Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-07-05
CRACKSMAN.
SHOT IN GUN
BA 7 lie
Kirkwood Residents Capture
Postoffice Robber, Who Blows
Safe but Gets No Money.

With late Developments indicating
that Walter Turpin, the yeggman who
cracked the safe of the Kirkwood
postoffice Friday night. is modern
Fagin," who takes young boys under
his wing and schools them in the
ways of crime. the authorities of De-
Kalb County and Atlanta are securing
the country to capture two boys said
TO have served as lookouts while Tur-
pin fired the charges of nitroglyc-
crime.
When the posse Of citizens and off,
GERS, hastily formed after the first ex-
plosion in the postoffice, reached the
scene, two boys, both wearing knee
trousers, leaped from the shadows Of
the building and ran down the street
The officers yelled at them to halt
but the boys paid no attention and
the posse opened fire. Both escaped
apparently without injury.
Turpin, in statements made to the
authorities Saturday morning, denied
that the boys were with him. He was
alone in the attempt to rob the post
office he said. Sheriff McCurdy and
- Chief of Detectives Lanford, however,
are Of the opinion that Turpin, like
the famous Dickens character, con-
Quoted a regular school Of crime in
Atlanta. and that the two boys were
children who had come under his in
fiuence and whom he was using in
his operations.
Turpin Tells Story.
Turpin Saturday morning told the
complete story of the attempt to rob
the safe and of the events that led
UP to it.
81 was released from the Federal
penitentiary. where I had been sent
from Richmond, Va. for counterfeit
ing, February o." he said. Il have
been working at the Shoe Renury on
Auburn Avenue, and before that l
worked at several places as a tailor.
] planned the robbery Of the Kirk
wood postofice about a week ago
when l went out and looked over the
ground and made my plans.
Last night left Atlanta about II
o'clock and got out to Kirkwood
about 1880. Earlier in the afternoon
/ got some whisky on CORTLAND
Street near Decatur, and was very
drunk when l got to Kirkwood. /
entered the. building through win
dow, and in moving around, trying
TO get my bearings, I fell down the
elevator shaft, a distance of about
10 feet. 1 wrenched my back, and 1t
was five minutes before I could
move. Then l managed to get hold
of the cables of the elevator and
drew it down into the basement, and
then rode up to the first floor.
Injury Prevented Escape.
81 found the safe, all right, and
prepared to blow it. I had four
Dances of nitro -glycerine, which had
made by soaking two sticks of dyna-
mite in water and then squeezing
them. I made my soap cup and fired
the nitro glycerine. The first shot
raised the handle and combination OF
the safe. Twenty minutes later /
fired the second shot, and it raised
other things, Then people began
shooting at me, and l was so busy l
hardly know what happened. I had
hurt my back so badly in falling
down the elevator shaft, however,
that l could not have gotten away
even had I not been shot"
Turpin says his real name is Wal
ter Turpin, and that he is SO yearE
old. His home, he says, is in Chester,
Pa.
The twisted front door Of hte safe
and the mass Of splinters Httering
the little grocery store at Kirkwood
gives an idea of the dramatic scene.
Il was sleeping on my rront porch"
said L. J. Cassells, owner Of the store
and one of the attacking party. when
I was awakened shortly after mid
night by an explosion l thought was
q big frecracker. | rolled over to
sleep again.
1T must have been about 80 min
utes later when | was awakened by
loud explosion that must have been
heard for miles around My wife and
dumped out Of bed and she turned
on the light. | turned il of and took
my stand to watch at the window,
Continued on Page 2. Column 4.