The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-04-04
FOUR BURGLARIEs IN TWO
NIGHTS.
w. w. Dimond g. Co.'S and E. w. Jor-
dams Entered Last Night, and
Wilder & Co.'S the Night Before.


Fort street, and Wing Lungs store at
King and Alakea streets, were entered,
and night before last Wilder g. Cos
office at Fort and Queen streets was
entered
The evidence left by the burglars all
indicates that the three burglaries were
committed by one man or one gang OF
men. The police think they have got
the men.
At w. w. Dimond & Co.'S the bur
glary was what might be called very
pretty one. 1t showed that the cracks
man was a specialist in burglary. He
was after money, and so far as has
been discovered the stock of silver
ware vases, articles of vertu and works
Of art which the store contained had
no attraction for him.
The movements of the burglar can be
very clearly traced. He entered from
the roof. In the center of the store
there is a big light shaft At the sec
ond floor this is q large opening pro-
tected by a balustrade. At the third
floor it is covered with handsome color
ed cathedral glass. Above this is Il
skylight raised above the rest of the
roof in the shape of cupola. The sides
of this cupola are fitted with iron Stats
at an angle to keep out the rain like
a venetian blind. Inside these Stats is
nailed wire netting.
! The burglar after getting on the roof
which might be accomplished at a num-
Der of places as the store is in the Won
Holt block which is surroundd by
number of lower buildings, went to the
! Waikiki side Of the skylight cupola,
removed some of the iron Stats, cut
the wire netting and let himself in. He
must have been very tall man or at
/ least have very long arms in order to
have let himself to the floor of the third
story. The entrance he made was al
most over the colored cathedral glass
through which the light from the first
| floor came up and enabled him to make
his footing all right
This done, he was on the third floor
which is used as a stock room. Evil
IDENTIFY he was not acquainted with the
stairway down, he hunted around until
h found the small lift used in lowering
stock from the stock room. He slid
down the cables on which this lift runs
to the floor below. The cable are lubri-
Gated with graphite, so that he got his
hands and bare feet covered with tie
graphite and thereafter made marks
wherever he stepped and on whatever
he touched.
On the second floor he went into a
little room used as a lunch room by
the employees. The walls of this do not
extend quite to the ceiling, and he OBJ
tained entrance to it, the door. being
| locked, by climbing over, the marks of
his hands and feet clearly showing
this. He ransacked this room, but took
nothing. Then he went to the stock
cases evidently seeking tools with
which to open drawers, because large
number of tools from the stock were
found scattered on the floor, together
with a box of safety matches
From the second floor he went down
the stairs to the first floor and into
the railed-off space used as an office.
This floor is kept well lighted all night.
so that the interior of the store can be
seen by anyone passing either through
the alley leading from King street to
the post office, or along the front of
the store on King street. There is in
fact an electric light right over the
cashiers desk. But whenever he heard
footsteps along either passage, he could
crouch down and be out of sight.
He pried open the cashiers drawer
with a chisel. The drawer contained
only the small sums of money taken in
from late sales after the safe had been
closed. There was in this drawer $50 Is
besides a quantity of pennies. He did
not take the pennies. Then he ran
sacked Mr. Dimond's desk and othr
drawers and desks scattering papers
and letters but taking nothing because
he found no money. He did not even
touch Mr. Dimond's revolver which was
in the desk. The stock, except some
tools, was not disturbed. The safe was
not tampered with The greatest loss
is in the scattering and disarrangement
of papers, although none of these, so
far as has been discovered, are missing.
After finishing his work the burglar
went back to the third floor and pulled
himself up and out the way he enter
ed, as is shown by the clear, distinct
mark of his grimy hands. 1t has been
suggested that these marks offer a
practical test of "Pud'n Head Wilson's"
theory of the distinctive markings of
the individual hands. 1t is a matter of
have taken all the trouble he did to get
out as he could have let himself out
either at the front or side door.
At Jordan's store the entrance was
also made through the roof A trap
door leading from the roof to the attic
was pried open In the attic was a
quantity of bunting which had been
used for street and building decora-
tion. The burglar twisted a quantity
of this into a rope and let himself down
TO the floor below. and thence made his
way to the main floor. There was very
little disturbance of stock and compar-
atively little of desks or drawers. An
old till which is not now used as a
money drawer was pried open. But
there was no money in 1t. All the cash
except a little small change had been
put in the safe when the store was
closed. This change was In a till which
was unlocked and partly open. But 1t
was not disturbed either because the
burglar did not find 1t or because there
was not enough of it, So far as can be
discovered the burglar took nothing
from Jordan's store.
The entrance to Wing Lungs store
was made through a backdoor, a piece
of a chisel found there believed to have
come from w. w. DmOnd g. Co.'S, in
dicating that this burglary was COM
mitted after the other. The burglar got
SS 80 at this place.
Night before last the office of Wilder
e Co. was entered, a till opened and
! CONTINUED on page five)