Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-29
ROBBED BY PAINTERS.
John P. 0ber's Residence Looted Of a
Lot of Valuable Jewelry.
ANOTHER SPEAK-EASY CRUSADE
Incendiaries Attempt to Fire Southside
Soap Factory.
LIVELY DAY FOR THE POLICE FORCE

A cleverly planned robbery has been
brought to light in Allegheny. Two per-
sons who claimed to be painters are i'm
plicated.
John P. Ober, Select Councilman from
the Twelfth ward, and member of the
brewing firm of Eberhardt & Ober, lives at
No. 10 Lowrie street. One part of the
house is occupied by his son-ln-law. Edward
Strauh At present Mr.. Ober and family
are an Atlantic City. Repairs have
been going on at the house during
their absence. A number of painters have
been employed there for the last six weeks
Friday morning two persons dressed like
painters with overalls and paint buckets
came to the house for the purpose of paint
ing the roof Two domestics are in charge
of the residence, and no particular notice
alleged business. Painter No. 1 bor-
rowed broom with which to sweep off the
roof, land, while he was performing that part
of his duty, painter No. 2 ransacked the
bureau drawers in the house. A jimmy was
used to open the drawer
Took Turp.ntine, Jewelry and Their Leave.
The painters went downstairs and got
some turpertine from the domestics. Then
they disappeared. Upon the return home of
Mr.. Straub the robbery was discovered,
and, on investigation, five neatly worked
watchchains, gold collar buttons and sleeve
buttons, valued at S125, were missing. The
Allegheny police were Immediately notified
and Detectives James Steele and Fred Zim-
norman were put on the case.
Saturday morning Steele traced one of the
painters to Lawrenceville, and Captain
Brophy, of that district, helped him to
locate Frank Thompson on Forty
second street, who is now locked up
identified as one of the painters by the
hired girls. Thompson is married man
and has two children. He will not talk to
the police about the matter, but remains
very silent.
The detectives succeeded further in max
ing an arrest that may prove of importance
in clearing up the affair. Charles Hilder-
bilt is employed as coachman in the service
of Ober. He was seen on several occasions
talking to Thompson.
Expec to Convict the Coachman.
The police claim to have sufficient evil
dence to convict the coachman of planning
the robbery. He is now locked up in the
police station at the Allegheny City Hall.
He denies having taken any part in the
robbery. The detectives have discovered
that further part of the plan was to gain
admission to the house by the cellar door if
it was necessary. There is wire screen
covering the entrance to the cellar and this
was loose and the bolt drawn. There was
no one upon the premises who could possi-
bly, have known of this arrangement outside
of the women in charge of the house and
the coachman, who is considered by the
police as the man who pulled the bolt.
The police have located the jewelry, and
are steadily on the lookout for painter No.
,, but up until late last night he. had not
been arrested.
The authorities think that it was the in
;ention of the parties to make large haul
It was cleverly planned robbery so far as
t has gone.