The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-10-20
CUTTERS TOO SLOW;
VANDALS USE BRICK
STORE WINDOW Is DESTROYED
WHEN MISSILE is HURLED
BY UNKNOWN
POLICE HAVE NO CLUE
NUMBER OF BUSINESS HOUSE
FRONTS DAMAGED SINCE SAT-
URnAY NIGHT By GLASS
CUTTERS

Practically no progress has been
made by the police In their efforts
to locate and apprehend the vandals
who have been cutting the plate glass
windows in store fronts on Broad
street The work of scratching glass
continues. and early yesterday morn
ing the destroyers of the windows APP
pear To have become dissatisfied with
the comparative slowneSs of their
work Of destruction, for brick was
thrown through a window Of the
store of NJ. f. Terrell, at 2is West
Broad street.
The report of the latest outrage
against the property Of local business
concerns has stirred them more than
ever The police appear helpless be-
fore the cunning OF the unknowns
who have entered into the work Of
making business for window glass
manufacturers. Though what appear
to he initials and portions of names
have been cut into some of the win
dows they are insufficient as clues
upon which to work successfully in
apprehending the guilty parties,
The latest window cutting reports
come from points distant from those
at which the evil work was first done.
Among the latest to suffer are Blair's
drug store ON East Broad street, the
store of Arthur e. Calm at Fourth
and Broad, and the store of Fire
/ Commissioner w. A. Cheatwood at
1913 East Main. Since Saturday
night these windows have been cut,
Boy Fools Police Chief.
Major Louis Werner. police chief,
Saturday night thought for awhile that
i he had located one of the guilty par
ties when he noticed boy walking
+ ahead Of him, dragging "a hand, part
ly closed upon some object, across
/ window Major Werner grabbed the
youth and compelled him to open his
hand
pipe of briar with a rubber com
position mouthbit, was all the open
/ hand contained. This was not an In
strument with which glass could be
cat. or even scratched in the slightest
and the officer was compelled To let
the boy 20. explaining to him when
he did SO why he had held him up,
and warning him not tc make any
more such motions.
The police have been furnished
with absolutely nothing upon which
they can work. they say, the perpe-
traitors of the window cutting job be-
! ing careful 70 DO Their work at such
times no one is looking. The pro-
prietors of the stores. who have saf-
fered because of the vandalism, can
give no aid to the police in the way
or clue.
Police Arc Watchfu1.
. Since the matter was first reported
to the police their vigilance has re-
duced the glass cutting to a mimi
mum. The patrolmen have been so
on guard that wholesale cutting Of
windows such as occurred on Broad
street Thursday night, is impossible.
A reward of $3.50 offered by the
merchants whose windows have beer
damaged win he paid for the arrest
and conviction of the guilty party oil
, parties opinion is divided As tc
! whether the perpetrators are boys
bent on mischief or of men whose
efforts are wilfully malicious.
Though 1t was at first thought this
work had been done by some one
dragging diamond across the win
, dows. Il is now believed an ordinary
/, glass cutter that can he bought for {
:. dime is the instrument used. The
work done by the cheap glass cutter
ia very similar to the cuts ant
scratches upon the windows. The Cut'
. appear of the same width and depth
as those made In a test by the police
with a piece of glass at headquar
tiers,