Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-08-17
nnRGL1nN aRnUr.
They Took a View of the Neishborhood,
Picked out Their Store, Performed
Their Work, But Got Very Little.


Their Work, hut Got Very Little.
Harry Ahrens, a bartender for Francis
Kelley, saloon-keeper at the northeast
corner of Second and Tatnall streets,
was sitting on the steps of the saloon
about $50 p. m. yesterday week TALKING
to Walter Pagan, when his attention
was attracted by the appearance of two
strange men who came up the south
side OF Second street, ana crossed to
Kelley's corner, where the stood for a
few minutes under the street lamp.
Ahrens and Pagan were but few feet
distant from the strangers, which gave
them an excellent opportunity to OBJ
serve the appearance of the men and
there actions. The strangers kept their
eyes on the hardware store of George Il.
Norris. diagonally across the street from
the saloon corner.
After remaining on the corner about
five minutes, Ahrens says, the men went
down the street in the direction they
had come and stopped on the corner of
Second and Orange. They then came up
the south side of Second street again
and looked in at the hardware store as
they passed the door. At the corner of
Second and Tatnall streets the men re-
manned few minutes in front of Quig-
ley's hotel, and then passed down Tat
nall street to the steps at the side of
the hotel, where they sat down. They
remained there until after 8 o'clock.
| That was the last seen of them.
Ahrens was satisfied that the men
were planning a robbery in the neigh
borhood and he Immediately informed
| Mr.. Norris of his fears, who in turn
notified Daniel McCusker, who keeps a
shoe store at No. 216 West Second
street, few doors from Norris place.
| When Mr. McCusker retired, shortly
after 10 o'clock, he carefully closed and
barred his door, and taking siX-shooter
from the drawer in the store and placed
| it under his pillow in case of an emer-
| gency. Norris made light of Ahrens'
suspicious, however, and after he had
closed the door, about 10 o'clock, he
took no further precautions against the
supposed burglars.
While Officer James T..Scott was pa.
trolling his beat along Second street
subsequent to the appearance of the
strangers. Ahrens also notified him Of
the two mems actions, and added that II
would be we'll to keep an eye on the
l Il
the bar-tender's story and then con
tinned on his beat along Second stree
to Orange, where he drove number o.
corner loungers from the street. 1t wa
then getting late, the most of the store
along Second street were closed for the
night, and despite the apprehension
which Ahrens felt that there were bur
glars in the neighborhood, no furthe
attention was paid the mystcriou
strangers.
1t was shortly after o'clock whel
Norris came down to open his hardwar
store Thursday morning. Ahrens wa
standing on the saloon steps across tn
street. Norris greeted HIM with tn
usual morning salutation, at the sam
|; time placing his key in the store doc
TO open the lock. He made seyera
= Intellectual attempts to unlock tn
door, when he glanced through til
, glass door, AMI saw the doc
of his safe lying on the hoo
and lot of papers scattered promiscu
= ously around. He then realized for tn
! first time that burglary had been con
!, mitted. He called to Ahrens, who cam
: across the street and looked in at tn
: door, Then the couple tried to fore
. open the door, but found that the burl
: lars had securely bolted it on the insid
J Norris and Ahrens then went around
= the rear entrance, which is effected by
. passageway leading off Tatnall street.
u An investigation showed that IL
:, burglars had entered the store through
" rear window, and had drilled no
70 three-eighths of an inch in circumferen,
alongside the combination in the sa
!, door, through which powder was place
~ and the door blown off its hinges. III
burglars then ransacked the safe al
= stole S9in money and some papers. ~
y conclusion resulting from the explosiC
scattered number of papers over Il
. floor and set fire to check book, viii,
was put out by the burglars. The So
drawers were pried open with sore
driver. The tools used in drilling L
Mt hole in the safe were taken from a l.,
in the store. The burglars neglect
m to pull down the curtains on the fro
D. doors, and seemed to take little preca
W ton to hide their work from the sire
he They were evidently professionals,
en- the job was neatly done and the hole
a the safe door perfectly drilled.
ed George johnson, colored, who keep
lst second hand store ON Tatnall street bell
ng Second, says he distinctly heard the {
"a plosion about o'clock in the morni
". He was asleep in his store at the tir
X. and was awakened by the noise a
ey arose and made an investigation.
ir. was unable to find the cause of the nc
ed and went back to bed.
.ef Alad named Higgins, who lives
II West Second street, near Jefferson,
ed clare he met two strange men, at
ur. early hour this morning, and one
them asked to be directed to a d
\ tor. The men were just com
nd out the gate at the head of
OF rear entrance to the hardw
'fe store, Higgins says, and lie direc
them to DR.. Blocksom. The latter '
not summond to dress any of the me
inc injuries, he says. Higgins is of
inc opinion that the man who asked for
be doctor was injured by the explosi
lrs, The police have been furnished wit
'1f,,. description of the burglars by Ahre
TX butso far no arrests have been m
ing and the burglars have made their esca
ing
It'll Rod and Gun Club.