Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-08-04
Robber Enters and Holds
UP Paying Teller Before
Regular Banking Hour.
CARRIES OFF $4,000
Official Discovered Hour
Later and Taken to Hospi-
tai, Crazed by Attack.

Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Aug. 4.-The
Cedar Rapids National bank was held
up and robbed of $21, 800 early today
by lone bandit, who, at the point of a
revolver, compelled Leo Perrin, the
paying teller, to open the vaults, and
afterward locked him up. Perrin was
discovered a prisoner in the vault
about Is minutes later, in a state of
temporary insanity as the result of his
experience ana removed to a local
hospital, where his condition at noon
was said by physicians to be serious.
No Trace of Bandit.
The bandit, who is said to have been
the most daring in this state in re-
cent years, is believed by officials of
the bank to have remained in the build
ing all night, as the outer doors were
locked when the robbery occurred
After he had filled his pockets with the
currency, he escaped and no trace of
him had been found at noon.
Perrin was in the bank at $50 a. m.
to get out currency shipments for the
banks of neighboring towns, and had
just opened the outer door of the vault,
when the bandit stepped before him,
according to his incoherent statements
to the police. The man, he said, held
a revolver to his head and ordered him
to opan-the remaining doors, which be
did. AS soon as the currency safe was
reached, the bandit calmly helped him
self to bundles of currency and then
backed out, slamming the outer door
on the teller.
Teller is Threatened.
Perrin told the police the man SEEM
ed to have had specially constructed
pockets. in which he stored the cur
rency. A bundle containing $4,000 was
found outside the vault door.
Once, while turning the combination
on the currency safe, Perrin said he
pushed the pointer past the correct
number whereupon the robber pressed
the revolver close to his head and ex-
claimed:
mo monkey business or I'll blow
your head off"
Perrin said he then went ahead with
the combination expecting to be shot
at any moment. When he had been
locked up he yelled for help but his
voice was not heard. Another en-
ploye, entering the bank a few minutes
later, discovered that something was
wrong with the vault doors and in
vestigated.
Perrin, the teller. is 30 years old and
married. He has beer with the bank
for several years.
Attacked Teller is Crazed.
The bank is one of the largest city
in the city, having a capital stock of
100000, surplus 100000 and deposits
$6,000,000, according to the last state
ment. Ralph Van Vechten, vice-pres-
ident of the Continental and CONNER
cial National bank of Chicago, is pres
ident of the bank
Others in Building.
Three clerks and two janitors were
at work in the bank at the time the
robbery occurred, but they were in
rooms remote from the vaults. except
E. R. Hollenbeck. janitor, who vas
less than 80 feet away, but who said
he could not see the vault doors be-
cause of a curtain partition.
The bank has been undergoing ex-
tensive repairs for the last few weeks,
and it is this fact that led the auth
critics to believe that the bandit had
secured entrance some time yester-
day afternoon in the garb of work
man, and that he had secreted him.
self before the bank doors were closed.
Robber Gets a Scare.
The robber appeared to want only
currency, as several sacks of silver
on the floor of the vault were ignored.
While he was filling his pockets the
lights in the vault suddenly went out
and he apparently became alarmed.
Holding his revolver in front, he back
ed out quickly. closed the vault on
Perrin and escaped by rear door. He
was thought to be in hiding somewhere
in the city.
Perrin was unable to give a clear
description of the man. He said, how
ever, that he was tall, apparently
young, wore a gray suit, and that his
face was sunburned
Des Moines. Iowa, Aug. 4.-P W.
Hall, secretary of the Iowa Bankers
association, was notified of the rob-
berry of the Cedar Rapids National
bank shortly after it took place, and
Immediately put detectives on the
case. Attorney General Cosson also
assigned his special agents TO make
an effort to locate the bandit, =.