Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-03-25
THEFT Of j[N[LRY
Big Four Store Robbed Of $500
Worth Of Watches and
Other Goods.
Merchant Police Mcclure Comes
Upon the Thief and Fires
Two Shots at Him.
Robber Escapes in the Darkness
..Stolen Goods Found Hidden
in Hay.

The Big Four auction store, located
at No. 80 East Main street, is minus
a good share of it's jewelry stock this
morning, as the result of a raid by a
burglar at an early hour this morning.
The goods stolen are valued at $500.
Merchant Police Mcclure had the
pleasure of taking a couple of shots at
the burglar as the latter was getting
away from the building with the booty,
but failed to wing him.
Entrance was effected by breaking the
glass and sash in rear window. A
piece of oil cloth was taken from one
of the counters, and it is supposed that
this was used as receptacle in which
to carry away the booty. Many of the
watches had been left hanging on the
wall board in the jewelry department
and thirty of these We're taken. Some
OF the watches were quite valuable
while others were cheap and second
hand. Among the lot We're gold, silver
and nickel cased time pieces, including
who had left them for repairs.
Besides the watches a tray of
thirty-seven rings, three dozen chains,
seven gold filled fobs, fifteen gold-filled
vest chains, five gold chatelaines and
lockets and s12 worth OF ladies' dress
ing combs were taken. These articles
made quite a heavy load for one person
to carry, and it is supposed that the
thief intended to return for the re-
mainder of the jewelry until he was
Impressed with the fact that
the burglary had become known to the
officers.
About 3 o'clock a. M, as Merchant
Police Mcclure was making his rounds
in the rear Of the East Main street
stores, he saw man run from the rear
of the building and go west thru the
alley towards Center street. The Of
but failed to stop him, and the fellow
escaped in the darkness. officer Han
son was near the Marshalltown State
Bank when he heard the shots fred,
and he Immediately went north to the
alley and emerged on Center street just
in time to narrowly escape being the
receptacle for third bullet fired by
Merchant Police Mcclure. The bur-
glar was out of sight by that time,
however.
The thief was after jewelry and
nothing else, as no other articles were
missed from the store. From indica-
tions he first entered the wrong place,
as the double doors in the rear of the
George p. Powers store adjoining had
been pried open and some heavy kegs
of paint standing against them had
been pushed to one side. Nothing has
been missed from the Powers store,
which goes to prove that the burglar
lost his bearings and at first gained
admittance to the wrong store room.
The officers had reason to suspect
that some of the stolen jewelry might
be in the possession of C. G.. Coates q
junk dealer. Of this city, and armed
with search warrant Marshal Nichol-
son made "a thorough investigation of
his premises, but nothing was found.
Merchant Police Mcclure was able to
give fairly accurate description of the
man he saw running from the rear of
the building in which the auction store
is located.
The Goods Recovered.
Late this afternoon all the stolen
goods were recovered. having been
found secreted near the scene of the