The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-05-19
BURGLARS RAMPANT
Stores and Residences Are
Broken Into,
In All Parts of the City
Last Night.
SUMS OF MONEY TAKEN
Watches and Other Valuables
Not Disturbed.
Three Young Men Arrested
Charged With theRObberies.


committed in Topeka last night. There
were four in one block in Parkdale, and
in addition the robbers broke into Burg
hart's cigar store on Kansas avenue and
s. L. Lux's grocery on Tenth street near
| Topeka avenue.
Today three Topeka young men were
! arrested charged with being the burg
lars. They are Lee Curtis, son Of cap"
Curtis, Sidney Pickens son of Police
officer Pickens, and Lew Webb, who
appears to be nobody in particular.
At George Burghart's cigar store SOl
Kansas avenue, the robbers broke open
the money drawer, but secured only "A
little small change. Two slot machines
were broken to pieces in their efforts 10
get the contents and the amount secured
from this source is difficult to estimate
, They also took some cigars and tobacco
At the grocery store of ). Il. Lux, near
the corner of Tenth and Topeka avenue,
the robbers got into the cellar by the
back way. They passed through three
doors either by breaking the locks or
opening them with skeleton keys. They
took $1654 from the cash register and
pulled the money drawer under Mr..
Lux's desk from its fastenings, but dis
turbed nothing else.
Four Houses I'm "A Bunch.
Four houses in Parkdale all within a
block were robbed between and
o'clock this morning. The victims are
/ Dr. w. Taylor, 1918 east Sixth street;
| George Porter, southeast corner of Sixth
and Lime streets; Frank McClelland,
I 1917 east Sixth street; and j. b. David
! son. 1911 east Sixth.
Frank McClelland, cattle buyer, re-
/ siding at 1917 East Sixth, was awakened
about o'clock this morning by
stealthy hand slipping under his pillow.
! He opened his eyes just in time to see
man standing at the open widow pulling
/ the revolver from under his pillow. The
window was the only one in the house
that did not have Il wire screen over III,
and it opened just off the porch on the
| lower floor. Mr. McCleNand sprang
up and jumped out OF the window after
! the thief. The fellow around
the house With Mr.. McClelland
after him, and jumped back
fence ten feet high, only touch
ing one hand. Mr.. McCleliand
was lightly clad and concluded TO follow
| him no further. During the entire oc-
currence he did not get a good view Of
the robber. but he saw that he was q
/ white man. He wore a slOuch hat with
/ the rim turned down all around and "a
| square cut coat The revolver which the
! burglar took was a Smith q Wessou,
No. 3S, with black rubber handle. A
small piece was Clipped out of the
handle by which Mr. McClelland could
| identify it should he see II.
/ At DIR. Taylor's little later the robber
gained entrance through lower window
and went to the sleeping apart rtments on
| the second story. lie took the doctors
vest, which contained IA gold watch aud
500 in bills. The burglar shovel CON
siderable foresight in hiding Winches-
ter rifle, which stood IN corner IN tine
! kitchen. under d safe. The members of
the family were awakened by the roU-
ber's haste in going down stairs. lie
rushed through the parlOr and upset q
! table on which lamp stood, and the
! blood marks indicate that he cut either
his hands or face.
Got Out Through window
He escaped through the window just
as DR.. Taylor and his son Orville arrived
! at the foot of the stairs. Orville was uu-
able to find the rifle for several moments
but finally secured it in time to fire four
shots at the retreating figure AS it scaled
a fence. He says he would willingly
have given another So on top Of that
secured by the robber to have shot him.
This morning the vest saturated with
blood, was found in the back yard of
Mrs. James RolIo. The gold watch was
still in the pocket but the money was
gone. The thief got into the house IN "a
curious way, by cutting the sash imme-
diately under the iron catch, and then
showing knife up and turning the catch
over.
At the residence of A!r. Porter diagon-
ally across the street from DIR. TaylOr's,
the robber secured a 50 bill and $500 in
silver from Porter's trousers. Mr.. POr-
ter is the engineer at the city electric
light plant and is ex-chairman Of the
Republican central committee.
Tie burglars were baflied in breaking
into ]. b. Davidson's house. They could
get the window up only about IA inches,
not high enough to crawl through. They
trampled all over Mrs. DavidsOn's pretty
flower beds.
The suspects"
The police are nOn-committal regard
ing the evidence they have of the guilt
of Curtis, Pickeps and Webb. They are
not very good young men, and they are
known to have been prowling around all
night 1t is said that they are unable TO
give "a good account of themselves from
midnight to sunrise. Webb has
cut on his forehead and nose that
looks as though it might have been re-
ceived by falling over the table at Dr.
Taylor's, aud he answers well the meagre
description given by Orville Taylor Of
the man, that of a op-shouldered,
thick set person, weighing about / 90
pounds, and wearing slOuch hat The
prisoners will probably be transferred 10
the county Jail Monday.
state &. A r.. Reunion August "a.
HUTCHINSON, Kas, May 10. - State
| counciI administration G.. A. R. met with