1798 Bank of Pennsylvania heist

The 1798 Bank of Pennsylvania heist occurred late on August 31 or early on September 1, 1798 when $162,821 was stolen from the Bank of Pennsylvania at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[1]

Alt
Pat Lyon at the Forge (1829), Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

Background

Patrick "Pat" Lyon, a blacksmith who had worked on the vault doors and fitted it with locks, was initially a suspect in the heist. Lyon and a 19-year-old apprentice had left Philadelphia shortly before the heist, possibly in response to a yellow fever epidemic that had been plaguing the city.[2] They later arrived in Lewistown, Delaware, where the apprentice died of an illness. Lyon had learned of the theft and suspected that he was wanted after speaking with an acquaintance of his. Lyon himself had suspected the bank's caretaker, Samuel Robinson, and another man of committing the heist. They had visited his shop once when he was working on the bank vault's doors. Lyon returned to Philadelphia to plead his case but was imprisoned in Walnut Street Prison for three months.[1][3] The bank showed no signs of forced entry and the vault was believed to have been opened with a forged key.[4][5]

The sole perpetrators of the heist, Isaac Davis and Thomas Cunningham were later caught. Cunningham, who was the bank's porter, died of yellow fever several days after the heist.[6] Davis, the man who had visited Lyon's shop with Robinson, was depositing the stolen money in several banks, including the one he had burglarized. This made officials suspicious of him and he later confessed to the heist. However, he was reportedly pardoned without serving any jail time after he gave back the stolen money in a plea deal with the Governor of Pennsylvania, Thomas Mifflin. Lyon was still kept in jail on suspicion of forging a duplicate key but released shortly thereafter. His bail had been set at $150,000 but lowered to $2,000 after Davis's confession.[7][1]

Aftermath

Lyon then wrote a book on his false imprisonment titled Narrative of Patrick Lyon Who Suffered Three Months Severe Imprisonment in Philadelphia Gaol on Merely a Vague Suspicion of Being Concerned in a Robbery of the Bank of Pennsylvania With his Remarks Thereon and went to trial for damages. He was awarded $12,000 for false imprisonment. This was appealed by the defendants and the new agreed upon amount was set at $9,000.[1]

Lyon later had his portrait painted by John Neagle, titled Pat Lyon at the Forge, depicting Lyon standing at a forge with the Walnut Street Prison visible in the background.[3]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Avery, Ron. "America's First Bank Robbery". ushistory.org. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  2. ↑ Hoover, Stephanie (2011). "THE YELLOW FEVER IN PHILADELPHI". pennsylvaniaresearch.com. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Pat Lyon at the Forge". pafa.org. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  4. ↑ Townsend, John (2005). Crime Through Time. Capstone Classroom. p. 20.
  5. ↑ North Conway, J. (2009). King of Heists: The Sensational Bank Robbery of 1878 That Shocked America. Globe Pequot. pp. 40–41.
  6. ↑ "The Great Bank Heist of 1798". ushistory.org. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  7. ↑ Proceedings of the Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Philadelphia, Volume 28. Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Philadelphia. 1911. pp. 127–128.

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