New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-09-16
BURGLARS GET s315,00O
Rob Branch of Bank Of Montreal
at New Westminster, B. c.
ESCAPE WITH THE BOOTY
Safe Blown Open and Chinese
Janitor Bound and Gagged
No Clew to Bandits.

New Westminster. r. e.. Sept. i5.-Ffvs
burglars entered the branch OF the Bank
Of Montreal here early this morning. broke
through the thin metal coating Of the vault
blew open the safe with nitro-glycerine ara
got away with $1,000 without being seen
by any one except a Chinese caretaker
They probably escaped down Frazier River
in a launch or by automobile toward van
couver.
The rohbers are believed 10 be hioinf
Tonight In Vancouver with small chance
Of disposlng Of their booty undetected
Rank officials say that all the bills taken
were new and mostly Of large denorlins-
ton. and that their serial numbers are
recorded The robbers selected time ~hen
the banks cash was far above the normal.
for financing salmon shipments.
The manager G. T Brymner, opened ms
bank on time to-day. Not much business
was done however for the place vas
crowded with sightseers The ofncers OF
the Bank Of Montreal say the INSTITUTION
will spend $4,000, II necessary, 10 track
and prosecute the robbers
There was $4,000 in the bank safes Cnef
Of Police Bradshaw believes the burglars
would have taken n all ~ they could haVs
carried II As N was, they took al tney
could carry, Leaving the silver and notes OF
small denominations. as well as damased
and $40 bile, on the floor and the taoieS
IN the room Of one OF the clerks.
Chons Koh the Chinese caretaker. ~
about a m, came running 70 the polcs
station, which Is less than rTenty-nVe
Yards from the bank. crying that the BANK
had been robbed He said he had entered
the bank az 4l0 o'clock a. m. This state
ment Is corroborated by a policeman, VINO
remembers that he saw the Chiraran goina
toward the bank at that hour. Chons kon
saws he opened the door Of the front once
in Columbia street. using the pass key. ~
had no sooner set foot inside that he "aA
seized by a large man. and two others
came a moment later
or, rou roaka noise will kill you
.a,d The big man. and the frightened
Cbjnaran did not make a sound. The Two
smaller men gagged him with his own
handkerchief. tied hts hands and feet ana
took him TO the basement, where they tied
him to post Two hours later he man
aged TO free himself and get out
The Chinaman says he saw only thres
| men. but believes ar least two others Ters
engaged in the robbery. This theory Is ar
cepted by tho police who think az least
! two men acted as ookouts. II Is certain
that the vault had been blown open befors
| the Chinaman arrived. so thar the robbers
must have got in shortly after midnight
The robbers evidently crossed the main
| office OF the bank and assembled the stairs
| 70 the room OF one OF the clerks. who
| usually slept in the bank. This young
| man however, vas on his vacation. 40
| there was no one on the premises
| With a pick the robbers tore hols
| through the brick sides OF the vault and
the thin cast iron lining The latter was
| not heavy. and n could not have been
| more than twenty minutes before the
| burglars were In front of the great stssI
door.
Tho Job skifuIy Done.
They went at the job like masters. Tn.
hole through which they cravled into tina
vault they plugged with the bedding used
by the young clerk This deadened tha
sound, for no one has been found who
heard the explosion. A policeman was in
| the next building. not more than ten ysrd-
away, and he heard nothing. The police
| station Is not more than twice that dis
lance away, and nothing was heard there
! Three hundred and fifty thousand dollars
all In piles OF gold and silver and bank
notes, was in view when the robbers had
blown the inner door open. The money
was carried TO the sleeping room OF the
absent clerk and there prepared 70 hs
taken away Evidently the robbers took
the pick OF all they could carry There
must have been $4,000 in bills ~ demon.
| nations OF 800 and 5000 Then thsrs
were many thousand dollars I'm gold. all
| or which was taken. The silver was left
Many packages Of small bills were dts
| dsined by the robbers.
There was no trace 70 show how the rob
| bers 80 away. Probably they entered the
| front door by the Use Of false kew
and went ont the same way They did nor
take the trouble 70 remove the ladders
| leaning against the "a she's OF the windows
through which two OF their number prob
ably watched the neighborhood
II was rainy. windy night. and tev
persons We're on the streets About a. m
an automobile was seen near the front ~
the bank and II would have been easy FOR
the robbers 70 have come and gone I'm a.