The San Francisco call., 1896-05-15
BURGLARS AND
THE THREE BALLS,
Daring Thieves in a Wash
ington.Street Pawn
Shop.
SECURED A RICH BOOTY
A Variety of Goods Worth a
Thousand Dollars Cared
Away.
DONE BY AN EXPERT GANG.
Detectives Are Unable to Find
Trace of Either the Plunder or
the Robbers.
DONE BY AN EXPERT GANG

calling, forced an entrance into Louis
Goodman's pawnshop, 629 Washington
street, at an early hour last Friday morn
Ing and after thoroughly looting the es-
adjustment made good their escape, car
rylng with them goods valued al about a
thousand dollars.
The thieves gained an entrance into the
shop through glass-paneled door in the
rear, but contrary to their custom did not
break the pane but forced the lock, using
a jimmy to accomplish their purpose.
Once inside their work was easy. as
hanging from the walls and ceiling of the
store were blankets and clothing, which
made it impossible for one to see any dis.
lance into the place from the Washington
street entrance.
1t is evident that the robbery was a care
fully planned one, and although but two
men gained an entrance it is presumed
that the robbers had confederates stationed
on the outside. Their duty was to watch
the movements of the police and inform
the thieves inside, who were sacking the
plunder, when the coast was clear and
when to withdraw from the building with
out danger of being detected.
A careful survey of the premises sur
rounding the pawnshop disclosed the fact
that the goods were carried through a mar
row alley leading from a court in the rear
of the Morgue into Merchant street. and
from there to Montgomery street, where
in all probability buggy was in waiting
to carry the stolen goods to a place of
safety.
A large iron veranda runs along the rear
OF the building in which the firms shop
is located, and this fact has led the police
to advance another theory as to how the
robbery was done.
In the center of the building on the
Washington-streets side is an entrance lead
ing to the second floor, which remains
open night and day. Leading from the
top of the stairs, narrow hallway runs
to the porch. in the rear, and with the use
of a short ladder or rope it would not
be q difficult feat to drop down into the
court below.
This would place ten-foot fence be-
tween the thieves and the building, a
trifiing obstacle for them.
Robbers are as rule quite particular as
to the class of goods they will steal but
in this case it was different. Pistols.
knives, razors, overcoats, shirts and cheap
alarm-clocks were taken by the greedy
law wbreakers. Nine revolvers of the finest
pattern were stolen. and valuable maya.
zine-rifie also disappeared. A complete
set of hair-clippers, number of razors.
scissors by the gross and shaving brushes
in quantities sufficient to stock the estab-
lishment of every tonsorial artist in the
City.
Watches and other pieces of jewelry are
also missing, and but one conclusion can
be reached-that the burglars added them
to the bulk Of their plunder. White over
shirts, panIaloons, second oyercoats.
on which hours of labor had been spent In
order to make them good as new, billiard
balls of ivory, pair of chemists scales
and opera glasses, accompanied by several
hair and clothes brushes, were bundled
together and carried to parts unknown.
Even suspenders fell into the clutch of
the enterprising visitors, and meerschaum
pipes, with which their original owners
had spent hours of pleasure and which
were highly priced by the owner of the
pawnshop, are no longer on display.
To complete the steal and also to prob
ably leave behind them. the opinion that
they were indeed in want of money the
thieves carted away with them numerous
old combs, alarm clocks, canvas valises
and even cracked mirrors.
Detectives have been working on the
case since the morning of the robbery, but
SO far they have been unable to find a
trace of even the most worthless piece OF
the plunder, let alone the more valuable
goods, which the pawnshop-owner is anx-
ious to recover. The robbery looks like
the work of an organized gang of burglars,
and in that event it will be many weeks
before the criminals are safely lodged be-
hind prison bars.