The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-06-22
Four Men Were at Work at the keo.
kuk Canning company's Plant
This Morning But are Dis
covered.
POLICE FIRE AT THEM
Men Make Getaway When Patrolmen
Enter PIant-Wholesale Grocery
House Siso is
Visited.

Four men broke into the Keokuk
Canning companys plant last night
with the evident intention to steal
sugar stored there. The fact that
! the sugar room is protected by
/ double barred door and that the engi-
! neer of the plant who lives next door
saw lights in the building, and called
! the police resulted in Illustration of
/ the plans of the quartet. The men
made their escape from the two OIL
GERS by running through the office
and down stairs. The patrolman
fired three shots at the would-be rob-
! bers, according to the police report
Whether any attempt was to be
made to blow the safe in the office
is matter OF conjecture. A pile Of
coats was found in front of the safe,
this morning, and the Office door had
been "jimmled." The real mystery
is how the men entered the factory.
e. E. Phillips, engineer at the cam
ming company's plant, lives next door,
1t was about midnight that he was
awakened and he saw light in the
plant, shining through a window on
his side of the house. He ran owe,
Patrolmen Toohey and Cahill re-
sponded and with the engineer en-
tered the factory. The three robbers
were in the front end Of the plant
near the sugar room, and fourth
was posted as a lookout on the roof
As the men entered the room, it
looked as if they had the robbers in
"a trap. But the three scurried like
rats, ran through the Office, kicked
out screen and joined by the
fourth ran down the stairs and up
the alley.
Two Bars on Door.
The sugar room is built in the front
part of the plant. A huge bar fast
ened by a paddock comes across the
outside Of the, door, and inside the
door there is a bar controlled by
secret mechanism 1t was this inside
bar that saved things. The thieves
lighted strips Of labels and found
their way to the tool benches, and
took pipe wrench and short crow
bar with the intention Of forcing the
door. They broke the outside paddock
and lifted that bar, but the inside bar
resisted them. The crow bar and
pipe wrench are sticking in the door
this morning, and scattered all about
the floor are the remains Of charred
bits of paper, which evidently gave
them light to work by.
From all indications the men enter
ed the Office first, and searched
through some coats belonging to ".
V. D. Mas. These were dumped in
pile in front of the safe this morn
ing. Whether the intention was to
blow the safe or not is only matter
of guess. The Office door was forced
open in some way, as the lock is still
sprung. The window giving access to |
the outside stairway was raised, and !
the screen was broken out when the (
men escaped.
This is the fourth time that an at !
tempt has been made to steal sugar |
from the company. Three former at /
tempts were more or less successful. |
Auto Bandits at Work.
The warehouse Of Kellogg and !
Birge company was entered last night !
by automobile bandits and a guam
tity of cigarets and cigars taken.
There was an automobile backed UP |
to the loading platform IN the rear
of the building and is is believed by
the police that the men involved in
this theft used this means Of travel.
The police at Fort Madison, Bur
lington, Quincy, Carthage and all
through this section are being mott
fed this morning to look out for the