The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1892-02-13
TAPPING SAFES.
The Offices or the Scott Fertilizer Co /,
SingerIy's PUP Mills, and Keys Miller
Invaded by Burglars and Two
Safes Blown Open.

The Offices OF the Scott Fertilizer Co,
SingerIy's Pup Mills, and Keys N Miller
Invaded by Burglars and Two
Safes Blown Open.
Ga Wednesday night Elkton WIS made
the objective point of professional
cracksmen, in the successful invasion OF
three prominent places of business, but
which proved unsuccessful raids so far
as money is concerned. At twenty mln-
utes past four on Thursday morning VIM
Shatfer the foreman of Messrs Reyes "
Miller discovered on arriving at the
lumber yard that the office had been
broken open aud the safe blown up.
One door had been completely shattered
by the explosion and its contents rIt1ed
between two and three dollars in pennies
only rewarding the burglars for their
pains. The thieves evidently had been
scared away, for in their hurried flight
they had left behind compete kit OF
tools consisting of IA heavy sledge ham,
mer, two heavy chizels, a large monkey
wrench with the initials S. w. etched on
it, brace with drills, small chizels
! etc. The clock in the Office had stopped
at T. IA a m. doubtless the result of the
explosion, a number of panes of glass IN
the windows also being shattered by its
| force. The means used to accomplish
| their nefarious work was gunpowder,
| the combination knob having been
hrnb 81 oh of
| powder poured in to shatter it. AT
eleven minutes past four O'Clock Mr..
Charles White, the operator in the rail
road tower, heard the explosion and the
rattle of shattered glass, but was preven-
ted leaving his post by south bound /
freight train, the rumbling OF which |
could be distinctly heard for several min
utes before its arrival at Elkton. 1t is |
probable that the burglars had timed |
| their fuse to ignite as the train passed |
the tower, as the proximity OF the office |
to the tower must have betrayed their |
presence when the explosion occurred,
and which it was intended should be
deadened by the noise of the passing |
train. However this may be, the train
had reached the Red Mill crossing when
the explosion came. Mr.. White was still
detained by another freight train passing |
north, which stopped at the tower, and
on which possibly the burglars escaped,
Mr.. Shaeffer as stated reaching the office
before him.
At soma hour earlier Ia the night, the
office of The Scott Fertilizer Company
at the foot of Bridge street had been
similarly burglarized. An entrance had
been effected by prying open the front
door, the combination knob of the safe
was broken off by blow with sIedge
hammer, and the powder blown into the
lock through the opening. The safe in
the Scott office is a much larger one than
that of Keys Il Miller, yet the forca of
the explosion was sufficient not only to
shatter the door, but to break the iron
frame work of the safe. After gaining |
access to it, the small steel chest inside
was pried open and it's contents hurriedly !
inspected. Valuable papers OF various
descriptions were scattered over the floor,
and the contents of the safe closely |
scanned for money, of which fortunately |
the burglars found but S64 40. Nothing |
else of value So Tar as ascertained was
taken The careful work of the thieves |
in ignoring everything calculated to |
trace their discovery, shows that they |
aypartS in THAR lima Tbav uorkaI |
by candle light, drops of wax over the |
contents of the safe showing this. The |
disappointed thieves had ransacked the |
desks and Cases of the office, hoping to |
find here or there some carelessly left |
dollar. In the drawer of desk they |
captured small sum which had been
paid for coal after the safe had been |
closed for the day. While the loss of
neither Messrs. Keys & Miller or the |
Scott Company is considerable in money |
taken, yet the damage done to the safe
of the latter is considerable, fifty dollars
probably being sufficient to cover the
damage to the safe of the former. 50 far
as can be ascertained the explosion at
the Scott's office was not heard by any
one. A colored man living near the mill |
says he heard something like an explo-
sion in that direction about half past
| twelve; but no one in or about the mill
| had any tiace of it, the burglary being
| discovered when Mr.. Firman and Philip
| Brown reached there early or Thursday
morning.
In what order OF precedence Mr.. Sin
| gerly's office received the attention OF
| the cracksmeu, there is no evidence to
| show. The front door, however, and the
sudden disappearance of two pistols aud
al overcoat owned by Nr. Thomas Nc.
| Gowan, attest that they were there.
Tnere being no safe in that office, no
| powder was wasted, with small results
| as at the other offices. Il is exceedingly
probable that we entertained these angel
burglars unawares on Wednesday as two
| men, whom no one knew and who didn't
| seem to want to be known, stopped that
that day at the FELTON, House and as
suddenly dsappe AIRED at night. Many
think they were accommodating the town
during the day and waiting for the dark
ness to come And by the way they
need not wait long i'll Elkton for it. With
| lamps put out often before midnight,
and darkness relgnIng supreme the bal
ance Of these long nights, up and down
our streets, the only wonder is that
Elkton is not infested oftener by burglars
than it is.
Since the above was written, the
sledge hammer found at the office OF
| Keys & Miller has been identified as
belonging to Dunbar Morgan aud stolen
from his blacksmith shop on Wednesday
night. We hope this clue may lead to
the detection of the burglars.
A Five O'Clock Tea.
Mrs l.. Marshall Haiues gave tea to
Miss Florence Biddle of California on