The morning call., 1893-09-26
A SAFE ROBBED.
PaWnbrOker Coleman Out
$4,000.
A WOMAN IN THE SCHEME.
She Engages the Attention of the
Clerk While Two Men Rifle
the Safe.
A WOMAN IN THE SCHEME.

An arrest was made yesterday as the re-
suit of one of the boldest daylight rob-
berries that has taken place in San Fran
cisco for many moons and occurred on the
11th. in consequence of which Andrew
Coleman, a pawnbroker and jeweler at
Al Third street, has had his hank account
diminished $4,000. The story of the rob-
berry has been kept from becoming public
by order of the police with the hope that
the perpetrators of the theft would at
tempt to dispose of some of their booty
here and thus lead TO their capture.
Two weeks ago yesterday, the day on
which the theft was committed, was the
Jewish new year. All the Jewish pawn
shops were closed and only those run by
gentiles were OPEN. In consequence the
business at the open shops was very
heavy and the day bes poke large results
at the close of business. Mr.. Coleman re-
mained around his store until shortly after
o'clock, when he said to his clerk that he
! was going out for few minutes and if be
| was wanted he could be found next door.
| He had not been gone more than min
ute, his clerk Says, when woman, we'll
dressed In dark suit, entered and asked
| to be shown revolver which was lying in
the show window. The clerk brought the
weapon out and banded it to her for ex-
! time she asked him to explain its points.
| She handed it back to him and he began
| to show her how IL worked. While this
! was going on the woman stood in such a
| position that the clerk, in order to talk to
her, had to turn his back to the rear end
| OF the store. They stood bartering over
| the revolver for about five minutes, when
she said she would call again and purchase
| ii, and went out
Coleman's store is located on the corner
| OF Jessie street. and has private entrance
from Jessie to small room where pledges
are received. As the woman was depart
Ing the clerk noticed two men going out of
| the Jessie-street door, but snpposng they
| had come In for the purpose of pawning
something and finding no one in the back
| Office were simply going to the main en-
trance, he paid no attention to them.
few minutes later Mr.. Coleman re-
turned, and, going to the rear office, was
! surprised to find his safe door open and
! several trays lying on the floor. a hasty
examination of the safe showed tnat its
contents were gone, and nothing except
what was locked up in a treasury vault in
| side was left. He called to his clerk that
! he had been robbed. and was then told
! about the two men.
/ Mr.. Coleman estimates his loss at from
$500 to $4,000 During the day ne had
taken IN about $1,000 worth of jewelry.
This was lying loose in tray in the safe.
In another tray lay number of diamond
pledges. one of which was worth $500.
About 100 watches were slowed away in
the safe, and these were all taken.
Detectives Bee and Harper arrested a
man named Williams yesterday He is
supposed to be one of the persons impi-
Gated. Williams is a well-known crook to
the police. A short time ago he pawned
with Coleman an overcoat which it was
discovered he had stolen from Captain
Lees Lees identified the coat and took it
away. On Thursday last Williams pre-
sented his ticket for the coat to redeem it,
but was told by Coleman that the coat
could not be found and he had better
come back the next day. and was again
told that the coat had not turned up, but
that If it did not turn up by Sunday he
would be paid for it. He called On Sunday
| and demanded that he be paid for the coat,
whereupon he was placed under arrest by
the detectives who were waiting.
The prisoner admits that he has COM
mitted and taken hand in twenty-eigh ht
'robberies in San Francisco, but says he
was not implicated in the Coleman rob-
berry.