Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-05-14
STRAND THEATRE SAFE
CARRIED FIVE MILES
LOOTED At LEISURE
Building and Offices Ransacked,
Strong Box Dragged Out
and Carted Away.
TRUCK WAS EVIDENTLY USED

A badly wrecked safe. lying along the
kennett turnpike. near Wooddale road,
only a short distance west of the du
Pont School. which attracted the at
tention of early motorists into town
this morning. bore mute evidence of
bold stroke on the pa t of thieves. A
hasty investigation of the safe gave no
clue, though some blank checks. which
il evidently had contained, were found
strewn about. The only identifying
marks were the letters q. j. Il. r."
painted on The outside.
Subsequent Developments .-evealed
the fact that the SAT was the property
of the Strand theatre. at Twenty fifth
and Ma. ket streets. from which 1t had
been carried some time during the night
after the theatre and offices had been
robbed and an unsuccessful effort made
there to open the safe. Incidentally,
the Strand theatre is about nve miles
from the place where the wrecked safe
was f. d.
Jules III. Rothschild. manager of the
Strand, declined to tell how much money
the safe contained. but stated that the
thieves were well rewarded" which In
dicated that 1t contained a considerable
amount He said IL also contained his
fire insurance papers and some other
documents of more or less value. The
only things recovered, in addition to
the dismernbered safe and door, which
were brought BY the police to the City
Hall. were a few blank leaves out of
Manager Rothschild's check book. All
of the valuable papers, as well as the
money, were carried off.
The first intimation the police had of
the robbery came in a. report from
Josiah Marvel, who, In motoring into
town, this morning, saw the wrecked
safe by the roadside, and reported the
matter at once at police headquarters.
Detectives went out and brought the
safe in and began an investigation,
which was simplified when IL was
learned from the manager that the
place had been robbed anu a safe car
ried OFF. Subsequently Mr.. Rothschild
went to the police station and identified
the safe as his property. He told the
story of the robbery, having. before go
ing there. made an investigation at the
theatre. not knowing. at the time. of
the finding Of the safe.
Axe Welded With Telling Eject
According TO Mr.. Rothschild. an axe
was welded with telling effect by the
outlaws before they left the theatre.
3At s<til itr iEil Tic buIuaifE
at 1o.40 last night after making round
Of the building and satisfying himself
that the place was locked and that mat
ters were in good shape. He knew MOTH
ing # the robbery until he went there
this morning. The thieves. he said
entered the building through a win ];
on the north side. First they pried open
shutters, next ctit some ropes, which
had been tied there's TO secure things,
and this left only screen between them
and the interior. A hole large enough
TO admit person was cut in the screen
and the rest was easy.
The outlaws evidently went directly
10 the cellar, where they ommandeered
an axe and heater poker. which they
used in their work Of devastation on the
main floor Going 10 Mr.. Rothschilds
office, and. finding II LOCKED. they simp-
ly removed the door ~ taking the
screws out of the hinges. The door was
carefully placed 10 one side and the
screws neatly piled. where they could
be found readily and used TO replace
the door-though no doors were replaced
Continued on page II.