New-York tribune., 1909-11-15
ROBBERS BLOW UP
SAFEIN BROADWAY
FIRST HAMMER DOWN
STREET DOOR.
Take $1,000 from Regal Shoe
Store Wbde Tbrongs Pass
Busy Corner.

A select party.of burglars held little
soiree. beginning at midnight on Sstur-
day. az Broadway and 37th street. and
in two hours they "iimmied" two heavy
wooden doors OF the Regal shoe store.
battered down third stout iron door
with six-inch scantlinS and a sledse-
hammer, drilled holes in three-ton safe.
blew up the same safe with a heavy
charge Of nitroglycerins and nnally
carried OF as booty more than $4,000
This corner at 37th street II one OF tbs
busiest in the Great White Way" and
all night long throngs OF people pass IL
On Saturday night at II o'clock Will
lam Samson. the manager. and his as
sistant. L. L. Lanier. closed the stcr..
put the cash receipts. $4,000. together
with some money orders. Swiss watch
and a revolver IN the big safe and
carefully locked all the doors As an
added precaution the tncandescent cleo
trio lights in the store were left burning
all night and the shades before the plsts
glass windows that face on Broadway
and on S7th street were pulled up. al
lowing a clear view OF the Once Interior
from the street
The big safe IS IN the rear Of the sror..
with its front facing Broadway. and tust
above the safe brilliant electric light
sheds its scintinating rays, making ths
whole place like daylight. Beside, tbs
main entrance in Broadway. the s.ors
has a side entrance IN 3Tth street.
guarded by three separate doors This
side entrances is also used by tenants or
the Offices on the four floors above ths
Regal store.
TWO WOODEN DOORS
After opening the outside door th.-.
is second wooden door. forming Iittls
lobby. Beyond this second door lies the
heavy iron door Leading into the shoe
store
II - not known whether the burglars
had horse and wagon with them, b,l. "
IS presumed that they were content with
large bags or suitcases in which u, cary
away the result OF their haul. Til. H-xs
or street, door must have been easv for
the housebreakers. there being hardly
any marks where il was cur. Tn. sec
ond door Is far heavier The marks q
the steel jimmy and Bit were plainly u,
Be seen II had been severely hacked ard
sasned The last door. ths iron or.-
riusr nave been surprise 20 th. burg
lar cand, but they were not disr,avsd
SoneWhere down the street. or p.-
maps they were already prepared vfth ~
the Broadway bandits procured a heavy
scanrllngs and this they used as a bst+.r-
lng ram. two or three men being r.oufr..
10 weld the clumsy weapon Tn. tr,,,
oars OF the door must have resisted the
pest enorts or The scantlins. for the bold
burglars abandoned IL for a more deadly
tool-a sledge harnsr-and with this
they beat merry tattoo on the much
abused door
ANVIL CHORUS UNHEEDEna
Although the iron door il x,,srdAse es.
police signal box and is nor thirty feet
distant from the bright lights and pass
ing thousands OF the Great Whit. vav"
the anvil chorus sung by the sIedxs ham
rer and the cool safe wrsckers found n,
answering echo IN the ears OF the notice
Cndtstur5ed and quite ar peacs. the bsns
worked on. and thev must have bean an
hour battertng down the faithful iron
portals.
Once they had stepped across th-
threshold OF the List door. the burglars
made short work OF the safe II vas a
generous charge OF nitrozlycerine IN.
safe crackers used after drilling holes IN
the doors OF the safe. for the stains of
the explosive were spattersd all over the
ceiling and walls.
The burglars had taken the precaution
20 turn the huge steel mass compIetsIy
around. so that its back faced Broadway.
hiding them from public view In addi
tion, they had pulled down the shades.
put out the lights and plugged the key
holes OF the wooden doors with plumbers
wax But they left behind them a steel
drill and this is the only cIew the polio.
have 20 trace them by
The stiffness OF the tomb reizned with,
the shoe store until 10 O'Clock Yesterday
morning. when Lanier came to the orrcs
on special business.