Evening star., 1927-12-07
THIEVES GET $4,000 LOOT.
Two Jewelry Stores Robbed by Band
of professionals"

Professional thieves, believed by
police to be members of gang Of
expert criminals from other cities, who
specialize in jewelry robberies and
who came here to loot choice holiday
stocks of local jewelers., tunneled
through a wall to one establishment
overnight and obtained loot valued at
$1,000, and stripped an outside show
case of another jeweler, taking
watches and gems valued at $4,000.
Climbing fire escape and knocking
hole through four inches of metal
lathed wall. the thieves entered a
jewelry store owned by l.. j. Mehlig.
sos Ninth street, known as Lanes"
taking an assortment of watches and
rings valued at approximately $1,000,
covered fully by insurance. The safe,
protected by burglar alarm wiring.
was not touched, but the main show
cases were rif1ed.
Another Store Robbed.
The other robbery occurred a little
more than "a hours after that at
Whitmore & Co.'S, 1925 F street,
which netted more than $4,000 in
rings and bracelets, and victimiZed
Harry Hillman, jewelry designer,
floor of 929 F street. His street dis
play case was opened and diamond
rings, watches, canoes and bracelets,
with an aggregate value of $4,000,
taken from the case, which was
brightly lighted and directly across
the street from the illuminated front
Of motion picture theater.
Mr.. Hillman's display case was
pried open about 1890 o'clock, while
he was upstairs just before coming
down to remove the jewels from the
case for the night. From the second
floor landing he saw a pair of feet,
belonging evidently to the thief, but
thought that they represented a GUS
toner standing by the case. When
he went to the display few minutes
later the door stood open and its valu-
able contents were gone.
Shield Their Operations.
In accomplishing the robbery at sos
Ninth street, the thieves shielded tkeir
operations with strips of upholstery,
which they stole from the upholster-
ing establishment of Joseph Holober
& Co., on the fourth floor of the build
ing. An attempt was made to knock
hole through the wall into the store
at the first landing on the steps lead
ing to the upholstery shop and several
vacant offices, but this was abandoned
and the burglars then made another
hole further down, few steps from
the doorway. This hole came through
directly above the showcase in the
store. The robbers climbed through
and used the display shelves as a
ladder to gain the floor.
The thieves were alarmed evidently
as they worked, although they had
taken the precaution to hang a strip
of upholstery over the glass door lead
ing to the flight of steps on which
they stood while tunneling to the ad-
jacent store, and also draped strip
over the hole, preventing any light
from cleaning through. for they left
behind them a hammer and bunch
of keys, several of them Of the
skeleton variety, and an alarm clock,
apparently used to time their opera
tionS.
Valuable Pieces Taken.
Only the most valuable pieces of
jewelry in the showcases were taken.
Several fine pieces which were left un-
disturbed strengthens the theory of po-
lice that the burglars heard some one
coming and made off with their loot
without risking delay to obtain more.
Mr.. Mehlig purchased the store No.
vember /.
Louis Seigel, AZ H street northeast,
reported to police this morning that a
show window of his store was broken
with stone last night and two pairs
of shoes and two hats, valued at $25,
stolen.