The evening world., 1911-03-07
SWITCH" EXPERTS
HUNTED HARD N
$4,000 ROBBERY
Detectives Also Seek Young
Tipstcr Suspected in Ban
croft Mystery.
dead LINE" STIRRED.
First Professional Job Below
Fulton Street. in Years
Makes Folk Uneasy.
E LINE" STIRRED.

The financial districts interes; in the
robbery OF Aaron Bancroft, who was
bereft Of 10000 worth OF securities while
IN n corridor Of the Produce Exchange
Safety Deposit Vaults. to-day turned
to the proposition that the section long
considered immune from professional
thieves below the insglnary Dead
Line Lad been Invaded by regular
workers.
Willie the district talked with much
speculative interest upon the vanishing
OF the Dead Line" behind which mill
ions were supposed to be safe, wlse DO
t~ectives said that developments might
prove that the talk was premature. and
that the Dead Line" had not really
been invaded.
According t. the police II has been
many years since a really professional
robbery was committed below the
Dead Line" This fact led to renewed
1 efforts to-day to solve the mystery
4 surrounding the robbery Of the aged
head OF the firm Of George Bancroft Il
D 60. OF No. i6 Beaver street.
"switch Game" in Perfection.
Tie operation by which tho elderly
man was robbed was to-day declared
both by Pinkertons and police 90 have
been, assuming that Mr.. Bancrolt's de-
scriptlon IL accurate, one OF the most
perfect performances of what is tech
nically known as the switch" game
that has ever been discovered IN this
city.
IF that story Of the robbery Is not
accurate TO a degree" said one Of tho
CHIEF detectives on the case to-day.
"then some gun had an awful task IN
structing the recitation. Il is too per-
feet a description of the switch to have
been imagined by Mr.. Bancroft"
The more the detectives studied the
case the more they We're puzzled by tho
conflict between the evidently profess
sional character of the JOB and the sus-
pic.ons that attached to on or two men
who lad either been employed by nc
firm, or who had sustained personal re-
lations with members OF the firm that
gave them an insisht into the habits of
the elder member with respect to the
depositing of securities.
Suspicion pointed strongly to n young
man VINO had NJ one time been well
known around brokerage Offices in the
financial district, and who Is known 70
he inclined TO the sporty side of Ire.
This young man had, or said tina, he
had. facilities for Knowing the affairs
OF the Bancroft concern, and his assoc
Citations are alleged to have been such
that he might easily rave posted pro-
fessional CROOKS as to the time. tho
place and tine booty which the semi
weekly trips TO the vaults offered.
No Real Clue.
Mr.. Bancroft referred callers to-day
10 his lawyer. William VI. sullivan. VINO
passed most Of the morning at Police
Headquarters and with IN" city de-
tcct!yes. superintendent George :.
Dougherty OF the Piukcrtous devoted
his efforts chiefly to protecting the
banks from getting the stolen prop
erty. and he said that ne had NJ clue
TO the theft proper.
II Is known tIrt NJ. Sullivan's con
situations with the detectives brye
taken into careful account the person
nel of the office force, both past an!
present, and the list of acquaintance