The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-08-28
LIFTING TAXES.
The RECEIVERS once Entered by Burglars
They Break Open Two Safes, and Dccamt
with $4,000.

They sBrenk Open Two Sales, ana Decamp
,Burglaries and ares in this city have had an
alarming frequency OF iateTsSch e., sue rreguenicy in
burglar-proof safes and .hre-proof buildings have
suffered absolute extinction. The safest risks known
to the underwriters have entaed the heaviest losses
and safes of triple DOORS hardened material, and
complicated locks have been "gone through" like
a man nowadays that has a money bag If he
wishes to retain II, must sit upon it; or has he
dwelling or store he most sleep upon its roof sur
rounded by ready water buckets place Offering
every access TO robber, seems to be no more fire.
quently despOied than one barred, boted, and vigil
lantly watched, aud aware of this fact perhaps we
should not entertain any surprise at the robbery OF
last night but consider that its fate to be sacked
some time has already transpired.
This morning at an early hour II was discovered
corner of Sixth and Chestnut streets, had been en-
tered and robbed. The safe doors were standing
open burglarious instruments Law around and the
bricks and mortar of demolished walls strewed the
floor. An examination disclosed that some $4,000 in
cash and about $4,000 in drafts, checks etc. making
a total of 100000 We're missing As yet no clue has
been discovered likely to lead to the apprehension Of
the robbers.
MellOy, occupies q portion Of the first 1OOr Of the
west wing OF independence Hall: the remainder be-
ing taken up by the old room Of the Court of Quarter
Sessions. Running between the two, with an eu-
trance on Sixth street. and an exit on the avenue
reaching between the wing and the main building
to the Square in the rear wide entry way. Opening
upon this entry,a door of ordinary dimensions admits
to the office, and passing through it we are ut
in the wide room occupied 10y the clerks Of Mr..
Melloy. Around three of its walls-the northern
eastern, and western-are stationed desks, guarded
by wooden ratings, each of them appropriated to
single clerk. Against the southern wall resting
the dre-pruof safe or vault of the
once II Is some 20 feet in length by or 7 in
width. Within it again is placed what was deemed
burglar-proof safe, of small capacity but heavily
received in the Office during the day; each clerk,
who had small tin box solely to himself, placing
therein the money he himself had taken, ana then
depositng both in the safe The outer or larger safe
is built of brick, and is closed in with an iron door
Within the courtroom back of the office, ana the
ently-way mentioned between the TWO, the homeless
boot-blacks and newsbOys who cOngregate in that
neighborhood by scores frequently sleep at night,
and doing no harm, they are seldom dis
turbed Last night the little fell
lows sumbered there as usual-some in the court
room, few in the entry About nine O'Clock they
were rudely awakened by three men, who repre-
sented themselves as officers and ordered to leave
under pain of being 'lOcked up"-a terror to the
poor children. OF course they obeyed, not doubling
the authority of the strangers, and let-aferwards
against its walls Some time after their ejectment
they heard a noise like pounding or hammerng. 1t
was not loud but perceptibe, and continued, accord
ing to the testimony OF the boys, until O'Clock this
morning. They knew it was unusual, but suspected
nothing wrong; and the apple-man at the corner,
together with the hotcorn woman on the steps,
agreed with them that it occa-
stoned by the men who had summarly driven
out the seepersl making some repairs inside At 2
o'clock the boys noticed the men make hasty or
rather running exit from the eastern door of the
budingand disappear in the darkness of the square
into which they directed their fight Previously to
this a circumstance that they now remember, they
had observed two other men prOwlnC around the
corner all the evening and night vanishing
with those who had been inside the
office. OF the two outsiders, one walked
constantly around the angle OF the buildirg first on
Sixth, then on Chestnut street, while his comrade
stood leaning against the wall OF the Office directly
beneath a window, evidently for the purpose of
hearing whether the operators within made too
much noise, anh apprising them if they did. That
borner never being without an occupant all night
long, no interest or surprise was excited by the pre-
sence Of the strangers.
At this point further testimony fails-the re-
mainder OF the story must be speculation An eX-
animation Of the windows Of the Courtroom rem
ders it than probable that the burglars effected
entrance into the building by forcing the sash of
the one at the southeast corner and thence
easily gaining the floor inside. Here they STUN
bied er over ana th aroused the sleeping sleep M boys
From the courtroom they issued on the entry by
means of door which opensathither ;::thence they
ONCE, likewise opening on the entry. This east
y forced. the simple weight Of man, or the pres
Of his shoulder, being all that was required to
burst it and admit to the office. Their first task
after getting into this room was to draw the shades
OF the street windows
Then they collected the busters and ONCE coats of
the clerks, which hung upon the walls and gathered
together everything else which could serve to
deaden the sound of the bricks they fell from the
wall of the safe during the operation Of demolishing
it. On the floor Immediately in front Of the iron
door of the safe, they piled the garments The cut
ting of the wall by means Of chisels and its tearing
away by means of crowbars were then successfully
finished The holdings of the lock being removed,
the door Of the outer safe was thrown open and
the burglars were at the small one containing the
treasure. Here their task was more di1icult,
but they accomplished 1t. Manifesty, they
were experts, and had come fully prepared
with all needed tools Several hours must have
elapsed before they succeeded in chiseling out that
piece of the safe door in which the lock was buried
but when once 1t was oHt the prize within theirs
The tin boxes were lifted from their places broken
open and rhed and everything else OF any value in
| side the safe has disappeared. Either now before
the drawers of the different desks of the clerks were
| forced, and their contents abstracted A complete
| ransacking Of the office was made eMx@
| Something at length must have frightened them
| away. This is evidenced both 10y the testimony of
| ing, and by the fact that between three and four
| hundred dollars in mopey and twenty-five hundred
| in checks were found upon the floor this morning
| preciptate hight only would have dropped this
| money. These are the facts Of the robbery
| The detectives are already engaged upon the case,
but as yet have fallen upon nothing to give any hope
| OF the discovery OF the perpetrators.
| GOT HOLD OF THE WRONG CUsToMER-A Jersey
| man, yesterday, was driving through the Seven
| teenth ward cart containing tomatoes, which he
was dispOsng OF at far lower rate than the grocery
men in the vicinity could afford to sell them They
| had him arrested and taken before Alderman Shoe
| maker on charge OF huCkstering without license
| After all the witnesses had given their testimony,
jersey to their surprise, produced the license from
his pockets. They then charged him with not having
number for his cart, and this the Alderman held
| him for further hearing.
4 SERENADEs.-The Liberty COrnet Band, Professor
b. X. McCurg, leader, repaired to Chestnut Hill last
night and serenaded General Joshua r. owen at his
| residence. The General, who is life member OF
! the band, responded in short speech to the com.
| pliment.
| The Young Mannerchor Singing Society last night
| also rendered the compliment of serenade to two
of its oldest members Martin Landenberger, ESQ.
| and ii. G. Van Bell, Esq.