The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-01-21

There is evidently gang of expert
safe-crackers at work in Roanoke. The
safes in the Offices of the Roanoke Mill
ing Company and the Grocer Furnace
were burglarized Tuesday night, and
the safe-blowers left unmistakable evil
dence of the fact that they were profess
SIGNALS.
The offices of both concerns are
situated near the railroad, though in
opposite ends of the city, and the
burglars probably planned to do their
work while heavy freight trains were
passing, to avoid attracting attention
by the noise of an explosion. They
were evidently successful in this,
particularly at the mills, and they
were able to open the Grocer Iron Com
pany's safe without the aid of explosion
So far there is no clue to the perpetra-
tors. Though the occurrences were not
generally known of down town the facts
were known to TIMES reporters be-
fore they were to the police. At
o o'clock the burglary of the safe
at the furnace had not been discovered
by the police and they had no informa-
ton at all about 1t.
When the officers were assigned to
their beats at o'clock last evening
Chief Jones informed them of the rob-
berry at tho mill and gave them ipstruc-
tions to be on the lookout
uTnyyN xvITIr pOwDrD
The Office OF the Roanoke Milling
Company, situated near the Park street
overhead bridge, was entered some
time Tuesday night, tho safe blown
open and the money in it stolen.
The Office of this company is frame
building, situated a short distance from
the mill. Yesterday morning about s
o'clock j. w. Flaherty, the miller. went
into the office to answer tele phone
call, when he stumbled over the heavy
door OF the safe, which was lying on the
floor. This was the first intimation of
the robbery.
An examination revealed the fact
that the burglar had forced the door of
the office, which is secured by an ordinary
lock. Once inside the building his
movements must have been very DELHI
crate. The handle on the door of the
safe was wrenched off and charge of
powder poured into the hole. The back
of pamphlet lying on the desk was
used for funnel and the end of broom
stick was made to answer the purpose
of plug.
The explosion separated the iron COW
ering of the door from the door proper.
which was pried off. A chisel and saw
were then used and the money drawer
broken into. The drawer only con-
tanned S25.lS in money and number Of
checks, as we'll as dollars worth Of
postage stamps. The other drawers in
the safe were all broken into, but moth
ing was taken except the money, al
though the checks and all the papers in
the safe were scattered over the floor.
The front of the safe was blackened
from the marks OF the powder and there
wore some drops of grease on it, and
several of the checks and one or two
places on the floor were also covered
with gre drops, and it is supposed the
burglar worked by the light of q tallow
candle. The job was done in the most
complete manner and clearly showed
that an expert had been at work.
The robbery must have occurred early
Tuesday night as it commenced snow
ing shortly after 9 o'clock and yesterday
morning there were no foot prints in
the snow around the office.
Mr.. j. Fishburne, one of the pro-
priotors of the company, informed a
TINES reporter yesterday that the theft
was evidently committed by some one
who was familiar with the premises.
Mr.. Fishburne had been away for everal
days attending the funeral of his wife's
mother in Franklin county. He thinks
that the burglar knew of this fact, and
supposed that all the money collected
during Mr.. Fishburne's absence was in
the safe. Fortunately most of the col
lections were in checks, and the chief
did not secure much by his work.
There is no clue to the robber what.
ever. About month ago, though, two
men came to the Office one night while
the driver was sleeping in it and raped
on the door. At first the driver refused
to let them in, but they said they had
an appointment with the miller. When
they came into the room the men looked
at verything carefully and finally went
out without waiting to SEQ the miller,
1t may be that these men committed tho
robbery.
Tho burglar must have seized the OBJ
portunity afforded by passing freight
train to explode his charge, as the noise
would otherwise have attracted atten-
ton. He afterward took off the shield
which protects the combination lock
presumable to see how it worked, either
for future use or to familiarize himself
with that class of lock. This might
load to the superstition that he was not
a very old hand at the business, though
a cool one.
THE GROCER FURNACE SAFE OPENED.