Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1922-11-22
ATTEMPTED BURGLARY AT
OSSIAN
Figge Clothing Store Entered Sun
day Morning, Nov. IL
(Ossian Beef


more deaths in a revolver battle be-
tween Marshal Grimstad and two
burglars who entered the F. A. Fgge
Clothing store through rear win
dow.
Saturday night was one of unusual
activity. There was a motion pic
ture show, and the American Legion
and Women's Auxiliary staged
County Fair at the opera house, the
latter closing house shortly after the
midnight hour. The palber shops
were open until about 100 o'clock
Sunday morning, and during these
hours many people travelled the
| streets.
Lloyd Holien, clerk in the Figge
store, had just left the barber shop
| and stepped into the vestibule of the
Figge store, when he saw a stranger
place crowbar against a telephone
pole in front of the store. The
crowbar fell to the cement walk and
| the stranger returned to pick it up
carrying it with him. Lloyd suspec-
| ted that something was wrong, anc
meeting Everett McManus the two
reported their suspicious to Marshal
Grimstad who had retired for the
| night.
The boys, with Marshal Grimstad,
returned to the front Of the Figge
store. Their attention was attract
ed by small light, apparently shin
ing through the postoffice window.
| Marshal Glimstad asked Lloyd to I'M
lock the door to the Figge store,
| through which he could pass and
make his way to the rear of post
office building. When about half
way through the Figge store Grim
stad returned and told Lloyd and
Everett that there was somebody in
the store. No lights were turned
on. Grimstad and McManus entered
the store and Lloyd went to the tele-
phone office to report the burglary
and call for help.
After re-entering the store Grim
stad saw light, close TO the floor,
thrown by a flashlfght, on the east
side of the building. A little later
the light appeared again, farther to-
wards the front of the building, and
stih on the east side. The burglar
was cropping his way toward the
| front and Grimstad was feeling his
way toward the rear and east side.
| When Grimstad thought he had his
man he cried: Hands Upw The
burglar, very much startled, instead
Of obeying the command, jumped
about ten feet to the west and shot
twice, both bullets going through
a large plate glass in display case.
The bullets were so close that Grim
81 n
the west and front of the building
and fired three shots, all of which
vent through large glasses in a dis
play case. Feeling that the burglar
was cropping his way toward the
rear, Grimstad fired two shots more
one going through a shoe box and
the other though a pair of trousers
stad's last shot been directed foot
farther TO the west it NIGH have
meant death to the burglar.
During all this time but one burg.
lar had been in the building. The
other evidently stood guard on the
outside. His revolver empty Grim
stad hurried out, forgetting Everett
who was lying quietly on the floor
under one of the counters, deeming
il safe place when the shooting be.
gan. Everett was not armed, so he
can not be blamed for finding safe
nook when the fusilade opened. He
remained long enough TO hear the
burglars tell each other to be careful
lest they shoot each othre. One was
named Bud and the other Jack, ac-
cording to Everett. They were
pounding desperately at the rear
door in a mad scramble to get out.
They finally removed a heavy bar
and escaped through a small opening
in the center of the door, over which
was a wire screen, which was easily
removed. Everett then left the
building by the front door.
! A number of citizens began to ar
rive when the battle was over. They
were armed with guns and revolvers,
but the burglars were gone. Grim
stad, after leaving the store, hurried
to the rear of the building and con-
| cealed himself in an old automobile
! body where he reloaded his weapon.
! He remained there for some time but
| his men made a clean getaway, the
extreme darkness of the night max
ing escape easy when once out Of
the building.
The crowbar is the property of the
Rock Island lines. The ladder used
is probably the property Of some
neighbOr. NE window through
which they gained access to the
building is about twenty feet from
the ground and a drop of about ten
feet to the floor on the inside. That
the men are not professional burg
lars is the opinion of many. No pro-
fessional burglar will enter a build
ing and gather his booty without
frs. making preparations for a hur-
RED exit. And the failure of these
men to take this precaution nearly
cost them their freedom if not their
lives. Reports were sent out to
neighbOring towns, but up to this
time no clue has been found.
Nothing was stolen from the Fig
ge store, although the damage to dis
play cases win amount to Sl5O.OO
or more.
In the morning, at time when
quite a number of people We're view
ing the ruins Of the display cases
and discussing the attempted burg
larry, some one in 4 jocular way
asked: Have you notified the
sheriff ?" The question elected much
loud laughter, so Ole was not no.