The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-03-25
THE POSTOFFICE
ROBBERS CAUGHT.
Make an Unsuccessful Attempt on the
Salem Office,
TWO MEN ARRESTED IN ROANOKE
One Had Kit Of Burglar Tools-They
are Believed To BE the Men who
Have Been Cracking PostOfiice
Safes All Over Virginia.

SALEM. VA, March 2l-Special-Rob-
bers broke into the Salem postoilice last
n,eht and made an unsuccessful attempt
- taoyy open tho large iron safe whlch
contained several hundred dollars AN
entrance was effected By removing one
of the iron bars from over the rear WIN
dow and being safe on the INSIDE an Ell
fort was made 10 crack the sate' Wh'ch
would have been successful had not an
accident occurred at a most noppor-
tune Time for the robbers.
A BROKEN BIT.
A hole had been bored, next to the
combination. one or two lhches oeeP
when the bit hro6e of. one end remaining
in the safe thus preventing iur'her pro-
ceduTe. 49,,
had not this accident occurred they
would have RIA al easy thing. as the
hole having been Inade explosives couio
have been applied aid the lock blown Oh
Their effort 10 enter the safe being
frustrated they looted the cash drawer
which contain five or six dollars In small
currency and ten or fifteen dollars worth
Of stamp paper.
PROFESSIONALS
The manner IN which the robbers pro-
ceeded in the effort 10 crack the safe
would seem TO indicate that the Work
was that OF Experts and the oDini~n il
being expressed thar the perpetrators
were the same fellows who made such a
successful haul OF the Woodstock post
office Monday night
This makes the second unsuccessful at
tempt within the past three years to
blow open the pos tcfiice safe here
ROANOKE VA, March 4.-Special.-
TWO men were arrested here to-day. one
early this morning and one late this even
ing. on suspicion of being the parties i'm
plcatsd in several cases Of safe blowing
in Virginia and North Carolina The
police had in their possession fun de-
scriD'ions Of the men wanted and
warning IN aee Last nj III III rm-d them
that two men filing the bill were coming
In this direction.
LOOKED SUSPICIOUS.
Last night an unsuccessful attempt was
made to blow the safe in the postofiice at
Salem and early this morning an officer
noticed the two men on the streets When
he arrested one Of them. he found on his
person a kit Of burglars tools. including
a fine quality Of fuse, a number OF steel
bits. ohisels. and oil can and caps. to-
eether with a revolver
THE BURGLARS.
The man gave his name as William
Howard and claims Washington as his
home lie was locked up and told the
police his companions name was Thomas
Trestle. hut the latter upon heing arrest
ed. says his name Is @. w. Moore.
Both men admit being In Salem last
night Their descriptions tally precise
ly with those sent out from Woodstock
and Brookneal. where robberies have
recently been committed.
The police authorities here think they
are the men who have been operating
! through this sction for the past two
years.
Howard is forty years old. FIVE feet.
eight inches tall. weighs one hundred and
seventy-ive pounds. sandy hair, mus
tache, blue eyes. Moore is forty-hve
years old. five feet. six inches tall. red
| hair. mustaehe and his face Is full. round
| and red.
1 The possession OF burglar tools will in
/ sure Howard's conviction.