The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1912-12-17
MORRIS PLAINS POST
OFFICE AGAIN ROBBED
Yeggmen Blow Open Safe But
Get Little for Their Work.

Yeggmen paid another visit to the
Morris Plains post office last night,
blew open the safe and got away
with about $12 in money and few
stamps. The bulk of the money and
stamps is kept in safe deposit box
in a Morristown bank, so frequent
have been the robberies of the Nor
ris Plains office.
The burglars had entered the black
smith shop of Joseph NJ Tunis where
they secured a sledge hammer, and
from the barn of Postmaster ID. M.
Merchant they took two wrenches.
They tried first to enter the Mer-
chant building by means of small
window in the rear of the store and
about eight feet above the ground.
They raised ladder, found in the
barn. to the window but discovered it
to be stationary. Then they turned
their attention to the rear door. TAX
ing out a panel of the door they un-
fastened it and got into the rear of
the store. :,
The post office occupies small
space partitioned off from Mr.. Mer-
chants store and with a separate
street entrance There is a door
from the rear of the post office open
ing into the Merchant store. The
burglars made their way through the
store. trail of burnt matches show
ing their route, to the post office
door which they forced. The safe
stands in a corner in the rear of the
office. They evidently first bored
hole above the lock after knocking
off the combination handle with the
sledge. Then using nitro-glycerine or
some other explosive they attempted
to blow open the safe, using two old
blue blankets and a piece OF carpet
to deaden the sound.
Evidently not succeeding in getting
the door off with the charge they
returned to the blacksmith shop and
got a crowbar with which the remain
of the safe door were pried off. The
inner side of the door was blown to
pieces, only the outer shell remain
ing. While the force of the explo-
sion demolished the glass in the par
titions no one reports hearing the
noise. The thieves were evidently
litter money for they did not molest
cabinet standing next to the
safe and in which were several dol
AaE & worth of stamps and some
yw order blanks.
: of. Merchant this morning is
~ I. lrning the loss of the safe door.
&sS.sd has been robbed so often that he
lIes not keep much cash on hand.
Wing safe deposit vault for the
'Adorage of stamps and coin and max
g daily trips to it. Two other
\ajSss in his building he has equipped
In signs to the effect that they
unlocked. making practice of
Keeping them unlocked SO that his
valuable papers will be protected In
case of fire but thieves will not spoil
the safes by blowing them open.
But the post office safe he had
locked last night much to his sor-
row.
The only clew left by the thieves
was an old coat believed to belong
to woman and in a pocket of which
was a rusty bread knife with a SER
rated edge. Mrs. Chairman says she
saw three men running past her hom
about four-thirty this morning and a
strange man is said to have acted
in suspicious manner about the CEN
ter of the village shortly after ten
o'clock last night. The robbery was
discovered this morning by Mr.. Mer-
chant when he opened up his store.
The money in the safe was his own,
some cash he had laid asiSe to pay
insurance with. M