The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-09-23
BURGLAR HAS A CLOSE CALL IN e,
SUNDKVIST'S FUR
STORE.
BREAKS A BIG GLASS WINDOW,
AND ESCAPES WHILE TWO POLICE
OFFICERS ARE GUARDING
THE PLACE.
VALUABLE FURS STACKED UP.
would Have Been Carried OFF bat for
"a HomeIy Device of the
Proprietor,

An ingenious continuance in the
shape of burglar alarm with which
E. Sudkvist fitted Out his fur store
at 1872 East Seventh street frustrated
a bold burglary last night and doubt
less saved the proprietor the loss OF
several hundred dollars worth of furs.
With two policemen guarding the place
the burglar escaped only by a bold
dash through plate glass window in
the front door, while the policemen
were in the rear, or elsewhere.
The alarm device is Mr.. SudkviSts
idea, and is as simple as it proved eff
feetive last night, theugh-the fact that
it had previously gone off on two oe-
.easions without apparent cause was
responsible for the thief's escape 1t
consists of a small electric bell over
the front door with a switch to which
the proprietor every night attaches a
network of ordinary sewing thread. The
threads run throughout the store, I'M
der counters around racks and across
doorways, forming a mesh which an
intruder could not escape, as the
threads are black and strung close to
the floor Last evening when the pro-
prietor left the store shortly after 10
o'clock the alarm was arranged as
usual
An hour later as Sergeant Mccarthy
was passing the store he was attracted
By the ringing of the alarm bell. Call
ing Officer Gaul, a thorough examina-
ton Of the rear and front entrances
showed both doors securely locked
Twice before the alarm had been found
ringing during the night when there
was no one in the store, necessitating
fIn Of
it off and this condition of affairs led
to the conclusion that it had again
taken an erratic streak. AS a precau-
tton however, Officer Gaul was station
ed at the rear door, while Sergeant Nc
Carthy stood guard at the front en-
trance. The bell kept up an incessant
ringing and Sergeant Mccarthy peered
into the store and violently shook the
door. He could see no one nor could
sound, beyond the jingling bell, be
| heard. Then Sergeant Mccarthy de-
cided to summon the proprietor and
walked down the street in search of a
private Waterman who knew where
Mr.. Sundkvist lived. Shortly afterward
Officer Gaul heard crash of broken
| glass and ran around the building in
time to see the burglar disappearing
down Olive street block away. Think
| ing there were others in the store, he
waited until the arrival of Mr.. Sund-
kvist, when it transpired that the thief,
who had been almost as good as cap
| tured, had successfully escaped
An examination showed $500 worth of
fur garments, including a mink coat,
three buffalo coats, two Sealskin jack
| cts and an Astrakhan jacket, of the best
quality in the store, piled up near the
side door, ready to be carried off doubt
less by confederate on the outside. A
broken strand of thread where the load
was deposited showed the effectiveness
of the alarm. Inside was found bur-
glars jimmy" with which the win
dow had been broken
The boldness of the attempted bur-
glary and the nature of the place Sc
lected leads to the conclusion that a
big job was planned. which was only
baked by Mr.. Surdkvist's self-invent-
| ed burglar alarm. The burglar found
in the store is thought to have entered
the place during business hours and to
have hidden himself in the basement
until an opportune time for the rob-
berry