The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-08-03
ALLEGED YEGGMAN
 WILL FACE COUNTY GRAND JURY PROBE
Police Catch Man In Base ment Of Southside Store
 Early Thursday

E. R. Thomas, 35, 5191a Twentieth street, south, arrested Thursday morning in the basement of the Ma tional Biscuit company store. 120 Eighteenth street, south, after he had attempted to break into the com pany's safe, was transferred to the county jail on charges of burglary and grand larceny. The entire case and Thomas alleged confessions will be placed before the grand jury when that body is empaneled Mon- day morning, police stated.
 With the arrest Cf Thomas, police are of the opinion that the mystery surrounding the numerous safe blow ings during the past two months has been cleared. Police state Thomas has confessed robbing safes at the company, 2409 First avenue; Electric Repair and Service company, 2411 First avenue; Harris Transfer and Warehouse company: Birmingham Paper company, 2101 Avenue E; Buick division of the Drennen Mo- tor Car company, Avenue c and Twenty first street, south and the Ewart Brewer Motor company, Ave nue and Twenty first street, south.
 In his room at 51sh Twentieth street, south, officers found two s10o Liberty bends, said to have been stolen from the Birmingham Paper coppany's safe. along with three gold watches, one carat diamond and a diamond stud. Four gold chains.v found were identified as taken Zfrom the safe of the Harris Transfer and Warehouse company and one pistol, identified by Ballard & Ballard as the same one that was in their safe the night befCre the robbery About s15o in cash was found on Thomas when he was ar rested.
 About o'clock Thursday morning negro reported to police he had seen man enter the biscuit com pany throuhg a rear window which promptedNSergt. G. N. Burkett to as- semble squad Of officers composed of Il. E. Morris, w. W. Cobb, Earl t'eaton. Clyde Vaughan, J. N. Bryant, J. w. Dean and Detectives Hubbard and Riley, who surrounded the build ing. Thomas, hearing the approach of the officers, is supposed to have stopped work on the safe after he
 hammer and drill and run to the basement. where he hid under some discarded automobile tires, drawing some sacks over his head.
 O O O Found In Basement.
 | Searching the basement the off cers found Thomas in his hiding place. He attempted to draw his pistol, but was quickly covered by the officers and surrendered A fur ther search of the building near the
 safe disclosed Thomas working
 totls, hammer, punch and long chisel. The combination had been Hbroken and it would have been only | a matter of a few minutes before he would have 'been inside Approxi- mately 1850 was in another safe in
 the office, but nothing had been I placed in the vault which Thomas was endeaVoring to open, officials of the biscuit company stated.
 Quizzed by the officers, Thomas
 told them of the other robberies, but l stated his entire activities in Bir-
 mingham had been on the Southside.
 Most of the combinations of the jobs
 which Thomas is supposed to have
 committed have been done with the tools found at the National Biscuit
 company's office, 1t is thought. l The method used by Thomas was
 to knock off the combination of the
 safe Using the punch, he would
 force the steel bar back and then
 use his fingers in operating the tum-
 blers. Thomas did not use an explo-
 sive in any of the robberies which he
 has committed. and it Is believed by
 officers that his work was done on
 smaller safes, depending upon sev-
 eral during a night to obtain fruit
 for his labors, as no large amount tf
 money was taken from any of the safes te has opened.
 | Thomas gave his address as Los
 Angeles, Cal, and signatures and fin | ger prints were/taken by M. E. Me ] Duff ot the bureau of Identification.
 and mailed to the California city,
 also to the Fit. Leavenworth, Kan,