Show thieves wa Raa isack three monti monticello c ello celio busi businesses one of the worst robberies or rather three of the worst robberies in monticello Mon for some time occurred sunday night when palm ers the hyland cafe and city rean tile were all robbed of L i merchandise and checks staling 1000 from the tracks in the mud at the back of the buildings it is safe to conclude that the crime was committed early during the night because the mud had frozen and was tracked by the thieves in great quantity into all three establishments also an ax which had been used to gain entry into two of the buildings was found frozen in the mud where it had been dropped from the hyland cafe according to robert christensen proprietor etor ten to twelve cartons of cigarettes a carton of razor blades some small change are missing together with all the cash that was contained in two juke boxes in the institution there mere was a full months take in the music machines which would amount on the basis of past months average between and A lock on a beer storage room had been opened when thieves found the key in the cash drawer but there was no way of determining how much if any beer was taken A panel of the back door way was broken in which allowed the back door to be reached and opened from the outside at palmers halmers Pal mers two table model radios a new 30 30 rifle and several watches were taken in addition to cigarettes and miscellaneous small items the desk was thoroughly ransacked as well as the back bar four or five dollars in pennies were spurned by the culprits the total loss at palm ers not including the checks would amount to between and WO access A to palmers halmers Pal mers was gained through the back door the lock of which was reached through an adjacent window when the panel was broken out at city mercantile the loss amounted to over including clothing costume jewelry cigarettes and miscellaneous items clothing of all kinds had been ransacked and left in topsy piles mud was everywhere as it was in the other two places entry was gained through the chock D ck door by breaking a panel in I 1 ajen tv ten reaching through to unfasten y he ha lock all three places bear the indication that the jobs were done by someone familiar with the types and location of the locks and the general layout of the stores it may have been coincidence or it may have been planned to catch the juke boxes when they were full they were last emptied january ninth and would have been emptied again within the next few days which gave the robbers just about the maximum from chii source the damage to the machines may run into several hundreds of dollars sheriff T K R harvey spent most of the day monday investigating the crimes and chocking all leads that might have led to the guilty parties par tips the assistance te a fingerprint expert from rand Jime junction tion was wag enraged lcarl karl johnson and joe W keith both members of the grand junction police department were called to monticello to take finger prints discovered on some of the items known to have been handled by the thieves several good camins were photographed and taken to grand junction for processing ces sing other objects were taken back to grand junction with the two officers for special treatment in an attempt to bring out prints law enforcement officers in dolores called in to monticello to report that a car had been stolen and that two monticello youths were under suspicion but that they had not been apprehended the same two youths are al also under suspicion in connection with the monticello robberies |