The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-10-25
ROBBERS INVADE
BANK At LAYTON
Abandon Their Efforts After
Blowing Vault and
Inner Safe.
$4,000 ALMOST IN REACH
TWO SUSPECTS HELD WITH NO
EVIDENCE AGAINST THEM.

Rank robbers visited the town OF Lay
ton. twenty-five miles north of Salt Lake
early yesterday morning, and almost sue
ceeded in carrying off the $1,000 in the
safe of the First National bank at that
place. Why the burglars failed when
their work was almost at the point OF
success is one of the riddles or the al
fair.
They did not arouse the town, but after
forcing open tho door of the bank vault
and blowing off the door OF the safe.
they for some reason abandoned their
quest and disappeared
Yesterday morning Cashier LeSrence
Allison, son of Il. p. Allison, opened the
First National bank without the sllgnt-
est idea OF what had happened For
twenty minutes he attended to his work
about the bank. and at last approached
the vault. He found the combination out
Of order and, pulling at the door, caused
II TO swing open.
The robbers had apparently drilled into
the lock and with charge Of nitro-gly-
cerine forced open the heavy door with
out causing any damage except to the
fastening.
Inside the vault the cashier found the
safe completely turned over. The outer
safe door had been torn off by a pow
erful charge of explosives, but the inner
door was undisturbed.
Money Coated with NITRO.
1t was easily opened Inside the banks
money was found undisturbed. 1t was
covered. however, with a sticky mixture,
which had apparently leaked through.
This mixture was undoubtedly nitro
glycerine. 1t is not known whether u
found its way into the money drawers
from the charge used in blowing off the
outer door or was poured into the crevices
afterward by the robbers and failed to
explode.
1t was with extreme care that the
money was cleaned OF the dangerous
coating, so that il could again be placed
IN circulation.
The robbers gained access TO the bank
through rear window. The bank build
ing is a new brick structure, facing east
ward toward the Oregon Short Line depot.
The window through which the burglars
passed is on the west side of the bank.
from the ground. The thieves stole
ladder from Lavender's butcher shop,
using il TO ascend to the window. Then,
with heavy piece of timber they pried
the ends of six iron bars from the win
dow sill, bending the bars upward so as
to make an opening through which they
could pass. This done, they smashed the
window pane and crawled through the
hole without raising the sash.
On invading the interior of the bank.
they found tin box containing a watch
and ring belonging to the widow of the
late Warren Stephenson. They had been
his death Mrs. Stephenson left them for
safe keeping with her brother, Cashier
Allison. In the tin box the robbers also
found 0-cent piece of '36 or '3S. which,
II is understood, was a pocket piece car
ried by the late Mr.. Stephenson.
Robbers Were Experts.
Careful search of the bank showed that
nothing else OF value was missing.
The traces left by the robbers indi-
cate that they were experts, and there
is considerable wonder as 10 the reason
they abandoned their work when they
were on the point Of success and had
forced open two heavy steel doors with
out srousing the town. 1t is believed
possible that they were frightened away
by some noise on the outside, which they
mistook for a signal that the town had
been awakened by the two explosions.
and that they were in danger of being
captured.
The robbery must have been attempted
after midnight. A northbOund Oregon
Shore Line train passes through Lay
ton at 12:l5 a. m, and there are usually
several passengers waiting about the
depot until its departure. Four or five
young men took the train yesterday morn
ing. In waiting for its arrival, they
heard no explosion and saw nobody loiter-
ing about the bank, which is directly
across from the depot. The robbers must
have waited for the departure of the
train before commencing operations
Tools left scattered upon the bank floor
by the thieves had been stolen from Bug
gers blacksmith shop. Mr.. Bigger and
VIII Ramsey were called in during the
morning TO mend the damage done by the
robbers.
Two suspects were arrested at Layton
after the robbery. but were released.
Two other men. who had been employed
in the vicinity of the town. and were seen
taking a Salt Lake and Ogden car Tor
Salt Lake, were captured by Policemen
Ripley and Pierce as they were leaving
the car at Third West and South Temple
streets.
Suspects Talk Frankly.
They were John Harrington, a laborer
81 years old, and John Collins, a miner
"a years old.
When asked where they were from, they
frankly replied that they had come from
Layton and volunteered the information