The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-02-03


know some Of the things you know
about safes and banks
By degrees Rgah nlade his meaning
more clear, AND Evans grew properly
indignant. The subject was dropped
for the moment, but, in subsequent
meetings, Ryan kept reverting to it.
Meantime Evans found himself growing
more and more embarrassed and one
day he said; What is it these people
want to knoW?r
well" said Ryan, they would like
to know, for one thing, if there is any
way of beating these new Yale 1ocks?
You can't pick Yale lock answer
ed Evans that would take too long;
but there is way OF getting one open"
How -
wen talk that over some Day
Having once nibbled Evans was not
long in biting at the bait thus adroitly
held before him. He consented to be
introduced to Perry, who shrewdly
| showed him what an easy matter it
would be for man who knew the Sc
crets of safe makers and could locate
weak banks, to make a great deal of
money, without danger to himself.
why" said Perry, you can make
more in one night with US, without
/ anyone's suspecting it, than you can
make IN year working for thesN, safe
people"
GRAFTON of $4,000, finally agreed to pro-
/ vide some means of opening the Yale
1 lock which barred the robbers from the
/ coveted treasure at Elmira.
! Perry, in great delight, hurried back
TO Elnlra, and reported his success to
Dunlap and Scott In order to bring
Evans to Elmira in a way not TO excite
4 suspicion, letter was written to the
/ company he served, containing a tempt
ing proposition regarding the purchase
I of safes. Evans was at once sent to FL
mira to look after the matter. He stop
J ped at the Rathbone house. where he
| was waited upon by Scott, with whom
he concerted a plan of operations. Scott
was to slip a thin piece of wood into
the lock at night, so that the lock would
not work. Then, as Evans presence in
| the city had been made known, it was
| hoped that heSWOuld be called upon, as
an expert in difficult locks, to find out
what was the matter. This would give
him an opportunity to secure an impress
sion of the key The plan worked only
too perfectly; and within "A hours thf
| conspirators We're able TO pass in and
out of the Young Mems Christian as
ISOLATION rooms as they pleased, without
| the knowledge of anyone.
It now remained, in order to achieve
the robbery, to dig down into the vault
an immense task for which the con-
slant presence in ElmiTa- of the whole
gang was necessary. 1t was also neceS-
sary that their presence should not be
/ noticed, and to that end a woman from
Baltimore, who had been associated with
one of the gang in previous undertake
| ings, came on to Elnlira and took a
house in the suburbs, giving out that
she was the wife of a man whose bust
ness kept him travelling most of the
| time. The house was simply furnished
and every day, fer the banefit of the
j neighbours, the woman made a great
pTetense of sweeping the steps, cleaning
the windows and busy4ng herself about
| the yard in various ways Meantime, in
side the house, in careful cOncealment
the members of the gang were living
Scott. Dunlap, Red Leary, Conroy and
Perry. They never went out in the day
time, and they left the place at night
SO cautiously, going one at time, that
although they lived here for six weeks
their presence was never. suspected.
Every night they gathered in the rooms
of the Young Mems Christian association
after the young men had gone home
using their false keys to obtain admis-
sion; and they remained there hours al
a time doing what would ordinarily. be
the noisiest work = ebut their movements
were so cautious and. wei planned ina
suspected. EveryFa ight the carpet anc
flooring were takena up. and, after they
had finished their excavations. were care
fully relaid. Tons of masonry and heavy
stone were removed, shoveIed into bas
kets and carried up to the roof of tbs
/ opera house, adjoining this bank building
Il where there was small chance of the
debris being discovered. Thus the un
WearyiHg rascals worked downward
through the layer of railroad iron, and a
last found themselves separated from The
inside of the vault by only the plate OF
steel.
Concluded next Saturday,