Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-08-24
NOVICE YECCS
Mess UP BANK
and GET $40
Gordon Says Work at Simms
Would Make Regular
Piunderer Blush.

Novice burglars battered their way
through two steel doors into the vaui
of the Sun River Valley State bank
at Simms Tuesday night while Slmms
slept. The interior of the vault was
cycloned, safety deposit boxes snat-
tered and scattered and $40 In cash
stolen.
Sheriff Bob Gordon and Deputy
Sheriff Herbert Locke, who inVestl,
gated the burglary Wednesday, saio
that i was the crudest job of Its
kind they had ever seen. An eight
pound sledge hammer, cold chisel ana
bolt cutters, stolen from a local
blacksmith shop, and an S0-pound
spike puller, lay on the floor in front
of the vault. Safety deposit boxes
and papers lay scattered on the floor
of the vault with abandon re
sembling the wake Of a tornado.
A coin sack lay on the floor. con-
tanning $3.50 in quarters and hall dol-
lars, wrapped in $40 rolls. NJ: kahla,
cashier of the bank, told Sheriff Cor
don that only n roll OF quarters
had been taken from the sack. This
added further mystery to an already
puzzling bungle of a safe cracking
job, the sheriff said.
Possessed With Keys
The burglars apparently possessed
keys to the blacksmith shop from
which they obtained the hammer and
bolt cutters and to the back door of
the bank, as neither of the doors was
broken and indications were that the
burglars had gained entrance to the
buildings by way of the doors, Sheriff
Gordon said. The burglars used the
spike puller to pry the locks off of
the two doors into the vault, also
hammering one of the locks until 1t
was virtually battered flat.
Inside the vault they pried the lids
from the safety deposit boxes by
means of the hammer and a heavy
cold chisel. 1t was a rough, bunghng
job, the thieves making little attempt
apparently to conceal marks of their
work or to work quietly, but no re-
ports of persons aroused by the com
motion in the bank have been received,
the officers said.
The extent of the value of the
property stolen from the bank could
not be checked Wednesday, as it was
impossible to get in touch with all per-
sons having safety deposit boxes in
the vault, Mr.. Kahla said. The
biggest loss will be in Liberty bonds
taken from the boxes, he said.
The robbery was discovered about
8 o'clock Wednesday morning by Mr..
Kahla when he went to the bank to
a railroad worker, who said that he
was leaving town early and wasn't
sure of his bank balance. When he
opened the door and looked beyond the
'~teller's cage the place resembled some
war ravaged building, he said. Sheriff
Gordon was notified and left about
9 O'Clock, accompanied by Deputy
Sheriff Locke.
Two Men Are Arrested
Kimball Price, 81, and Russell
Saxbury, 81, railroad workers of
Simms, were arrested in Great Falls
Wednesday night by Sheriff Gordon
and held at the county Jail in
ton with the robbery. The men were
questioned closely regarding their
whereabouts Tuesday night and their
Simms Wednesday morning. Their
finger prints were taken and com
pared with finger prints photographed
from two safety deposit boxes by
Ray 8. Gaunt, inspector of the bureau
of Identification for the city and
county. The finger prints of the two
men arrested by Sheriff Gordon bear
no resemblance to the photographed
finger prints taken from the boxes,
which virtually clears the men of
having any action in the robbery,
Inspector Gaunt said Wednesday
night.
No trace Of the burglars was made
Wednesday, although lines were laid
which form a neat web for their ap-
~prehensio,n Sheriff Gordon said.
Every indication is that it vas a
local" job, by amateur safe cracks
men, but by men sure of their ground.
he said. A real "yegg" would be
ashamed of his fellow burglars If he
could have witnessed the scene of
desolation left by the Simms maraud-
nrS. he said.