Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-10-27

Gaining entrance to the residence
by breaking out a small piece OF
glass in the basement door and snap
ping the lock on the inside by reach
ing through the aperture, thieves or
maurauders thoroughly ransacked
the State street residence of Hon.
Guy p. Gannett, sometime between
o'clock Saturday afternoon and 8
o'clock Monday morning. when the
caretaker, Joe Woodward, discovered
the visit by the unknown miscreants.
Though dressing table drawers,
pigeon holes of a secretary desk and
silver compartments of the dining
! room cowboys had been opened and
contents considerably disturbed, so
far as could be determined by
careful check-up Monday forenoon
nothing of value was taken.
The house has been unoccupied,
except casually, for several weeks
since the owner, Mr.. Gannett, re-
moved to Portland to supervise
there his extensive newspaper pub
fishing interests. The caretaker.
Mr.. Woodward, after carefully lock-
| ing the house Saturday afternoon,
went to his home at about 3 o'clock
and did not have occasion to re-
turn Sunday. so the investigating
officers found it difficult to deter
mine whether the break was made
Saturday night or under cover OF
| the heavy wind and rain storm Of
Sunday.
| To Chief Of Police w. j. Skehan
and others who investigated the
scene yesterday morning. it seemed
evident that the person or persons
who entered the Gannett residence
were thoroughly familiar with their
ground The basement doorway
through which entrance was gained
Is concealed from the view of the
neighboring houses by q covered
roll-way.
A peculiar circumstance was the
| finding Of small wood-encased
mantle clock carefully placed on the
| library carpet close to an overstuf-
fed divan, asst the unbidden visi-
tors had reclined there watching the
time to make good their getaway be-
fore the expected return Of the care
| taker. The clock was not running
Monday morning and to the know
ledge Of Mr.. Woodward 1t still reg
istered the time 1t has for the past
| several weeks that 1t has not been
wound.
In the morning room in the south
east corner Of the Gannett residence
| an ornamental barometer had been
removed from the wall and placed
carefully in q corner. Chief Skehan
ordered both Of these articles care
fully guarded until efforts could be
made to register finger prints which
were visible on the glass faces of
the clock and barometer. Henri
Michaud Of this city, who has done
considerable finger-print work for
the Augusta police, was called into
the case yesterday afternoon and a
careful check-up will be made Of
similar records from the series Of
breaks reported In this city during
the past several weeks.
It was Chief Skehan's opinion ex-
pressed on the scene Monday morn
ing that the break was made by the
same unknown burglars for whom
police in several towns and cities In
Central Maine have been looking for
sometime past. Before breaking
pane of glass in the basement door
the miscreants endeavored to force
! the lock by removing the screws
from the outside knob plate. They
had also removed bead strips from
the basement screen but found that
entrance could not be gained in that
manner.
Mr.. Gannett informed the Angus
ia police by telephone yesterday
that the valuable silver service and
all nat silver had been removed at
the time his Augusta residence was
closed. Though considerable plate
Of bulky construction remained in
an unlocked lowboy in the Gannett
dining room, and various silver tot
let articles were within easy access,
apparently nothing had been stolen.
From the evidences of q thorough
ransacking 1t is believed that only
>jewelry was sought. Another pecul-
lar feature of the break on State
street was that the bed In the north
west chamber had been occupied.
The Augusta police hardly believe
the break was the work of boys, but
rather was an expert job with
Jewels as the one objective