The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1904-01-21
SAFES BLOWN OPEN
Bold Burglars Get 10 Work ID
Charlotte.
One OF THEM SHOOT OFFICER
A Daring Piece Of Work In the Busl-
ness Centre of Populous city-No
Arrests Made.

early hour Thursday morning profes-
sional cracksmen tried to murder Po-
licemen Shields, and blew oper the
safes Of Cooper & Davis, Trotters Har-
ness Shop, and in the Itore Of J. P.
and ]. c. Long, all on North College
street They also broke to pieces the
cash drawer In J. P. and ]. C. Longs,
and are supposed to have committed
other robberies and damages. At this
hour, 5 o'clock, the police are guarding
the buildings, hoping that the robbers
have not escaped
1t was 3:15 o'clock wher Policemen
Shields and M. NJ. Earnhardt heard
the sound Of hammer inside the store
OF Long Brothers. The officers stop.
ped, and then saw some one inside the
store make light. After finding that
the front doors OF the store were
locked, they hurriedly ran to the rear
OF the place. The location Of tho
buildings In the rear OF the Lorg store
Is unique On the northern part Of
the block Is the building OF the South
ern Pants Company; on the southern
side Of the big building Of the batting
side Is the big building OF the batting
there is small structure about ten
feet high, and through this there Is .
door which Is almost directly in the
rear Of the Long store.
When Shields came to the rear Of
the small structure, which may be
termed gateway, q man arose, faced
him, and without saying q word fred
on Shields with a.revolver.
The officer staggered back and did
not recover himself at once. The man
ran through the little aperture, COM
ing out on the side next to the Long
store. Earnhardt ran to Shields res
cue, and after an examination II was
found that Shields was not hurt seri-
ously. The bullet had struck, one Of
the big metal buttons on his dress
coat, just above the heart, and hed
glanced through his heavy outer coat.
through heavy inner coat, and pene-
trated almost to the skin. There was
no abrasion, though the shock sick
eEed the officer for little while.
Feeling sure that the thief-for the
man was only suspected to be COM
mon thief at this time-had not es-
capped, but was either between the
Long store and the two buildings In
the rear Shields left Earnhardt To
watch at the mouth Of the small build
ing connecting the batting building and
the pants factory, and hurried to the
police station, which Is only q block
away, for assistance.
While four or five policemen watch
ed in front, Sergeant Harrington, Po-
liceman Crowell and one or two other
officers proceeded to, examine the
buildings from the rear.
Before the officers had been inside, !,
the enclosure two minutes, Sergeant
harrington yelled:
why, three stores are open, and the
mischief Is to pay!"
Other policemen came, and all were
certain that the robbers-for 1t was
evident now that more than one man
was in the thieving party-must Be
concealed inside one Of the three
stores.
While more lanterns were brought
and hurried preparations were made 70 I
enter the buildings that had been
opened, Policeman Mccall, who was
keeping watch on the west side OF the
street, discovered that the front door
Of the Cooper & Davis furniture store
was open. Mccall and Policeman Har-
gett at once entered this, but afser .
hurried investigation comforted them
selves with the belief that the rear
doors Of the building were unopepe6
and that the robbers could not have
gotten out through the front door o.
the furniture store.
After battling with poor light for .
few minutes large lamp IN the store
was found and lighted, and It was only
when this was held up that the fun
character Of the early morning depre.
dations became known.
Professionals" gasped Mccall. ana
the glance of an instant showed that
the cleverest cracksmen had been suo
cessfully at work.
The safe In the furniture store was
Flown to pieces. It hay on its back.
with wide open mouth. The combina-
ton had been knocked on, and there !
was plain evidence that nitroglycerine
IN a large quantity had been poured
lp this and used to such terrific eject
that the entire inside of the safe ~
shattered. Al the cash drawers las
the floor PITY. A little dist
away lay papers, mortgages, deeds.
the like. which had evidently not
touched. Stamps were lying aroun
large quantities yet q hurried ex
ration made IL plain that eyery
OF value had been taken from
Sc e.
The intelligence of the sensat
discovery in the furniture store -
excitement among the officers, but
they were grimly certain Of their prey
until Mccall found that small back
door at the rear Of the store was open
Then the officers became dishearten-
ed, for It was apparent that while
Shields and Earnhardt had LETT I'M
guarded the west side Of the street, or
College street, and had gone tp-H>e5
rear Of the building, the sam
who fred at Shields and his
aies would have had amplef
have made their escape BY ruf
length OF the furniture store
out the front door, which b
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