The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-09-12

ROBBINGA BANK SAFE
THE EXPERIENCE OF AN OLD TIME
EXPERT CRACKSMAN.
He Was Hired to Do the Job, and He
Did 1t Well, but the Reward Was
Not What Had Been Promised by
His Inscriptions Employer.

Did 1t Well, but the Reward Was
Not What Had Been Promised by
His interruptions Employer.
Lone day in the fall of 1874" said an
old retired detective, lone of the most
finished and successful bank burglars
that ever used a drill in this country
was wa ing across Sixth avenue, New
York, enJ )ying his parole and the mel
low sunshine. There were a whole lot
If indictL- uts hanging over him, of
course, but they didn't worry him any,
for he happened to be on pretty fair
terms with some of the men attached
to the municipal administration at that
time. AS he swung along he was ac-
costed by a prosperous looking man
whom he did not know, although the
prosperous looking citizen addressed
the burglar by his right name. The
crook, finding after some stalling that
the man who knew his name wasn't a
detective, took him into a cafe and
asked him some things.
I'm the first place, how did you
know me-? he inquired of the stranger.
well, 1t appeared that the burglar
had been pointed out to the stranger
by detective who was so shady that
ly extending aid and comfort to the en-
envy, one of the old time bands of New
York crooks
".All right said the craftsman then.
Now, l dop't suppose you are seeking
my acquaintanceship for the sake of
being introduced into society or for
the enjoyment of my winning ways.
What's your lay|
Then the stranger up and told the
burglar what his graft was.
I'm the cashier of a bank a bit up
the state said he to the burglar. The
directors don't know anything about
it, but I'm short in my accounts.
There's only one way out of ii. The
bank will have to be robbed by profess
sional cracksmen. That will let me
out, and in addition I'll expect to get
my rakeoT from the robbery. / want
you to rob the bank. You'll find $780,
900 in cash in it on the night you ar
range the job. I'll attend to that. OF
course | want my bit out of that, &c.,
900 at least. I've always heard that
you're square in these divisions of
plumber, and therefore I'll trust you to
hand me my share after you've done
the job for putting you on 10 it.
This sounds good enough to eat
replied the craftsman. Fact is, it's so
sweet that it's almost cloying. Now,
I've heard your proposition. You give
me couple of days to investigate you.
and then we'll talk business
They arranged another meeting at
the same place a couple OF days later.
and In the meantime the craftsman.
| whose facilities were the best, looked
into the job. He found that his man
really was the cashier of an up state
| bank in a town not more than an
hours run from New York. So when
the cashier called at the appointed
time the burglar was ready to talk
business.
You'll have hard nights work.
said the cashier, for in order to avert
suspicion I'll have to leave the vaults
and safes locked tighter'n a drum, Is
usual. You'll need several assistants
That's my end of it. replied the
cracksman. You just let me handle
those little details Every man to his
! trade. They don't make 'em SO strong
that l can't get into EN-
Then all OF the details were ar
| ranged, and the robbery was fixed for
a certain night In the following week.
| The cashier was especially solicitous
that he should get his share Of the
proceeds Of the crib cracking. The
| craftsman assured him that If there
was S35, 900 in the job $4,000 would
| be enough for himself and his associ-
| ates and the cashier would get the
rest On the night fixed the cracks
man and three of his best men went
up to the town and pulled CT the job
| II was a matter of four hours before
the gang after overpowering and gag
cling the Waterman got into the main
safe. They found 1t empty. Then they
| tackled the smaller safes These. too,
were empty. The top notch cracksman
/ was pretty mad, Laturally-
He had been played for a good
thing, and he knew it The cashier
had simply looted the bank himself.
and the robbery which he had arrang-
ed was to cover up his own trail.