New Britain herald., 1917-05-16
CROOKS CONTINUE
 THEIR VISIT HERE
Ransack TEo Homes, Securing
 $f8o in One Apartment

Keeping financial, harvest from local homes, largely those located in tenement buildings, especially clever and daring key experts, whom the po- lice believe to be metropolitan crooks, are working the city, have eluded detectives and left no trace of their identity. No longer are trunks and other tmprovised banks safe as de- positories for savings, the crooks showing almost uncanny ability to ferret out anything savortng of money. Detectives believe the pres ence of the undesirables in the city is one of the periodical visits received by every city of importance and part of the campaign of burglary re- ported as having been in progress in tho east. There is a theory, not substantiated, that the increased number of burglaries, especially in homes of moderate circumstances, comprise one result of the war excite ment, state of financial unrest pre- vailing and idea that accumulations of wealth have been stored in the home with the expectations of future financial stringency or to finance ag- ricultural activities.
 Two exceptionally daring "jobs' by key workers were successful yester- day afternoon at 80 Grove street, the apartments of Mrs. Josephine Bud nick and Mrs. Thomas Havey being entered, thoroughly ransacked and all ready cash appropriated. Both occu- pants were absent on shopping trips. entrance to their homes taking place soon after they left and indicating the gang works systematically, has look outs and keeps tabs on what homes are vacant. Mrs. Budntck informed detectives that all doors were secure ly locked and tho same conditions ap- piled to the windows when she left. The tenement, one of two in the six tenement building, Is on the second floor, the Havey home being across the hall. As far as can be ascer- tAined, these two apartments were tho only vacant ones in the building yesterday afternoon. Ono of the ten- ants on the ground floor heard people moving about in the Budnick apart ments about 3 o'clock but, because of physical infirmaties and being par tially crippled by rheumatism, was unable to investigate.
 The police theory Is that the rear door of both tenements were entered by a key. as there are indications that the Kitchens of both homes were 1 the first rooms visited. Before start ing in work, curtains of windows opening on the verandas and within 1 view of neighboring houses were 1 pulled close Bureaus, trunks and other piAees whore there was a pos4i- bildty Of money hidden. were ran- sackSd. Atsthe Budnick home $1s0st was found the money being hidden, { supposedly securely, in . trunk in an ! obsclare part of one of the rooms It l was forced open. Exit from these rooms was by means ofs a window | open4Ag Into the front hallway.
 = By this method there was less hk1i- hood that they would be seen coming from m n9apartment by neighbors. and their conduct deemed suspicious. Also, | once in the front hallway, plausible explanations could be given as to their presence and there would be ignorance as to what apartment they came from.
 After their visit to the Budnick home, similar procedure was followed in the opposite apartment, entrance being gained by the rear. door and exit hein9 through q front window opening on the hallway. .sx g57 K if ss Sss s.4