The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-05-13
TRY TO ROB BANK
Citizens of North Topeka
Entered by Burglars
Break Combination and Gain
Access to Vault.
MONEY IN A BIG SAFE.
Make an Intellectual Attempt to
Enter This.
Smash Time Lock But Use No
Explosives.
BRING IN AN EXPERT.
He Can't Open Safe Till TOmOr-
row Morning.
Satisfied That the SIS, 900 Cash
Is Intact.
Make an Intellectual Attempt t,
Enter This.
Smash Time Lock But Use n
Explosives.
BRING IN AN EXPERT
He Can't Open Safe Till TOmOr
row Morning.
Satisfied That the SIS, 900 Cash
Is Intact.

What appears to have been an unsuc-
cessful and bungling attempt was made
to rob the Citizens National bank of
North Topeka Sunday night, though
until a safe expert from Kansas City
arrives it will not be known for sure
as to what the result of the attempt
has been the safe is tightly locked.
1t is thought that the attempt was
made some time between $50 and 10: 80
as about this time the electric lights in
this part of the city were off for about
an hour. 1t Is evident that an entrance
was gained through side door on Nor
ris street as the lock on this door
shows that 1t has been forced
This door is about 20 feet from KAN
sas avenue and when the electric lights
are burning the surroundings are as
light as day. After gaining an en-
trance to the building the robbers
broke the lock on the vault and turned
the bolts, gaining admission to the in
terror. Here they attempted the same
thing with the combination which locks
the safe, placing a center punch or
something of the kind over the COM
bination and striking it several hard
blows The knob of the combination
was also struck and the exterior work.
ings of the combination are ruined and
cannot be turned.
The outer door of the safe was not
blown nor drilled and it is evident that
an attempt to gain admission to the
interior was abandoned when it was
found that the safe would not yield to
the treatment accorded the vault door.
There is a steel vault inside of the
outer case and it cannot be learned
whether this was damaged or notSuntfl
an entrance is gained by a safe expert.
The burglary discovered this
morning about 7:30 when Clark Gresser,
one of the clerks arrived at the bank
and the cashier, E. S. Gresser, and
President Peter Smith were at once
nntfAad door nf he c
slightly ajar. The interior of the vault
had been but slightly disturbed and pa
pers and books on top of the safe had
not been disturbed, showing that pow
used.
A pile of canvas money sacks had
been hauled down and scattered about
the floor as though the robbers sus-
pected that money might be hidden in
them. On the floor there was a silver
dollar and some small silver coins in
good condition and a five dollar bill
with one corner burned off. The mu'l
tilation of the bill is accounted for by
d number of half burned matches which
had been dropped on the floor, thought
it was torn almost squarely In halves.
Lights Were Out.
For a period of about an hour, all
the Edison circuit lights in North To-
peka and on the Melan bridge were out,
and the North side was in comparative
darkness. During this period of dark
members of the new police force, dis
covered the cellar door of the bank
open, and also noticed that the Norris
street door of the bank was ''rattly." |
The robbers must have been in the |
bank at this time. The keeper in the |
door jamb was pushed off, and after
entering, the robbers secured the door |
by placing a bar against it. This acS
counted for the loose rattle of the door |
when the policemen tried it. The sus- |
picious circumstance was not reported
to Mr.. Peter Smith, president of the
bank, who lives at Sixth and Lincoln |
street but one of the policemen did |
call Night Jailer Kenny at the police |
station, and report that the lights were |
out. Kenny called up the EDISON plant,
and wiremen were sent out to find the
trouble They were evidently success
full as the lights were turned on again |
in a short time. Whether or not the
wires had been cut or short ctrcuited |
by the burglars is not known.
The safe is centrally located in the
bank and the door of the vault. in
front of which a light is kept, is vfsi-
BILE from four windows on Kansas ave-
nue. and Norris street. The door which
the robbers forced is on Norris street,
and visible from the Union Pacific de-
pot. When a light goes out in bank.
the police are supposed to at once re-
port the fact to the president or cash
ier of the bank The policemen last
night seemed to attach little import
apce to the fact that the light was out /
absence of the bridge lights.
No clues to the identity of the rob-
bers has been found by Chief Eaton.
who investigated the premises this
First Attempt at Robbery.
Peter Smith, president of the bank,
said: Il have been in this bank since
1874 and this is the first time that an
attempt has ever been made to rob it.
We have never had any one in the
building even to disturb our books and
Lapers which are not kept in the vault.
We have been locked out of the vault
and safe times without number, went
through a flood, second to the one
which made Noah famous, had fires
around us but not in the bank. but this
IS the first time in all of these years
that any one has attempted to get in
our safe.
'"The work was evidently of amateurs
md 1 am sure that our loss will only
amount to the damage which has been
lone the combinations on vault and safe
and this is covered by burglary insur-
1nce We have plenty of insurance of
his kind to cover all losses, even If
he safe should prove to be empty, but
[ am confident that they did not get
inside of it,"
1--WE were inconvenienced somewhat