The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1881-11-01
BITTINGER
SMITHTON SURPRISED.
Nearly the Whole Town Car
ried off by Burglars
Friday Night.
The Crow Bar and Front Window
Route the Means Favored by
the Thoroughbred Thieves.

Yesterday morning, when the deni-
zen> of the usually quiet little town
al Smithton. this county. arose from
their slumb-rs and resumed the
tolls oi life. il was discovered
that three Of the most prominent Oi the
business houses of the village had been
burglarizcd and de>poile,i the night pre-
yiuus.
The general store Of w. A. smith was
entered by the thieves, who LIadc their
way through the wall with crow bar
Here they secured three dozen fine silk
handkerchieis, two and a hall dozen poke,
knives and Il small yali>e.
Next the attention of the visitors was
directed to- the establishment ri Baker Il
Evans This store was entered hy the
burglars through the front door after nav
ing broken in the window in order to turn
the ia,ieningS. Here the prediction oi
the thieves fur pocket knives and handker-
chiefs WAS again INDUCED in, AMI three
dozen Of the first NAMED articles and be-
tween four and five dozen Oi the last were
taken.
Then the store oi t;iik.n Il White was
visited Here an entrance wa> effected IN
the same manner in which Baker X IVAN,
establishment was broken into, by break
ing the front window and christening the
door from the inside. All the pocket
knives in stock. between four and five
dozen. were taken, and the thieves varied
their tastes ~ exhibited IN the
other raids by turning their atten-
tinnS 10 five dozen oi Kid gloves
and thirty dollars in hard money. The
amount consisted Oi twenty dollar gold
piece ana ten dollars in silver.
Oi course, the little town vas thrown
into Il fever ri excitement by this triple
burglary Never in the history II the viii
lage had such bold crime been perpetrat-
cd. \ party was Immediately made up,
and came To- this city and Informed the
police OF the occurrence. No clue To- the
identity oi the persons committing the
Tubbcri,S * known. ana whether any can
~, obtained remains 10 H., seen The POI
lice al this civ aud the detectives are do
ing their best, and the SnithtouianS offer
4 large and liberal reward ior the capture
81 the raiders.
That there l. an organized band oi
thieves, professors ri the different branches
Ui horse stealing, burglary and highway
robbery. in this section at the present time.
there can he no doubt AMI thu pr1hahil-
iiy l. that the gang al horse thieves which
rIil,d the immediate vicinity ri S,,ialia
the other night. and the SmiihinU cracks
men, are one aud the same party. The
purpose vi the thieves in securing only
their peculiar kind al booty such articles
Il, may bc readily carried away amt u
readily sold and otherwise disposed al. -
handkcprhiciS. DCket- knives anu glove -
1. IL 81,
by ;hat class If thieves who furnish the
travelling pe,ldlcrS oi the country with the
stock oi goods which they exhibit to deui-
zen oi the rural districts and sell ut such
reckless prices. Ii IL l. the same gang
which stole the five horses which were
taken from this Immediate vicinity nn
"Wednesday nigh, last, they uuioubtcdly
hal the raid On Smithton IN mind ut the
time, and the horses were provided Tor tn"
purpose of facilitating the escape with the
plumber after il was secured. IL this thcu-
~ l. tenahlc, the burglars arr long since
well on their way towards some city, or
locality where they can dispose Of their
booty; and IN all probability search ior
them will not avail much. IL l. To- be
nnped that nO pains or expense To elect
their capture will he spared. IL will be
horne In mind that the thieves took with
them = vali,c which they secured in Mr..
Smiths store This vali-c WAS. without
doubt, used To- carry away the articles
stolen. People are nn; in the habit, IN
thc-e DAYS. ri travelling through the COIN
try ON horseback and carving valises.
Such a person should he watched fur, and,
ii 4 stranger, should bc Immediately lie
tanned until he can give 4 reasonable and
account al himself