1798 Robbery of the Bank of Pennsylvania
Stuff You Missed in History Class
iHeartPodcasts
4.2 • 23.6K Ratings
🗓️ 4 November 2024
⏱️ 41 minutes
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Summary
The first recorded bank robbery in the U.S. resulted in the wrong man sitting in jail, a very strange confession, and a serious lawsuit for the administrators of the bank that was robbed.
Research:
- Avery, Ron. “America’s First Bank Robbery.” Carpenters’ Hall. https://www.carpentershall.org/americas-first-bank-robbery
- “Democratic Mystery Unraveled.” The North American. Nov. 20, 1798. https://www.newspapers.com/image/593171719/?match=1&terms=%22isaac%20davis%22
- Hunt, Kristin. “The first major bank heist in America happened 225 years ago in Philly — and the wrong guy went to prison.” Philly Voice. Aug. 31, 2023. https://www.phillyvoice.com/first-bank-robbery-us-philly-carpenters-hall-patrick-lyon/
- Lloyd, Thomas. “Robbery of the Bank of Pennsylvania in 1798. The Trial in the Supreme Court of the State of Pennsylvania. Reported from the Notes by T. Lloyd. Upon Which the President of That Bank, the Cashier, One of the Directors (Who Was an Alderman) and Another Person Who Was the High Constable of Philadelphia; Were Sentenced to Pay Patrick Lyon Twelve Thousand Dollars Damages, for a False and Malicious Prosecution against Him, without Either Reasonable or Probable Cause.” Philadelphia: Printed for the publishers. 1808. https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=WfcdAAAAMAAJ&rdid=book-WfcdAAAAMAAJ&rdot=1
- Lyon, Patrick. “The narrative of Patrick Lyon, who suffered three months severe imprisonment in Philadelphia gaol; on merely a vague suspicion, of being concerned in the robbery of the Bank of Pennsylvania: : with his remarks thereon.” Philadelphia. Francis and Robert Bailey. 1799. Accessed online: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/evans/N26860.0001.001/1:3?rgn=div1;view=fulltext
- “Pat Lyon at the Forge.” MFABoston. https://collections.mfa.org/objects/34216/pat-lyon-at-the-forge?ctx=797a5f9d-a27a-4ae4-996d-f277ad579544&idx=0
- Rakich, Whitney, PhD. “Patrick Lyon (1769-1829).” Mount Vernon. https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/patrick-lyon-1769-1829#note2
- “Well-known Tenants of Carpenters' Hall.” Carpenters Hall. https://www.carpentershall.org/tenants
- Xiang, Enya. “Carpenters’ Hall in Philadelphia: A Crossroads for Early American History.” Global Philadelphia. Aug. 11, 2023. https://globalphiladelphia.org/news/carpenters-hall-philadelphia-crossroads-early-american-history
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | From the Scopes Monkey Trial to O.J. Simpson, trials have always made us reflect on the world we live in. |
| 0:07.4 | I'm Mira Hayward, and my podcast, History on Trial, will explore fascinating trials from American history. |
| 0:14.3 | Join me in revealing the true story behind the headlines and discover how the legal battles of the past have shaped our present. |
| 0:21.9 | Listen and subscribe to History on Trial. |
| 0:24.3 | Now on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. |
| 0:30.3 | History is filled with unexpected stories, and I'd like to tell you about them. |
| 0:34.6 | I'm Aaron Manky, and for the past six years, I've been sharing history's |
| 0:37.9 | most curious tales on my podcast, Cabinet of Curiositys, such as the surprising country |
| 0:43.1 | that invented the croissant and the wrestling champ who won the White House. And now these amazing |
| 0:47.8 | stories and many more have been compiled into my new book. Curious to know more? Pre-order |
| 0:52.4 | Cabinet of Curieties, available November 12th, |
| 0:55.1 | wherever books and audiobooks are sold. Learn more over at grim and mild.com slash curiosities. |
| 1:03.2 | Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production of IHeart Radio. |
| 1:13.8 | Hello and welcome to the podcast. I'm Holly Fry. |
| 1:16.6 | And I'm Tracy V. Wilson. |
| 1:18.7 | The first recorded bank robbery in the U.S. resulted in the wrong man sitting in jail for quite a while. |
| 1:25.7 | A very strange confession from the actual perpetrator, |
| 1:29.1 | and a rather serious lawsuit for the administrators of the bank that was robbed. |
| 1:35.4 | Today we are going to talk about the Bank of Pennsylvania and the robbery that took place there in |
| 1:41.2 | 1998, as well as quite a bit about the prime suspect, who was a blacksmith named Patrick Lyon. |
| 1:49.1 | In 1799, a book was published titled The Narrative of Patrick Lyon, and in its opening, it shares the author's early life story. |
| 2:00.2 | Quote, I began my mechanical study at an early age, |
... |
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