The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1885-10-30
BURGLARY.
Mr.. George SChrooder's Store
Broken Into.
The Safe Locks Chisoled or, and $4,000
Carried OF Supposed to be tho
Work Of Experts.

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night and daylight this morning at
George Schroeder's store, on East Com
merco, corner Of Live Oak street. The
facts Of the burglary and robbery are as
follows, rs detailed to LiGuT reporter
by Mr.. Schroeder and the book keeper,
Mr. Henry Lardauer, this morning
Mr.. Schroeder re ates that on day before
yesterday short. thick man, either nm
lrishman or Englisbman, called on him
and said he was safe and Fairbanks
scale rcpairer, and wanted to regulate
the scales Of the grocery store. lie re-
manned about the scales, which are In
the rear Of the store, near the office desks
and safes for some time, apparently ex-
aiming the scales, lie then left, prom
Using to return the next day, Tuesday,
with his tools to fix the scales. During
the time he was there he saw Mr..
Schroeder deposit in the safe $500 which
had just been brought from the bank,
and which was to be used for buying
cotton. Yesterday morning the man
returned with II small lot of tools and
went to work on the scales. This time
Mr.. Schroeder deposited In the safe
$1,000 in silver and gold, and he says the
man saw him open the safe and deposit
therein the money. lie says he had
conversation with the man, who said he
knew how to open any safelock and had
formerly worked In the factory Of the
M0sler Baohman safe and Lock COM
pany. from whose factory the two safes
In the Office had come. Shredder says
he paid the man fifty cents and told him
to 20, that he did not like his looks
much, and the an then left. He joined
three other men, strangers, on the other
side of the street, and they went of, the
scales repairer promising TO call again
to-day to work at some scales. That
was the last seen OF them 10y Mr.. Scbroe-
der. Last night, MIR. Iandauer, the
hOOk-keeper. says he left the store us
usual, locking the largest safe, throwing
oil the combination afterward, and LETT
the store. He was told this morning,
however, that between 5 and o o'clock
last night, however, Mr.. Schroeder en-
tered the store and deposited the cash
sales of the day In the safe. After he
had done this he threw of the combina-
ton of the safe and left the store.
This morning when Mr.. Rudolph
Schroeder, brother OF the proprietor,
opened the store ut 6 O. clock, he discot-
cred that the middle front doors Of the
store were already unlocked, though
carefully closed. lie suspected some
thing wrong, went back the office and
there discovered that the safe had been
opened and all the cash contents of the
largest safe had been taken. Papers
and books were scattered about in great
confusion. He Immediately gave the
alarm, and Detective y. j. Hughes was
Immediately sent for. An examination
of the premises showed that an entrance
had been effected through the front
doors by boring two small holes, half inch
in diameter, just over the catch of the
door locks. Then some instru-
ment had been driven through
the holes and the two hasps
had been driven of and the
doors flew open. They were double
locked, one above the other, common
door locks though heavy. After an en-
trance, the robber or robbers made their
way directly to the safes, as though per-
fectly familiar with the premises, turned
the combination, took out the money
drawers by ohseling oil the locks, and
distracted the money. A towel hanging
at the boOk-keeper's desk was taken,
presumably to carry the heavy coin, and
small sack near by was also taken.
Mr.. Shredder says the men then left,
taking what tools thev had used, with
them. Mr.. Schroeder says the safe CON
tained In total cash Sl330.60, which
was taken. although S23 which was In
an out-of-the-way corner OF the safe WAS
missed. Considerable money was held
by him or deposit for his customers as
follows;
A. G. Hunter, Sll: d. L. Wheeler. 500;
southern, $50; ID. h. Grow, $3.50; Jack
son, $50, and another deposit of $3.50.
This was al taken, and Mr.. Schroeder,
OF course, was obliged to make good the
losses OF these amounts this morning.
There were 30 or 40 men. COuntrymen,
sleeping in the camp yard In the rear of
the store, and none Of them say they
heard any unusual noises during the
night. The store was opened from the
front entrance on much Travelled street
and persons pass ut all hours of the
night, Mr.. Schroeder lives directly OPP
posite his store across the street. 1t
was moonlight from IL O'Clock last night
until dawn. and show such bold burg
larry could have been accomplished with
out detection almost passes belief. That
the party or parties implicated In this
affair were thoroughly familiar with the
store, both outside and inside, and also
with the combination of the safe, is very
evident, though who could possess
such knowledge of the combination,
those having the combination are at a
loss to know. OF those who know the
combination Of the safe, there are only
Mr.. George Shredder and his book
keeper. Two young men, formerly en-
ployed in the store, Mr.. Landauer says,
did know the combination at that time,
and ii has not been changed since, but
no one Is suspected except the scale re-
pairer mentioned previously. and whom
Mr.. Shredder has strong suspicious is
none other than an experienced safe
burglar, who was In his store for no
other reason than TO learn the clay of
the land"
The corps of employees of the store
comprise Mr.. II. Landauer, the book
keeper: Rudolph Schroeder, Julius Au-
gust, Mr.. Bennett, clerks; Henry Kempf
and William Schurr, porters.
There were two safes ransacked: one
n small Mosler Safe and Lock cOmpany's
safe belonging to the Sanitary and Fer
tillzing company, which contained moth
ing but papers, and the other large
Mosler- Bachmann safe, which contained
all the ledgers, papers and money.
About two dollars worth Of postage
stamps were left in the safe. Mr..
Schroeder offers $500 reward for the
capture OF the thief or thieves, and the
money. lie was Intending to start In a
few days on a business trip to Germany,
but will now be delayed for some time.
and may abandon his journey.
! Lange's blacksmith shop, an iron-clad
structure near Stucke's store on East
| Commerce street, one block west OF
Schroeder's store, was also found broken
open this morning. 1t was locked last