The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-27
THROUGH AN OPEN WINDOW.
1894 TAKEN FROM THE CENTRAL
RAILROAD TICKET OFFICE.

Thief Has Not Been Caught-The
Upon the Table Near "a window.
This Was Raised and the Money
Reached--COin Was Not Touched.
Forters and Waitress Examined
But Regarded as Innocent.
A big roll of bank bills was stolen yes
terday morning from the ticket office Of
the Central Railroad at the passenger de-
pot The thief got away with $264.
The robbery was committed, the assist
ant ticket agent Mr.. Hartridge Wolfe,
says, between the time he left the office
and the coming in of the ticket agent.
Mr.. W. r. Mcintyre. The assistant left
at 7:35 O'Clock, standard time, and the
agent got in at s. The money was taken
from the Office through the window open
ing into the passage that runs down into
the shed on the north side.
Just before he started to leave the office,
the assistant ticket agent looked at the ia
BILE and saw that the money, which he
had put there some time before, was just
as he had left it. OF this he says he is
sure and he is positive that the theft was
committed between the time he went out
of the Office and when Mr.. Mcintyre came
in. Mr.. Wolfe left the Office Just
after he had sold tickets for train.
to 80 to his breakfast. Before leaving he
made out his bank deposit slip and left
it with something more than 800 upon
the table The slip showed bills to the
amount of S2S5. The rest of the money
was in coin. He returned at O'Clock.
1t has been the custom of the assistant
to leave the money on the table, as he had
always locked the Office upon going out.
He did this but the thief did not care to
make his haul' through the door. The
window was too easily raised, and was too
near the table upon which the cash was
laying for him to care about the door.
This window happened to be unfastened,
the top catch having been left Enclosed.
1t was an easy matter 20 shove it up, and
the thief could then reach in and help him
self. This he did, though he did not get
all of the money. He did not seem inclined
to risk taking the coip, as. the clink of a
dropping piece might have attracted at
tention and betrayed him. The bills We're
his particular object, and he devoted him
self to these. The deposit slip was lying
across the top of the bills, and fell to one
side when the thief was making his search
and with it fell the only twenty dollar bill
in the pile. a one-d0llar bill went with it,
and the thief seemed to be in too much of
a hurry TO make a second reach. His
booty was thus reduced 10 1854, when it
might have been $685.
There can be no doubt about the window
having been the way by which entrance
was effected. A Masonic apron, belonging
10 Mr.. Mcintyre, had been eft upon the
| inside ledge Of the window In pulling his
arm out the thief had evidently brought
the apron, which was rolled and tied up,
part way with it. 1t stopped right under
the sash. When the thief pulled the win
dow down. after securing the money, ii
lodged on the apron, thus remaining about
an inch from The ledge.
When Mr.. Mcintyre arrived a O'Clock
he found there was a discrepancy between
the figures of the slip and the amount up
on the table. He counted the money and
| discovered the shortage. He sent at once
| for his assistant. Mr.. Mcintyre was at
once convinced that robbery had been
| committed and he notified the police.
When the officers arrived they placed the
Two porters and the waitress under ar
| rest, thinking they might have
| been implicated. Their explanations
were so clear as to their whereabouts ali
| during the time that it was said the theft
/ occurred that they were let loose. The
| officer on duty at the depot at the time
also stated that the employees could not
have been about the window, as their du-
| ties demanded their attention elsewhere
| just then. The officer also felt assured
| of thir honesty, as they had been trusted
/ a number of times and had always proven
themselves worthy of the trust. No one
else has been arrested. Detective 81
Basch of the road and the city detectives
are at work on the case and expect tc
run the thief down.
The officer on duty a the station was
in plain view of the window for a con
siderable portion of the time. The office
was without an occupant. His duties Their
called him outside of the building anc
| from that point he could no longer sec
the window. After he left, however, there
was almost q continuous stream of people
coming in through the passage. They haC
just gotten in on the "Shoohy' train
from up the Central road and ii would
have seemed a difficult matter for any
| ore to have then committed the theft with
| out attracting attention
The Office was given thorough clean.
ing Tuesday. The windows were
cleared of dust and dirt, and it Is
said that those who did the work prob
ably neglected to fasten the window.