The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-03-29
THE SAFE
Well Known Postofice Inspector Who
Believes h Raleigh Burglars are
Professionals = He Thinks They are
SsYegmen.e

resentative he said:
"I see from the papers that the
craftsmen who blew open the safe OF
the express Office at Raleigh on last
Monday night are Supposed to have
been local burglars. from the fact that
they broke into a blacksmith shop to
get their tools and after doing the job
left the tools in the express of1ice, ana
also because they used too much dy-
Mantle"
Mr.. Connolly then went on to say
that all the circumstances convince
him that the craftsmen were "yeg-
men," which he defined to be hobo or
tramp burglars. These yegmen, he
states, tramped through the country
and in order to get flush they make q
custom of breaking into 1ostoffices,
express offices and the like-usually
postoffices III remote sections Of the
country.
Mr.. Connoiley says the methods of
the burglars at Raleigh are those of
the yegmen, who carry no other tool
than q drill, dynamite in capsules and
fuses. Such ar equipment is easy TO
conceal. They carry no grip, and thus
go in light marching order. Their
methods are that when they go to do
a Job they usually break inn a local
blacksmith shop or carpenter shop
where they car get a chisel to take
out glass, augurs with which to bore,
or an iron bar and a sledge hammer
as the case nay require. When hey
get the job aid out they cast about for
a place to get the necessary tools and
when they complete the lob they gen
orally leave the tools on the floor, as
ali that is necessary for them to take
along is their drill and the explosive
necessary to blow open safes after they
have drilled a hole.
aFvidently the men who cracked the
safe in Raleigh" said Mr.. Connolley,
"are the same who blew open and
robbed the afe of the Dostoffice at Red
Springs on the night of the 18th in
slant. On the morning of the 18TH
three whtte tramps were at Shannon,
three miles north of Red Springs. One
walked on the railroad track towards
Red Springs and two went by the pike
to Antioch, and Joined their companion
at Red Springs after he went ahead TIC
spy out the land. At Red Springs they
broke into a blacksmith shop to get the
additional tools they needed.
He also believes the cracksmen be-
loneed to the gang of yegmen who
have been operating several years ii
Maryland, Virginia n North caro-
lima. n who are well known to gov
detectives and Dostoffice in
sDectors. They are skilled operators
About two months & " OF the gang
evidently the head men. were killed Dy
the accidental explosion of dynamite
which they CARRIED on their persons
This occurred at Rosslyn, Va, neal
WASHINGTON. There were three or more
men In the gang there. for when the
men got hurt, one tramp informed g
man in a railroad signal tina
they Were hurt and trough him they
Were sent to a hospital where they
died. The other yegman after telling
the signal man about the explosion
went on his way. 1t is probable tina
ne got other apprentices and is Keep
ing up the safe cracking business.
The two lead tramps were identified
by the detectives and postoffice inSpec'
tors as experienced. expert yegmen ano
notorious crooks who had done severa
terms in pen~itentfaries and whose pho.
tographS were in the rogueS galleries
of several large cities.
When the postoffice safe was crack
ed at Red Springs the yegmen left g
chisel on the floor, but carried off witt
them a brace and bit which they took
from the blacksmith shop. Mr.. Connol-
ley thinks that in all probability the
brace left IN the foo in the express
office at Raleigh is the one the yegmen
CARRIED aay from Red Springs. They
probably got enough money from the
postoffice robbery at Red Springs 70
take a railroad ride to Raleigh so as to
be there to blow the safe in the express
office on the night of the 25th. An
other circumstance which convinces
Postoffice Inspector Connolley that the
men wei the same who operated at Red
Springs is tina a day or so before the
expresses office safe was blown three
unknown men were boarding at a res
taurant at Raleigh but disappeared
from Raleigh after the blowing of the
express office safe.
MI. Connolley says the average citi-
zen does not suspect the average tramp
but he says ALL towns houId be as
yigilant as L~aurinburg. which sets a
good example. The officers there and
the citizens as well keep their eyes on
the movements Of certain individuals.
The same villains. or at a two OF
them, attempted to perpetrate the gold
brick swtndle at Greensboro and were
caught by q trap laid for them, were
at Laurinburg four or five weeks ago.
Their method is to inquire about banks
and people who have money then go
away, correspond with somebody and
get them into their scheme. The peo-
pie of Laurinburg. by means Of the tel
ephone, kept track OF the two suspects
until they passed W~adesboro. hey
left Laurinburg because Ii was made
too warm for them. and they tally TO
description Of the gold brick crooks
who were gobbled up at Greensboro.
Mr.. Connolley commends h detec-
tive force at Norfolk and says the
methods of the detectives OF That city
are worth following. He says people
usually when they hear explosions. are
afraid to investigate. fearing that the
burglars are we'll armed and might kill
them, but he says the yegmen rarely
ever go armed. Ee says when an ex-
plosfon is heard Ii would be a good idea
to run t the spot or at any rate 10
iook out, as the burglars might be seen
sufficiently to give a description OF
Them. Near Norfolk a postoffice safe
Vas blown and when a lady heard 1t
she got I'D and locke towards the
postoffice and saw two men VINO olu
fha fob She was able to give a de-
~ecrintton OF the men and they were
captured by the Norfolk detectives just
fiftaen minutes before they could take
a boat. II 1t had not been dor tne
UvnNYlC