Manhattan Savings Institution robbery

Background. George Leonidas Leslie, known as the "King of Bank Robbers," was an American bank robber and architect. He formulated the plan for the Manhattan Savings Institution robbery three years prior to 1878. The institution was located in the Manhattan Bank Building at the northeast corner of Broadway and Bleecker Street in Manhattan, New York City.

Planning. Leslie planned the robbery over three years. In 1878, he delayed the Manhattan Savings Institution robbery he was planning with a gang, hoping to execute it with another group. This delay followed an incident in Maine where two gang members murdered a cashier against Leslie's will. The robbery was intended as Leslie's initiation and trial run for the city's crime world.

Notoriety. The robbery was one of the largest bank robberies in American history. It was the largest heist in New York City at the time, though not the highest-paying criminal heist in history. The event shocked America, as noted in the title "King of Heists: The Sensational Bank Robbery of 1878 That Shocked America."