The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-02-27
DARING BIER ISlEA
INC oDs pEv lcE EsotsT ne,
4 n sY aA TtifE9

n ~ II titH sSiA II a
( The aeFyei skim and ietee Dlsl4.
pIaye 10 The ftdbBeFs u tloaEsl
IsonE Bank vaults. teas I've aud
suscessfal TaRne Iin Operation
~ Tie whole catalogue ti4flhe s
bank robbertes there n no stosy Ilors
amazing than that of tties robseFy at
the Hong kong hranSh pt tlepl i;takSot
Western India Tor not only tiitltliie
case display tile most astonishing tlari !;
ing SKIN And patience on the naEt. ofI
the robbers but their success has
never been eaualed BY other bank
breakers.
It was generally understood tllat the
stlfes aud vaults Of the Western bank
we're about the strongest ever bllsst.
and the. robbers Of course, knowing
this, decided to attack the bank 10 q
way they believed the builders hid
never anticipated, and therefore not
provided for They rented hcuscon
the opposite side of the streeta and set
tied down to live like simple mlllled
gentlemen.
Some three months later the manager
Of the bank had occasion to visit NE
vaults. and, to his utter anlazciellt
and CONSERVATION, he discovered ill;'t
the principal safe, which Il day ortNyo
before had contained upward Of
$4,000 iii bullion and other yaIuaOles,
had been cnptiel Of everything It
did not take long 10 throw the reslol:-
sibiltty for this astonishing change ON
the simple minded gentlemen over the
way, but wien u visit was paid to their
abode IT was found that they, too, bud
disappeared.
While living quietly aud Respectfully,
evincIng no inclination to hide thenl-
selves. but showing their faces Ire'
quently ut the windows and walking
| in the streets like the most honest tolk,
tile robbers constructed tunnel con,
Meeting the basement of their dolnIctle
with the vaults of. the bank. 1o.ac-
comptish this they dug Il shaft down
to sufficient depth to enuble them to
tunnel under the road without being
heard by passengers or risking acol-
lapse Of the Garth, and they cut an
upwurd shift, giving them access to
the vaults. where, one day Wien tue
bank was closed and they knew the
safes were loaded with yalmlbles, they
quietly broke in and cleared away
everything worth taking,
one eau easily appreciate the cOnr,
age aud patience Of these men. They
had to cut tunnel between eighty
and ninety feet long, sufficiently high
and wide to allow the passage Of two
men carrying a heavy chest; they bad
to dispose Of The Immense amount Of
earth displaced in cutting the tunnel
without. any one knowing, and inter
twelve weeks ltlcessalt labor III cut
ting tile tunnel they lad set to make y
way through the contrete iioor5pl the
bank AMI break into Il safe Of eScep'
tional strength. Tie cutting Of tic
upward Shaft under tie bunk parHc-
uLurly must have been an anxious task
for The robbers, since ut any moment
they might have betrayed themselves
TO some one above, and it speaks vol,
ume; for the care With which they
labured that no one suspected them 81
what was happening until they had
made their escape with EaObtlO worth
\ Of valuGbes, the carrying away Of
which. apart from anything else, must
hive been fur from d simple matter.
An equally surprising feat was per!
1 formed by the thieves who stole f40,-
600 worth Of diamonds from q Klinber.
ley bank some years ago. While the
tunnel Ia this case was only about
twenty feet long. owing to the fact
TINT the thieves we're able to anvil
themselves Of d big main drain to ap'
proach the bank secretly. other dIiBcul
ties tint had to be overcome were much
more Formidable thnn in the HOngSong
case.
The safe In which the diamonds were
deposited WIS one Of such remarkable
strength tlMt before entering OH tlIeir
enterprise Tue thieves evidently dcctIl-
ed 1t would be hopeless to attempt ia
break into It at the sides or door, as
the work might occupy too much time,
and that It would he necessary for
them to attack it at the back, which,
being built into a wall, they could work
upon after bank hours. perhaps for
days together II necessary. And this
decision was arrived at despite their
knowledge that the wall into which the
safe was built was three feet thick ind
built of solid granite.
They started operations from the
drain running down below the street OH
which tho bank fronted by digging u
tunnel twenty feet long on d level with
the banks vaults. This ttinnel, cut
through exceedingly difficult ground,
opened on tile foundations Of tile build.
ing, which were, on the one hand too
deep to be pissed under, and, onthe
other hand so thick aud solid y four