Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1883-06-22
Safe Burglary at Waynesboro.

Ano cislzenS OF WayneSb0rO were great
iy startled on Friday morning last. to learn
| thas genuine and successful burglary
iao peen committed at the ware-room of
i. IL. Antrim. The clerk arriving at the
store 10 the morning found the front door
parity open, and entering found the safe
"ide open, the locks of the door broken to
pie es, the drawers and partitions smash
ed, while upon the floor, were discovered
natchet, two chisels, and brace-all
wen worn. Upon examination it was
founq that a hole had been drilled near
1he knob of the safe door, directly into the
LOCK, which was then filled with fulmiD
atlng powder, it is supposed, and the bur-
s'ars having placed couple of bags of
plaster upon the safe to deaden the sound,
Ole" me lock. to flinders and with some
Instrument then pried open the door. No
olts we're found with the tools left upon
the ,or, and it is probable the parties
committing the deed furnished this por-
zion OF their implements, as it was after
wares discovered that the shop of II. W.
ohackelford had been broken open and the
tools found were recogn lied as his prop
erty, though no bits were missing from the
shop.
Ihe safe was an old one, having two
rows OF drawers, one on either side of a
small inner safe. The thieves paid no
attention TO the drawers, except to
take them out and smash the partition
around the enclosed safe. which seemed to
De the prime object of their operations
fhls safes was removed containing some
fifty odd dollars in gold, some deeds and
insurance policies, and was found during
the day near the depot empty. In one of
the drawers, necessarily removed to facili.
tate their attempt, on the small safe, was
an old-fashioned, blue baoked, Webster
spelling book, which Mr.. Antrim has used
as a receptacle for baEk-notes for years,
in which book we're three hundred dollars
in currency, and probably eleven hundred
dollars in checks, among them, one for nine
hundred dollars. This old book seemingly
had no value in the eyes of the safe break
ers, for it was found undisturbed as it had
been placed the evening previous. The
burglars evidently worked in a hurry, car
rying the safe to the depot where in a
freight car it was burst open and left
They, it is supposed, took the night train
East, mo. q, as few days since, Mr.. A.
received a letter from brakeman Oh the
e. & O. road who was between Richmond
and Charlottesville, telling him that in
examining the brake of one Of his cars at
some point near Keswick, he discovered
an envelope containing quantity Of pa
lers directed to him, (Mr. A aud ask ing
what disposition he should make of them.
No car left Waynesboro the day following
the robbery for the East as far as that
point, and the surmise is that the burglar
went East on the night train and at some
stopping place jumped off and placed the
papers where they were found.
The whole affair is mystery to the peo-
pie of Waynesboro. No one remembers
| to have seen any strangers in town except
regular transients who were at the hotels
and departed, by the regular trains, from
the hotels. The manner In which the
work was done to effect an entrance into
the safe gives evidence that professional
was at work, whilst the entire ABSENCE Of
the Indispensable ''ilmmy.'' as SHOWN by
the Use Of ordinary chisels, and the over
looking the drawers containing the bulk
of the money would seem ample to refute
| it,
The robbery in its details bears strik-
ing Resemblance 30 the burglary of the
safe'ef the National Bank at Klngwood,
W. Va, some ten nights since. and was
probably the work of some members of the
same aing of professionals.