Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-06-22
SAFECRACKERS' BIG HAUL
An ONCE Of The Paramount Park Trans
portation Co. Robbed Monday.
SIX MEN WERE BOUND WITH WIRE
After Which the Robbers Blew
Open the Safe. =

After Which the Robbers Blew
w Open the Safe. 81
FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS STOLEN
Philadelphia, Pa. June ia gang
OF masked robbers, probably 10 in
number, early this morning, raided
the receiving office of the Paramount
Park Transportation Co. at Belmont,
in Fairmount Park, and, after holding
up the receiver and five other employees |
OF the railway, blew open the safe.
securing 81, 900, the company's receipts |
| for two DAYS. Frank Levan. receiver; |
Frank Watson. and Henry B, White |
house, conductors: James Cayanaugh, |
| fireman of the powernouse. Philip |
caves, electrician, and William Cad |
| mus, laborer, were bound hand and
foot with wire In addition to the
men who actually committed the rob-
berry, others operated miles away from
the scene by destroying telegraph and
telephone wires connecting with the
trolley company S main Office.
The Paramount Park Transportation
Co. operates various lines of trolley
cars through the park, for pleasure
riders. The traffic being unusually
heavy on Saturdays and Sundays, the
robbers evidently decided upon this
morning as being the, time to make a
big haul, .5...s,Is.. .-...lt
Tho mon named were all in the Office
when the burglars made their appear
ance. Each intruder was armed with
!; two reyolyers,l and they took the EN-
ployes completely BY surprise. TWAS
the work Of few minutes for the
robbers to, pinien, the workmen, who
we're rolled over to one side of the
/ room, with their faces to the wall.
J Ten minutes later, the safe had been
J cracked, and the gang disappeared.
; The entire city, detective force is on
the case, but the cracksmen left no
l clue. mi
I Frank Levan. the night receiver. one
Q of the men gagged and bound by the
! robbers, told this story of his expert
1 ence: tr
t while l was standing at the south
: ern door of the office, next to the
stalled cars, / heard footsteps in the
b rear. Turning, saw two men with
+ masks on their faces They had two
II big reviewers apiece in their hands,
It and came directly up to me, at the
d desk. | saw at once that. it was NJ
o with me. They told me not to move,
}, nor cry out, or they would kill mo.
y One fellow, who was of enormous size,
stuck one of his pistols against my
IS ear. They took me into the conductors
10 room, and tied my hands and feet witt
d wire picture cord, and laid me on tht
n floor, with my face to the WALL Tit
m electric lights were burning bright,
le all the while; and, when / got in thu
p conductors room, / saw Whitehous
q was being held up in the same way b,
Is other desperadoes, also with masks Oh
and being bound and gagged. 81
when we were laid on the floor,
man was detailed to guard each of us
:. In few minutes, in came anothe
e. victim, who, | think. was Watson, a
~ conductor, and he went through tn
50 same thing. Then, some more of tn
~ mon came in, iand were bound; and
~ by this time, / thought there must b
:. II or so desperadoes at work oc tn
y car barn, and that they expected t
u gather in the whole list OF employees, AN
81 then crack the safe, which containe
~ about "a, 600. The burglars worked Yer
y quietly. They whispered whenever the
~ said anything to any of their number
u.s. They turned our bodies away from th
=, safe, so we could not see them, an
'ie started tc work on the safe.
y '"Ehey must have been aocomplishe
~, cracksmen, for it only took them
re minutes to blow open the safe. Th
~ works inside, however, got tangled VI
and they worked and hustled to ope
the door wider for an hour and a hal
., The explosion of dynamite filed tt
80 rooms with vast lot of smoke and y
M nearly choked. The tools they mu
u have gotten from the machine shop
!, ~ they started to work at once when the
~ had us bound.
~ 1.-THE guards put us 10 a most III
"a pleasant frame of mind, for they fir
~. auently threatened to shoot us, il Y
~, made the least cutlery or motion.
, ,a, think they must have had wagon
az take away the cash, because it W
~ largely made UP of niokels, dime
~, 10 quarters and half dollars, which a
clS very heavy, and not easy to get avn
an with.
,hn '.Shortly after the money was take
the guards who were over US wi
drawn pistols, left, telling us to
quiet, or we would get shot. Aft
ten considerable tussling, Philip Fave
ne the electrician, who was also boun
he got himself unlooseneqi anu ne IN
its unioosened us. l tried to reach vi
the Hall by wire, but the wires on BIO
the telephones had been cut, and had
ter run, in the pitch dark, cross count
,m to the pumping station, where ga
was the alarm, and they telephoned in frt
zee. there shortly before 3 O'Clock to t
mt City Hall, and informed the 6
ed, tectives. "
and The car barn, in which the receive
bIy office is located, stands in a deep raw
liar leading from Belmont Mansion to {
Schuylkill River. The building
surrounded by heavy timberland, a
its isolation rendered it perfec
een adapted for tho work Of the robbers
o. The opinion is expressed that Sol
i'd. one in the employ of the company Y
ord, either member of the gang or in c
A. fusion with them. The robbers are
G. lieved to be local crooks.
w. Nitro gyceripe was first tried on
yer, safe; but, that failing, it was drill
ide, open with the company's own tools.
an d Ii
- Tilt with Time. 81
lac Ladies in their attempts 10 battle old II
Ias' are bound to receive some wounds in
are, encounter. These, however, they can c
salt ceal, as far as the complexion is concerl