The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-05-21
IN VAULT;
RESCUEDBY TOOL
Bank Cashier and Waterman
at Layton imprisoned by
Burglars.
ROBBERY IS A FIASc0
TIME LOCK PREVENTS THE
THEFT OF FUNDS.

If Cashier L. z. Ellison of the First
National bank at Layton had not
needed the advice given him few
days ago by President James Pingree
to put a screwdriver inside the vault
of the bank, both Mr.. Ellison and
Night Waterman Hyrum Evans
would now be dead, following their
imprisonment in the vault early yes
terday morning by two would-be bur-
glars.
The burglars, finding themselves
baffled by the vaults time lock, an
grily slammed the door upon Ellison
and Evans. Later Ellison remem-
bered the screwdriver and, feeling for
it blindly In the dark. used it for the
release of himself and Evans. All the
robbers got for their pains was $7-5O
and a revolver, which they took from
the night Waterman, and the use OF
two horses, which they stole and es-
capped on. One horse returned, rider
less, later in the day.
Mr. Pingree late yesterday offered
a reward of $500 for the arrest and
conviction of the men who robbed
the bank.
During the forenoon Sergeant J. j.
Roberts of the Salt Lake police force
arrested a man on suspicion of hav-
ing been one Of the would-be bur-
glars, but the man was released after
Mr.. Ellison and Mr.. Evans had come
to town and declared the prisoner
was not one of the highwaymen. The
man gave the name of j. ]. Beard
Equipped With climbers"
The would-be burglars secured a
knowledge of the bank through pre-
fnr 70 a n
Equipped with sets of climbers" they
had been scaling poles in the vicinity
of the bank for several days. and no
later than yesterday afternoon had a
short conversation with Cashier Eli
son.
At 2 o'clock yesterday morning Mr..
Evans, who is district night watch
man, was approached by the two
men. They pounced upon him I'M
awares and took $3.50 and his re-
voIver from his pockets. Gagging
him and tying his hands behind him,
they compelled him to walk to the
home of Mr.. Ellison By tapping on
window they aroused the cashier, and
when he appeared they broke the
window pane covered him with re-
volver and demanded that he dress
and go with them to the bank
For Gods sake, don't shoot" cried
ElUSOI, you ullSul MI lily OoOJ
Mrs. Ellison and their infant lay in
bed near the window.
One of the men gained entrance 70
the house and superintendent the hasty
and meager donning of apparel on the
part Of the bank official. The visitors
insisted that he wear no shoes or
stockings and, barefooted and gagged
he was forced to march to the bank
with them and the northumberland.
Opens Outer Door.
Still covered by revolvers, Ellison
was forced to open the outer door of
the banks vault, after he had let the
party inside the building. Then the
hopelessness of their task was re-
vealed to the would-be robbers when
Ellison explained that, even If refusal
meant death, he could not open the
inner door because of the time lock.
Then they stepped outside the vault,
slammed the door upon Ellison and
Evans, and hurried back to the cash.
ier's home. Taking a mare from Eli
sons barn and horse from the barn
of A H. Ellis. who lives next door,
they got astride these animals and
rode away in the direction Of Salt
Lake
Before departing from the vicinity
of the bank building, the men used
their climbers" in mounting tele-
phone poles and cutting all the wires,
thus rendering impossible any chance
of long-distance talk assisting in their
immediate apprehension.
The unsuccessful attempt at rob-
berry may result in the apprehension
of the dark-complexioned man who
engineered the sensational daylight
hcld-up of the Citizens National bank
at Glenwood Springs last October, in
which $1,000 was stolen. Authori-
ties are convinced that he is the same
man. In every feature, even to a scar
on the cheek, he resembles the Glen
wood Springs robber. And his cool
headed, lOw-voiced method of opera
ton is identical.
A conference was held at $50
o'clock last night in the office of Chief
Of Detectives George A Sheets, in
which Hyrum Evans gave complete
descriptions of the hold-ups Accom-
panied by Waterman Evans was
Sheriff James Ware of Davis county
Defective of the American Banking
association are expected in Salt Lake
today with the intention of conducting
a thorough investigation into the at
tempt at the robbery.
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