The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-07-19
From the Clearfield Republican.
A Chase After Horse Thieves.


For several days previous to The
night of the 2Sth of June, a number of
tramps were noticed lowering in and
around this borough. On the morn
ing of the 29th, Judge Clyde was short
q set of harness, and Samuel Irwin, q
neighbor, (both residing in Lawrence
township, about three and O. half
miles north of this thoroughly was
minus horse and buggy. Hence it
was pretty well settled that there was
a case of horse stealing on hand, and
Mr.. Lewis and two other gentlemen
soon hitched up a team and set out to
overhaul the thief, or thieves. BY the
tracks of the horse and buggy, it was
pretty plain that the thieves were
moving down through Frenchville,
and pursuit was made rs rapidly as
possible. But Mr.. Irwin, finding that
he could not overtake the runaWays,
telegraphed to Westport, upon reach
ing the railroad at the mouth of the
Sihnenmahoning. In this way the
thieves were headed off between West
port and Ronovo and when ordered
to halt, one man JUMPED from the
buggy ahd started for the woods, hnd
on refusing to halt, one of the pur-
suers discharged a pistol at him, the
ball taking effect in the arm, Which
caused the fellow to twirl around three
or four times like d top and then he
begged for quarter. While this was
going on, the other fellow leaped
from the buggy, tboj and plunged into
the river, and while making for the
"other shore", the captprs fred sew
eral shots at the swimmer, one ball
passing through his hat, peeling the
hair off the top of his scalp. Tile fir
ing and noise attracted the attention
of parties on the Opposite side of the
river, who, upon learning that the
fellow in the water was u horse thief,
right smartly. Mr.. Thief, discovering
that his reception would evidently be
rather warm lover there,n turned
and commenced swimming down
stream. The captors then also CONS
menced flinging stones at him, and
when he found the pebbles lighting
Oh him from both shores, and the
water getting deeper, and supposing
that there would be no "let up'' in
the flinging of stones, he begged for
quarter and turned for the shore from
which he started. And after reach
ing dry land again, he matte an at
tempt to escape by running into u
thitllet Of bushes, into which the
capturing party hurled the stones by
the handful. This soon extracted the
yell of 'murder' out of the fellow in
the brush, and upon surrendering, he
was secured and handcuffed to his con-
federate, ai1d the next day lodged in
our prison.
The thieves made very narrow
escape with their lives, and they COM
plain bitterly of the reception they re-
ceived at the hands of the Westporters,
alleging that the people down there
cannot be more than half civilized
from the way they treated them. AS
there is no sympathy for horse thieves
anywhere, we think that they nadea a
fortunate escape when they got away
with their lives.
The thieves claim to hail from
Columbus, Ohio, and give their names
as Fred Smith and Frank Long. the
former aged % and the latter 80 years
of age-rather young for that kind of
calling. Mr.. Irwin found his horse
very much run down, and the buggy
almost ruined. The thieves had
missed the road short distance be-
low the mouth of the SinnemahOning,
and horse, buggy and all went down
l5O feet, and landed on the railroad
track all fright side up" except the
buggy, which was considerably dam
aged. The escape from death of both
men nnd horse. was miraculous.