The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-07-27
A-HUNTING BURGLARS
They Break Into Several Houses
on the West Side.
POLICE GO NOISILY AFTER THEM

And They Get Away-COusIderGbl
Criticism OF the Inability of the
Police 10 Stop the Numerous Recent
Bur<larIes and Daylight House
breakinEs.
Burglars are becoming alarmingly
bold in the western part of Topeka The
police believe there is a gang to whose
operations are attributable all of the
numerous bold robheries on the west
end.
Sometime between and o'clock yes
terday afternoon the house of j. W.
Thurston. the cashier of the Bank of
Topeka. on College Hill, was entered. A
diamond stud valued at $50 and several
dollars in small change were taken. The
house was completely ransacked
Last night about 8 O'clock a burglar
entered the house of c. R Maunsell. at
superintendent of the Edison electric
light plant No one was in the house at
the time and the robbers entered through
the kitchen window.
Neighbors heard voices in the house
but supposed Mr.. Maunsen had return
ed. When he did return at about 1U:3J
he found his house in chaotic state.
Every drawer and closet had been
searched. The only articles missed were
a suit of clothes and hat The suit was
a new one of black clay worsted.
People living near Twelfth and Topeka
avenue were alarmed last night by an at
tempt to burglarize the home of JOab
MuIvaue at 1133 Topeka avenue. Mr..
Mulvane is out of the city and the prop
erty was left in charge of a cOlored
man. AT about $50 Marvin Elliott little
boy who carries milk, passed the house
says be saw men peeking in the VIM
dOws, and afterwards saw them climb in
back window. The fact was related to
several of the neighbors and an investi-
cation showed faint light in the house,
which went from one room to another A
telephone message to the police head
quarters was sent from the Kansas med
zeal college. and half dozen policemen,
in charge of Sergeants Donovan and Ell
lison, responded. The patrol wagon
made the fastest run in its history on
Topeka avenue from Fifth to Twelfth.
With a roar and rattle that could be
heard blocks away the police approached
the house. No doubt the burglars, if
there were any, heard the approach like
| that of Roman army in chariOts. The
next time the police go after burglars
they ought to take Marshalls band.
| The house was surrounded and three
of the boldest officers entered the house
! with drawn revolvers Every closet and
| corner of the large house was looked in
| to, and the policemen even looked under
| the beds and behind chairs. The house
was found to be deserted ~ The rob-
bers, if any, scented danger" or heard it
waited on the breeze for a mile or two,
and had escaped.
A Santa Fe conductor who was stand
! ing near the corner of Twelfth street
! shortly before the police arrived, says a
man passed him running with all posi-
BILE speed south towards the fair grounds.
AT the time he did not know of the at
tempted burglary and did not take any
notice of the mans appearance.
Ralph Squires' drug store, which is
within two blocks of the Mulvane resi-
| dence, suffered another robbery Thurs
! day night as told in last nights JOURNAL
The police are making efforts to appre :
bend the burglars, and a few arrests have
| been made on suspicion. 1t is to be
| hoped that the police department will
/ capture the burglars-or even one burg
| Iar-as their reputation is at stake.
| Robberies and burglaries have now
| been going on for two months in To-
peka. many OF them in broad daylight.
and no one has been caught. The people
are beginning to get restless under what
! iOOhS Alho luoluCl0nCy Ou Luo paw VI bAO
police. If this were the PopuIist
police, the howl about stupidity and
| good, for nothingness that would go up
could not be quieted.
AS most of the present police patrol
men were given their places because
they had done political WORK, it looks
very much as if they we're of more &C
count for that than thief taking. Ability
to manipulate ward politics doesn't make
a man good policeman. and the metro
politan police board is finding this out.
With two men so well posted about the
criminal classes of the city as Chief Viii
kerson and Capt. Gardiner the inability
to catch any of these burglars is sur
prising; there is no doubt that it is be-
cause of some fault of the patrolmen
who are green at the business.
The JOURNAL believes that Chief Will
kerson and Captain Gardiner are the
right men in the right place, but the best
intentions can be frustrated by inefficient
subordinates, especially when those sub
ordinates hold their places for political
reasons instead of knowledge of the
| work.
A series of over five hundred tests
made by public analysts and chemists o.
prominence throughout the country
shows the Royal Baking Powder to bt