Robbery, Inc. - An Explosive Story

Credit: Marietta Daily Journal

 

Episode 1 of Robbery, Inc., titled “An Explosive Story,” opens with the jaw-dropping discovery of a bank heist straight out of a Hollywood script. In April 1974, Cobb Exchange Bank employees arrived for their morning shift only to find the bank’s vault smelling of burnt metal and explosives. When the vault finally opened, police discovered a massive hole blasted through the floor, revealing a tunnel more than 130 feet long, dug quietly over weeks beneath a major city street. The robbers had tunneled in from across the road, detonated explosives in the strongroom, and made off with deposit bags, leaving behind twisted carts, debris and disbelief.

Journalist Madison Elizabeth Hogan, who grew up in Marietta, serves as our guide through the layers of mystery, memory, and myth surrounding the robbery. She weaves together first-hand accounts from Old Mariettans, news archives, and official police records, gradually introducing a larger-than-life figure of an elusive outlaw responsible not just for this daring crime, but a string of heists across the country. Despite the planning and danger involved, the haul from this particular job was surprisingly small, less than $1,000, but that figure is quickly called into question as details emerge about ransacked safety deposit boxes and a possible hidden fortune. Local voices recall the event with astonishment, even amusement.

The episode ends with a tantalizing promise: that this story is just beginning. While official reports downplay the financial impact of the robbery, conflicting witness testimonies suggest there’s more beneath the surface. Who were these men? How did they plan such a meticulous crime? And could one of them be America’s last great outlaw?