The record-union., 1892-06-04
STILL IN TEE BUSINESS.
The Safe-Crackers Again Resume
Operations.
Two Business Houses Touched Off in
One Night-The Thieves Get
Only Some $500.

day morning-or, rather, one was done
before midnight Of the preceding night,
and the other about O'Clock in the
morning.
The latter consisted of the blowing open
OF the safe in the ecounting-room well to the
rear of Christianson, Dierssen d Co.'s Pa
citic Market and grocery store on the north
side OFF street, near the corner of Eighth.
The burglars gained entrance by climb
ing over the heavy wire-screen doors in
front of the store, which are only about
eight feet high. having previously tried
the rear, where they were baked by the
iron shutters being barred on the inside.
The safe stands about three feet from
the floor and is imbedded in brickwork,
the front doors only being exposed. First
the burglars knocked off the handle Of
the right door, and through the hole in
serted either a powerful giant-pOWder
cartridge or stick ofdynamite, the effect
OF which doubtless surprised them.
POWERFUL CHARGE.
The door was not only blown open, but
was torn from its heavy three-guarter-
inch hinges, which were snapped of, and
was hurled horizontally about ten feet
away and against the casing of the door
=,
The door weighed probably 300 pounds,
and yet if its progress had not been
stopped by the partition it would prob
ably have been thrown thirty feet, so
powerful was the explosive used.
GOOD HAUL.
The inner door of the safe was not
locked, so the thieves had only to drag
ont the cash-boX and escape through the
rear door, by raising the bars, and de-
scending to the yard below.
Here they left the box, together with a
ledge-hammer, a wood-chisel and a
drilling brace. The cash-box contained
S237 40, which the thieves appropriated,
less five dollars which they dropped and
left behind them.
SEVERAL PERSONS HEARD IT.
One would suppose that an explosion
OF sufficient force to burst the heavy safe
door from its hinges and tear it to pieces
would be loud enough to have reused
everybody within two blocks of the
scene, but it did not even awaken the
persons sleeping in the second-story. 1t
was, however, heard by several persons on
the street, and by a Mr.. Yardley, who lives
over the drug store on the opposite side
of the street. He ran to a front window
and looked across to see if smoke issued
from any of the buildings, but seeing
none, nor any unusual commotion in the
vicinity, concluded that the noise had
been caused by the falling of some heavy
object.
a couple Of employees of the RECORD
UNION were on their way home-haying
left the office at 3 o'clock-and had reached
about the middle of the block, being on
the south side, when the explosion oc-
CURED. They heard it plainly enough,
but the wind was blowing hard, causing
a rattling of signs and swinging awnings,
and they were unable to determine from
what particular spot the sound came
They, too, remarked the absence OF
smoke, and concluded that the noise re-
suited from some cause other than explO-
sives. At the crossing of Eighth street,
almost opposite where the work was
done, they met policeman patrolling
his beat. He could not have been more
than a couple Of hundred feet away when
the explosion occurred.
The noise was also heard by parties at
the western end Of the block, bur as no.
body was seen to leave any building in
the vicinity they concluded it did not
amount TO anything.
Uttered WITH DEBRIS.
When the employees opened the store in
the morning the rear office, in which the
safe was located, presented hard-Iool1ing
spectacle. The eight inches of cement with
which the safe door was filled was scattered
about, as also were books, papers. chairs,
etc. Lying on the floor were various let
tcrs and other documents which the burg
lars had taken from the safe, including a
cneck for considerable sum of money,
which they probably concluded they had
no use for.
Mr.. Christianson stated to a RECORD
UNION reporter, when asked how it was
the firm had left so much money in the
safe over night. that they had made their
usual deposit at the bank at o'clock, but
their COLLECTORS rnr13T1opH lot la
money which the burglars got away with.
THE OTHER BURGLARY.
4 somewhat similar raid was made on
the store of Il. II. Cook at Tenth and X
streets, but as it probably occurred at a
much earlier hour. no explosives were
used. In this case the burglars gained
entrance froIn the cellar by prying open
The trap-doors. They succeeded III Sc
curing only S72 10, because they failed to
open the inner doors Of the safe.
In this case the safe is also located well
to the rear of the store, and although gas
was burning in the store the burglars were
protected, while working at the safe. by
the wainscoting of the Office, which is
higher from the floor than the top of the
safe.
NO POWDER USED.
Cooks safe was opened by the drilling
Of hole through the ombination. IN
The drawers beneath the inside vault was
found the money referred TO. The locks
OF these boxes were broken by a chisel.
The thieves closed the door OF the safe
after them and made their exit, as they
came, through the collar.
Mr.. Cook is OF the opinion that his
place was visited about 10 o'clock in the
evening, rs lady living over the store is
confident she heard noise in the store at
about that hour, but it did not occur to
her that anything was wrong.
THAT SAME SLEDGE.
The sledge-hammer and some of the
other tools used by the burglars were
stolen the same night from the black
smith shop Of the Brown Bros, at
Eleventh and X streets. The sledge was
the same used in recent burglaries, hav-
ing been each time restored to its owners,
and may figure in future jobs of the kind.
A MISSING HORSE.
Adjoining Cooks store is T. NJ. Lash's
drugstore, in the rear of which the pro-
prietor has 4 stable that was occupied by
ms horse. Some time during the night
the horse was stolen, but whether by any
OF the persons connected with the burg
larIes IS not, of course, known. The
general opinion is. however, that the theft
OF the morse was the work of some OF the
gang.
WRAPPED IN MYSTERY.
Each police officer and nearly every
citizen who has examined The broke
safes has theory OF some kind regarding
the probable identity of the burglars, and
there it ends. One thing is. however,
quite certain-the Jobs recently done
in this city have all been the work of the
same parties. and there has been some
body connected with the business who is
no stranger here.
There is ali excellent opportunity for a
good detective to make a reputation for
himself, even though in so doing he hap
70 oh.