Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1881-03-30
Harrisburg Telegraph.

and no more HENRY w PALMER,
Attorn ey General.
-Harrisburg Telegraph.
A Brutal Outrage.
A brutal on ntrage and heavy robbery
was enacted on Thursday night last
"a inst, u few miles from East Brady.
About 9 o'clock four masked robbers
gained an entrance into the house oc-
cupied by John Connor an aged farmer
living alone with his wife two miles
from Catfish station, on the A. V. Il r.
The robbers bound and gagged the old
people and tortued the old man, who is
eighty-one years old, until he gave up
the key to bis safe, shooting him once
in the head They secured between
six and seven thousand dollars worth
of Allegheny Valley railroad and
Brady's Bend Bridge Company's bonds
and between four and five thousand
dollars in cash. 1t is supposed to have
been the work of some one knowing all
about the premises aud that no profess
sionals were engaged in the job on &C
count of the bugling manner they wen,
about il,
The reports of the effair are some
what conflicting as to the exact amount
of money taken. Some estimate the
amount of cash at as high figure as
$4,000, and say that among the bonds
were Government coupons, unregister-
ed The injuries inflicted upon Mr..
Connor by the shot and beating he
endured, before delivering up the key
and revealing the combination of the
safe, are considered quite serious, and
may, considering bis extreme old age,
prove fatal 1'he shock produced on
the nervous system of the old lady has
completely unstrung her, and it is
feared she may not survive it, The
affair has created intense excitement in
the vicinity for miles around, and
should the perpetrators of the outrage
be captured they will be severely dealt
with The Connors are among our
most respectable people and have the
sympathy of the community. There ia
no clue as yet to the perpetrators of
this high-handed outrage.
FURTHER PARTICULARS.
EAST BRADY, Pa. March s5 The
excitment ia the ncighborhood of Cat
fish station over the Connors robbery
is still intense. Full particulars of the
outrage develop the fact that the old
lady apd gentleman were brutally tor
turec by the four masked robbers.
When the front door Of the house was
suddenly burst open the old couple
were quietly sitting at their fireside
talking. Before the inmates realiged
fully what had taken place reyolvers
were leveled at them and four gruff
voices demanded their surrender Op-
position was out of the question, and
the robbers proceeded to bind the old
folks hand and foot, after which they
requested the old man to tell them
where the key of the safe, which is a
heavy, old-iashioned affair. was. This
he persistently refused to do, notwith-
standing their terrible threats of viol-
ence. Finally one of the rascals placed
his revolver close TO Conners' head and
discharged it probably with no inten-
tion to injure him, but to intimidate
him, but SO close was the murderous
weapon, that the bullet tore furrow
in the scalp extending from the fore
head to the back Of the head, from
which the blood flowed in streams.
Stunned and frightened, the old man
at last told them where the key was,
which they procured, but they after
many attempts failed to open the door.
They then returned to their victim and
carried him to the safe, and by awful
threats Of torture to the old lady COM
PEELED bin 10 open it, and they secured
the contents, amounting TO about Sl5-
600 in money and negotiable bonds.
The villains then carried Mr.. Con-
ners and wife to bedroom, and, after
gagging them so that they could not
make an outcry, bound them as they
thought securely to the bedposts and
left. During tie night Conners sue.
ceedipg in loosing himself, and imme-
diatcly proceeded to free his wife, who
was suffering much pain from the
thongs that bound her lie then pro-
cccded to the house of r.arricd SOD,
who resides a short distance away, and |
made known his loss The son says |
that he heard the report Of the pistol
the night previous, but paid no particu,
lar attention to it, as revolvers were
fired at all times of night by the mi
ners, who abound in the neighborhood |
No other suspicious sounds were heard |
by him. From the systematic manner
in which the affair was conducted it is
The general opinion that the robbers
are residents OF the vicinity and thor
Dughly conycrsant with the old man
Conncrs' house and business affairs.
The victims are well known in Butler,
4 Armstrong aud Clarion counties De
icctvcs from the city of Pittsburgh
md other points are pr0wling about
Tie neigbborhood, and the belief is
general that the robbers will socn be
'un down.
OF the bonds taken four were 1905,
of the Allegheny Railroad, of $1,000
zach, numbered az follows: 2,TS2, g.
1873, 1854 ard 2,7S5: A. V. II. II.
income IL of 500 each. Nos. 3.507
273 and 3,574 light bonds, of $3.50
ZACH, were RradY's Bend bridge bonds,
Nos. l3, IL. IS, rs, lDl, IO2, lp3, and
IO4 The balance Mr. Conners was
Unable to give the numbers Of OF the
,ash taken there were four 5 900 na-