Morning journal and courier., 1881-01-04
An Extensive Robbery.

Bonds and Other Property Amounting to
 $500 s4olen--An old Man Robbed tn i
 His Own HoEse--Elfs Nephew Arrested |
 on Suspicion Of Being Implicated in the 1
 Theft. x4s. One of the most bold and daring robberies that has occurred in this city for number of years took place on Sunday night or early Monday morning at the house of Elihu Sperry, No. TIT Chapel street. Mir. .Sperry is an elderly gentleman in feeble health, and beside himself his family is com posed of an unmarried daughter, Q nephew named Charles Harland, who took charge of MT. Sperry, and man servant by the name of Crafts. On Sunday at midnight Mir. Sperry, being in nervous condition, arose from his couch, and with Harland went into the basement and replenished the furnace with coal. After doing this the two returned to the floor above and Mir. Sperry again re- tired and fell asleep. About o'clock in the morning HaFland awoke Mir. Sperry and told him that he heard somebody down stairs. The old man thought he was mistaken, but Har- land insisted that such was the case when MT. Sperry told him to call Mir. Crafts, who worked about the place and who was sleeping in an attic chamber. This was done and Crafts got up and followed Harland down stairs and into the basement. On going down the cellar stairs Harland inquired of Crafts if he did not "feel the wind from that window.'' On going into the kitchen they found the window open leading into the well room, and from this the way was open to the yard and pan of ashes was placed in front of the open window, which, it would seem, must have been disturbed by anyone enter ing through the open window. The exami- nation of this window did not reveal any marks between the sashes indicating that the catch had been opened from the outside, and they therefore concluded that it had been opened from the inside
 On the east side of the house, leading di- rectly out of the dining room, was a room that had been used by MT. Sper- ry as sort of office, in which was cabinet safe. The window to this room bore marks on the outside of an attempt to open it. The key to this room or office was always kept on shelf in the dining room, and in the morn ] ing this key was missing. A locksmith was sent for and the door was opened. The safe was found locked and the key to it was also found in small drawer over the safe, as left by Miss Sperry on Saturday afternoon when she unlocked it to get five dollars to pay @ bill that was presented On unlocking the safe it was found that it had been robbed of the following property:
 Two per cent New Haven city sewerage bonds $1 ,OOO.
 One per cent. bond, State of Connecti- cut, 1885, $1,O0O.
 Two town of New Haven Air Line per ! cent. bonds, $1 ,OOO each, due 1889. Six United States per cent. bonds of 1861, due July l, 1881, $1 900 each. One United States per cent. bond of 1861, due July l. 1881, $500.
 Two bonds New York Central and Hudson f river railroad, due May 1, 1SS3, $1 ,OOO each. | Two bonds Hannibal and St. Joseph rail road per cent, $1, 900 each. Three bonds City of Brooklyn water loan, \ 6 per cent, $1, ,OOO each.
 | Six bonds Pittsburg, Fort Wayne and Chi cago railroad, per cent, due 1893, $1,00O | each. Five bonds Milwaukee and St. Paul rail | road per cents., due 1893, $1 ,OO0 each.
 Certificate of shares of New Haven City bank stock.
 Certificate of 20 shares, Naugatuck railroad | stock.
 Gold snuff box, supposed to contain $50 in gold, the box marked on the lid D. L.
 Linen purse containing $1o in silver
 This was the property of the late Mrs. E1ihu Sperry and was ready for distribution.
 The following personal property of Elihu
 Sperry was also taken:
 Seven Milwaukee and St. Paul railroad
 bonds of $1 600 each, supposed to be due Jan.
 1st 1881.
 Four Derby railroad bonds, per cent, $1 ,0oO each.
 One Northampton railroad bond, per
 cent, $1 1000.
 Deed of store corner Howe and Chapel l streets.
 Deed of land on Chapel street, foot of Gill
 street.
 Chief Webster and Detectives Brewer and
 Sheriff George Stevens, who was first in
 Mrs. Sperry's estate, went to the house and
 investigated. They found that Charles liar.
 land was the only person that had been away from home. He ran around to the neigh.
 bors in the morning and told them that MT
 Sperry's house had been entered by burglars
 On Harland they fixed their suspicious, and on orders of the Chief he was taken to the
 station house and locked up. He was very
 reticent, declining to talk with the officers
 about the matter. Further investigations
 will be made to-day. The numbers of the bonds are not made public. but as most o1
 them cannot be negotiated it would seem that
 the thief or thieves have not made a very great ''strike ;" although if the bonds are
 not recovered the owners will suffer from the
 loss The money value of the property
 stolen foots up over $5O,O0O.