The Black Valise

And What Came of the Cipher Writing

Written for The New York Clipper

by Barry Croton

When Sandford & Salisbury’s jewelry store was broken into and robbed of twelve thousand dollars’ worth of goods, I was employed by the firm as bookkeeper. It will perhaps be remembered that the robbery caused considerable excitement at the time of its occurrence. The value of the articles stolen, as well as the skill with which the burglars did their work, combined to make the affair generally known. New York, however, forgets so rapidly that I may be pardoned for briefly reciting in this connection the circumstances of the case.

The burglary was committed on a Sunday night —I think the first Sunday in August. The store was entered from the rear by forcing open the heavy iron shutters, and then cutting through the window with a diamond. Once inside, the robbers had proceeded, with the aid of a full kit of tools, to open the safe. This they had accomplished by patient work, and had then rifled the contents, carrying away with them only the most valuable articles. Among these were forty-eight diamond rings, ranging in value from fifty to three hundred dollars, twenty-four gold watches, worth in all two… Read More