The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-04-04
goods it would appear the burglars
longed for food and recreation and


proceeded to the Steiner Bakery at
220 North Front street. Here they
hammered off the lock on the rear of
the building and once inside there
were evidences of their having en-
joyed a feast of cake and bread.
1t was here that the burglars left
some evidence that they were up
to the tricks of the ''yeggs." With
"a huge sledgehammer. which was in
the truck taken from Laven's they
proceeded to hammer and chisel off
the combination on the safe. The
noise of this work must have rivaied
the village blacksmith shop in the
busiest season. The safe stood di-
rectly against the front wall of the
building. squarely in front of the
windows.
Visited Cigar Store.
Doubtless accustomed to regular
courses in their meals the burglars
longed for a smoke and proceeded to
the T. X. Jones cigar store on Jack
son street. Here they gained en-
trance to the building by crawling
i'll over transom over a door open
ing from the alley. This door is al
most within reach of anyone passing
by on the street, but the robbers
must have felt quite safe and Secure
by this time, they apparently had
small reason to feel otherwise
From the Jones' cigar store the
providers took 81 so which was in
the "till," eighty pennies and 81 .25 of
lead money which had been passed
off on Mr.. Jones and which he kept
as a souvenir. 1t is probable they
took some cigars from the store but
Mr.. Jones stated he had no definite
way of checking how many cigars
were gone.
Carnival of Burglars.
The brief history of events com
pletes the carnival of burglars that
ragged on unmofested in the city dur
ing the small hours of the morning.
That the thieves were gentlemen in
their particular wav is evidenced by
the fact that at 1880 o'clock Sun
day morning one of their number
drove boldly up to the Laven garage
and ran the truck into the doors,
from whence it had been taken
sometime before. The exact time
this took place is known because the
thief drove the car against the closed
doors of the garage with such force
that the telephone Receiver was
knocked down inside and one of the
operators noticed the fact immedi-
ately.
Mrs. julius Griebel, who lives in
a fiat on South Front street above
the Schwickert hardware store notic-
ed that the rear window in STEMS
store was open about 7:30 o'clock
this morning. When Mr. Griebel re-
turned from church about 7:45 she
appraised him of the fact
Where Were the Police?
Mr.. Griebel stated that he immedi-
ately called the police headquarters
by telephone but was unable to get
any response. Realizing that rob-
berry might have been committed
he walked over to the station and
met Traffic Officer William Edwards
as he was coming on duty. Officer
Edwards notified Chief Ario and the
local department started work on the
case.
Trunks Checked to ST. Paul.
1t was learned that the three trunks
had been checked out of the Omaha
depot and Chief Ario notified the
st. Paul baggage clerk to be on the
lookout for the trunks. At 11:45
word was received at the local de-
partment that the trunks had arrived
in st. Paul and they were ordered
held there and instruction given for
the railway detective to arrest any
one who might claim them.
Chief Ario got into communication
with the st. Paul police department
and turned the case over to them.
II is thought that the robbers were
professionals at the game from the
manner they handled the work One
of the police officers expressed the
opinion that the burglar must be a
'h-l of a bad man."
There are few clues to work on
as to the identity Of the thieves
Saturday two unknown men, rather
poorly dressed, entered the Stein
Clothing store and looked at cor
duroy clothes, in the cases next to
those stolen. They did not purchase
anything.
Another interesting angle to the
case is where the man went who
drove the Laven truck up to the
garage at 1880 yesterday morning
and left it standing half inside the
doorway and the balance of it on the
sidewalk. He probably had time, to
return the auto and take the late train
for st. Paul.
Entered Oil Station.
Late yesterday afternoon another
chapter was added to the list of dep
relations committed by the burglars
here when it was learned that the
window to the Cedar Rapids Oh COM
pany filling station had been jimmied
open and the thieves ransacked the
office. AS far as can be learned moth
ing of value was taken. 1t may
have been that the providers were in
search of gasoline. A long silver was
split off the bottom of the window
sill where the thieves jammed their
bar or Jimmy down in order to get a
grip under the sill and pry it open.
Indications point that the Steiner
bakery was probably entered before
any of the other places in the city. At
four o'clock Sunday morning ]. A.
Meyer, who works in the bakery, en-