Evening journal., 1906-07-23
Delaware Hardware Co. S
Place Scene Of a Bold
TwO-Day Robbery
AND RIFLES
SCATTERED ABOUT

One OF the most daring robberles
ever perpetrated in Wilmington took
place at the store OF the Delaware
Hardware Company Second and Ship
ley streets. sometime between p. m.
Saturday and daylight to-day when a
band Of robbers literally camped In the
store scattered revolvors. pistols
knives and razors an over the place
ransacked the contents Of six desks
and carried off about s. In money.
How the thieves got into the build
ing or how many OF them there were
Is stlll unknown although the police
are working on the case The only
evidence OF any attempt to enter IS a
broken transom az the top Of a win
dow looking out from the office on
Shiplcy street onto q driveway be-
tween the Delaware Hardware Com
pany's place OF business and the build
ing adjoining, occupied by Thomas
McComb and the Delaware Electric
supply Company II IS not possible.
however for the thieves TO have climb
Cd through the opening in the glass
as the hole Is too small and the edges
are too jagged TO permit q person TO
crawl through. Beside the broken
fragments OF glass are lying in tho
driveway indicating that the transom
was broken from the inside
Hid in Cellar.
The only plausible theory is that the
thieves some time during Saturday
4 ii.
hid IN one OF the cellars. which open
onto IL, remaining there until the store
closed at 3 o'clock.
shutting of the driveway from the
storeroom al the rear OF the hardware
store Is large gate which raises and
lowers After this is down. however,
II would be possible for anyone con-
ccaled In one of the cellars TO come
out within the enclosure, as there are
no doors to the cellar entrances. The
big gate Is OF solid wood and shuts Off
the view from Shipley street.
Once within the storeroom II Is an
easy matter TO gain access into tho
Delaware Hardware Company's store.
as the doors leading from the rear OF
the store proper to the storeroom ara
never locked.
RiHeHs Scattered About.
That the thieves made a thorough
search OF the premises the appearance
OF the store this morning was evidence.
six desks IN the office on Shipiey
street side OF the store were broken
open and hundreds of letters and
lpapers were scattered on the floor. In
their midst lay two empty whislSey
y bottles which had at one time con-
ltalned a quart each. Several others
were found in other parts OF the build
Ing. The desk in the Office Of the
weighing clerk in the storeroom was
also ransacked but two desks IN an
office facing on Second street were not
molcsted.
Going to the second floor the mis-
creants gathered together a largo num-
Der OF rifles, revolvers and cartridges
These they brought down stairs and
strewed about all over the floor OF the
main store and on the floor Of the
storeroom. Show cases IN the store
were opened and knives and razors
were thrown about the building. That
no more money was stolen is due TO
the fact the bulk Of the coin was lock-
ed up In a large safe in the office
which the burglars did not attempt to
force.
An this morning a force Of clerks
was engaged in going over and sorting
out the letters and papers which lalS
about the Office floor. one OF Hhe
young women clerks was also making
. a vigorous search for her giasses
, which had disappeared mysteriously
It IS the belief Of those connected with
! the store that the work was that OF
vicious youths rather than burglars
the very audacity Of the affair tendinf
to this theory 1t Is believed that the,
remained Saturday night all day yes
tefday and a portion Of last night II
: the building on a spree.