Evening journal., 1914-11-11
HOME IS
Sacked BY ROBBER
circumstances Lead Police
TO Suspect Street, Escaped
Convict, of New Theft
CLOTHING MONEY
AND JEWELRY, LOOT

hlND JEW ELR [, LOOI
One of the most daring robberies
reported to the local police authori-
ties for several months was that at
the home of Pierre S. dupont, Penn
sylvaDia avenue and Rising Sun
Lane, early last Monday evening, and
as the robber. in addition to carry
ing off jewelry consisting Of watches,
rings and the like, took clothes,
stockings and shirts, the police are
wondering if the crime could have
been committed by Cornelius c..
Street, who escaped from the work
house early Monday morning half
clothed. The DUPONT home is close
TO the residence of William Winder
Laird, for the rObbing of whose
house Street was sentenced 20 ten
years imprisonment
Entrance Co the DUPONT home was af-
fected by means of a second story porch
and once on the inside of the build ng
the rubhor worked with free hand. Des-
pitc the fact that members oi the du-
pont household were asleep in the
building at the time, the robber ran
sacked the many bedrooms and seou ed
watches, rings and money. Then the
robbor took his pick of clothing, taking
mems wearing apparel.
Chief Warden Crawford OF the work
house officially reported Streets escape
20 the workhouse trustees yesterday.
Tho warden said st Get not only chop
ped his way ont OF the workhouse but
actually burned "A hole in the wooden
roof OF the workshop and then with the
aid of pair OF scissors removed the
slate piece by piece Not a slab of the
slate roof was broken. To prevens the
odor of burning wood being waited TO
other parts of the building, Street had
pail OF water and with cloth he
soaked the burning wood to owe come
the smoke. The blaze used in this man
ner by Street was from painter
torch, which he had found in the prison
workshop.
Warden Crawford showed that Street
i'm some manner dartcd from the line Oi
prisoners as they were marched tc
their cells from the religious services
last Sunday afternoon. II is thought
that when he left the line he concealed
himself in an alcove opening into a
window leading into the workshop
Through this he evidently crawled later
and once inside he started n hunt fol
one of the painters torches he had often
seen used in the room. With this light
ed he crawled TO the top OF a pile ol
cases and applying the heated atme tC
the metal ceiling ne soon loosened tho
solder. This done. Street pulled tn,
metal ceiling away and crawled into tn,
space between the ceiling and tho
wooden rafters.
In order to get through the woodeI
roof. Street again used mis- torch, burn
ing the wood slowly, but surely. Whel
the smoke became too dense he applied
the wet cloth and after several hour'
work he succeeded i'm making an opening
against the slate, which lined the out
side of the roof.
The slate was removed slowly and
the pieces were deposited by Stree;
on the metal ceiling, he using a large
pair of sheers or scissors as a chisel.
While Street was at work on the roof
of the prison, the watchman entered
the workshop every hour between six
o'clock and midnight. and after that
That he was there is shown by the
time clock which the watchman
punched on every round.
It is the opinion of the authorities
that Street had mapped out his plau
of escape for weeks. watching every
move made in the shop where he was
employed. That he had decided OF
his move on Sunday was attested b!
the fact that he left his shoes ant
stockings on the floor of his cell OF
the first tier and his coat on a pes
beside his cot. He had wrappe,
this coat around his pillow, and /
, was this that the guards thought wa
, n dummy.
d After making the hoe through tn
/ roof Street returned to the first foo
, OF the shop and by an almost super
Z human effort carried a large bolt o
cloth to his hiding place. One end o
- this he tied to a rafter and the Othe
I end he carried across the roof an
Z dropped on the outside of the prison
, Down this Street slid TO freedom.
e Once on the outside, Street was no
seen by any one. although it is ad
D mitted that he could not have lei
q the institution before three o'clock i
r the morning, as the work OF burn'n
!, hole in the wood roof required sey
eral hours. II Is now thought tina
e the prisoner. once outside. ran {
n the woods nearby and concealed him
self until Monday evening when
started 10 move about
While It was at first reported ths
, Streets absence was discovered whe
the Goth was found dangling froI
. the roof, it was learned that whe
the roll call or counting of the pris
oners was made on Monday mornin
il was discovered that a man wa
missing. Warden Crawford at ono
started an investigation and II wa
discovered that Street had escaped
When warden Crawford went to tn
shop he found nearly a hushel {
burned shayings on the metal cell
ing and near the hole we're the tool
the prisoner had used.
AT their meeting yesterday th
1yorEhouea frugfppg inferred a rpWar