The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-02-13
may BE SAME MEN.
Suspected Safe Blowers Evidently
Have Record in Kansas.

As suspected, the four safe blowers,
Fred Kole, j. c. Cameron, James
Coleman and William Henderson, now
in the Shawnee county jail. charged
with burglarizing the safe of the An
derson-Armstrong Commission COM
pany in this city on last Tuesday
night, are wanted elsewhere for the
same crime. Evidence which has
been collected, practically convicts
them of cracking a safe in a grocery
store on Douglas street in Wichita
about January 1, and also of blowing
the safe of the Arkansas Milling COM
pany. at Peck, Kan, just south OF
Wichita on the night of January 2S.
Detective John Lucas of the Topeka
police force, spent Friday in wichita
and Peck looking up the matter. The
officers at both of the places are con-
WINGED that the men being held here
are guilty of the burglaries in their
towns.
The four men came to Wichita dur
ing the latter part of November. They
opened up a candy store just opposite
the grocery store on Douglas street
in which the safe was cracked about
the first of the year and robbed of
S4S. But the Wichita police did not
even suspect them at the time, and
the robbery has remained mystery
ever since.
of the month, and on the night Of
January IS the safe of the Arkansas
Milling company was blown open at
Peck Kan. At the time this hap
ping at the Auditorium restaurant in
that town. On January 80, the two
were sitting together and reading
neWspapers Cameron. the 8 year
old boy Of the outfit, picked up a To-
peka State Journal of January 80. 4
young lady who is cashier at the
place. noticed Cameron suddenly call
the other man to him. and then the
other two, who came into the restau
rant just then. The four read some
article in the paper, and talked in
Subdued yet very anxious tones about
it, and then left. The cashier noticed
while Cameron was reading the paper
that n picture of Richard Croker was
at the top of the page he was read
ing. After the men were gone, she
picked up the paper and turning to
that page. noticed that it contained
an account of the safe blowing at the
Arkansas Milling company q couple Of
nights before. Nothing more was
seen Of the men in Peck and nobody
suspected them.
There is good evidence at Wichita
against the four men but Detective
Lucas refused to disclose it this morn
ing. sayin that it was not vet ripe for
publication
During the later part Of last year.
there were number of safe crack
ings in Oklahoma and through the
territory. They, like the ones at To-
peka. Wichita and Peck, were all
maze Win DtaCk pOWdeT- ana Ope-
rated in practically the same way. So
the Oklahoma burglaries will also be
| investigated and as much evidence
collected against the men as possible.
Il think we have the right fellows.
for the Topeka. Wichita and Peck
burglaries.'' said Detective Lucas this
morning. "All three were done in ex-
actly the same way. There is evidence
at all of the places against the four
men. They We're in Wichita and Peck
when the rohberies happened in those
two places. We have some more
pertinent evidence against them. but
We will not spring 1t at this time. At
Wichita they got S4S while at Peck
thew got nothing Checks amounting
to $4,000 were in the safe. but they
We're vaiueless eAcent to the owner
The article in the State Journal of
January so which the men We're seen
.rea ding and excited over follows:
wichita, Kan. Jan. =Cracksmen.
supposed from the character of their
work to have been amateurs blew
open the safe in the office Of the Ar
kansas Milling company at Peck some
time during Saturday nfght and stole
notes amounting to $4,000. besides
some papers which We're of value only
to the owners. The robbery was re-
I ported to Sheriff Schad BY t. K Bell
manager of the mill The robbers
escaped by taking a Santa F'e hand
! car