Days Gone By In Staunton

Thursday, June 21, 1923 -- THIEVES VISIT TWO PLACES HERE SUNDAY -- Brubaker & Smith Garage and the Standard Station are Robbed -- Thieves were unusually active in this city on Sunday evening, pulling off two jobs and getting away with a haul of considerable proportions. The Brubaker & Smith garage was entered and a sum of cash stolen from the safe and the Standard Oil filling station was again visited and about $200 was secured there.

At the Brubaker garage entrance was gained by breaking a glass from the rear door in the building and then slipping the bolt with which the door Was fastened. Once in the building the thieves made their way to the private office in the front of the building. The door to this room was locked, so the rod controlling the transom was cut with a pair of heavy snips and entrance effected through the transom. The fellow or fellows who pulled this job appeared either to have been familiar with the combination of the safe or else they were expert safe men, for they opened the safe without mutilating it in the least. Quite a sum of money, the exact amount of which is not being made public, was in the safe, due to the fact that several larger payments were made on cars and other accounts paid after the banks closed Saturday evening.

The thieves evidently also intended to steal a Buick sport model touring car belonging to Manager Smith, as well as a load of tires and accessories but were probably frightened away before they could accomplish this.

Victor Moehrman, one of the employees, sleeps at the garage, and when he arrived there at about 2 o'clock saw Mr. Smith's car, loaded with tires, standing near the door at the front of the building. He also thought he heard some noise to the rear of the building, like someone washing his hands or splashing water.

The lad, however, thought nothing of this, believing that Mr. Smith had just returned from Litchfield with a load of tires and was in the rear of the building washing up before retiring.

Young Moehrman went upstairs and retired. When he entered, the front door to the main office was closed as he was compelled to unlock it to get in. Monday morning it was found standing slightly ajar. It is presumed that the fellows were

In the rear of the building when Moehrman entered and for that reason got away without taking the car, fearing that he might be aroused when they started up and drove away. So far no clue has been secured to the identity of the thieves.

Fourth Visit at Standard Station -- Sometime between 10 o'clock Sunday night and 6 a.m. Monday the Standard Oil Co.'s filling station was entered and about $200 stolen from the safe. Entrance was again gained through the window in the toilet room and the combination on the safe was pulled out with some powerful equipment. The hinges on the inner compartment were then torn away and the job was completed.

This is the fourth time this station has been robbed in about a year and the jobs are always done in a similar manner, which would indicate that the fellow or fellows who are working on this particular station ought to have the proposition down pat by this time.

The Schlansker filling station at Carlinville was also robbed Sunday night, the attendant being bound and gagged while three thieves rifled the cash register and took a quantity of tires.

In each instance the jobs were pulled in a clean cut manner, which would indicate that the thieves were experienced in that line of work.

HURT AT NO. 14 -- Paul Stemploski and Wm. Hasse Saturday morning were injured while working at No. 14 mine of the Consolidated Coal Co. Stemploski was quite seriously hurt and on Sunday was taken to the St. Francis Hospital at Litchfield. Hasse's Injuries consisted of a bruised foot.

BLACK HAND LETTERS -- Several residents of Benld and Gillespie during the past week have been the recipients of black hand letters. It is said that the letters were mailed from Benld and that they threaten all sorts of dire things if the demands made are not complied with. According to press reports the people who received the letters are not wasting a great deal of time worrying about them, although an investigation is being conducted in an effort to find out who sent them.