Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1928-10-25

kAhAS &Oth vas always cCb III VIC
evening, at least at the end of the
days business. We would always, be-
fore we closed the office Of q night. l
would always open the safe and set
the time lock for the next day. wheth-
er ! put any money in sr not.
The big door to the safe was what
is called q screw door and had grooves
that fitted into the safe proper. l had
to make between half and one turn
to get 1t closed. l think it is a little
over one-half turn.
said this alleged robbery occurred
sometime between 5:45 and $3.50 on
the evening of November 30th, 1925.
On November Goth l had set the time
clock in this safe to open sometime
during the Afternoon but | don't re-
member what time, and couldn't tell
you how long the safe had been un-
locked as far as the time lock was
concerned before that particular. I
don't think / had been in that safe
on the Both for any purpose. / said
Miss Hovet, my deputy, had the COM
bination, yes. When | went into the
safe on November Both, 1926, / don't
believe | found the fiat down here
unlocked. VIZ used that combination
to lock that fiat when there was a
lot of money in the safe. When |
told Mr.. Babcock on direct exami-
nation that frequently or sometimes
or whatever words | used, that /
didn't lock the combination at all. you
take most of the year we didn't have
no money in there to speak of. Then
we usually used just the main door to
lock it.
O. 1t is a fact, isn't it, that none
OF the currency taken and none of the
gold and silver taken on the night of
November S0th was protected before
1t was taken by that fiat or door with
the combination lock, isn't it?
A. Well, it was open when the rob-
bers went there because the safe was
open.
@. And likewise, the outside door
of that safe was open? A. Yes, you
can never, yes, you can never
z. And your vault door was open
it is true? A. Yes.
Witness Continuing: As to Safe
No. l, we were just putting the stuff
away and the door might have been
closed but | don't think it was locked.
no. All the dierent doors, the vault.
safe number one and safe number
two were either standing wide open
or were unlocked so that anybody
could walk in and pick up the money
they were open then because we were
just putting the business of the day
away. They were open. yes.
@. And the money was taken out
of this burglar proof chest during
the time that all the doors to that
safe and the doors into the vault
were open? A. They were.
Q. Now then all Of the securities
which you say you lost were taken
from the upper compartment of this
safe n day? A. Yes, sir.
Q. Up in there Indicating on
drawing.)? A. Yes.
@. When you had the outside of
that safe closed and the combination
turned so it would lock it, SO the safe
would be locked, the outside door was
burglar proof, wasn't it? A. AS far
as ! know, yes.
Q. So that under those conditions
If the securities were in there when
the outside door was closed, they
would be in a burglar proof compart-
ment, wouldn't they? A. Yes, sir.
@. Now, all of these securities
which you say you lost were taken
out of this upper compartment?
A.. They were.
@. That includes all Of these de-
posits from the bank, hat is, the
bonds and warrants from the banks,
and all that Sheridan County lost?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Likewise, at that time these
burglars which you say entered there,
that compartment was wide open SO
that anybody who wanted to could go
in there and pick out the securities ?
A. Anybody who wanted to could
MT go in there and pick them up, no.
Q. If they got in there, there
would be nothing to hinder them from
going in and picking them up?
A. They would have to take them
forcibly if they did.
Q. Now, Mr.. Torstenson, with re-
spect to these securities, when did
you examine them? A. Oh, l didn't
go and scrutinize them every day. no.
Q. Well, Mr.. Torstenson, getting
at the matter in q little different way,
get something definite about it. I'm
der Crhodn1o ~ frcpr v,,ktrl -.