The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-05-05

A burglary was committed yesterday
morning between $50 and o'clock in the
Office OF the Western Union Telegraph
ComDanv. on the ground Hoor az the
Bailey block. on Cherry street between
First and Second avenues. The amount
taken was comparatively insignificant.
but there are some peculiar circumstances
surrounding the case Which place il
rather out OF the ordinary routine OF such
affairs.
The Western Union Telegraph Com
pany has a contract with the Home Mes
senger Company, by the terms OF which
the latter company is compelled to send a
messenger boy every half hour during the
night 10 the telegraph once. TO try both
the front and hack doors. and TO look in
side the Office TO see that nothing Is
wrong. This service commences AZ I.aD
O'Clock g. m, at which time the night
force in the telegraph Office Is usually of
duty.
Yesterday morning the service COM
uencsd as usual. The messenger who
went there at O'Clock reported that the
operators were still at work. which was a
fact as they were later than usual The
messenger at reported all right. as did
the one at s:sa. At O'Clock, however. the
messenger who visited the telegraph office
reported that the back door, which OPEN
ed on the alley, was open. A telephone
message was sent In TO police headauar-
tiers, and a policeman sent up. He made
a casual inspection, found no Indication
OF disturbance and placed a lock upon the
door.
At Tso yesterday morning the day force
came on to work in the telegraph office.
when IL was found that drawer in the
desk Of Miss Lyons, who receives mes
sages over the counter, had been broken
open. a tin box containing money taken
therefrom. and the box itself broken open
and its contents taken.
The desk in question stands behind the
counter in the extreme front part of the
business office, in plain view from the
front windows. Behind the business Office
is the operating room, adjoining that the
battery room and the bookkeeping room.
From the latter there Is door into
hall, and from the hall the door into the
alley, which was found open. The night
force are very positive In their assertions
that the door leading from the business
office into the rear room. the door into
the hallway and the door into the alley
were all locked before they left the build
Ing.
A careful examination of the entire
building made by Detectives Cudihee and
Phillips shows conclusiveiy that the bur-
glar must have made his entrance by UNI
locking the front door. The key in the
door opening upon the alley Is sprung in
the lock so that ii cannot be withdrawn,
= although IL will turn so as to lock or un-
lock the door. None OF the windows were
disturbed. and the light dust upon the
siIls shows that they were not tempered
with.
Nothing In the office was disturbed ex-
cept the one drawer Of the one desk,
which. by the way, was the only one in
the Office containing money. This drawer
had been broken open by the use of q
Ratchet and screw driver. both belong
Ing TO the office which were usually left
in the back hall, and which were found
yesterday morning on the floor immedi-
ately adjoining the rified desk The tin
box in which the money was kept was
found in the back hall In badly broken
condition.
The exact amount which was contained
In the box cannot be exactly determined,
but 1t was In the neighborhood Of $50 S45
of which consisted OF money belonging to
Miss Lyons. which she had that day re-
ceiyed. The balance was her receipts
across the counter
Against the theory that the entrance
was obtained by opening the first door
with key. there lies the fact that the
lock In use In that door is of the Yale
pattern, only TO be opened by a key made
expressly TO fit IL: and no keys to that
lock are held except by trusted employees
OF the company. The police, however,
have reason TO believe that the burglar
did effect his entrance in just that man.
ner, and they are also thoroughly con-
WINGED that the burglary took place be-
tween $3.50 and o'clock.