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David H. Moffat, president of the First National bank of Denver was held up in his private office at two o’clock, Friday afternoon March 29, and forced to write a check for $21,000, and compelled to take it himself to the cashier of the bank, get it cashed, and turned the money over to the robber. He gave his name as C. J. Wells, and called at the bank for some private business with Mr. Moffat, who took him into his private office, where the robber produced a blank check of the bank, forced Moffat to write the check and followed him, with a revolver concealed under his coat, to the cashier, who cashed the check. The robber said he was in desperate circumstances, needed some money, and while covering Mr. Moffat with a revolver, pulled a bottle of what he said was nitro glycerine from his pocket, and warned him that any outcry of warning, would result in his being killed on the spot, and the building and all occupants would be blown up. Mr. Moffat was warned to stay in his office by the robber, until he could reach the street, and if he was stopped before getting out of the building he would use the nitro-glycerine. A moment after the door closed on the visitor the alarm was sounded, but he had disappeared in the crowd. Sunday morning the overcoat worn by the robber was found in a hallway at 1634 Larimer street, which contained a 44 calibre revolver, and the bottle of nitro-glycerine, which, being analyzed, was nothing but castor oil, but the revolver had every chamber loaded. The money paid the hold-up was $1,000 in gold coin, a $10,000 bill, the balance being in smaller denominations The Weekly Register Call, Central City, 4/5/1889. (Prospector’s Note: Clark Co., a pioneer banking institution, transferred and merged its Denver house into the First National Bank of Denver on May 9, 1865. In ‘‘cards’’ run in The Rocky Mountain News, J. B. Chaffee was listed as president, H. J. Rogers as vice-president, George T. Clark as cashier. Other stockholders were A. M. Clark, M. E. Clark, Bela S. Buell, C. A. Cook and Ebenezer Smith. Capital was $200,000 with a limit of $500,000.
Newspaper Details
Denver Colorado Prospector
Denver, Colorado, US
Fri, May 01, 1970
Page 7
Full Page
Clipped by
Jeanne V.
USA 12 Jun 2026
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