The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-05-08
WAS CLEvERLy PLANNED
Sleeping Rooms of the Fire De-
partment Burglarized,
A FALSE ALARM RUNG IN
Flremen Found Valuables Missing Upon
Their Return-Two Ex-Members
of the Department Are
Under Suspicion.

An ingeniously planned and success
fully executed robbery was perpetrated
yesterday morning by which three
members of the fire department are
supposed to have been made victims
| Of members of their craft. In the rob
| berry two of the firemen lost watch
each, one Of the two lost a small sum
OF money, third also lost a small
amount of money and fourth lost a
watch early the evening before in a
very mysterious manner. From all the
circumstances the firemen and the po-
lice are confident the work was done
by ex-firemen and two men who were
formerly in the department are I'M
der arrest on suspicion.
AT / o'clock yesterday morning an
alarm came in from box GO and the de-
partment responded. When they arr
rived at the box, which is at the cor
ner of Washington and Park streets,
the firemen were unable to find any
fire, and came to the conclusion some
smart Alec had turned in the alarm
thinking it a smart trick, as frequent
ly occurs.
Returning to quarters, the firemen
at the central station went to the DOR
mitory to turn in again. They then
discovered the real occasion for the
alarm. Fireman Frank Murphy found
his pockets turned inside out, and on
investigating, found that the $3.50 he
had had in the pockets was gone. He
Immediately informed the other men
and they examined their clothes NJ
j. O'Brien discovered that a $500 gold
watch he had left in his vest and $3.50
in money which had been in his trous-
ers were missing. Henry Beninger also
discovered his watch and chain were
gone. None of the other firemen miss
ed anything. Owney Cunning had $35
in his clothes which had been overlook
ed.
From the peculiar circumstances it
seemed quite evident that some one
who was familiar with the place had
done the job, and it was at once sus-
pected that eX-firemen were the ones
To begin with, the box was the one
farthest away from the central Ata-
ton to which the whole department
responds, and it was figured that no
one but an ex-fireman could have this
knowledge. Then, too, it was argued
that it was very unlikely that any one
not familiar with the fire station
would know just how to get into the
dormitory and do the job in the short
time the firemen would be away. An
other thing which strengthened the sus-
picion was the fact that Saturday was
pay day and it was figured that the
guilty parties knew this and expected
to find the months pay of the firemen
in their pockets. This, it was figured
would hardly occur to any one but
an ex-fireman.
The police We're informed, and after
the situation had been sized up. sus-
picion was directed to Royal Haskell.
an ex-fireman, from a circumstance
that transpired early Saturday even
ing. Frank Jones, at the Quartz street
station, had changed his clothes and
Immediately afterward missed his
watch, an $50 timepiece. He was not
able to find it and when he learned Of
the robbery at the central station he
at once recalled the fact that Haskell
had been alone with him in the room
when he changed his clothes. Charles
Cleveland, another eX-fireman, was
suspected in connection with Haskell
for the reason that the two had been
together in the evening and had been
trying to borrow money of the boys
on the strength of it being pay day.
Both were arrested and are being held
pending further investigation. Had the
robbers visited the Quartz street sta
tion instead of the central they would
have been much richer, as it CHANGED
that the men there had their money
in their clothes, what was doubtless
expected to be the case at the central
station. ~
Police Officer Dougherty was on
watch in the fire house at the central
station at the time of the robbery
The dormitory is on the second floor
and the entrance is by the main en-
trance to the city hall, so he had no
means of seeing any one go up or
come down unless he had CHANGED to be
standing outside. He states that once
he thought he heard a noise upstairs,
but as 1t was not repeated and as he
had no thought of any one attempting
to rob the firemen, he concluded that
he must have been mistaken
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