Evening star., 1923-05-09
POST OFFICE SAFE
AT SILVER SPRING
ROBBED 7TH TIME
Cracksmen Get About $500
in Cash and Stamps After
Blowing Door.
WORKED LEISURELY.
OFFICIALS BELIEVE
Took Stroll About Village While
Waiting for Soup Charge
to Explode.

Two cracksmen jimmied their wsv
into the post office at Silver sprinp
No early this morning, casually
blew open the safe, and escaped with
ABOUT 5000 in cash and stamps
the third successful burglary at the
station in one year and the seventh
in its short historN
The police believe t.e yeggnep
who helped themsels.l TO the sta
tion's cash today are the same ones
who visited it on both previous o.
casions within the last twelve
months.
The cracksmen worked with cool
precision Of men who knew they need
fear little interference, although they
le1t behind plenty Of evidence to
snow that they were prepared to re-
sist intrusions with force if neces-
sary. brand-new Army holster
made TO hold heavS~caliber pistol
lay on the floor amid y'eces Of VIII,
had once been the save door.
Went Out for STROLL.
To jimmy open the front door and
an inner door leading to the room in
which the safe rested was but the
work Of few minutes. After drill
ing hole near the combination OF
the safe the yeggmen poured in their
soup OF nitroglycerin and depart
ed for an inspection % the town.
while their charge was dong its part
Of the nights work
En- route through Silves Spring the
burglars were attracted 10y the al
tractive restaurant maintained nv /,
Il. Lewis. While they ware in the
act of opening that establishment the
proprietor was awakened and turned
on the store lights TO investigate
The burglars fed but the marks Of
the restaurant door this morning
Leave Fingerprints.
In the meantime the charge in this
post office safe had gone off and the
/ burglars retraced their steps, took
all Of the money and stamps they
could find. examined several parcel
post packages and carried away also
several registered letters.
They left behind, however, plenty of
finger prints on the sides of the safe
and this oversight may prove costly
II they happen TO be veterans, as the
police are almost certain to have
photographs of the prints.
A watchman stationed at the Balti-
more and Ohio railroad crossing III
Silver Spring believes he saw the
burglars. He noticed a handsome
touring car. with two young men in
it. passing down Montgomery Blair
road, which parallels the tracks it is
his business to guard.
He thought nothing Of the car, how
ever, until he heard the explosion in
the post office and half an hour later
saw the same car emerge from the
road and start back toward Washing
ton. The supposed bandits seemed to
be in no hurry, but drove away al a
careless pace.
Used Heavy Charge.
The yeggmen must have used an
extraordinarily heavy charge of nitro
glycerin. as the blast awakened sew
eral residents Of Silver Spring.
They. like the watchman. however
were unable to locate it. and went
back to sleep. Charles j. Benedict
has been postmaster at Silver Spring
for less than a year, and this morn
ings was the first robbery he has
experienced. Miss Bertha Shaw. how
ever, has been an assistant at the
station for moro than three years
and she enumerated seven.
The one Immediately before this oc-
Cured last February, and the other
within the year occurred last May
making today's visit almost a birth
day party.