EARLY BANK ROBBERIES IN VIRGINIA

I saw your piece on that blog article about the putative "first" New York bank robbery in the 1830s and was reminded of two bank robberies in antebellum Virginia, one from 1841 and another from 1852, that folks might be interested in hearing.

The first I came across in an original copy of the Richmond Enquirer from September 7, 1841 that I found in a flea market many years ago. In it there was a $5,000 reward notice on the front page for information regarding the theft of $92,135 from the Danville branch of the Farmer's Bank of Virginia on the 23rd of August. Apparently, someone made a false set of keys and made off with that sum all in currency. All but $20,000 was cancelled and due to be shipped back to the mother bank in Richmond for destruction, but the remainder of the loot was still current. Most interestingly, on page 3 of the same paper there is a notice indicating that the $20,000 was recovered in a graveyard and that the bank's teller was found hiding the money by the cemetery's sexton. I've included both the reward notice and the follow-up article.

In addition, the Library of Congress has in their collection a handbill announcing a $5,000 reward regarding the theft of over $66,000 from the Portsmouth branch of the Bank of Virginia in January of 1852. Included in the notice was a list of what was taken, including "$75 in Georgia $5 pieces, and a Portuguese half-Joe." I would hazard a guess that the "Georgia $5" pieces were likely Bechtler Georgia coins as those were specially singled out for notice. I have not been as successful in tracing down if this robbery was solved.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NEW YORK'S FIRST BANK ROBBERY (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n12a32.html)

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