The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-12-06
SECOND BURGLAR VISIT,
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
From Tuesdays Daily.

from tuesdays Daiiy.
There is an old saying that light
ming will not strike twice in the
same place" That saying may hold
good as to lightning, but it certain
| ly does not hold likewise as to
burglaries. For the second time
within few months the grocery
store of Flo, Pugh and Brockmeyer,
Front and Liberty streets, was visited
by burgfar-and maybe two OF
| them, last night.
The burglar entered the building
via cellar window. He took $4.44
| in money and about $40 worth of
trade checks from the cash register
leaving the money in the safe un-
| touched. 1t is the custom of the
proprietors of the store not to leave
any money in the safe over night
and to leave the stronghold unlocked
with sign reading This Safe Ia
| Open" hanging on the door. In
missing the money in the safe the
robbers must have done one of two
things. They may have thought the
sign was a ruse and started to lamp
err with the combination, thus lock-
| ing the safe and frustrating their
attempt to get at the money in
side or they may have opened the
safe, overlooked the change and
locked the safe afterward. At any
rate the safe door was locked this
morning and the sign was lying on
the floor.
1t is quite evident, from the me-
thods used, that the robbers were
not professionals and that the burg
larry was display of local talent.
Their first attempt to enter the store
was by means of the door on the
Liberty street side. The man had
started to whittle away the mould
ing around the glass in the door.
He began in the lower right hand
corner but not being able to make
much Roadway lifted the grating
over the cellar window, broke the
glass and screen in this window
and entered the cellar. He evidently
took a tumble when he dropped from
the cellar window to the floor, as
several boxes and two baskets of
onions which had been placed near
the window, were pretty well scat
tered. The burglar then found his
way about the cellar till he came
to the stairway leading upstairs and
the stairway into the store unlock
ed and the rest was easy. He tried
the safe, with the above mentioned
results and feeced the cash regis
ter out of $4.44 and the checks. In
leaving the building he went out the
back door of the store The key
had been left in the lock and his
exit was a good deal easier than
his entry.
The next evidence of the robber
was found by Archie Hunter, in the
employ of the Gamble Robinson COM
pany, when he went to work this
morning. In crossing the Milwau-
kee tracks near the Gamble-Robin-
son warehouse he found a handful
of the Flo, Pugh and Brockmeyer
trade checks. There was about $40
worth in all. The checks had been
dropped in little heap between the
rails. They were not scattered
about. Mr.. Hunter at once tele-
phoned the grocery store represent
ed by the trade checks and inform
ed Mr.. Flo of his find. Mr.. Flo in
formed Mr.. Hunter that a number
of the checks were missing from the
cash register and they were imme-
diately restored.
From the place where the trade
checks We're dropped no trace of the
robber has been found. The police
department is OF the opinion that
the theft was perpetrated by home
talent and is making every effort to
locate the guilty one.
About six months. ago the Flo,
Pugh & Brockmeyer store was en-.
tered and something like SIS in
cash taken. Part of this amount
was money which had been collect
ed for the chautauqua. 1t was placed
in the safe. A small amount was
found in the cash register and about
$35 was taken from Mr. Brockmey-
er's coat which had been left hang.
ing on the wall near the door. On
the same night "yeggs' blew the
safe i'm the meat market operated
by ]. M. Karmany, next door to the
grocery store, and about $25 was
obtained.