South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-10-20
HARDWARE STORE IS
ROBBED At HIGH NOON
Customer Gets Clerk Outside
While "PaI" Rifles Safe
OF Sis.

A most daring daylight robbery
the circumstances OF which were al
most identical ass those OF the MAY
well case two years ago. was perpe-
trated at high noon Tuesday at the
Barnard hardware store, Lincoln way
w. when between $135 and SloU was
stolen from the safe.
with the streets filed with noon
hour home-goers from the various
factories. one OF the two men came
through the rear door Of the store
and rified the safe while his pal
held the attention Of the only clerk
in the store during the noon hour' on
the outside with questions pertaining
TO the capacity and quality OF a ~
gallon garbage can.
The money which was locked In a
small drawer in the safe, was not
missed until Tuesday evening when
the cashier Miss Helen Weber, went
to make change for "A big bill. Reach
ing for the money she was surprised
TO find the drawer empty. Thinking
that Mr.. Barnard had banked 1t. she
asked him for change. lie told her
TO get it from the safe and she re-
piled that there wasn't any there.
This was the first intimation of the
robbery. The police were at once no
titled and a good description of the
Ii was found on investigation that the
two men boarded an east bound New
York Central passenger train without
ticket Late Tuesday night informa-
ton was secured from the Elkhart
police officials that the two men had
left the train at that city but had
taken another later in the afternoon,
presumably for Toledo, Q. The To-
ledo police officials were then notified
but no information had been received
from them until a late hour We'd
nesday morning.
The robbery Of Tuesday noon was
the most daring event of its kind per-
petrated in MishaWaka since a like
occurrence was staged at the some
store two years ago, then owned by
John Maxwell The circumstances of
the two rObberies are almost identl-
cal. .
The greatly delayed discovery of
the rifed money drawer, hampered
the police department considerably in
apprehending the two men Tuesday.
They are given credit for their
cleverness in carrying through their
plans. About 10 o'clock in the morn
ing a man entered the store and made
a purchase of a small box of brass
headed lacks from the cashier, Miss
Weber. In payment for the tacks he
gave her a $40 bill. Going TO the
rear of the store TO the safe for the
change ne followed her. presumably
to learn the location of the money
drawer. He requested a $40 and a
S5 bill, and the balance in small
change. BY this request it was his
intention TO learn the amount of
money contained in the safe.
At II O'Clock Mr. Barnard and the
clerks went to dinner. leaving the
store in charge of owen Geary. Short
" after they went out a dressed
middle-aged man entered and pur-
chased a box Of brass-headed tacks.
He also priced garbage cans and
asked the clerk to come outside with
him TO inspect those which were on
display on the sidewalk. The clerk,
in good faith went with him and after
considerable wrangling sold a small
can. This he carried inside and offer
ed to deliver. The purchaser told him
to never mind as he was going to
the garage for his machine and would
come back.
Some or 20 minutes later he re-
turned. This time he told the clerk
he was sure that he required a larger
can than that which he bought and
the two went again to the sidewalk
AT last a satisfactory agreement was
reached, the can was paid for and
he went away This was the last seen
Of either of the men by the people of
the store.
II Is probable that during the period
of the second trip to the outside of
the store, the aCcOmplice came
through the back door and rifed the
safe of its contents. The drawer had
been pried open with a creW-driver