Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-05-14
STRAND THEATRE SAFE
CARRIED FIVE MILES,
LOOTED AT LEISURE
Continued from page l

I 4
by those who took them on. Next the
| thieves went to tho store room. where
they removed the door In the same ma
ner. Likewise the ticket Office and op-
Grating room we're entered. and all OF
these places we're rnnsacked and tho
contents strewn about. In the Office,
however, though the desk <wAs taken
apart. the sections were carefully piled
In one corner evidently TO clear space
Tor the proposed operation on the safe.
fapers We're scattered about ana left
on the floor
Vigorous Attack on the Safe.
With the prciiminaries out of the
way, and the deck cleared for artlon
the mfscreants next went To work IN
the safe. evidently using the Aye. a
Dick and hammer. They succeeded I'm
breaking off the combination and
handle, which were found TODAY. but
were unable to get inside the strong
box, presumably. or they would not
have carried II off. Incidentally. they
left the pick and hammer there. which
they seem to have brought with them
az they were not the property of The
theatre.
Marks In the front Of the building
FAtt1 AHt tttftt II l1f8ttus ana ON the
sidewalk indicate that the safe wah
dragged out OF the Office. across the
sidewalk to the curb and there loaded
on truck. In order to get IL out the
front door was burst open. though
there was an inside lock that could have
been used, making force unnecessary
The safe probably weighed several
hundred pounds. Tt stands three and
half feet high and is aboft 1s inches
square, and of stout steel. 1t wns made
by the Howe company and shows evil
dence Of having given real resistance
It was n wreck, however, when found
this morning, evidently having been at
tackled with picks and other tools from
al angles. In all probability a sI~sfge
hammer was used to add force 10 the
blows
It seems odd that the noise did not at
tract the attention of neighbors
Uptown Apartment Ransacked.
Burglars. who evidently had their
plans well set, broke into the Bellaire
Apartments, 5 East Fourteenth street.
"Wednesday night and ransacked the
apartment on the third floor occupied
by Mr. and Mrs. George Bankhurtl.
Valuables amounting 10 approximately
$50 were stolen. According to Mrs.
Bankhurd the thieves must have been
well acquainted with the arrangement
Of the apartment. Mr.. and Mrs Bank
hurd went out on "Wednesday night
about s o'clock TO take walk Upon
their return, about 10. they found their
home in disorder.
The burglars entered through n bed
room window, the sash and glass having
been broken. Ii was necessary to
climb the fire escape 70 get in. After
climbing the fire escape the thieves
crawled along a narrow ledge. which ex-
tends TO the bedroom window They
used a sharp instrument 10 pry the lock.
but We're unsuccessful. The window was
then smashed and the entire sash torn
away. The noise of falling glass and
wood was heard in the apartment on
the second floor, occupied by Charles
Emery. Thinking the noise was due
10 the heavy winds, Mr.. Emery paid
little attention 10 the incident. however.
MIR. Bankhurd is an accountant at
the Harlan plant of the Bethlehem
shipbuilding Corporation and within a
few days win be transferred 10 the
Sparrow's Point plant The robbery
on Wednesday night has unnerved Mrs.
Bankhuri This morning she stated
that she has no intentions of remaining
in the apartment after her husband is
transferred from this city. She has
engaged a new apartment In the wes-
tern section of the city.
Negroes Hold Up White Man.
Almost at the same time of the rob-
berry at the BeIlaire Apartment, two
colored men held up and robbed a white
man at the south end of Market street
bridge near the Old soldiers Park. This
him about 10 o'clock Wednesday night
and forced him 10 give up his valuables.
The distance from the Beilaire Apart
nent TO the south end of Market street
bridge is approximately one square.
The police are Of the opinion that the
hold-up men are the same as those who
robbed the Bankhurd apartment.
Clothes Life Looted.
During the heavy rain Thursday
night, thieves entered the yard of the
home of Mrs. Mary A. ConIin. 500
Spruce street, and stripped the clothes
line of approximately $50 worth of
clothing. This is the second clothes
line robbery on the east side within
the past ten days.
Refinery Co. along the Christiana. in
South Wilmington, was also visited by
burglars Thursday night and valuables
stolen amounting TO $3.50. The burglars
entered the building by scaling a fence
and removing a window.