The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-10-05
MAKES A GOOD HAUL.
Burglar Gets Away With $3.50 at Bat
mans Candy Store.

The candy and confectionery store
at S21 Kansas avenue. owned by Will
lam H. Batman, was entered Saturday
night and the contents of the safe
amounting to about $3.50 was stolen. No
clue to the robbery has been found and
the whole affair is mystery to both
the police and Mr. Batman.
The store was robbed sometime be-
tween II o'clock Saturday night and
late Sunday morning. Mr.. Batman left
the store and locked the doors and safe
about 1:15 Saturday night. When he
entered the store Sunday morning he
was surprised to find the front door
unlocked. A man had been at the door
just before he entered and without try
ing the door turned away. Mr.. Batman
came to the door at that time and tell
ing the man he would attend to his
wants he inserted his keys in the door
but they had no effect and he opened
the door without their aid. He waited
upon the customer and in going to the
safe to get the change he found the
purse lying on the floor just in front
of the safe and the door of the safe
was standing wide open. On further
examination he found that the money
drawer had been pried open and the
$3.50 within had been removed. Mr.. Bat
man had failed to put his Saturday s
receipts into the bank that day and
the amount in the safe was much larg-
er than usual. He had locked the safe
Saturday night and had taken extra
precaution on account of the amount
of money in the safe. He also made an
extra effort to see that all of the doors
and windows in the store were proper
ly fastened. The front door through
which the police think the robber en-
and a common store door lock. Both
of them were locked by Mr.. Batman
that night. The safe is a small COM
biEation affair.
There are many theories as to the
probable entrance to the store.
The police think that someone who
is we'll acquainted with the combina-
tions and locks in the store was re-
sponsible. Mr.. Batman says he has no
one in the store whom he would sus-
pect of the robbery and he has always
been very careful in choosing his clerks.
Another theory is that the robber had
hid in the store during the rush hours
Saturday night and was locked in. The
store thoroughly before closing and
does not think this probable. Not long
ago the police raided a joint in South
Topeka and they found skeleton key
that would unlock any Yale lock- 1t
was a sprine affair and when tried on
the Batman lock it worked with ease.
1t is thought by some that this kind
of a key was used.
officer Fowler, the policeman on the
beat which covers this store, stated
that he had tried the door about
o'clock Sunday morning and it was
locked friend of Mr.. Batman, who
had left a guitar in the store that day
came after it about IL o'clock and
found the door securely locked at that
time. A light is left burning in the
store but in order to protect the candy
the curtain is drawn and the safe can
not be seen from the street
In speaking of the robbery this after
noon Mr.. Batman said:
1T was a mighty slick job whoever
did il and I have no clue whatever.
l cannot think that anyone in the store
would tamper with the receipts and /
don't see how 1 could have locked a
man in the store Saturday night.
know that 1 took extra pains in lock-
ing the safe and the door as had
so much money in the store on ac-
count of not depositing it in the bank
that day. 1t is all a puzzle to me-"