THE GREAT BANK RAID.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10659, 12 May 1906, Page 6 (Supplement)

THE GREAT BANK RAID.

HOW £87,000 WAS STOLEN,

BOMBS TIED TO COAT BUTTONS, ST. PETERSBURG, March 21.

Interesting particulars have been received from Moscow of the armed attack on the bank belonging to the Mutual Credit Society. Armed young men, apparently belonging to the educated classes, entered the bank with Brownings and Mausers m their hands, and threatening the employees with bombs, which they took out of their pockets and fastened to the buttons of their overcoats, abstracted from the safe £87, 500, £520 m gold and the remainder m 100 and 500 rouble notes.

Usually the work of the day at the bank closes at four m the afternoon. The president and the members of the administration left at the usual hour. The director, the chief cashier, and some others, m all about 100 people, remained. About five o'clock several young men entered by different doors. A policeman who seized the first two was disarmed. Simultaneously all the messengers and other policemen were seized m the lower vestibule. Resistance was impossible. At all the counters armed men were placed, pointing their weapons at the employees. One placed his Mauser revolver on the counter and, drawing from his pocket a small tin box with a fuse, said that if the slightest resistance was offered the whole place would be blown into the air. The leader of the band went through both halls shouting "Quiet, hands up." Then he added, "Gentlemen, we have come- here m the name of the revolutionary committee. 'We require money for the success of our cause. We will not touch you, but if the slightest resistance is offered all will perish." Three went to the treasury, placed a large bomb on the table, and said that on the slightest resistance it would be exploded and all blown into the air. When the armed band saw that the leaders had left with the money they drew up m two rows and compelled' all the employees to cross over from the large hall into the cash store room, saying that if anyone moved before fifteen minutes the others on duty would throw a bomb. The employees were huddled together m ; the cash room, and the plunderers left, before the very eyes of the policemen "and porter whom they had arrested m the vestibule. — Reuter.