The Washington times., 1911-09-11
SCHEME TO LOOT
MUSEUM SECUTED
BY THE OFFICIALS
Smithsonian Heads Laugh
at Story Told in
. New York.

Ofhcials of the Smithsonian InstItu-
ton and the National Museum look at
the published report of a plot to rob
the cases of the Museum and the Bu-
reau of Ethnology as a huge joke, and
say such coup is almost impossible
Thomas Alexander, a porter in drug
store In New York, told the police there
mat a man had approached him with
q scheme to rob the cases of the
Museum and hold the plunder for a
large reward. which the officials Of the
Museum would be sure to offer. Ac-
cording to Alexander, this man, q for
Iner employe of the Yale and Towne
Lock Company, Of Stamford, Conn,
Is In possession Of master keys to the
cases holding the valuable records and
exhibits, and with the assistance OF sew
eral men, who would merely stand
around to shield him from the eyes of
the guards, he was to open the cases.
Richard Rathburn, acting secretary of
the Smithsonian Institute, and in charge
OF the National Museum, where all the
bic records are kept, laughed when
told of the plot. ''In the first place."
said Mr.. Rathburn, cit would be almost
impossible to make away with anything
IN the building, on account of the excel
lent system of supervision we have
while to get at these articles by master
keys is absurd. The cases in which the
exhibits are kept are made by contract
and, while the Yale people furnish us
the lock, these locks are put on in our
buildings, and none outside has the
least idea on what cases they are put.
We do not know ourselves when the
locks are put on or what cases they are
TO be used for, and therefore, to have
master key to any particular case, or
group of cases, is Of no Importance.
There is no master key to all the
cases, and there are but a few master
keys to any cases. These are held by
the heads of departments. Should /
want to get into all the cases / should
be Obliged to call in all the keys, and
have them labeled and indeXed, and
when they were all in, there would be
a good sized basket full"
MI. Rathburn says any articles taken
would be OF value to no one individ-
ually, and could be disposed of only to
museums. where they could easily be
traced. To get enough material to make
such proposition pay those making the
robbery would have to obtain several
wagon-loads of material, in fact make
away with a whole exhibit
In the National Museum, where the
most valuable parts of the collections
are kept, there Is force of about fifty
watchmen, the majority of whom are
on duty at one time, so that the chances
of getting away with anything of this
kind are very remote. Not only do the
museum authorities keep uniformed
attendants constantly on duty, but
there are several watchmen in plain |
clothes always in the building, and one |
never knows when one Of these men Is !
standing around or watching. Visitors !
70 the building are made to check walk |
ing sticks, umbrellas, and bundles at
the door when they enter, and no one |
may take a bundle out of the building
without first. accounting for it to the |
watchman at the door
Another prominent official of the |
Smithsonian Institution scoffed at the |
idea OF robbery, and said any one !
wishing to rob the museum could get
at the curios much easier by cutting |
the glass to the cases, but his chances |
of getting away or even getting the |
glass cut would be decidedly slim.
He pointed out that in the last ten |
years there have been but three i'm |
portant robberies from the museum, |
and in each case the culprit has speed |
1ly been apprehended and the goods re- |
turned. and in every case the robber |
was safely lodged behind the bars to |
work out a penitentiary sentence.