The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-11-25
At TEMPT At SAFE CRACKING.
TWO MEN SURPRISED AT WORK
IN THE NEW YORK STORE.
They Received an Alarm and Made
Good Their Escape = Had Only
Fairly Begun Operations When
They Were Disturbed.

Last night the festive burglars of the
city made a change in their usual meth
DDS of stealing and took a step higher.
Instead of conteTlting themselves by
walking into residence and holding up
the servant girl they took a more diff
ficult method of getting money. This last
attempt was at safe Slowing, the safe in
question being one that is used in the
New York Cash store, on West Second
South street
About 9:15 last night a boy of Is, named
Ed Marx, went to the store and as he
was about to enter pr3ceiVed the shadow
of some one moving about near the safe.
Marx is employed by the New York Cash
store to sleep there at night to watch the
place. He returned to the store at an
early hour, but when he saw some one
was in the store was afraid to enter. I'm
fortunately he Immediately proceeded to
let the burglars know that they were
SEEN He ratified the handle of the door
and then went off to find a policeman.
The Datrolnan who was on the beat
was farther east at the time and the boy
did not find him. SO 'he went back to the
store after getting two more boys to ac-
company him. When he arrived at the
front door to the millinery department.
the place from whera he had first seen the
man. he looked in through the glass and
saw the burglar was still at work on the
safe. Again he ratified on the door and
watched the man run through the store
The three boys thenIran to find police
man and met Sergeant Wire and Officer
Miner on Main street who accompanied
them back to the place.
OFFICERS RESPOND QUICKLY.
Miner and Wire acted Immediately
when told of the affair, but OF course
by the rafting OF the door that they
were discovered they had disappeared.
Miner went around to the rear of the
store and entered from that direction,
-; IL 1.-Two, sCrh door
BY that time nothing could be seen OF the
burglars and the officers had to content
themselves looking for clews. A thorough
investigation was made OF the premises
but there we're little or no circumstances
left that would lead to the detection of
the men.
Examination showed that the door, in
the rear Of the store had been broken
open. From the indications about the
place it would seem that there were two
men in the building. They evidently knew
Just where the safe was located from the
fact that when they entered they took q
cloth, that was used to cover up some of
the goods, from one of the counters just
inside of the door through which they
had gone for the purpose of making a
screen. 1t appeared that they went di-
rectly to the safe and started in to drill
a hnla through the door.
While ore OF the thieves was at work
on the safe the other broke open the
money drawer in the office. There was
only q few pennies and postage stamps
IN 1t and these We're not IOuCnGd-S i ne
safe, a small one, was in such position
that it would be very hard to see from
the door, and the burglars had provided
against this chance of discovery by hang
ing the cloth which they had taken from
the counter, over the end of the showcase
near the safe The curtain was held in
place by some hats which had been col
lected for. the purpose.
ONLY JUST COMMENCED.
The men had not had time to do much
work as they succeeded only in boring a
small hole about an eighth of an inch in
depth in the iron door. Near the safe
was found an old file which had been
made into a Jimmy and had evidently
been used to pry open the door through
which the entrance was made. The men
undoubtedly were aware of the fact that
the cashier had not taken the money TO
the bank yesterday for no effort was
made in any direction except to open the
safe
1t is the custom of the firm to send
their money to the bank every day, but
yesterday it was neglected and all the
funds were locked up in the safe. The
amount of cash that was in it, at the
time of the attempted robbery was in
the neighborhood Of $500 Had it not been
for the young boy Marx going to the
undoubtedly secured the whole amount.
As it was, not a TONG was missing and
the men got away without leaving d
cleW as to their identity.
The police have notified the firm on
several occasions that their safe was not
in a place where it could be seen with
ease by the officers from the street, but
they paid no attention to the matte
Then, too, the store is usually so cre-"-iy
lighted that it would be hard matter to
see any one inside. The rear doors are
all poorly fastened and are easily forced
open. Besides the store is 4 large one
and most of the windows have curtains
over them which make it impossible tc
see inside.