Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-11-26
TWOSToRES ENTERED
BURGLARS ATTEMPT TO CRACK
SAFES IN TWO ESTABLISHMENTS.
SCARED AWAY BEFORE FINISHING.
The Tower Store and the Singer
seving-Machinc Company's Head
ou.rtcrs Entered from the Roof
A Fine Kit Left In the Hurry.

Professional cracksmen, but evidently
not experts. entered two Broad-street
stores Thursday night and made inef-
fectual efforts to get into the safes.
They didn't get through the steel doors,
nor the Job, though they made a most
encouraging start. They lost an up-to-
date kit of tools. and also whatever Of
reputation as experts they may possess.
whether they will lose their freedom is
another matter.
The establishments entered were Ju-
Illus Sycles Tower store, at Broad and
Second streets, and the Singer Sewing
Machine Company's headquarters, next
door, at. No. 205 east Broad.
Early yesterday morning Mr.. Sidney
Sycle entered the Tower store. and at
once discovered that the safe had been
seriously tampered with. One large hole.
probably three-quarters OF an inch In
diameter, had been bored into the door
near the lock to the distance Of probably
two inches, and another hole not quar-
ter of an inch in diameter, and probably
two inches deep, was put in near it, The
safe had not been entered. The money
drawer, in which was nearly hundred
dollars from the sale of ribbon Thanks
giving morning, was not entered.
PRICED UP TRAPDOORS.
Ingress to the store was effected by
means of pricing up a double-locked trap
door on the roof and also raising a trap
door eighteen inches below, and secured
by strong hooks on the under side. The
trap-doors are over the fourth floor, while
the safe is in the rear on the first floor.
Nothing in the store was disturbed on
any of the floors. The safe-door had to
be replaced with a new one.
The presence of burglars In the offices
of the Singer Company was first discov-
cred by q gentleman who has a room
on the third floor Of the building. When
he came in off the street at about 2
o'clock yesterday morning. he heard a
peculiar noise. evidently proceeding from
the floor beneath. He called out demand
ing to know who was there. He heard
no more noise, and soon went to sleep.
He found out the character of the visitors
yesterday morning early, when he was
shown a kit of burglars tools found near
the safe on the second floor by Foreman
Nuckois, in the employ Of the Singer
Company, when he came to work. There
were several indentations on the safe
door, but no holes In IT, The burglars had
went in hurry. It was no time to get
together the many articles in their kit
A one-story clubhouse close to the rear
of the Tower was probably scaled by the
burglars. From the roof of this 1T was
easy to reach another two-story roof close
by. In this way the roof Of the main
building was reached.
FINE KIT OF TOOLS.
Chief Howard has the kit in his office.
1t is apparently about complete. The most
interesting Of the tools is a jointed jim
my II is made in three sections, each
about inches in length, and probably
an inch or more in diameter. Each end
of the tool is beaten out in wedge shape,
and about inches of one end is turned
up. 1t is a very powerful tool.
One piece OF steel inches wide at the
widest part, and nearly an inch thick,
with an inch and a half hole at the ter
mnation of q slit inches long in the
plate. is a new weapon to Chief Howard.
but he thinks It is designed. for use in
prying off safe-handles. There are in the
kit twenty-three steel bits of various
sizes; wood bit, with the brace; screw
driver, two finely tempered thread-cut-
ters, three big bolts, 60 feet of small rope.
and a tiny oil-can.
DETAINED ON SUSPICION.
Two men, who give their homes as
Philadelphia, and their names as 7. Cary
Lappin and Harry Weikel, aged q and "a
years, respectively, are detained at the
Second Station on suspicion of being the
men wanted. They say they are here to
engage in the manufacture of patented
glutinous substance, and it is known that
several days ago they called on the Bins
wanger Paint Company with reference to
the matter. They Will not be held long.
Thav are not Thought to be the men.