Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1916-01-14
Burglars Attempt to
Enter NJ. & F. Bank.

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The bOldest attempt at robbery that
has ever been made in Macon occurred
Tuesday night when some bold bad
burglars entered the Merchants and
Farmers Bank and attempted to enter
the vault by melting the door from the
side that opens into President Harri-
sons office. The building was entered
through the coal chute in the rear, and
before commencing operations sacks,
that the robbers took into the building
with them, and the cloth that overs a
large table in the directors room was
used to cover the doors and windows so
that no light from the room would at
tract attention from the Hotel Macon
opposite, or the night Waterman on
the street.
Spencer Fowler, j~anito-, was the first
10 discover the robbery when he enter
ed the bank to clean up at five O'Clock
Wednesday morning. He says he did
not notice that anything unusual had
happened when he first turned on the
lights, but when in sweeping he got
close to the door of the vault he noticed
his arm got warm and touching the
vault door with his hand, he found it
almost hot enough to burn, and the
floor was charred where the hot steel
fell as it melted. He Immediately call
ed Night Policeman Holt, and Cashier
Yates was notified.
A hole was melted entirely through
the outer wall of the vault but a hori
zontal bar on the inside had not melt
ed, Just what was used by the rob-
bers in their operations is not known.
City Engineer Bush says that had cleo
tricity been used to do the burning, the
fuses would have blown out and thinks
that a gasoline or acytelene blow torch
was used.
And what frightened the robbers
away is not known. The operator at
the telephone Office stated that the
drop from the banks number fell some
time between 1890 and | O'Clock and
when she asked number" and receiv-
ed no reply she rang the bank but re-
ceived no answer. 1t is supposed the
thieves became frightened at this and
resumed work later and were again
frightened away when the janitor came
IN.
Some time Wednesday morning Mr..
j. B. Elkin found in the cattle pen at
the depot a sack containing several
pieces of cloth and electric light wire.
One of the pieces of cloth was the COW
er from the directors table, which had
been used as a screen before the doors
and windows, and among the others
was two sacks, one from Slidell and the
other from New Orleans. La. A small
brush that had been used to put the
glue on the doors and windows was also
in the sack Finger prints can be seen
on the window sashes whens tho rcbber
leaned against it when he fastened the
curtain.
The bank carries insurance against
damage to their furniture and fixtures
as well as money on hand, and Cashier
Yates states that it was great relief to
him, when called up and notified that
the bank had been robbed that they
had shipped away the day before their
surplus funds. and all the money on
hand at the time was covered by insur-
ance,
A night or two before the bank was
entered the Holberg Hardware Store
was robbed. 1t was not detected by
Mr.. Holberg or known until a negro
brought to the store a rug that had
been found in his yard, and which had
Mr.. Holberg's tag on it. An examina.
ton showed that the robbers had eaten
a lun h on the second floor and left a
bucket in which they had water or cof-
fee. The only thing that could be
missed from the store Was a flash light
and an orange.
An unusual number of suspicious
characters were noticed about town for
several days before the robbery, but
on Wednesday not a one could be seen
and they must have lanown from ex-
perience that the officers would i'm
mediately get busy. Other towns have
complained of light-fngered gentry
lately, notably Jackson, which had sew
en- robberies in one night. one of the
residence entered being the mayors.
DISTINGUISHED Testimony.