The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-04-25
Safe in Brand & Wubben's
Feed Store Rified and
Place Burned Down
THE BURGLARS ARE SEEN
and Gives AIarm--Rutcher
shop Across Street
Entered.

Burglars rif1ed the safe Of Brand &
Wubbens feed store corner West Sew
enth and Western between IL and 11:3O
last night They then either Intentionally
or accidentally set the place on fire and
while it was burning crossed the street
to Joseph Rybak's grocery and butcher
shop and rified the cigar case. In neitn-
er place did they secure anything of any
great value, but Brand & Wubben's feed
store was totally destroyed with large
stock of feed.
The burglars were first seen by Joseph
F'erber, 375 Yankee street, who had
been attending a political meeting in ST.
Francis hall. lie left the hall and started
| home shortly after II o'clock. When op-
| posite Brand & Wubbens store he cross
ed the street and as he did so saw a
match lighted in the front office. ne saw
the faces of two men, and the outline of
third They saw him and Immediately
blew out their light He went on past
the store intending to secure help. His
home is a short distance away and he
went to tel his wife where he was He
had not gone but about so feet from
the store when he heard another match
crack and turned III time to see a light
He hurried on to his wife and returned
Immediately
He then discovered a fire in the rear
end Of the store where the baled hay and
feed is kept, and ran to give the alarm
Z. j. Murnane, 452 Michigan street came
on the scene at this time and kicked in
the front window which is near the safe
The place was burning fiercely by this
time, and he was driven out once. lie
went back and reached fGr the safe find
ing the door open. Grabbing all the
books he could find ne got out in safety.
Saw Burglars Running.
BY this time the fire apparatus was
on the scene and the work of putting out
the fire well under way. The alarm of
fire attracted F. c. Picha, Isl West Sew
enth street, who was then on Western
avenue. AS he came running down West
ern towards Seventh he saw two men
| dash out of gate in the rear of Rybak s
store He did not pay any particular at
| tention to them at first until it became
| known that the feed store had been rob-
bed. He then made known what he had
seen.
The burglars entered the feed store by
the front door, and it is probable that
| the safe door had been left open, as il
was found in that condition by Murnane
The cash boz, which contained the in
| surance papers, was taken. Besides these
| papers there were two rings Of consider
able value. There was no money in the
drawer, so that the burglars did not
make anything.
Mr.. Wubben had been to lodge and was
home when the affair took place An
! officer went to his residence and brought
him to the scene. He wasn't able TO
state what his loss by fire was. The
building is small frame affair that could
| be easily duplicated for $780, The stock of
| feed consisted principally of baled hay,
and the entire loss will probably not cx-
ceed $500. All the firms books were saw
ed.
Took Il Few Ci@ars.
In Mr.. Rybak's store several boxes Of
| cigars were taken. The cash drawer was
! forced open. There were only a few PEN
nies in it and some postage stamps. The
| burglars took the pennies and left the
| stamps.
door that leads into the meat de-
! partment of the store on Western avenue
| had the large pane of glass broken show
| ing the burglars entered there, as all the
| broken glass was on the inside. The
! burglars then, while everybody was en-
! gagged al the fire, calmly walked into
| the grocery department to the cigar case
which is in the front end of the store,
| where they could easily see the blazing
| building some hundred feet away Mr.
Rybak did not know how many boxes of
| cigars he had but the burglars did not
! get more than one-half dozen. They then
| evidently attempted to get out through
| the broken glass in the door but were
| frightened back, as a box of cigars had
| been dropped there and trampled under
| foot
For some reason they feared to leave
| from that door and went back through
the rear room, where the meat cutting
| machinery is. A door leads from this
room to fenced quadrangle outside The
! door IS locked with a bar from the in
side. The quadrangle is formed by a
solid fence about five feet high, opening
on to Western avenue with a gate. The
| burglars came out of this gate when
| P1cha was about 80 feet distant. 1t is
dark here and he was not able to see
them distinctly even if he gave them the
| necessary thought.
Sergeant Murnane arrested Edward
| O'Connor, aged twenty-four at Seven
corners at o'clock this morning The
| sergeant took his prisoner to Ramsey
| and Pleasant and recovered fifteen boxes
| of the stolen cigars hidden in a cellar.