PLANNED BY MASTERS

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXI, Issue 10921, 22 September 1932, Page 4

PLANNED BY MASTERS

CHICAGO’S MILLION DOLLAR BANK STEAL. Chicago, Sept. 10. Master criminals, the Chicago police authorities declare, must have planned the million dollar robbery at the Koch bank there. The amount of loot is almost the largest in the history of Chicago crime, being exceeded only by the raid on the warehouse of Werner Bros., ten years ago, when valuables worth more than 1,000,000 dollars were stolen. The police are convinced that, although only two bandits were seen by the tenants of the premises in which the bank is situated, probably ten were engaged altogether, as the task of cutting through steel and bricks to the safe deposit vaults would require the services of a considerable gang. Prevented Interruption.

The only two men seen worked cleverly and quickly, being successful in isolating 11 people on two floors of the building, to enable their confederates to work without interruption.

Chicago police headquarters, though they did not know it, were in touch with the thieves all through the 14 hours during which the bandits were at work and the tenants were held captive in bathrooms. The caretaker, Robert Kruse, who had admitted the two seen bandits on production of supposed police badges, always kept his wireless set tuned in for calls from the police office. One of the robbers sat patiently listening in for the entire 14 hours. Acetylene torches were used to cut a hole giving access to the strongroom.