In 1924, when the Chief of Police of Lykens, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, thought he heard suspicious noises coming from the inside the Commercial Hotel which had been unoccupied for months, he attempted to enter, but the doors were locked. When he asked the Chief Burgess for a key, he was denied. The Chief concluded that the intruder(s) fled while he was trying to get a key. He feared that a fire could be set in the vacant building which could result in catastrophic damage to the business district of the town.
LYKENS BUSINESS SECTION MENACED
For months, the Commercial Hotel in Lykens has been standing unoccupied, and now the main business section of Lykens is being placed in a hazardous position and business men of that territory are bending efforts to apprehend the party or parties who unlawfully are entering the place in the night and causing much unrest to that section for fear of fires, etc.
Chief of Police Bretz, in an appeal to the STANDARD to have the citizens of that section be alert to aid in the apprehension of violators, stated that recently he heard voices from within and made and effort to enter the building to learn who the parties were. Upon trying the doors he found were all locked. He went to the Chief Burgess who holds a key to the place, and here was refused the key to enter the place. He returned to unoccupied building and listened; the persons were quiet or were gone. He watched for hours but saw no one leave the place, they evidently taking leave when Policeman Bretz had left the premises to get a key to enter the building.
Citizens should give whatever aid they can in aiding to catch the guilty party. A fire started in that building during that night might mean destruction to the entire business section of Lykens. Many might be made homeless, and should this occur, who would be to blame? The time to be on the watch for persons gaining admittance to the property is before such horror occurs. Let everyone assist and if the party is known, make his or their identity known at once to the police.
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Story from the Lykens Standard, December 5, 1924, via Newspapers.com.
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