Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-03-18
A SERGEANT SHOT.
P0LIcE-0FFICER r. J. BROOKS SHOT
BY A BURGLAR.
An Attempt to Blow Open Mr.. Hermann
schmidt's Safe and Bloody
Consequences.


Consequences.
AT the northeast corner Of Broa
and Fifth streets Mr.. Hermann Schmidt
keeps large family grocery. His store
has frontage Of about twenty-eight or
thirty feet on Broad and runs back up
Fifth street for about 100 feet. The pri-
vate Office, book-keeper's desk, and the
safe are in a wing at the furthest north
end OF the store, and there is yard
between the wing and Fifth street.
About o'clock Monday night Mr.
Schmidt and M. Carl Wipperman, his
book-keeper, were in this back office
calling over names and checking off ac-
counts, when in stepped stranger
who said that he wanted to look at a
City Directory. The man was about 5
feet Q or 10 inches in height, had q
darkish complexion, slight moustache,
and short patch of whiskers by each
ear. He wore q low Derby hat and q
DARK cutaway coat. He was not what
one sould call dressy man, but bad
on-fsirly decent clothes. His air was
rather that Of a bully or braggart, and
his amer was coolly impudent. On
this account Mr. Schmidt at once con-
ceived dislike for him.
SMITH sUBTERFUGE.
As the stranger came up to the book
keepers desk Mr.. Miller had just called
out James c. Smith Ice Company"
and when the Directory was taken
down from the shelf and Mr.. Schmidt
asked the inquirer what name he wished
to find, be said Smith. Some converse
tion followed. Mr.. Schmidt questioned
him closely. He said that he knew a
Mr. Smith in Washington. Being
asked in what business Smith was en-
gagged in Washington, he said that Smith
was in toe shoe business. At this Mr..
Schmidt expressed surprise and doubt.
The man then asked if Mr.. Smith was
probably at his office at that hour. Mr..
Schmidst said that he did not know
about that but he was sure that at the
ice company's Office somebody stayed
all night. Fumbling the Directory, the
stranger also said something about H..
| VI. Smith.
CALLS HIMSELF MOXNAN.
Such was the demeanor of the man,
such his actions and conversation, that
Mr.. Schmidt at once set him down as a
rascal, and aid as much to Mr. Wiper
man in German, and told the latter to
take a good look at the fellow and keep
his face in memory.
10 a question asked by Mr.. Schmidt
the stranger said his name was Morgan,
but said it in such halting, hesitating
way as st once to suggest that he was
giving false name.
A GLANCE At THE SAFE.
Going away from the bOOk-keeper's
desk, Morgan gave a long. searching
look OF the safe. With his eyes he
seemed to measure it from top to bot
tom. Then he left the store. Coming
il he did not stop to ask the statesmen
any questions, though they advanced
towards him as if desiring to wait on
him, and going out he made no stop and
had nathiDg to say to them. lie was a
bold, bad. "brassy man.
THE POLICE NOTIFIED.
Mr.. Schmidt saw the mans side-long
Glance at the safe, and that confirmed
him in his previous suspicious that the
fellow was rascal. lie therefore went
around to the Second station-house and
told Captain Angle all that had happened.
Captain Angle agreed with him that the
man was a very suspicious character.
Accordingly Monday night the police
watched Mr. Schmidt's store. They
neither saw nor heard anything. Tues
day night they watched it again.
On the Broad-street beat were Po-
lcemen Sweeney and Kicker. At about
5 o'clock yesterday morning they
stopped in front Of Mr.. Schmidt'S
store, tried the door, and peered through
the windows. vi was quiet. They
could see nothing to alarm them.
THE EXPLOSION.
About half.past , o'clock these Off
GERS heard an explosion about as loud
as a pop.cracker. They ran back to
Schmidt's-one going to the Broad
street door, the other to the Fifth-street
door. Schmidt's back-yard-a small
piece Of ground-was covered with
empty barrels. over these the burglar
scrambled ard succeeded in getting into
an adjoining lot and thence to the short
alley which has an outlet on Sixth
street, where he was safe from the two
officers. Messrs. Sweeney and Kicker
soon got relnforcements, but their man
was gone, and no fault Of theirs.
THE WORK on THE SAFE.
The store was then examined. The
burglar had first gotten into the back
yard, but how is as yet a mystery.
The back-door was a common af-
fair, and all he had to do was to
bore a few auger-holes in a panel.
tap The panel with hammer, and
out flew piece about the size of a
saucer. Through this hole the man
had thrust his arm, unlocked the door,
and removed the door-bar. All he then
had to do was to walk in. Within a
few steps, sitting against the wall, and
not far from the northeast corner Of the
store, was the safe-a Miller's combina-
tion iron safe.
Into one door of this safe the man
bad drilled two holes-one about
half OF an inch in diameter, the other
about one quarter of an inch. Into
one or the other he bad inserted pow
der and fred it off; but the door was
not blown open. The safe in fact seems
to lie but little injured. One knob is
off, but beyond that the visible dana e
is trifing.
The burglar no doubt heard the ap-
proach Of the police, and flying he left
in the store a small sledge-hammer,
brace, chisel, and an auger-bit.
TO THE TRAIN.
Captain Angle was Of the opinion
that the burglar was travelling in the
train of the Parlor-Match Dramatic
Company supposition since proved
to be erroneous-and knowing that
that company would leave here on the