The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-05-28
VAIN WORK OF
A BURGLAR
Was After the States
Millions.
OLD ROPE LADDER, FOUND
Had Been Dropped from Place In
the Dome.
Ladder Was q Relic OF the Work OF
Some Ambitious Burglar Who
Had Sought Money the state
Vault Formerly Held.


The relic of a chaRrined burglar
who cast avaricious eyes on the big
monetary pile that used to lie in the
state Treasury, was accidentally dis
covered yesterday by Electrician Keyn-
ton who was engaged in wiring the
| second floor of the Capitol
Penetrating to the unused space run
ming down in an arc from thexdome to
the second floor of the old main struc-
ture of the Capitol. Keynton ran
against a curious resistance. His Gu
riosity aroused, he dug further through
the piastered wall and found a swing
Ing rope parallel to another swing
ing. rope and connecting the two was
board which afterwards proved to
be rung OF long ladder.
Electricity, which was his job, gave
way TO the mystery of the moment.
and Keynton went down to the office
of the State Treasury to tell the clerks
there that he thought a ladder was
headed their way for the purpose of
coping the States coin" His idea
was all right, as II proved out, for his
relic was, indeed, a ladder of some
thirty-feet length. extending from the
upper ribs of the big Capitol dome
down towards tina top of the vault
which used to hold In its cold embrace
more than a million dollars.
Then the Capitol crowd began to dis
cuss the motive OF attaching a rope
ladder, entwining at convenient In
tervals a, step, TO an old gas pipe over
a cross beam. 1t Is we'll known that
the average cash balance of the State
Treasury Is not more than $4,000 and
often It is below this amount. And
even this is covered on top with an
iron arch that should puzzle a safe
cracker even as much as 1t would tax
the wits of a regular yeggnan who
would want to enter on the first floor.
But some one In the crowd made
mention of time when the state was
troubled, not with dwindling funds but
with a surplus which almost called for
an extra session to know what to do
with It. There was talk of Governor
named W. D. Jelks who had the
Treasury running over and then, con-
WINGED of Alabama history, the party
seemed to have found a motive and a
booty.
Therefore, when Ralph Garner and
Tom Bradford, OF the state Treasury.
climbed to the dome, felt their way.
inch by inch, to. the remote recesses
where the rope ladder was suspended
they finally ran into the first section
of the device. 1t had dropped to the
ceiling above the cloak room of the
HOUSE Oh 10 Wa
thu second floor. And when II was
DRAGGED slowly from Its resting place
It developed that 1t was an old rope,
that 1t was the abandoned enterprises
of bygone burglar, some poor, mis-
guided fellow that craved the million
ana half that three years ago lay
IN the vaults.
THAT old rope bore ths signs Of age.
Dust had accumulated on its sides, and
dust had covered all the empty space
In the she'll of the dome The ambi-
tious burglar was mistaken in the dis
lance to which the dome's interior ex-
tended in its dip towards the Treas
urer's ONCE. There was the obstacle
OF the cloak room. And SO the plans
were discontinued Electrician Keyn-
ton was given the old ladder to do
with 1t as he sees fit. And he VIII
finisb his job for the State.
As . side-light OF the mystery 1t will
BIS recalled THAI about the time the
State was pulled up with Its plethora
of coin, Attaches of the Supreme Court
library found one morning, in the rear
of the Capitol building, kit of burg
lars tools These may or may not
have been q part Of the robbery
scheme.