The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-06-18
SIX BURGLARIES.
Mr.. T. W. Woods Safe Cracked and Rob-
bed In Daylight on S~unday-Five Other
Places of Business Broken No Clue
to the Eobbers-Believed to be Boys.

y thC " "t ASpyS
Saturday night and Sunday was a
busy time for the burglars.
On Saturday night between 1890
o'clock and Sunday morning some one
enterd the millinery store Of Mrs. f.
NJ. Strock in the second story Of the
brick building on Second street between
Market and Dock streets, and robbed
the money box of SO in cash and a note
for $50 given to Mrs. Strock by her
brother-in-law, Mr.. Labon Peterson.
Mrs. Strock says she closed the store
at 1920 o'clock Saturday night, leaving
the cash and note in a small o which
she had placed in a drawer. Before
leaving she fastened the windows and
doors, but on Sunday morning she
found a window open on the Dock
street side. and a ladder leaning
against the side of the building. The
window sash was broken, and it is be
1ieved that the burglar reached the
window and got in by means Of the
adder. The door leading from the
store into the hall was found locked
Dut a Sldc OOOT ndd DccI IOlcu open.
The cash box, which had been broken
open, was found underneath the win
dow and mean it 20 cents in change was
picked up. The police were notified, but
there is no clue to the robber.
Saturday night, some one also enter
ed the barber shop Of Churchill Moore
on Front street between Market and
Dock streets. He went down to the
shop Sunday about $50 o'clock and
found one of the pack windows open.
He, however. did not miss anything.
He thinks it was a small boy that COM
mitted the deed.
On Saturday night a burglar also paid
a visit to the store of Adam Brown, col
ored, in Front street market. The safe
was tempered with but without sue
cess. The thief took some change from
the money drawer. and a few cigars
from the show case: 1t is believed that
the thief was a boy.
On Sunday morning etwee II
o'clock and 2 o'clock D. m. the
store on Princess street occupied in
the rear by Mr.. r. w. Wood as an
office and in front by Mr.. J. w. Plum
mer,Jr, with a stock of confectionaries,
was entered. Mr.. Wood and Captain
j.. w. Plummer were in the store dur
ing the morning, but the former left
about II O'Clock to go to church and
Captain Plummer about 1 p. m. to go
to dinner. About 2 D. m. Mr.. Wood
went back to the store and found that
his safe had been cracked and robbed.
He says he is not sure whether he
locked the safe door or not but it was
found opened without any mark of vio-
lence upon it. The drawers inside the
safe, however, had been torn out and
priced open, a complete wreck having
been made of the interior of the safe.
Mr.. Wood had a small mount of
money of his own in the safe and Mr..
J.. w. Plummer, Jr., had $15 in one of
the drawers. The thief stole Mr..
Plummer's money and 50 of Mr.. Woods
change, but left in the floor a couple of
tin boxes containing about SO in cop
pers and silver change. A chissel and
a bunch of keys were also found ia the
floor. 1t is said entrance was effected
through one of the back windows. A
dusty old table outside, just under the
window, bore a very small track, but
if it was a boy that got in. it is be-
lieved h did so to let in a man. as a
boy could not have broke open the
iron drawers of the safe. The thief
roIa hjc oyit thrO11Oh the hack door
and left it open.
1t was subsequently discovered that
someone had entered the real estate
office of Mr.. w. M. Cumming next
door to Mr.. Wood, having gotten in at
one of the real windows. The drawers
in the office had been opened and the
papers thrown into the 1oor but moth
ing was missed. The safe was locked
and had not been interfered with. 1t
was found out that h KEYS left in
Mr.. Woods store had been taken from
Mr.. Cummings office.
Messrs. c. w. Yates & Co.'S book
store was also entered between IL m.
and 5 .. m. on Sunday. The burglar
climbed on a shed at the rear Of the
store, took a glass from the skylight
Of the shed and by this means got in
side of the shed. He then priced ope
one Of the rear windows, breaking an
oak bar tina held it, and got into the
store. Two money drawers were
smashed but they contained no money.
1t is not known whether any goods
were stolen or not. This is the third
raid on Messrs. Yates & Co., in the past
few months.
The police worked on these cases yes
terday but at last accounts had not got
on trail of the burglar.
Some people are constantly troubled