Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 288, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 December 1916 — HAPPENINGS in the CITIES [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HAPPENINGS in the CITIES

New York Discovers It Has the Nerviest Thief NEW YORK. —John R. liegeman, president of the Metropolitan Life Insurance company, has met the nerviest horny-handed son of toll that ever escaped violence at the hands of a moh or Jail at the hands of the law. This

Interesting person went into Mr. Hegeman’s office and under the president’s very nose stole from the life insurance company. One morning a stockily built young man went to the janitor of the Metropolitan building, at 1 Madison avenue, and demanded an assistant. “I want to take down some awnings nnd awning rods,” he said. The janitor looked at him quite casually nnd told him that he didn’t have a man to spare for that work. The stocky mnn,

who was clad In overalls and a jumper, appeared to be very much disgusted, but announced that he would do the job alone. As nearly as could be learned he began operations on the fifth floor. He went Into an office there and removed the awning rods from several windows and then he went to the floor above and went Into the office of Robert E. Livingston. Mr. Livingston asked what he wanted and he said that he had come to remove the nwnings. “But they were removed two days ago,” Mr. Livingston said. “I know they were, but I want the rods,” the industrious one responded. Mr. Livingston thought It was so unusual that he called up the superintendent of the building and the latter said he supposed it was all right. By the time Mr. Livingston finished his conversation the man had removed the rods from two window*, working rapidly. « Then he went to the gbneral offices of the insurance compnny. On the plea that he wanted to take down the awnings he was permitted to enter the private office of Mr. Hegeman. There he also worked swiftly, but removed the rods, leaving the awnings flapping about over the windows. From Mr. Hegeman’s office he went to the offices of several of the vice presidents of the company and did the same thing. Two days later Mr. Livingston met the building superintendent. \N hy did you go to the trouble to remove the awning rods the other day?” Mr. Livingston asked him. . “We didn’t go to the trouble, someone else did,” was the reply. “Why on earth would anyone want to remove awning rods?” Mr. Livingston persisted. , . , , “Because the awning rods in this building are made of bronze and not of iron ” the superintendent said. “They are quite valuable and that stranger, garbed as a laborer, knew it. He took about soo worth of rods out during the course of an hour and some of them from Mr. Hegeman’s private office. That man had more nerve than any soldier in the trenches.