The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1915-03-08
Lone BURGLAR
WRECKS SAFE
At new PARIS
Steals 500 Cash and Large
Quantity Of Stamps After
Bursting Vault With Nj
troglycerin.
ROBBER DROPS $1,000
Light From Office of DR..
Harris Routs Intruder
Bank Safe, Containing
$1,000, Unmolested. -

$O,VVU, OnIuOleSCeQ. ..iA.s
A lone robber blew the safe in
the New Paris post office at 1 80
o'clock this morning and got I;
away with more than 500 in /
cash and a large quantity Of |
stamps.
Next door to the post office is |
the First National bank where !
there was last night $1,000 in
cash and q bigger supply of
stamps than the post office safe
held.
It is the second time the post
office has been approached in
ten months. On both occasions,
DR.. Harris who lives next door,
was awakened. The first time,
the burglar ran before getting in
and this morning the safe blow
er fled when DR.. Harris turned
on a light.
Asks for Boarding House.
The postoffice is centrally located
on Main street The report of the
nftroglycerin explosion awakened most
of the residents of New Paris, but fear
kept them from investigating.
Last night there were two suspicious
characters in New Paris. One walked
in from the east and had no baggage
He asked some young men where he
could find boarding houes, and said
he did not care about the price it il
was first class. Citizens are inclined
to believe he is the robber.
When DR.. Harris was awakened he
turned on a light over the drug store
where he stays. He switched it off and
then turned it on again. The second
time, the robber opened the back door
and ran. The druggists could see him
and hear his footballs.
Fer sesesh Party.
&E1.-. .-.:sssse- z.s- ar q ...s
town marshal, Joe Bicknell. who i'm
mediately called Postmaster Charles
Marshall, and the two men organized
searching party.
The party trailed the robber south
on Washington street and through al
leys by coins and stamps which were
dropped. About $35 was picked up.
of which $50 was found in the rear of
the office.
A number Of trains were switching
on the Pennsylvania railroad at the
time. and it is believed the robber
doubled back and took one of the
trains, either through Richmond or to
Columbus.
The safe was shattered. No attempt
had been made to muffle the sound of
the explosion by the usual methods.
The safe door was blown off, and
only the fact that the building Is of
concrete saved it from damage. The
door of the safe crashed through row
of postoffice call boxes and made a
dent in the east wall.
Tool Kit Found.
The only evidence found is one side
of a leather tool kit, and part of a
burglars outfit.
| A postoffice inspector was called
from Dayton, but the report of his
| findings has not been made public.
Nothing was disturbed until he reach
ed town and took charge.
There is no doubt that the robbof 10
a professional safe blower. The rob-
berry was systematically planned even
to the getaway on the trains, 1t is be-
lieved.
The rear window was jimmied. The
thief insured q quick exit by unlocking
the rear door. When the bright light
| from the Harris rooms shown across
the yard. he had only to open the door
and run into rear yards which would
have afforded him hiding places II he
had been pursued.
The bank is located at the corner
of Main and Washington streets. 'front.'
ing on Main. Next to 1t on Main is
the Harris drug store. To the rear Of
Washington is the concrete post office
building which is built close up to the
bank wall. In the rear of the three
! places Is yard or court.
| Postmaster Marshall keeps only a
small amount of cash in the safe, as he
makes daily deposits In the bank. The
amount of money on hands represent
ed the business of the office from the
time of the deposit on Saturday.
! Whether the robber pnrposely pass.
ed up the bank. where $4,000 in cash
was kept. is not known. The bank
presents a much more formidable ap-
pearance as a place to enter under
such circumstances.
| Little hope of finding the robber
| is entertained. Not enough valuable
postal matter was stolen to create sus.
picion when sold in a large city. There
is little probability of the robber hav-
ing continued on his course south OF
| New Paris as farmers were immediate
ly notified and the country people
were on the alert.
/ n