
usual hours to the puo!ic without any
| visitor suspectinS anything amss
| The abOninablc decd was carried out in
the following diabolica!ly refined man
| hcr: III had been prepared for years
| me CRIMINALS, who. il IS believed. acted
| at the instance of certain American
| mlilionaires and hai millions and mil
lions at their disposal lad built an
electro technlcal factory in the year
1907. on the left !bank of the Potomac.
opposite Fifteenth street. on which the
treasury is situated. This factory
seemingly was nothing but IL plant for
electrical apparatus and machines. In
| truth, il was the main purpose of th,.
whole building. which today is entirely
abandoned. to hide the slibterrlncan
tunnel which was to be dug from there
to the scene of the burglary.
| From this factory a tunnel was dug
almost an English mile ioIiE - feet be-
low the river bed ana ending directly
| und"" the treasury IN Il large caisSOn.
| From here IL shafts were dug upward.
each ending directly under one of the IL
treasury vaults. Thus it was possbl.
TO cut out the foundation simultanc-
o'lSly in all the chambers; and to remove
their contents within q very short time
into the tunnel, wh"rn the gold AMI
| silver was transferred To electric cars
and iii this manner carried to the fac
| tory. From here The Transportation
| was effected by means &C a feet of AZ
least 20 submarine boats to the large
ships waiting in tn. opcn sea. The
submarine boats prn3aDly were built
for this specific purpose in Europ"
| Evidently they We're fitted up in the
sam" manner as tn" ships which arc
| used for tn" purpose of lifting los.
| treasures from the bottom of the sea
| certainly there We're tOntrivanccS by
means of which tn" ca"Snes of the clcc-
| tric ears were TRANSMITTED very quickly,
| by means of compressed air to the sub
marine boats Whcr"upon these ships
with their cargo Immediately proceeded
| with full steam.
| 1t has been positively asccrtainr!
| that these ships went through Chcsa-
p"akc bay to the occ,n where. not Lex;
thnn three and probably five larg..
steamships were lying under steam
These vessels took on roard the pro
|
| boats with all their crew. The whole
North Atlantic squadron has been
ordered to search for the burglars on
every route which the criminals could
| have taken. All the cruisers in the gulf
of Mexico as well as in the Caribbean
sea. Will join in the chase. In addition
to this, the fastest ships stationed in
the Pacific port, hay" been sent south
with orders t" await further instruc-
| tions in Gillian ports
| Germans who have r"a ! this remark
| able story say that without doubt it
was written III this country and not in
| Berlin.
Mrs. Elizabeth Malone. whose father
WAS n I.ii:. Guardsinan and who spent
all her siXty-fOur years with the Brit
| iSh army and died after forty years
| sci vice as assistant matron of the
| Royal Military Collrg. It S:ImihurSt