The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1905-05-30
Safe Blown Onen.

Professional burglars paid their respect
Thursday morning. destroyed the safe il
the post office, and ran some risk TO
booty in the shape of postage stamps t.
the value of $45, which sum will fall t.
the loss of William P. Lippincott, tn
postmaster, who conducts grocery bust
ness in connection with that of the pos
office.
Several people living near the stor
heard muffied sound as if coming from
distance. They paid no attention t.
this, because their slumbers had frequent
ly been disturbed by resident shooting
dogs and cats during the midnight hours
The true situation was not revealed un
til morning when Harry Waldis, clerk
opened the store. He found no use for ;
key as the door was ajar, and rear win
dow which he had fastened the night be
fore was open. Broken glass, damaged
partitions and the dust-covered surround
ings indicated that something was out O.
order, and the secret was revealed OF
looking into that ortion of the store Sc
apart for the post Office.
Mr.. Lippincott resides in the adjoining
house and he was hastily summoned. En-
tering his Office he found the safe totally
wrecked, together with other damage tt
furniture and building, but not to Sc
rin On hlo To- 10 filf
and screw driver, and on another table
there was brass cap an inch long. What
this was used for. if anything, could moi
be learned. Its appearance indicated that
it had not been in the explosion following
the discharge of nitro glycerine or dyna-
mite, as the explosive was set off by 8
lighted fuse, pieces of which were found
in the room. The white filling in the safe
had been blown out at the bottom, the
sides ripped open, and one or more large
fragments of iron were found suspended
where they had been driven into the front
of the counter, having first passed through
the post office partition. Other pieces
crashed through the glass in front of the
letter boxes and struck the north wall of
the building, which is of brick. Nothing
resting on top of the safe or the shelves
Immediately above it was disturbed by
the force of the explosion, which must
have been pretty severe.
The various articles in the safe were
thrown on the floor and partly covered
with debris, which accounts for the over
looking of some valuable papers and the
money order book, matter gratifying to
the Postoffice Inspector who visited the
scene, as it will save the government con-
siderable trouble and annoyance. On the
shelves were several boxes of stamped en-
velopes with Hartford, N. j., printed on
and they were not taken. Nothing in the
store was disturbed excepting about 25
pennies from the money drawer, which
had been forced open.
Failure attended the first effort to er ter
the store by rear door, which was bolted,
barred and firmly set by piece of board
running from the floor to the under side
of the lock. Although a portion of the
wood work was broken and torn away,
the door would not yield, and then the
men pried open the front door with the
large file. 1t is thought that the men left
quickly, and perhaps considerably dis
gusted, after realizing what little they
had secured for their trouble. Shortly
after the explosion, Miss Cora, daughter
of Charles Gilbert, living along the stone
road, heard three men talking. She saw
them leaving town, walking in the direc-
ton of Camden.
This was the second robbery at Hart
ford that same night. The first building
entered was the creamery of Thomas
Plaskett, where the file and screw driver
were secured. Mr.. Plaskett has a cash
register, and his forethought in leaving
the empty drawer wide open, saved the
machine from destruction.
Mr. Lippincott has been in business fol-
90 years and this is the third attempt
made to rob the store, two of which were
successful. In the other case some local
talent had been driven away after cutting
quite hole in the door near the lock.
I he hole is still there, and other attempts
at burglary have disigured this door to a
considerable extent. The robbers left
nothing behind them that would lead tc
their Identification. 1t is supposed that
they came up from Philadelphia on the
last train that night, ard they may belong
to the gang which has been making the
robbery of railroad stations their special
ty. The authorities were notified. There
is little hope OF capturing the men, unless
they may be detected in disposing of the
postage stamps.