Devils Lake inter-ocean and Devils Lake free press. (Devils Lake, Ramsey County, N.D.) 1905-1909, 1907-10-11
Blow Open Vault in Spare Bank at
Churchs Ferry Monday
Morning.
$4,000 SECURED-NO CLUE
TO PERPETRATORS
Nine Charges Of Dynamite Fired
Citizens Terrorized by Robbers
Shooting Here and There.


band Of professional bank breakers
at an early hour Monday morning,
and as a consequence the Spare bank
of that place Is out the round sum of
$4,000, all the currency kept in the
bank at that time. Valuable papers
in a smaller safe in the vault were
shots Of dynamite to break open the
vault and smaller safe doors, worked
for upwards Of two hours, and made
their escape, unharmed and but little
molested.
About three o'clock in the morning
citizens all over the town we're rudely
awakened by the reverberation of
loud shots. They hastily ran to the
windows and doors of their dwellings
and ascertained that the shots came
from the objection of the bank, which
is situated on Third street. The loud
er noises were followed by reports Of
revolvers and shot guns, which kept
up at intervals for quite a space of
time. Then all was quiet once more,
and the people again retired, but not
to secure much sleep, as the un'
wonted excitement made it impos.
sible.
The robbers gained entrance to the
building by breaking the glass in the
front door, thereby making an ap'
erture of possibly four feet. They
tried first to gain an entrance to the
thick brick vault BY boring through
the wall. This was evidenced by the
large pile Of broken bricks and NOR
tar and several chfsels and picks
found lying on the floor Of the room.
They had bored into the wall for the
distance of a foot, but on finding that
a second brick wall confronted them
they desisted in their purpose and
tried the more dangerous way Of dy'
namiting off the door. That they
were professionals is evidenced by the
fact that though nine charges were
fred the walls were not injured, only
the door blown and twisted almost
entirely off its hinges. Inside the
vault stood two small safes. Inside
of one, Hall, weighing three tons,
was kept all the currency then in the
bank The door of this receptacle
was blown entirely off, and the COM
partments blown out. The other safe,
in which were all the valuable papers
and books of the bank, was left un'
touched. A quilt was found lying on
the floor, which had been used by the
thieves to muff1e the sound of the ex"
plosions. The vault was about three
and a half feet thick, the steel door
IF which was furnished with ten bolt
locks.
At the sound of the first explosion
Thomas Engelhorn was awakened,
and hastily donning his attire, went
out and secured the services of De-
nuty Sheriff N. L. Greer. Engelhorn
armed with A. Colts revolver and
the latter with Winchester shot gun,
hastened toward the bank, walking
along the north side of the street, the
hank being situated on@the other side,
As they approached the building two
of the men were watching, tho front
end of the bank, while their conn
panions were working in the rear,
opened fire on them with revolvers. :.
, It was so pitch dark that neither sloe
could see where to aim their firearms
i. until a shot from the opposite party
blazed forth. BY this time all the IN
habitants of the town had been awak-
ened, and watched the fussilade from
\ their windows. 1t is said that the
town marshal was asked to take a
n hand in the melee, but refused:
@ <continued on page eighG.) .-:.,-~