Jasper County Democrat, Volume 19, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 September 1916 — BOLD ROBBERS INVADE MOROCCO [ARTICLE]

BOLD ROBBERS INVADE MOROCCO

Open Four Sates and Steal a Ford Automobile MACHINE FOUND IN THIS CITY Reported to Have Made Away with S3O-1, and as YTet No Trace of the Bandits Has Heen Discovered. - , 0 t A gang of bold robbers visited Morocdo Wednesday night and opened four safes, obtaining about 01 in all, and then stole a Ford automobile in which to make their getaway. From all the facts at hand it appears that the robbers entered Morocco with a horse and buggy which they hitched in the driveway of the lumber yard. They forced an entrance to she Brewer Bros, garage through a rear window and gathering together a number of robes and overcoats they went to the blacksmith shop of Emory ■ Christenson which they entered, and using the robes and coats as a blanket over the safe they blew the same open and obtained $166 in cash. They also visited the poultry house of Daniel ITnzicker, where they worked the combination to the sate but obtained nothing of value. The office of the Farmers’ Elevator com 'panv was also visited and after working the combination to the safe there they secured about. $25. It is thought they then returned to the Brewer garage where they would have an automobile handy to make

their escape with. They were unable to work the combination to the garage safe and blew the same open, securing about sll3. One of their number then took the horse and buggy from the lumber yard and the others, three it is thought, took a new Ford belonging to C. A. Brewer and departed. The people of Morocco were not aware of the robbery until about t> o'clock Thursday morning, although some had a heard muffled explosion between 12 and 1 o’clock. Steps were taken immediately to apprehend th«e thieves and a description of the stolen car and its number telephoned to all nearby towns. An automobile also started in pursuit of the horse and buggy, which started northeast from Morocco. F. A. Gruver, an employe of the Rensselaer telephone exchange, made note of the number of the stolen car when the same was phoned to

Rensselaer, and about !i o’clock Thursday morning found the machine standing at the Monon station. Residents of that vicinity had seen three men trying to start the car at an early hour that morning, and being unable to do so it is presumed they abandoned it and took an early morning train to Chicago. The car was then taken to the Schroer garage and word sent to Morocco that it had been found. About noon Attorney J. C. Murphey, C. A. Brewer, Elmer Brewer, Fred Jessen and John Biesecker came to claim the same. While here they received word from the machine that was trailing the horse and buggy and they were then about five miles northeast of Fair Oaks and still fol. lowing the trail. There is little or no doubt that the robbers were a band of profesfessionals, else they could not have worked the combinations of two of the safes and blown open two others with so little noise. Morocco has attractive to the criminals being chased out of the cities.