The first bank robbery in the United States took place without any victims, and even ... no signs of burglary. The equivalent of today's $ 3 million was stolen during the robbery. It had one advantage, as it triggered the fight for the rights of US citizens.
The city of Philadelphia played an important role in the history of the country, as it was the first capital of the USA, the place where the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution were announced, and here in 1781 the first bank in North America - Bank of Pennsylvania was established.
By the end of the 18th century, the United States had only just constituted its judiciary, and there was no central government or a way to collect taxes due. President George Washington tried to remedy this and contributed to the creation of, inter alia, Supreme Court, Circuit and District Courts.
The rapid economic growth, the settlement of new areas and the industrial revolution encouraged the arrival of mainly qualified specialists and craftsmen from Europe, because slaves imported from Africa were the cheap labor force. One of those who saw a chance for a new life in a newly developing country was the locksmith Patrick Lyon .
Lyon's first years in the United States
Patrick Lyon left Scotland at the age of 25 and sailed to America hoping to succeed. He started working for other craftsmen, but soon opened his own workshop, thanks to which he became a well-known and valued not only locksmith and blacksmith, but an inventor. Lyon created a hydraulic motor and a diving bell to facilitate the repair of ships under water. In his will he wrote that an epitaph should be placed on his tomb:
My anvil fell to the ground, the bellows lost their breath,
The furnace was extinguished long ago, the forge was covered with dust,
Coal burnt, molten iron,
Nails hammered in, work done.
The then headquarters of the Bank of Pennsylvania in Carpenters' Hall, where Patrick Lyon was installing new vault doors
Intratny business
In 1793, the country was hit by a yellow fever epidemic that killed 1/10 of Philadelphia's population, including Patrick Lyon's wife and child. When five years later there was a threat of a return to the morbid regime, Lyon was about to leave the city. However, he received an unquestionable contract, which delayed his departure.
The Scottish locksmith was approached by Samuel Robinson, a carpenter from the Bank of Pennsylvania with a request to install an iron safe door in the new seat of the institution. In order to replace the locks, Patrick Lyon transported them to his facility, where Samuel Robinson, assisted by a suspected stranger, visited him the next day. Both arrived had great interest in the new keys. After installing the safe door of a Pennsylvania bank, on August 28, 1798, Patrick Lyon and his teenage assistant left Philadelphia.
Historic bank robbery
Only days after Lyon had performed the service, it was stolen $ 162,821, which would be the equivalent of about $ 3 million today, from a bank vault in Philadelphia. In mid-September, information about the robbery reached the town of Lewiston, where Lyon was staying. After analyzing reports in the press, he concluded that due to the lack of any signs of a break-in, the theft of money must have involved both the employees and Samuel Robinson himself. Lyon has taken a step that anyone who has nothing on conscience would take. He returned to town to investigate on the spot and clear himself of the charges.
After reaching Philadelphia, he was unable to free himself from the accusations or to help find the real perpetrator, as he was imprisoned. His isolation room was only 3.6 m2 and all that was left for him was to pray and read the Scriptures. Lyon was arrested thanks to the testimony of Constable John Haines, who was awarded a felon award of $ 2,000.
Robber on the loose
At the same time, the real perpetrator of the scam was enjoying his life and wondering how best to store such a sizeable loot. He had the idea that it might be safest to keep the stolen money in a… bank. He distributed cash and began to deposit smaller amounts into various financial institutions, one of which was a bank he had robbed in Pennsylvania. His plan was not well thought out and he was interviewed at his own request. The fraudster pleaded guilty but was not sent to prison as he managed to return virtually the entire amount to the bank.
Who was the criminal?
The fraud turned out to be Isaac Davis, a suspicious man who visited Patrick Lyon's workshop with Samuel Robinson. The perpetrator was in league with a bank clerk.
Davis's admission of guilt did not result in Lyon being released from behind bars because neither law enforcement nor the bank's authorities wanted to admit their mistake. A yellow fever epidemic was spreading in the prison, and Lyon began to come to terms with the idea that there would be no justice.
However, his friends came to his aid, and they persuaded Davis to testify that Patrick Lyon had not collaborated with him in the bank robbery. At the beginning of 1799, the master craftsman regained his freedom and shortly thereafter wrote a book entitled The story of Patrick Lyon who suffered three months of hard imprisonment in a Philadelphia prison for the vague suspicion of involvement in the Bank of Pennsylvania robbery .
The fight for civil rights in the United States
1805 is a symbolic date, then Patrick Lyon brought a lawsuit against the bank, local authorities and law enforcement , which started the first fight for civil rights in the USA. In his lawsuit, he demanded compensation for the wrongs related to his unjust arrest, he also argued that his reputation had suffered and that he was unable to practice his profession.
The trial had gained enormous publicity and several well-known attorneys expressed a desire to represent him before the court expecting no remuneration in return.
To win the case, it was necessary to prove that the state and bank authorities acted in bad faith, which was not difficult as Patrick Lyon remained in custody despite pleading guilty to Isaac Davis , and the very reason for Lyon being hit behind bars was based on speculations about the fabrication of the key to the new safe. The Scottish locksmith trial has become an important voice in the fight for the rights of the gray citizen of the United States. The jury agreed with Lyon, who eventually received $ 9,000 in damages, the equivalent of several decades' average salary.
Source:
Trivia is the essence of our website. Short materials devoted to interesting anecdotes, surprising details from the past, strange news from the old press. Reading that will take you no more than 3 minutes, based on single sources. This particular material is based on the book:
- M. Wałkuski, This is a robbery! A piece of America's unknown history, Publishing House Editio 2017.