Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-06-19
South Side Business Houses Suffer
Last Night.
ONE SAFE WAS BROKEN OPEN.
Get $40 In One Place and Three Quarts
OF Whisky at observation-disclosures
Made to BurgIarize Other
Business Houses.
[From Saturdays Daily.1

hodIulNdS iIdiiy
Two South Side business houses and
a saloon were touched up" last night
S by burglars and an attempt made to
get into third business house. $40
Z was secured at one place, at another a
drawer in the safe was pried open and
q small amount Of change taken. Three
bottles of whiskey taken from the sa-
loon about completes the list of prop
aerty taken. 1t is thought to be the
work of amateurs but no clue attaches:
& The first place tackled seemed to be
Michael Schwarz' saloon on Church
street. The thieves broke pane Of
glass in one of the rear windows.
pulled back the catches in the sash
and entered the building. They took
three quart bottles of whisky and left
by way of the back door which they
left open. Nothing else was taken
at this place, the burglars in their
search overlooking a sum of money
{ hidden in a safe place in the build
ing. They walked down the river bank
ito Grant Motifs grocery store fur
Their down the street toward the bidge
where they pried up one OF the rear
& windows, breaking the catch at the
top. Two oil tanks were placed in
i front of the window. The burglars
climbed over these and going to the
front of the building, opened the cash
drawer securing about $1.25 in nick
4 els. A small safe was placed directly
in front of the large window at the
front of the building and the outside
door was unlocked. The safe contained
3 the papers and books pertaining to
the business and was used more as u
means of protection against fire than
against burglars The doors were open
ed and inside were two small locked
drawers, one of which was forced with
probably a chisel. The thieves found
nothing of value in the drawer ana
carefully replacing the papers pushed
the drawer back in place and closed
pounds OF chewing tobacco and half
a box of cigars. Mr.. Moffitt says he
lost nothing else that he knows of.
A few doors below is the Hugus chop
house. They evidently went from
Mofitt's store to this place by the
river bank, as the rear window at the
chop house was the place they entered
the building. They forced screen to
the kitchen window and giving the up-
per sash hard shake, the fastenings
became loose and it fell down. Twen-
ty dollars was in the cash register
which the burglars proceeded TO stow
away in safe place and take with
them. This was the extent of the loss
here. Mrs. Hugus stated to Courier
reporter today that the place was
closed at 2 o'clock this moning and that
the burglary occurred between that
time and $3.50 o'clock this morning.
An attempt was also made to force
the window of L. C. Neff's grocery
store, which is located further up the
street, near Davis tsreet. The bur-
glars broke a pane of glass in one of
the windows and endeavored to loos-
en- the catch but failed. They then
proceeded to pry one of the other win
dows up but were evidently frightened
away, as Mr.. Neff can discover no
goods taken.
1t was also reported that they had
entered the fremont hotel but the
proprietor was seen and says that he
{ knew nothing of it.
1t is thought that the work has been
done by amateurs who are making an
excellent start towards Fort Madison
In the custody Of the sheriff.