Too Late!

BANKERS' HOTLINE was received too late.

The branch manager had approached the door of her branch to open it up in the morning, when she heard running footsteps behind her. She turned to see a man almost upon her, wearing a stocking pulled down over his head, carrying a gun. He made her open the door, and told her to open the vault.

When she explained it took two people, he forced her to lay on the floor until the next two employees, arriving at the same time, came in.

They opened the vault, he grabbed money and filled the bag, pushed the three of them into the vault and pulled it closed. He thought it was locked-fortunately, it was not.

Forty five minutes later the police, using bullhorns and tear gas, entered the branch and rescued the three employees, still in the vault, but unable to hear anything outside. They thought the robber was still in the branch, and were afraid for their lives.

All the opening procedures were wrong. And in this case, the three employees were very lucky.

On the manager's desk-unopened as yet-was the HOTLINE with the lead article, "Morning Glory Robbery-An Old Familiar Crime is Reappearing."

We were one day too late.

Copyright © 1991 Bankers' Hotline. Originally appeared in Bankers' Hotline, Vol. 2, No. 3, 4/91