George Hogen, Elmer

Backer Jos. Buchl and

A. L. Boock Victims.

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MONEY AND JEWELERY

IS BOOTY OF THIEVES

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Have Peculiar Liking

For Diamonds. Also Take

Loose Change.

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Last Sunday New Ulm was visited by another gang of burglars who entered into several private homes and made their getaway with a number of rings and several small amounts of money.

George Hogen was the first to report the burglarizing of his home to the local police officers. Mr. and Mrs. Hogen who live at 320 So. State St. had been out visiting with some friends during the evening and came home a little after nine. It was about ten o’clock when they were preparing to retire that the theft was first discovered and the officers notified. The burglars got away with two diamond rings and $1.50 in cash. The latter was taken from a pocket book in the lower part of the house while the rings were obtained by ransacking the bedroom. They ransacked two jewelry cases on top of a chiffonier and then ransacked one of the drawers in the chiffonier where the diamonds was hidden. A pearl necklace, a wrist watch and some other jewelry which were lying around had been handled by the thieves but all was left behind.

Break into Backer’s

From the Hogen place the thieves went to Washington Street and burglarized the homes of Jos. Buchl and Elmer Backer. At the Backer home they took about $9.25 in cash which was found in two different places. They also took a diamond ring and Mrs. Backer’s wedding ring. Of the cash which they took $4.25 was money given to Mrs. Backer by several ladies as donations for the Union Hospital Aid Society and was wrapped up in paper containing the names of the ladies that had donated it. A $5 bill was in a purse in a desk and was taken out and the purse left behind. The rings were taken from a tray on the dresser in the bedroom. Several other articles of jewelry were lying around but were not taken by the thieves. Mr. and Mrs. Backer and their children had been to the show that night and came home about ten minutes to nine. It was not until Monday evening that Mrs. Backer noticed her loss. She was preparing to go to a party and was ready to put on her rings when she found them to be missing. A search of the house disclosed the loss of the money and the police were then notified. The Backers live at 224 So. Washington Street.

Enter Jos. Buchl Home.

Monday the police were also notified that the thieves had entered the Jos. J. Buchl home at 322 South Washington Street. Here they entered the room of Miss Mary Greiner, a normal class student who is rooming at the Buchl home. They made their getaway with $2.00 in cash and a wrist watch belonging to Miss Greiner but did not disturb anything else in the house.

More Reports Tuesday

Tuesday morning the police were informed that the home of A. L. Boock had also been entered and a wrist watch and a diamond ring were found missing. Mr. Boock has been absent from the city for several weeks and Mrs. Boock had been out for the evening. The ring and wrist watch were both in jewelry cases on the top of the dresser. The thieves had also ransacked one of the drawers in the dresser but took nothing else. Mrs. Boock stated that she is at a loss to understand how entrance was made as all the windows were locked, basement door locked and a Yale key in the front door. The only possible way of entrance was by means of a skeleton key by the back door.

This evidently was the way they got into the rest of the homes also as there was no other evidence to show any way of gaining admission.

Part Of Large Gang.

Local officers believe that the perpetrators of Sunday nights burglaries are a part of a large gang of thieves operating in Minnesota with head-quarters in Minneapolis. The fact that recently two of the gang were caught and confessed to the robbery of the New Ulm Grocery Company might have something to do with bringing the gang down to New Ulm. Before entering the house the burglars apparently made sure that there was no one home by ringing the door bell long and loud. This was done at the Weabeseak home on Washington Street. Mr. and Mrs. Weabeseak had been sitting in the dark watching the moonlight when they were aroused by the ringing of the bell. They answered the ring and found a man outside of medium stature, wearing a cap and a grey coat. They noticed that he did not turn his face to them and after asking whether a certain party lived there departed.

New Ulm Review,

October 15, 1924

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