Burglar Captured by Girls While Trying to Rob Church

The Rocky Mountain News headline of July 12, 1906 sums up the bravery of two young women from Globeville. Sisters Lottie Kalamajska and Mrs. Bertha Raczynski stepped into Saint Joseph's Polish Roman Catholic Church to pray when they heard a noise coming from a small cupboard near the altar. They investigated and found Globeville resident Louis Steckley on his knees, not in prayer but vigorously attempting to force the lock on the cupboard door. Miss Kalamajska quickly ran to her home a short distance away and returned with a revolver. Steckley was trying to conceal a silver communion service in his coat and make his getaway when Miss Kalamajska leveled the gun and ordered him to raise his hands. Steckley obeyed the order, then turned around and expressed surprise at the sight of the slender young girl. He became docile as she threatened to shoot. 

Neighbors heard the commotion and called the police. Policeman William Hanley arrested Steckley, who was fined $200 and sentenced to three months in the county jail by Judge Grant L. Hudson.

The month of March has been designated "Women's History Month" and these young Globeville sisters are worthy of remembrance for their quick thinking and courageous actions.

 Louis Steckley

Robbery of the Vogel Mercantile

The headline from the April 2nd, 1920 edition of the Denver Post screamed "Clever Yeggs Crack Safe, Make Big Globeville Haul." A subhead continues, "Store Robbed of $1,000 and Merchandise."

"Blowing the safe with nitroglycerin, yeggmen obtained $1,000 in currency from the Vogel Mercantile store, 201 East Forty-fifth Avenue in Globeville, on Thursday night. They proceeded to carry away shoes, overalls and other merchandise valued at between $500 and $1,000. Also included in the loot were a Liberty bond valued at $50 and silver in the amount of $40 or $50.

The cleverness displayed by the robbers, who made a getaway without being observed or leaving any clew, leaves the police to believe the men were expert safe-crackers. Just enough nitroglycerin was used to blow the safe and still not make a report loud enough to be heard by persons near." 

The crime occurred late on a Thursday night without waking any of the neighbors, even though the safe was blown apart and the front window demolished. Men heading to work at the nearby stockyards on Friday morning alerted one of the proprietors, Henry Vogel, who began tallying up the losses.

Vogel concluded. "The robbers must have been familiar with our business and knew we cashed many checks from the stockyards on payday, which was yesterday. I am thankful that I took a bunch of endorsed checks home with me, or the loot would have been much larger." Patrolmen Anderson and Thomas from the stockyards station pronounced the job as one of the cleverest they had ever seen. 

 

Globeville was like a small town and a robbery like this was big news. In this immigrant neighborhood, people didn't trust banks, choosing to use taverns, grocers or ethnic fraternals for their financial services. Owners of taverns, and mercantile stores and officers of fraternal societies were a part of the community, who knew their neighbors and attended the same churches.They allowed residents to carry a tab and settle up at the end of the month (many workers were paid monthly). Likewise citizens could rely on these institutions to keep their money for them, cash checks, and grant loans. The mercantile would have lots of cash on hand, making it a tempting target for thieves.

According to grandson James Vogel, his grandfather Henry J. Vogel, bought the mercantile from the Globe Smelter in 1919. After the robbery and due to the health of his wife, the Vogels moved to Longmont later that year. Today the building is used as a residence.

Photo of the smelter store about 1913