The Axe Theft of 1946

Custodian:	Stanford
Location:	The Cellar Trophy Case, Stanford
Duration:	7 months

By far the most "brute force" theft of the Axe, the 1946 captors decided that rather than go to the trouble of breaking the Axe out of its case, they would simply take the whole case! So, they stormed the Cellar late on a Sunday night, threatened the clerk, and grabbed the Axe. The six thieves lifted the case into the back of their pickup and drove off into the night.

When finally returned, the Axe mysteriously appeared in the back seat of the Palo Alto police chief's prowl car. The Axe was undamaged, but Stanford was left without a case to put it in.

Here are the details and accounts of the 1946 theft:

• Stanford Axe Stolen, The Stanford Daily
• Stanford's Axe is Back; Display of Axe To Await Case The Stanford Daily