The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-02-02
A DARING BURGLARY.
It Occurred on First Avenue
Friday Night,
BUT THE POLICE WERE SILENT.
The Night Workers Are Getting Nu-
merous and Unusually Bold
The Last enc.

Ore OF the boldest and most successful
OF recent burglaries occurred Friday night
about II o'clock az lT1z First avenue when
James Newman, a clerk in c. Dakoghlous
fruit and notion store was brutality beaten
into snsensibility and robbed OF $500 n
cash. The burglar also broke open the
praprfetors trunk and private cash b0x
and got away with two gold watches The
matter was Immediately reported 10 the
police. and detectives went out 10 hunt
down the bold burglar and sanCibagger.. hut
d.d not have good luck. as the news was
kept as secret as possible. II leaked out
Yesterday morning, however, in spite OF
the desire of the police TO keep the facts
under cover.
Dakoghlou has been IN business at 1717
First avenue for long time. The front
part of the store always has a tempting dis
play OF fruit. while the shelves are Allied
with all kinds of notions. partition sep
arates the store portion of the room from
an ice cream parlor, and hack of this - a
room that Mr.. Dakoghlou has occupied as
a bedroom He has not occupied IL recent
", but had his trunk there and in the
trunk were two gold watches and a tin
box marked Private cash box" The win
dows OF the room opened upon the back
porch and the lower halves were held down
by a stick from above. Dakoghlou has been
at the Green river hot springs. and in the
meantime James Newman a young man,
has been in charge OF the place. About 1910
Friday night Newman closed UP and Went
out 10 a restaurant TO get something tn
eat Just before he went away he chattei
with a policeman who was making his way
north along First avenue. About an hour
later Newman returned 10 the store and
unlocking the door went in. He noticed
that the curtains, which hang IN loops
over the entrance TO the parlor, were
moving about as If swayed by a current
l. a hat 17sa mig
neglected TO lock the back door and start
ed back to see about the matter. Just as
he walked into the parlor he was struck
on the back of the head by club IN the
hands of a man who was standing close
TO the north side of the partition. Newman
saws that he grappled with the burglar and
must have scratched him, because the fell
low grunted and then struck him a second
blow. which knocked him senseless.
When Newman recovered he found that
the front door was open, and his own poek-
etbook in which was 5000, gone. He went
outside and got help from David Foster a
carpenter who lives close at hand. IL was
then discovered that a back window was
open and that Dakoghlou's room had been
ransacked. A very strong trunk had been
opened by force. the lock having been
broken off The private cash box" had
been wrenched open by means Of some III
strument, but as there Was no cash IL was
q X.
gone The till in the front store had not
been touched, and In fact the burglars had
not had time TO get what they wanted out
of the store.
A careful inspection of the window
showed that a hole had been cut in one OF
the panes OF glass, and then IL had been an
easy matter to take down the stick and
open the window.
The police were Immediately notified of
he do < IfYsg M W
TO the store and took a look at things. This
was between II and IL o'clock. but the mat
ter WAS kept profound secret, and when
inquiry was made at headquarters between
l2 and 2:30 in the morning for news ii was
said nothing of interest had happened.
Even in the afternoon yesterday the same
answer was given when inquiry was made.
Subsequently. however. the police admitted
that the Dakoghlou burglary and sandbag-
ging had been reported but the excuse was
given that nothing was said about il
through an oversight.
When Newman was seen last evening he
said that he would not state positively that
he could identify his assailant. but was eer-
tain he wore a dark cap and had a mus
tache. "He was big man." continued
Newman. Instead of a short, thtch-set
man. and had broad shoulders. He did nod
say word, but after l grappled with him
must have scratched him. for he grunted
anu Incn stfuch me 4 second liffle on the
head. / judged that he had a club. The
back window was open and the window
pane had been cut. When / recovered I
found the front door open, so the man must
have made his escape that way. Some one
saw man running down Virginia street.
Tho people who live down stairs heard
voices i'm the parlor or bedroom after I
had gone. and that would make Il appear
as if there were more than one man In the
ease, although did not see but one. Moth
ing In the store itself was touched. and I
suppose that my coming back as did upset
their plans"
Mr.. Dakoghlou returned TO the city last
evening. He said that the watches were
worth about $50 lie laughed at the burg
lars efforts 10 find money In his trunk, and
said he supposed they thought they had a
find" when they came across the private
cash box"