El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-09-29
A BOLD ROBBERY.
Three Men Try a Daring Scheme

l
Last night about $50 three men made
one OF the boldest attempts at robbery
that have been made in FL PasO for
some time. The FL Paso Grocery COM
pany were the losers. While the rob-
| bers got some money they did not get
as much as they expected, being frus-
trated by the merest accident.
To q reporter of the HERALD Mr..
| Levy explained how the plans of the
robbers were baked. Said he: 81 am
connected with the Wholesale depart
ment of the store and, 1t being late,
our business was over and I was up in
the front of the store, helping to take
care of the trade while Mr.. Goodman
went to his supper.
| "Our cashier had gone too, as she
goes home earlier than the rest. The
days receipts had been counted and
we're left on the desk of the little office.
The Office Is OF glass and Is right by
the heavy plate glass window, and II
| was through this heavy window. which
| faces upon the side walk on Oregon
street, that the robbers gained admit
lance to the little Office.
AT the time of the robbery there
were three other clerks In the store
A negro came in and, they being busy.
1 went to wait on him. he asked the
price OF ham and as the hams are in
with him to sell him one, but 1t seemed
that he didn't know how large a ham
was wanted, as he said he was buying
il for lady. About this time In the
conversation with THE negro white
mau,came in aud one of the other clerks
went to wait on hi-- and he said that
he wanted q ham. The two came
back to the ham rack and in the talk
between the negro and myself. the
Ia a. xalr
of interest and joined in the converse
ton and made the same excuse. |
thoughtit was strange that they should
both be buying ham for the same
woman, but paid no special attention to
it. The negro left, saying that he
would come back and get the ham
when he found what size was want
ed.
"After a while he did come back, and
walking right past me went to the rear
of the store and said, Il want some tea.
L told him that there was no tea back
there, 1t was up in front. Then he
said he wanted some molasses. and L
sold him fifteen cents worth OF mOlas-
ses; then l sold him some deviled ham.
He gave me a dollar and 1 gave him
seventy cents in change, and it was
lille l was giving him his change
that heard the glass break, but the
tention to 1t. Ii was not until 1 heard |
the fellow who was reaching through |
the hole In the glass knock off five |
dollar gold piece that l looked at the
little office.
81 ran over to il and the money did |
not look as II any body had touched it,
but just then w. w. Bridgers came in /
and said, There goes one of the oul-
prits down the street, 1 went outside
and walked up to the man pointed out
10 me, and l said, Il want you He
said, All right, as though 1 was an
officer. / brought him back to the
store and telephoned for the police.
Before one came / noticed that the
mans hands were white; 1 asked him
W hat made them SO and he said that he
had taken bath in alkali water and
that had turned them so.
when the police came L showed
him the mans hands and then showed
him how he had put lime on the win
low to break 1t without making much
noise.
AFTER the policeman had taken this
fellow away, l got to thinking of the
strange acLious of that negro, so / sent
, policeman out to hunt him up and we
found him.
"Soon after the first white man was
put in the cslaboose some one called
ice nabbed him too, as he IL thought
20 be In the gang" -
Mr.. Levy said that they probably
lad five or six hundred dollars on the I
'ounter but all the man got was S22.S5.