On this date one hundred years ago an amusing but also pathetic robbery took place at the Schueth Grocery at Madison and Empire. A 3 am phone call alerted the police to fact that a robbery had taken place at Schueth's Grocery. Edward Ball had become aware of noises across the street at the grocery and investigated, revolver in hand. The Ball home did not have a telephone, so Mrs. Ball was busy tossing hair brushes and other small items at the windows of the neighbor in an attempt to waken them. About that time, the burglar emerged and Mr. Ball fired a warning shot.
The call went out to the police and the culprit was finally located in the C & A yards somewhere near Chestnut:
Captain Geirman summoned Detectives Novacek and Ostrum and the trio were soon in the switch yards, with no further information than that the man wore a long gray overcoat.
After prosling around among the freight cars for a breif period the man with the long gray overcoat was sigh ted and simultaneously he saw the officers and took to his heels. Capt. Gierman, who is a sprinter of no mean ability, pursued and after commanding a halt several times, the officer opened fire. This, however, did not detain the light footed foreigner, who continued in his flight. Finally, however, he misjudged his corse and ran amuck of a picket fince, where the officer covered him with a gun. Jelietus at this juncture threw up his arms, releasgin a shower of bottles of milk, glasses of jelly and other provisions which he had garnered at the grocery.
Charles Jelietus was a Hungarian who said he had been working at the lead works at Collinsville, IL. He said that he was weak with hunger and exposure and saw a crack in the window pane. He had eaten several pies in the store and then pried open the cash box, taking $1.33.
It is hard to feel angry at a poor man trying to feed himself on a cold November night in Illinois. Perhaps he had no place to go through no fault of his own.