The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-04-17
Office of John W. Little 4
Co., City Printers, Entered.
Inside OF the Safe Broken Open
and $40 Was Taken.
Checks Amounting to Over $50 We're Not
MoIested- Evidently the Work Of Amateurs.

The once Oh JONI w LitIic N w., eno
city printers, was entered some time last
night, and tho inside of the safe broken
open and the money contained In the cash
drawer stolen.
When Albert Edgar, who was the first
employe of the printing Office to arrive
this morning, reached the door of the
composing room, he found that the doors
had been sprung, and were partially open.
Edgar waited outside on the stairway
until the arrival of William Pollard, who
carries the keys to the printing room, and
both entered and found the door OF the
safe in the Office ajar and evidences that 1t
had been tampered with.
The young men notified Officer Hazard
Sherman, who came and looked the ground
over, and notified the station. Soon after
he returned with Sergeant Gardiner, and
later Detective Haberlin and Officer Nc
Laughlin reached the scene OF the robbery,
and the rooms were carefully examined
for traces OF clue that might lead to the
identity of the thief.
In the meantime George II. Burroughs,
the foreman of the establishment, reached
the office. Mr.. Burroughs was probably
the last person in the Office last evening,
to the money drawer in the safe, and at
that time he noticed that there was but
5000 in cash, and checks amounting to
over $50 in the drawer.
Mr.. Burroughs is positive of this, as he
made change at the time. When he ex-
amined the safe this morning he found
that the $40 was missing, but the 20 cents
had been overlooked. The checks had
atn rbal far I'm
nothing else was taken.
This fact was remarked by the officers for
a silk umbrella and other articles well
worth the trouble of taking away were at
hand. The burglars evidently had no use
for anything that would possibly lead to
their Identification.
An examination of the safe, which is
small one with the ordinary dial combina-
tion lock, disclosed the fact that the lock
on the outside door had not been tampered
with, and for this reason Mr.. Burroughs
thinks he may not have turned the dial
sufficiently to throw the bolts, and that by
simply turning the handle the safe would
open.
The inside of the safe is divided into
compartments for books and has two
wooden drawers and a small iron closet.
The thief evidently knew the drawer he
wanted, and this was forced open by in
serting some sharp tool, presumably
hatchet, found in the office this morning.
The wooden partition was forced and
broken and the drawer containing the
money pried open. The window shades,
which were left up last night, were both
pulled down this morning.
The double doorslfrom the composing
room to the hall which were pulled or
sprung open gave evidence of having been
forced open from the inside, and the knob
on that side of the door is twisted as
though leverage had been applied on that
side.
The employees left the place about 6:15
last evening, and Mr.. Burroughs, having
an errand at the David Harley Company's
store, instructed the last employe to leave
to allow the door to remain open so he
could get his bicycle when he returned
from the dry goods store. When he took
his wheel out everything was apparently
all right, and he locked the door after him.
In view of the appearance of the doors
this morning, Mr.. Burroughs is inclined
to think that the person who did the job
was iuside and hidden when he took his
bicycle out, and closed the door.
This theory is strengthened by the fact
that James DAILY, employed in the compos-
ing-room OF The EVENING TRIBUNE, had
occasion to 60 there last evening about 8
O'Clock, and noticed the doors leading to
Little & Co.'srooms directly opposite, were
open on crack.
DAILY did not think anything Of the mat
ter at the time, but recalled the fact when
| he heard OF the robbery this morning.
Detective Haberlin is investigating the
case, and this morning questioned several
of the inmates of the building. The police
are inclined to think Sne work was done
by an amateur, who was familiar with the
habits of the tenants.
Between the hours Of and in the
evening there is no one usually in the
building, but from that time until after
q. m. people are passing up and down the
stairway, and stranger would attract at
tention II noticed going up or coming
down the stairway leading to the third
floor unless in the employ of J. w. Little
& Co. or THE EVENING TRIBUNE.
The firm consider that they were very
fortunate in having the unusually small
amount of money In the safe last night