The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-12-01
Blow Open PoStoffice Safe and
Secure $3.50 in Money and
Stamps to the Value of Nearly
Two Thousand Dollars
FOUR REGISTERED
LETTERS ALSO TAKEN
Break is the Fourth to Occur in
Worcester County Within a
Year-0fficers Have As Yet
Found No Clue to Identity of
the Bold CraCkSmen
to The Spy.

Special to The Spy.
Spencer, Nov. 30.-Professional
craftsmen entered the Spencer post
office this morning between the hours
Of and o'clock and looted the big
burglar-proof safe and carried off $3.50
in money, and stamps to the value of
$3.50. Entrance was gained through
the front door of the jostoffice and af-
ter prying open an inner door access
was easy to the safe from which the
money and stamps were secured.
This morning when the break was
discovered, the safe and surroundings
were in ruins about the floor of the
postotfice. This afternoon Postoffice
Inspector James pullman of Boston ar
rived in town and Immediately began
the work of Strengthening out the ac-
counts of the postotf1ce. Besides the
money and stamps there was in the
postoffice at the time four registered
letters. Two were to go out and two
had just been received. The names
of the owners of these letters the post
office authorities refuse to make pub
| lie.
There are many contradictory re-
ports as to how many explosions oc-
Cured. Some of the people who heard
the report or claim they heard it, say
| there were three distinct reports while
others say there We're four. No one
| looked at the safe today who could tell
| what explosive was used to blow il
open. James pullman, the inspector
| from Boston, though no expert judge
of explosives gave as his opinion from
former experiences that the explosive
| used was nitro -glycerene.
| The safe crackers procured blankets
| to muffle the sound from the Standard
| Oil Co. and at the barn of l.. d. Hobbs
on Elm Street. They also entered the
| blacksmith shop of e. S. Amellotte
and procured a sledge hammer, two
wrenches and some chisels Armed
from the carpenter shop of Mr.. Parks
they entered the building and opened
| the safe.
| George Larkum. editor of the Spen-
Ger Sun, who rooms in Hills block says
| he heard three heavy sounds In the
early morning and looking at the clock
at the time. He says that it was then
345 o'clock. Numerous people in the
vicinity of the postoffice, when told OF
| the robbery this morning We're posi-
| tive they heard one or more explo-
sions, but still they did not think il
worth while getting up and investigat-
| ing.
The burglars knocked off the knot
of the safe after an unsuccessful at
tempt to drive in the combination. At
ter knocking off the knob of the bis
door of the safe, a charge presumably
| of nitro glycerlne was inserted and The
outer door of the safe was blown off
All about town today there were nu-
| merous stories told about suspicious
| looking characters being seen about
| town yesterday. Frank L. Drury
| cashier of the bank says that about
$50 o'clock last night he took notice
| of two suspicious looking characters
who were lingering about the bank
| block. He was going home from the
| bank and seeing the strangers he stop
| ped and watched until they went by
| the bank.
The prevailing opinion is that the
safe crackers left town by way OF
| South Spencer. The family of Lewis
Rivers who live just above the rail.
road track to South Spencer, was
awakened about 430 o'clock this morn
| ing by the dogs barking. One Of the
| girls looked out of the window, and
| when told of the postoffice break this
morning says she recalls seeing three
men hurrying down the track towards
| South Spencer.
H. B. Draper, deputy sheriff of Spen-
| Ger was early on the scene Of the
| break but up to late tonight had OBJ
| tanned no clue. The surrounding
| towns We're notified and also the City
| of Worcester. This makes four times
safes have been cracke2 in Worcester
| County within a year. Like breaks
have occurred in Leicester, North
| BrOokheld, Millbury.