The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1913-03-18
MOB PACKS HESTER ST.
Shop Closed and Customers
Will Have to Wait at
Least Three Days.
LOSS Is ABOUT $3.50. 900
Max Simons Says He'll Quit
BusincSS-firm Not Liable,
II Appears.

A reward of $4,000 was offered Ia st
night 10y Martin Simons A. Son. the ysult
of whose pawnshop at ~ Hester street
was robbed on Saturday night of unset
diamonds, jcwclry and cash appraised
at s2jo,0oo. According to the adver-
tiseincnt the reward is for the recovery
of tho treasure and arrest and con-
viction of the thieves.
II was offered after Martin Smons and
his son Max. his partner for twenty
years. had worked all day in their office
getting ready for AN inventory whereby
th"N hoped To ascertain lust what WAS
taken and what was left by the night
burglars who bored under the cellar and
through floor and brick vault wall and
never touched AN electric wire. a break
III whose current meant sure discovery.
The pawnshop was closed. Before II
stood policemen, waving back "A street
fun OF men and women who either had
pawntiCkets demanding redemption or
were there to support the loud ClamOr
of their friends insisting that the door
he opened and their property be given
back
Once "A woman slipped into the shop
and shook her fist in Max Simous's face
aS she flooded him with lddish en-
postulation. Each of the anxious hc-
siegers was told that II would be three
days at least before he could enter and
try To get his diamonds out of pawn
that the Simonscs did not yet know en-
aCtly what articles had been rejected by
the thieves.
No clues that Deputy Commissioner
Dourhcrty would talk about We're turned
up 10y tn" police. although II was a day
of superlativc activity at Headquarters.
Ercatsr the ch'CtriC alarm wires were
So doNtcru,lsly avoided by the thieves
both Martin Snons and his son said
Yesterday that the lootinG must have
been planned hv somebody who knew
all about the store. But being asked IL
he suspected any particular person
Martin Simons threw up borh hands and
said:
Good heavens. no Ny employees
arr my relatives. They are only my son.
who is a partner. my son-in-law and my
nephew besides a girl hookkeeper who
is not Of our family. Each one of them
is above suspicion
Max Smons took SrN reporter
showed him the punctured brick vault
and the hole in the floor and the small
hole beneath the cellar wall where the
thieves squeezed through from the ad-
joining coal bin. lie said that the vault
itself was wired with burglar alarm in
roof and wall. wherein he differs from
Edwin T. Holmes, president Of tho
| Holmes Electric Protective Company.
/ ho
Of the vault was wired. The wall which
the burglars pierced used to have live
wires. he said hut they have been dead
I for several years.
! within the last eight months "
/ added Mr.. Holmes. my company wrote
n letter To Mr.. Simons telling him that
/ ho ought to have the vault thoroughly
wired We told him II would cost $40
/ to protect the inside of the vault In this
way and 5000 10 put a cabinet full OF
wires around the outside of the vault
lie did not do 1t.
| as matter OF fact ] believe there
are about 1000 pawnshops in the clty
and most of them are not wired at all
What happened in the Simons pawn.
shop could happen In many Maiden lane
! jewelry stores. some of which are about
/ as 'lI'tlIN'lN GudTueu az "a bldtkSlfll II
shop. | don't see why these stores don't
! hire watchmon at least. The cost Is
only SO a day"
! Max Simons said yesterday that a..
! though exact figures could not be known
until the two inventory specialists COM
! plcte the work which they are to begin
/ to-day, an estimate OF his firms loss
as s2J0,000 was not "cXtravaGant." This
loss, Of course, is not the fun value Of
| the stolen jewels. IL is tho money
which the Simonses lent on the Jewels
10 persons who pawncd them. The
actual value is considerably higher than
| this-probaby more than $3.50 900, The
Slmonses, like many other pawnbrokors,
had no fixed rate of lending.
The son Of one Per Cent. Simons
was looking ont of the plate glass OF his
! locked front door at the Glamorous
crowd outside as he went on: Men We
do business with called uS UP this morn
J ing and said 'Smons, YOU keep right
on in business and wen give YOU credit
| to the limit. lIut | told 'cm, NO, I'm
through I'm going to quit, I'm ruined
and there's no use going on. Martin
Simons & son ar" cleaned out
I've been here for twenty years"
the Junior partner continued and have
done we'll and spent lot OF money. Had
automobiles and fast horses and trav-
clcd with the best of them. That's end