The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-02-24
ROBBERS STEAL SAFE
AND CARRY IT AWAY
Receptacle Is Found Two and
One Half Miles Away
FROM SCENE OF ROBBERY
Amount of Booty Secured Is
Small.

What is one of the boldest and most
daring safe robberies that has occurred
here in years was perpetrated some time
between Saturday night and Sunday
morning, when thieves entered the office
of George Wetterhold and carried off a
safe weighing about 400 pounds, a dis
lance of fully two and one-half miles.
For some reason the robbery was not
made public until yesterday possibly due
to the fact that the officers anticipated
catching the thieves more readily if il
were not made public that the robbery
had been discovered
Late Sunday afternoon, after ae search
lasting nearly the entire day, the safe
was found near the corner of Hillside
avenue and Harry street. 1t had been
broken open and the contents, Sl5.Jo in
currency and two drafts, one for $4S and
the other for $5s, were stolen. Payment
was Immediately stopped on the drafts.
The robbers entered the building, which
is situated at the corner of fremont
avenue and Kellogg street, through
window. The glass was broken sufficient
" to permit the insertion of a hand and
the catch was unfastened. When the
thieves prepared TO depart with the safe
they picked the lock of a door
To all appearances, the robbers con-
sumed considerable time alone in trying
to break open the safe, before deciding
to move it from the building. Steel shaw
ings were found scattered over the office
floor and when the safe was found two
holes were discovered which the burglars
had bored
Evidently they had endeavored to open
the safe in that manner and by insert
ing a steel tool of some kind hoped TO
work the combination. The proposition
was too much for them, however, and
the robbers decided TO take the safe
away where they would have a better
opportunity to open it unmolested-
1t was finally broken open by means Of
u crowbar and several steel railroad
spikes The safe is utterly ruined as
further receptacle for money or valua-
bles Of any description.
When the matter was first reported to
the police they experienced little diff
Guilty in tracking the robbers to dls-
lance of a half mile. The thieves had
loaded the safe into wheelbarrow Due
to its great weight the pressure wrought
on the vehicle caused a heavy track to
be made along the way and there was
little difficulty in following the trail.
When Chisholm creek was still reached,
and ii was still early in the morning the
officers began to think they were pretty
close on the trail of the robbers the
safe being so heavy it was thought that
at least several hours were required TO
convey it distance of q half mile with
out the aid of horses.
lust when the officers thought the trail
was warnest they lost it on the east
side of the creek bridge. There the i'm
preston of the wheelbarrow discontinued.
1t was thought that vehicle and safe had
been loaded into a wagon. When the
safe was found it still occupied the wheel
barrow, so that the wagon theory was
abolished How the robbers continued
the remainder of the distance and sue
ceeded in covering up their tracks can
not be explained. although it is plainly
evident that the entire trip of two and
one-half miles was made without the
aid of any other vehicle but the wheel
barrow.
In my opinion the robbers were novices
in The art of safe cracking said Detec-
tive Harry Sutton last night. lhey
NAV have had some experience III the
business. but not enough to permit their
opening a safe in anything short of six
hours 1t is my opinion that they were
tramps and that there were three of them
I don't believe two men could wheel that
harrow containing 900 pounds of dead
weight the distance to where both were