Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-05-29

IHEFIS REPURIED IL IFiE
POLICE.
Uncle Ben" Jacobs pawn shop. in
the Egerter building, on Market street,
below Eleventh, was entered by bur-
glars early yesterday morning. They
opened the safe, and carried off cash,
diamonds and jewelry to the aggregate
value of over $4,000.
1t was one OF the most daring and
successful robberies attempted in
Wheeling during recent years. The
pawn shop is the middle of three store
rooms facing on Market street. The
burglar or burglars found the doors
opening from the street into the hall
way at the south end of the building
open. They assembled the stairway to
the second story. The business coll
lege was formerly located on this floor.
The burglars entered public closet,
and by prying off twelve inch board,
gained access to the private closet of
the vacant hall, and thence entered
the hall. A former tenant who occu-
pied the pawn shop room also rented
the hall above, and the two apartments
were connected by stairway. The
opening in the hall was covered with
boards, and about half way down the
stairway there was door which was
closed and locked.
The thieves were evidently very ia
miliar with the construction of the
building. They removed the boards
over the stairway opening and pried
the door. Mr.. Jacobs safe is placed in
the rear of the room, and although a
gas light was burning brightly the men
sidewalk.
The burglars were not amateurs by
any. means. They did not resort to
the old method of exploding the safe.
Instead they drilled hole beside the
lock, and by inserting an instrument
pried the lock open in the inside. The
rest was easy. The safe was filled with
drawers containing diamonds, watches
and jewelry. These the burglars ap-
propriated, then closed the safe, leav-
ing the empty drawers scattered about
on the floor.
Mr.. Jacobs went into his place of
business between nine and ten o'clock
Sunday morning. He found the empty
drawers, which he placed on table.
He observed the hole in the safe, and
picked up the hammer, brace, chisel
and other instruments which were evil
dence of the presence of the self
invited visitors and of the object of
their call. The police were at once
communicated with, and Chief Clemans
and several of his deputies started to
work upon the case.
Mr.. Jacobs offered a reward OF 5000
for the detection of the burglars, or
information leading to the recovery of
the stolen goods.
The safe locked when closed by the
and the services of an expert
were required to open it. Mr. Jacobs
feared that $1,000 worth of diamonds,
the property of his wife, had been
stolen, but he found they were safe in
a drawer which had escaped the notice
of the intruders. While he was reluc-
tant to place an estimate upon the
value of the stolen goods, his loss will
not fall short of $4,000. Later he
stated that $500 pledges were stolen,
of the aggregate value of $500.
A list of the stalen articles, with
such descriptions as Mr.. Jacobs could
furnish, will be published and sent to
all police officials in the hope that it
will lead to the arrest of the thieves.
Among the missing articles were $50
watches, 250 rings, and lot of dia
monds in various settings. One pair
of diamonds were particularly hand
some and valuable, Mr.. Jacobs adj
vancing $500 on them just a week ago.
From one drawer S377 in cash was
taken. In addition to the paper money,
there were As silver dollars, ISL in
halves, SIS in quarters, SIT in dimes,
and SO in nickles.
There is not a very promising clue