Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-06-07

Using a hammer to break the locks
and picking the combinations, burg
lars early Sunday morning broke into
two safes in business houses in
an unpatrolled section of the city.
and escaped with $500 to 1926 in cash
and checks. The places entered were
the Roskopf & Kopel elevator office.
s12 East Main street, and the Stand
ard OIL Company service station at
SO East Main. The police are with
| out a clue.
The burglaries are believed to have
been committed after midnight, as
an employee Of tho elevator company,
passing at about the midnight hour,
on his way at home from a dance,
observed nothing unusual at the
office altho he made a casual obser-
walton Of the place because OF de-
tecting sound which led him to be-
lieve some one was in the office. The
robberies were not discovered until
Sunday morning.
Job Roughly Handled.
| The robberies were rather crudely
committed and apparently was not
the work of experienced safe blow
ers. Entrance to the elevator Office
was gained by prying up a side
window. A rear door to the service
station had been opened In like
manner.
To all appearances a heavy ham
mer Of sledge had been used to
break the locks of the safes and the
combinations had been picked. From
the nature of the job it would seem
that 1t had been attended with con-
siderable noise.
Elevator Company Protected.
The elevator company. which lost
$245.ss, including $s1 in checks, is
insured against loss by burglary and
| will lose nothing as q result of the
robbery. Nothing except the con-
tents of the cash drawer was taken
from the safe. All drawers had
been pulled out, however, and the
cash drawer, with its contents. had
been carried away.
The exact loss suffered by the oil
company is not known, but Is be-
lieved to be from $50 to SIS. mostly
in checks: The receipts Of the day
had been checked up and banked
shortly before o'clock, and the con-
tents Of the cash drawer at the time
of the robbery represented the re-
ceipts of the station after banking
hours. The station was closed at
o6lock.
Raids on Flower Gardens.
The epidemic Of thievery and de-
pridations in the Second ward con-
tinued Saturday night when flower
gardens and ornamental urns were
destroyed or pilfered. At the home
Of Mrs, Anna r. Wheeler 312 North
Fourth street, flower beds were de-
nuded of their blossoms and plants
and brushes damaged. The flower
beds, which were in full bloom pre-
scented sickly sight Sunday morn
ing. not blossom being left. It Is
said the perpetrator Of this act OF
thievery Is known and that prose-
| cution may follow.
At the A. F. Balch home, 106
North Second street, cultivated
/ flowers in two ornamental urns on
/ the front steps, had been torn out by
the roots, leaving one lone over
hanging vine in each urn.
Robberies at Riverside.
! Cut flowers and growing plants
have been stolen from graves and
urns in recent nights at Riverside
4 cemetery. One florist has received
complaints from patrons that urns
have not been properly filled, some Of
the plants purchased not being in the
| receptacles. The florist has given
! the urns his best attention and all
| the flowers have been set out, but
some have been removed after plant
| ing.
In some instances not only flowers
! have been taken from graves but
vases have disappeared