Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 64, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 November 1912 — BANK ROBBED AT MEDARYVILLE [ARTICLE]

BANK ROBBED AT MEDARYVILLE

Safe Crackers Blow Op First National Bank Monday Night. ONLY SI,OOO TAKEN,’TIS SAID Three Explosions Failed to Reach Inner Chest • Where Currency and Gold Was Kept.—Bloodhounds On Trail of Cracksmen. The First National Bank of Medaryville was blown open and robbed about 1:30 o’clock Monday night, but it is said that the robbers secured only about SI,OOO im silver, and did not get into the inside chest where the currency and gold was kept. The big Mosler safe was blown to pieces. There were three explosions, the first of which is supposed to have blown off the door on the outside; the second the inner door, and the third one of the. sheets of steel to the chest where the gold and currency was kept. The explosibns were not heard by people sleeping, in rooms next to

the bank building with only a brick wall between, but were heard by some other people of the town, and M. M. Ocker shot at one of the robbers and is supposed to have frightened them away. i Bloodhounds were secured from Laporte and reached Medaryville at daylight. The robbers, of whom there is said to have beem three, had taken a handcar from the Three-I road at San Pierre and run down to Medaryville to do the job, and escaped the same way. The handcar was found about ten o’clock yesterday morning in the Kankakee river north of San Pierre, Where the robbers dumped it, a£<l it il® supposed that they made their I get away on an Erie freight train, j or are still hiding along teh KankaJ are still hiding along the Kanka- ; kee river. When The Democrat talked with Mr. Guild, the president of the bank, yesterday at 10:30 a. m„ he stated that posses were out on the hunt of the robbers, and gave us the facts as above detailed: He also said that j the bank was amply protected from ! any loss by the burglar insurance ! that it carried. It was onJy about a week ago that the Medaryville postoffiee was robbed of about S2OO in cash and stamps and at that time parties sleeping within a short distance of the building in which the explosion occurred were not disturbed and heard no sound of the explosion. In fact, nothing was known of the robbery until the postmaster went down the next morning to open the office. Both of the robberies are supposed to be the work of Chicago cracksmen with perhaps a local confederate.