Smyrna times., 1921-04-06
THIEVES BREAK IN MILFORD
POSTOFFICE;; GET BUT LITTLE
FAIL IN THEIR ATTEMPT TO
BLOW OPEN BIG FEDERAL VAULT
Men Supposed to be Professionals Es-
cape in Stolen Car From AbbOtt's
Garage-Elude Night Waterman

Cracksmen visited Milford early |
yesterday Morning, with the evident |
vault to purpose of cleaning out the
postOffice. While they seem to have
failed in this, they managed to jam
the door of the postoffice vault to such
an extent that it could not be open by
Postmaster William Robinson and his
force, and theyhad to wire to Wash
ingotn for help. The fact that the
vault door is jammed and resists all
attempts to open it leads the post
master to believe that the thieves were
foiled and that they did not succeed
in their effort to break i n the big
strong box, presumably finding the
task too great. During their appar-
emily short stay in Milford, however,
the outlaws did a few thigs that gave
the town something to talk about for
the next few days. They pried open
small stamp safe in the postOftice
and empited out the contents, COM
prising between $50 and $50 worth of
stamps and small change; blew off
the combination OF the big vault; stole
a $4,000 automible from a citizen and
robbed the Pennsylvania railroad of a
crowbar and chisel, which they used in
their attack on the postoffice ano
which they left there. But they left
no tangible clue. A thorough eXami'
nation of the postoffice, indicated thai
the thieves really got nothing. They
had used nitroglycerin and soap IL
their attack on the safe, though the!
had gotten the small stamp box Opel
with a jimmy. There was small
safe in the office, containing onl,
r stamps, which the miscreants evident
= ly knew, for they didn't touch it. Thi
: leads to the belief that they were oil
S hands at the game. Very little dam
f age was done to the postoffice.
i rear window had been pried open, tn
Y catch first being pried off. 1t wa
: not necessary to do further damage
:. get about. That the outlaws wei
unprepared for the job is evident forl
r the fact that they first stole an aut'
. mobile and the necessary tools. The
" broke lnLO II6 IOOl nOuoC VI VIZ 49,
: sylvania railroad, near the static
- where they took a crowbar and co
a chisel. They also broke into Leonal
d ]. Abbott's garage, short dlstan
from the postoffice, which is Secol
and Walnut, South Milford. Fro
the garage they took a new fiye-pa
IL senger Nash car, belonging to Mr.. A
bott, also some tools and an autom
c. bile robe. These they took. to t
postofice, using the tools and blank
:, in their work there, the blanket, pl
IN IN sumably, to deaden the sound and OF
az ward effect of the explosions. All
an the tools and the blankets were fou
10 in the postofice in front of the val
10 door after the thieves had gone. /
W WuS robbery occurred between 2 and
al al o'clock. At 2 o'clock Policeman l
m liS Wis, according to statement he ma
.Ce later, passed the postoffice and motto
~ ~ that everything was all right,
as blinds at the windows being up,
al they should be. He passed the po
office next at $40. Noticing the bin
IRE at the money order window drawn,
aul suspected that something was wro
'V and began an investigation with
Iee above results.