The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-10-18
VANDALS IMPLICIT
SERIOUS DAMAGE
Carve Names and Cut Slashcs il
Plate Glass Fronts of Broad
Street Stores.
MERCHANTS ARE INDIGNANT
Retail Merchants Association
Offers $3.50 Reward for Arrest
and Conviction OF Culprits.

new type OF vandalism appeared
III Richmond early yesterday morning,
when malicious persons wrought havoc
among the plate-glass fronts of Broad
street stores by cutting into the glass
and streaking it with long gashes,
signs, initials names and marks of all
sorts When the merchants got down
town at opening time and gazed on the
work OF the vandals they were natur-
ally enraged, and, after consultation.
called on Major Werner with a request
that he detail special officers TO ferret
out the men who had done SO much
wanton mischief
The committee which called on
Major Werner and Mayor Ainslie was
composed of w. ~ Clarke, Jr., score
tary OF the Retail Merchants Associa
tion; j. q. Corley. l. IL. Kaufman. w.
III. Schwarzschild and John A. Divine.
More Thnn Forty stores suffer.
investigation by Mr. Clarke who
made Il special tour of Broad Street.
showed that more than forty stores had
suffered, and the damage was so great
In some instances. he said. that the
plate glass will have to be reversed. or
even entirely removed to make place
Tor new glass. One Of tho merchants.
he stated, got an estimate yesterday
afternoon as to how much il would
cost to have the glass reversed 1t
would cost s25 he was informed. and
to change forty would cost $4,000
Kaufman IL Company, the Schwar:s
enid Brothers the Corley Company.
the Cohen Company aud other large
ftrmS suffered the most. In some of
these stores the windows were cut
from end to end. initials and names
were carved on them and figures en-
Eravcd. The name Martha Gold" was
cut in one of the windows. In another
were carved the initials "P r r.
and III. a." On still another was
carved rich, Moor" which looked as
IL II had been left unfinished
Cheap Tool Used.
The work seems to have been done
with n cutting wheel made of finely
tempered steel such as carpenters and
painters use, which may be bought In
hardware stores for 80 cents Ii was
though by some that the vandalism
may have been the work OF boys but
Mr.. Clarke said that the names and
initials appeared to have been cut by.
an older hand The letters were we'll
turned and properly shaped. as II some
care had been taken in the engraving.
AT the instance of the merchants
WHO suffered. the Retail Merchants
Association offered n reward OF $3.50
for information leading to tho arrest
and conviction of the person or per-
sons who caused the damage. Major
Werner last night detailed all the de
tective force and many patrolmen in
plain clothes to work on the case, and
TO use every effort to arrest the Gull
prit or culprts.
The vandalism was chiefly confined
to Broad street. Few stores were
touched on the north side though Wcis-
berger, Hofhcimcr and Tyler were dam
aged.
Some OF the merchants complained
that there were not enough police TO
patrol Broad Street, to which Major
Werner replied that ne had as many
men as he could spare from residential
and outlying section TO cover il, and
called attention TO the fact that he
had asked for more men The mcr-
chants said that they would 20 before
tho City Council to see that he did
get more men.
BcEnn Two Weeks Ago.
The vandalism was first noticed on
the night of October &. when long
slashes were cut into the plate glass
window OF Fourqurean ana Company.
The police were notified of that, and
there was no recurrence of the mis-
cheif until Thursday night, when the
window cutting was done by whole
sale The same sort OF depreciation
was perpetrated about four years ago.
but was not extensive.
Mr.. Clarke said last night that the
more serious slashes in the glass would
gradually wear through until the glass
would break at the slightest touch.
He said that an expert would be called
in to-day to see il the damage could
be reDaired