The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-07-19

The desire to make grub stake for the
kion0ike was possibly al the bottom of
an attempt at safe-cracking made eariy
Sunday morning. as the manner in winch
the job was attempted, and particularly
the tools left by the burglars in their hur-
RED fight showed Clearly that they were
amateurs
AT 2 o'clock yesterday morning Mr.. Sea-
grave. proprietor OF the Occidental hotel.
was sitting In the Office with a party Of
friends who had been sitting up to a late
hour discussing the popular topic Of the
DAY. Al that hour the idea struck the
crowd thai q few oysters would be ac-
ceptable before retiring. and it was de-
cided to send out for them. Mr.. Sea-
grave sent the night clerk. Mr.. Alexan-
der into the dining room TO procure
dishes to send 10 the restaurant for the
oysters, to avoid the necessity OF max
ing two trips to the oyster house.
Alexander entered tie dining room and
proceeded through II toward the kitchen.
In the pantry Detweea the dining room
and the kitchen the hotel safe is placed
AS Alexander entered the pantry two men
who were down on their hands and knees
in front Of the safe sprang TO their feet,
rushed out through the kitchen down the
stairs 10 the basement, and thence out
through the alley In the rear OF the
building.
Alexander gave the alarm, and Mr. Sea-
grave and his friends rushed out The
safe was found open. both outer and
inner doors. The pigeon holes had been
cut out with a chisei. and the woodwork
around the small steel box was nearly
all cut away. In d few moments more.
had they not been in .errupted, the bur-
glars would have succeeded in cutting out
the steel treasure box, and could have
readily carried IL away To be opened at
a more convenient time. An investigation
showed some remarkable features about
the burglarous attempt. The men had
obtained an entrance through door into
the basement. This door was always
locked al night aud bolted from the in
side. Yet an examination showed the
entrance had not been forced. but the
door opened from the inside. or by false
keys. while the bolt undoubtedly must
have been drawn by some one on the in
side. Neither was the safe itself injured.
The outer door closed with q combination
lock. while the inner was held by an
ordinary Yale lock Mr. Seagrave be-
lieves that he neglected to throw on the
combination when he closed the safe, but
is satisfied that he did lock the innner
doors. Yet both doors were found open
and uniniured.
In their hurried flight the burglars left
behind them their tools which are now
at police headquarters. These tools con-
sist of q four-pound sledge. badly bat
tered on the face; large chseI made
out of a fiat file, and Il Jimmy OF the
regular professional model The latter,
however. was a rough looking tool. evil
IDENTIFY made by some person not an ex-
pert in the use of blacksmith tools, and
having the hammer marks of forging all
over Ii. While rough in appearance it
was of good metal and a very effective
tool.
Alexander caught but glimpse of the
men as they fed, and consequently can
give 40 adequate description of them. All
he can say in that direction was that
both We're clad in blacl; clothes and wore
black hats and that one was tan and
rather slight. and the other of medium
height and build.