Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-12-28
BOLD BURGLAR A
BAD BUNGLER; IS
HELD BY POLICE
Lone Man Tries to Steal Jew.
elry from Show Window of
j. Ramser Store.
FALLS DOWN ON THE JOB
Is Chased and Captured by Two Men
Who Hear Crash of Broken
Plate Glass.

One of the boldest attempts at rob
berry in the history of the local police
was perpetrated at 1920 last night.
when Chicago yeggman stepped up
to the Ramser jewelry store, 1925 Sec
Old avenue, in the window of which
were displayed many hundred dollars
worth of jewelry, and smashed the big
plate glass with brick with the in
teDtion of reaching his arm through
the aperture and rif1ing the window of
iEs contents. 1t was only due to his
bungiing work that the robbery was
not successful, for an entire half of
the big window, which measures
14514x5 inches, came crashing to the
sidewalk, pieces of the crystal cutting
the robbers hand so badly that he
could not carry out his plan The
crash of falling glass attracted the at
tention of men in James restaurant,
just across the street, and they gave
! chase to the man, who ducked into the
alley by the Majestic theatre on Eign-
teenth street and ran west. The pur-
| suers overlook the man on the cor
| nef of Second avenue and Seventeenth
/ street and took him to the police sta
! ton where he was turned over to the
authorities. He gave his name as
! Walter Stratton and claimed Chicago
as his home He is about 26 years of
age. His case has been continued un-
til Monday morning, pending further
inv estigation into his past history.
WAS BUNGLED JOB.
STATIONS work was decidedly bun
glesOme. With the brick in his right
hand he struck the glass on the lower
right hand corner. His original inten
ton was to merely knock small hole
in the crystal, but the blow he struck
was delivered with such force as to
break out the entire lower section. The
top part then slid down with a crash
catching the robber on the hand anC
cutting it severely The robber then
took to his heels.
EXCITING CHASE.
The capture of the criminal was eff
fected by Elmer Whited, night man il
the James restaurant, and Bert Ellis o
Davenport, who was in the place a
the time. They rushed out on th'
! SlltGl dlu SdW LAP
idly away from the window, holding
one hand. They Immediately starteC
the pursuit, overtaking the fugitiv,
/, opposite the Thomas Drug company
Seventeenth street and Second ave
nue. They grabbed their man an,
asked him why he broke the window.
81 did not break any window" re
piled StrattOn who had his right ham
in his pocket
One of the men then grabbed tn
1 right arm, and yanked the hand int
. view The first finger was badly Lac
Grated and the entire member covere
! with blood.
'Tf you did not break the window
how did you cut your hand?" question
Il ed StFatton's captors.
: 81 got in a row with a woman an
snc pulled razor on me-" was tn
h flinsy excuse offered, and the robbie
=. was forthwith delivered to the polio,
Here a physician was called and tn
;, wounds dressed.
r NOTHING is TAKEN.
Nothing was taken from the vii
d dow and the damage is fully covere
r By insurance. When questioned by th
police, Stratton said he got the wron
. window and had no intention {
+ breaking the Ramser glass, but r
: fused to commit himself further.