Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-05-03
BURGLARS BREAK SAFE
IN W00LW0RTH STORE
Yeggmen Get Only Small Change
After Several Hours
Work.
ENTERED THROUGH McCRoRY's
Believed to Have Gotten in by Trnn-
som-No Clue Is Left, as Robbers
Took Only Money and Got Away
at Once.

Burglars forced an entrance into tho
third story window of the F.. W. Wool
worth Company store. 413-415 East
Broad Street, Saturday night after
climbing into the store of ]. G. Nc
Crory Company, Inc, 41s-423 East
hacked their way with Ratchet to the
$s5 or moro which the safe contained
Tho intruders are thought to have
spent several hours in the two stores
and to havo left through tho rear door
of the Woolworth store before day.
light. The burglars made good their
escape without leaving any clues upon
which Detectives Sergeants Wiltshire,
Bailey. kellam and Willy can base an
investigation.
Duo to the fact that no safe is kept
In tho McCrory Five-and-Ten- Cent
store, the burglars wore unsuccessful
In their search for money In this es-
tablishment. However, they broke open
every door on the second floor of the
store and made nm exhaustive search
for valuables. unrewarded, they Sc
cured a ladder and climbed to the third
story window Of the Woolworth store.
They removed pane of glass. raised
the sash and descended to the first
floor where the safe was kept
ROLLED SAFE INTO BACK
ROOM THIRTY FEET AWAY
The burglars rolled the safe out OF
the room In which 1t was kept back
to another room some thirty feet dis
tant. They secured chisels and hatch
cts from tho stores counters. and, af-
ter removing the iron sheeting on the
bottom OF the safe, hacked through the
plaster of paris into the vault No
papers OF any kind was touched by
the robbers. They collected the sew
eral bags of coins and examined them
at leisure, a fact clearly shown when
1t was discovered that twenty-three
Canadian quarters and one-half dollar
had been sorted out of tho money and
left on the safe.
r. w. Stevens. manager of the Wool
worth store. said last night that his
store would have lost considerable
money in the robbery had It not been
for the fact that n deposit had been
made In tho Broad Street Bank at 7
o'clock. and that only sufficient money
for Monday morning change had been
left in tho safe. He said that the rob-
bers would have gotten In the neigh
borhood Of $1,000 but for this fact
and would probably have equaled the
haul made by what Is thought to have
been the Same gang which robbed the
Woolworth store In Camden, n. J., the
Saturday night previous.
TwENITY-EIGHTH wOOLwoRTH
STORE ROBBED IN AS MANY WEEKS
In that robbery the burglars found
that the snfe was In an exposed posi-
uon and that they could be seen from
the street. They. therefore, painted n
safe on piece OF canvas and hung
1t In the place usually occupied by the
vault, after they had rolled 1t back
into tho store. In fact, the manager
OF the local store said that the rob-
berry or Saturday Night WAS the TWEEN
ty-eighth Woolworth store to be made
victim In as many Saturday nights
The burglary was discovered about Q
O'Clock yesterday morning by Police
men Tyler and Schlief. who found the
rear door OF the Woolworth building
standing open. While they were In
vestigating in the rear OF the store,
building. noticed n ladder on the roof
md called their attention to It, The
officers Mt once notified Police Head
quarters OF the circumstances. and the
detectives were sent TO the place In
the meantime, Mrs. Stevens had been
municate with her husband, who was
mt church.
ENTERED McCRORY STORE
THROUGH TRANsoM OVER doom
Detective Wiltshire said last night
that entrance into the McCrory store
had evidently been gained through the
transom of the door leading from the
hall which opens into Lnyton's photo
graphic studio. This hall is reached
from the street by flight of stairs,
which lead to the second story OF the
building. and which are between the
entrances to the two Five-nnd- Ten
Cent stores. The front door Is thought
TO have been open. rs there were no
signs of its having been forced
1t is supposed that one man was left
near the front OF the building as a
lookout while the others climbed into
tho McCrory store. Here the burglars
worked havoc. The second floor Is d.
Vided into n number of small rooms,
and the men forced each OF these doors
in an attempt to locate tho safe They
wcre unsuccessful. as no safe Is used
by this firm. but tho detectives are of
the opinion that the men spent n long
while In the store on account of the
thorouGhness OF their search
After they had completed their work
In the McCrory establishment. the bur-
glars secured a ladder and crossed the
roof to the Woolworth store.
FOUR MEN THOUGHT
TO HAVE TAKEN PART
1t is supposed that at least four men
were engaged in the work within the
builulnES, as manager stevens said last
night that IL required that number OF
mon to move the safe. The men are
thought to have found but little diff
Guilty In breaking into the safe, and 1t
is supposed they left the building
shortly after sorting the money
Manager Stevens Informed tho de-
tcctives as well rs reporters that he
was unable to state definitely the
amount of money lost by his firm. as
his accountant had nc; reported to
him Just what sum was kept for the
Monday morning change. lie was posi-
tive that tho sum was less than $500
however. and thought it probably
amounted to about sS5. The loss is
fully covered by insurance.
II Is not known what steps the trust
company will take with regard to the
robbery. hut the local police will notify
tho authorities of all cities near Rich
mond In which the firm has stores to
he on the lookout for the gang. The
detectives will continue their investi-
cations to-day, but they entertain little