The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1924-03-27
GRANGE STORE
SAFE IS BLOWN
Robbers Make Haul of More
than 5000 by Early
Morning Burglary

Some time between the hours of
two and three O'clock Monday morn
ing the safe in the office of the
Grange Warehouse was blown and
$218.70 in cash taken. Checks and
other papers in the safe were unmo-
Tested and ten-dollar bill was over
looked by the burglars.
Altho Night Policeman j. @. Rey-
nolds discovered the crime within less
than an hour after itewas committed
the burglars have not been appre-
hended and no clue to their identity
established.
Reynolds is able to fix the time of
the burglary pretty accurately. He
visited the Grange Warehouse about
two o'clock and found the doors lock-
ed and the safe, visible from the
street, in its accustomed place. Short
ly after three o'clock he again made
his beat and discovered that the burg
larry had been committed.
The job was done by two men.
They were tracked from this end of
the N. p. railway bridge into town.
One Of the two stopped at the O-W.
tool shed, broke into it and secured
a pick and two bars. The other man
continued on up the railway tracks
to the cut where the O-W. and the
N. p. cross. Here he dug up the
cache of nitro-glycerine with which
the safe was blown. The tracks show
that the two men went from the tool
house to the Grange Warehouse
which they entered by jimmying the
side door. The safe was placed on
its back and the explosive poured into
the crack around the front door,
which was blown off by the charge.
Some sacks of feed were piled on the
safe to muffle the noise Of the ex-
plosion.
From the Grange Warehouse the
burglars were tracked down fruit
warehouse row to the railroad bridge.
An attempt to burglarize. the store
Of Price & Lincoln was made the
same night and probably by the same
men. A jimmy was used on a rear
window and the front door but no
entrance effected.
Police officials believe the job was
done by part of gang of burglars
which has been operating out of Pas
CO as headquarters. They are of the
opinion that the three men arrested
last week near Benton City by Sheriff
James Shepherd and Deputy Nick
Palmer, were of the same gang. The
accidental shooting Of one of the
three led to their arrest. The names
of the three as shown by their I.W.W.
cards are Dan Woodward, Lester
johnson and Allen Lakin.
Woodward was brought to Prosser
and taken to the city hospital to re-
ceive treatment for his wound. He
stated that revolver he was clean
ing was accidentally discharged, in
flicting wound in his leg.
After questioning the men Sheriff
Shepherd placed them under arrest
and accompanied by Deputy Palmer
went to their camp near Browns
Rock. Here they unearthed cache
containing complete set Of burglars
tools, large quantity Of nitro-gly-
cerine, several sticks Of dynamite and
four new revolvers. The guns were
later identified by Pasco officers as
ones stolen from q Pasco Hardware
store. The men were taken to Pasco
and will be tried Saturday in the su-
perior court on burglary charge.
The same night the Grange Ware
house here was robbed the combina-
ton of the safe of the Prosser Grange
store was worked and S110 stolen.
This is the second time safes in these
two stores have been burglarized.