The De Soto County news. [volume] (Arcadia, Fla.) 1898-1924, 1905-11-03
DAKINu BURGLARIES
INGENIOUS DEVICES ResoRTeo TO
BY BANK THIEVES.

Kong Bank Vaults - Extensive nm
successfuI TunneIing Operations.
In the whole catalogue OF DARN,
bank robberles there Is no story NOR,
Gmazlng than that Of the robbery Al
he HOngkong branch OF the Bank OF
Western India, FOR not only did III,
case display the most astonishing dar
ing, skill aud patience on the part OF
tie robbers, but their success has
never been equaled by other bank
breakers.
1t was generally understood that the
safes and vaults OF the Western bunk
were about the strongest ever built,
and the robbers Of course, knowing
this, decided TO attack the bank ln Il
way they believed the builders had
never anticipated, aud therefore not
provided for. They routcl house on
the opposite side of the street and set
tied down 10 live like simple minded
gentlemen.
Some rIrco months Inter lho manager
|of Tine BAN, bul occasion go visit tup
vaults, and, 60 bis utter umuzumvut
and CONSERVATION, ho discovered tGut
thn principal safe, which 70 day or two
before had contained upward of
t5D.uuD in bullion ANA otIor yuuuIIc-
lad been ouuuuI Of cyc.ytuum II
/ did not take I}ug TO throw the rosuuu.
/ np.uty for this astonishing chang. 900
the Simple minded gentlemen over lu.
/ w1y, but when visit was paid 90 their
abode il was found that they, too, had
Disappeared
While living quietly and ra+pcot-n.y.
cyiuciug no inclination 60 hide tuup-
selves, but showing tkeir faces frc.
qu0ntly ut the windows and walking
in the stBects like tire most honest folk.
the robbers constructed u tunnel con.
meeting the basement OF their domicilc
with the vaults OF the busk. TO ac-
cOmplish this they dug SHAFT down
to a sufficient depth TO cuublc them 10
tunnel under the road without being /.
beard by passengers or rlskmS a col. I
lapse Of the earth. and they cut an .
upward shaft. giving them access to
tire vaults, where, one day when Ike
bank WIS closed and they knew the
safes were loaded with valuables they
HAlfAll N thf III anu tltNItu AWAY
everything worth taking.
ene can easily appreciate the cour.
age and patience OF these mon. They
had 10 cut a tunnel between eighty
and ninety feet long, sufficiently high
and wide to allow the passage OF tive
men carrying a heavy chest; they had
TO dispose of the immense amount Of
earth displaced In cutting the tunnel
without any one kAowng and after
twelve weeks hcessunt labor in cut
ting the tunnel they had yet to make a
way through the concBete noer Of the
bank and break into safe OF eXcep-
tlonal strength. The cutting Of the
upward SHAFT under the bank partic-
llarly must have been an anxious task
Tor the robbers, since at any moment (
hey might have betrayed themselves
70 some one above, and It speaks vol
ines for the care with which they Q
abored that no one suspected them or S
what was happening until they had /
made their escape with 10000 worth {
4 valuables, me carrying away OF 0
which, apart from anything else, must /
ave been far from simple matter. d
An equally surprising feat was per- l
orned by the thieves who stole f4O,- 8
90 worth OF diamonds from a Eimber- S
y bank some years ago. While the b
lnnel in this case was only about n
geHty feet long, owing to the fact G.
lat the thieves were able to avail cl
lenselves Of big main drain to ap- Il
roach the bank secretly, other dihicul- Il
es that had to be overcome were much Il
ore formidable than in the HongkonR CT
Use. 7
The safe in which the diamonds were b.
'posited was one OF such remarkable OF
rength that before catering on their al
Iterprise the thieves evidently decid- m
II would be hopeless TO attempt to uf
eak into II at the sides or door, az is
e work might occupy too much time, IN
I'd that 1t would be necessary for IN
EN- to attack It at the back, which, en-
Ing built into a wall, they could work be
ION after bank hours, perhaps for no
is together II necessary. And this re
ctsien was arrived at despite their IN
oWledge that the wall into which the 1o
Re was built was three feet thick and 10
lit Of solid granite. m'
They started operations from the
ain running down below the street on
lich the bank fronted by digging a h..
lnel twenty feet long on a level with in'
banks vaults. This tunnel, cut niu
'ough exceedingly dlf1cult ground, MS
,ned on the foundations Of the build. ar
, which were, on the one hand, too ,lt
y to be passed under and. on the -!
eT hand. so thick and solid - four ms
I Of the strongest masonry that me
ety'nine men cut OF a hundred would nk'
70 abandoned the enterprise II only IIh'
ause Of the risk OF cutting a passage Ma
ough such wall beneath the feet IN
In office full Of clerks and ever pass sun
pedestrians in the street. But the In
ives had a fortune I'm diamonds in etic
" and were men not easily fright par
or diSheartened, and they not only cult
a way through the foundations, but Al
ugh two other walls little less for ider
able, before they came upon the OWL