The Portland daily press., 1883-07-09
THE BUcKFIELD ROBBERY.
The Ingenious Theory of a Detec-
tive.
He Thinks it Case of Self-Rob.
berry.

S'e~N' ~A.s WV y tAtCHus ueicllbiuS0 w bbQ
out, II possible. who the robbers were, and
formed a con mittee, in whose hands the whole
matter was placed.
The committee sent for Detective Wormel
of Bethel, and asked him to investigate the
affair. He did so, and the result of his uves-
tigation has been reported to the com mittee
for action. The report, as we learn, is sub
stantiay as follows:
Mr.. Coles house in Buckfed stands end on
to the main street. Il has an H. All the
windows on the first story are long French
windows reaching to the floor. They are dou-
BILE, fastening with spring catch, and opening
in two leaves like q double door. The first
floor has the usual hall, with stairs near the
front door, parlor on the front of the house,
sitting room in the rear of the parlor, with
window in its rear, and doors opening into the
hall from both parlor and sitting room. Oppo-
site the sitting room door, ON the other side of
the hall, is Mr. Coles study. Ia the second
story Mr.. and Mrs. Coles bedroom is located
over the paror, with the bed in the further
corner of the room, near the window, and
some distance from the door opening into the
upper hall
When Mr.. Wormell visited Mr. Cole, the
Thursday morning after the loss of the money,
he found him in bed in the bedroom, with Mrs
Cole taking care of him. One of the commit
tee accompanied Mr.. Wornell. The detective
asked Mrs Cole to show him just how the af-
fair occurred, as she was the one VINO made the
discovery on Tuesday morning, that the house
had been robbed. Mr.. Cole offered TO accom-
pany his wife and the detective down stairs,
but Mr. Wormell told him not to disturb him
self, but keep quiet and not injare himself, as
he might do after the severe chloroforming he
had experienced. The correct story of the
robbery has never been printed
On going down stairs Mrs Cole took the de-
tective to the window at che rear of the sitting
room. She said that Tuesday morning, upon
awakening, she dressed herself without MOTTO
ing anything out Of the way except the heavy
sleep of Mr. Cole. She went down stairs, and
on entering the sitting room discovered the
window wide open, which she was positive she
had closed and locked the night previous, and
placed heavy sofa against. So positive was
she of this fact, she was prepared to take her
oath it was so. Not only was the window wide
open and the heavy sofa pushed one side, but
her husbands vest was lying ON the floor be-
tween the window leaves. The drawer in a
small light-stand was open, and had been
rummaged, but red wallet belonging to Mrs
Cole, which had money in it. lying in The very
front of The drawer, had not been taken or the
money disturbed. Crossing the entry and GO
lug into the study, Mrs. Cole approached her
husbands desk, which contained five drawers
Two of these drawers, containing valuable pa-
n&rS Mr. oil kap
other three unlocked The TWO drawers usual
~ locked were vide open aud tae contents
tumbled about. The contants of the other
three had not been disturbed.
After ascertaning these facts Mrs Cole said
she up stairs to the bedroom. She also
said tn at the night previous, ON returning, the
door of their room leading into the hall, was
LETT open, and chair put against it to keep it
open. On this chair Mr. Cole placed his trou-
sers and vest. The bed, as before stated, was
in the further corner of the room. Upon
reaching the bedroom after leaving the rooms
below, Mrs. Cole shook her husband heavily TO
awaken him. Upon swakiBg Mr.. Cole put his
hand down the bed, produced napkin which
he placed at his nose, and cried out 1--WE b. ve
been choroformed; we have been robbed
WIS. SuAc lOtu Nun Eu6b e0h BdQ discovered
and asked him if she should go for the neigh
bors. Mr.. Cole replied yes. but DON'T say how
much money we have lost.
Such was Mrs. Coles story, and such. as we
understand, was Mr.. Coles confederation of it
later, except that few days afterwards Mrs
Cole who bad been so positive that she locked
the sitting room window she could swear TO
that fact. thought she must be mistaken. Now
why did she think she was mistaken? Because
according To the detectives theory, ii any one
from outside that window had forced it in on
the night in question, then the bolt, or the
window frame must have been broken, or
there must have been some marks to show the
use of force especially whea heavy sofa was
also moved so far BY the opening windows
Again, the couple went to bed tie on tie
Monday night. The sun rises early Al the tine
OF the year when the alleged robbery took
place, and a village community is astr at
least with the SUI. Mr.. Cole declared be was
chloroformed. He said. SO it is alleged, tia
the napkin be took up and applied to his nos
trils when his wife awoke him, was strong
with the oder of chloroform at that time, and
wet or damp with the liquid. Now it is q
known fact, that chloroform evaporates in
very few moments, and that napkin saturat-
ed with it would be dry and odorless few mo-
ments after it had been moistened with the
ausest etc. 1t would have been i'm posi- BILE
for it to have remained damp. and strong Of
the chloroform odor for SO long a time as that
between sunrise and when Mr.. Cole was awak.
eDed by his wife.
Again, If other parties wished to rob Mr..
Cole and knew that he carried money in the
two inside pockets of his vest--S3, 500 In one
pocket and $1,000 in the other-so that they
only rem owed the vest and did not disturb the
trousers. why did not these parties iast pass
their hands inside the open bed room door and
remove the vest from the chair, instecd of GO
ing to all the risk and trouble OF entering the
room and going to the further corner to chlorc-
form Mr.. Cole We do not understand Mrs.
Cole claims she was chloroformed.] Why
should the burglars leave the wallet of Mrs.
Cole untouched in the light-stand drawer?
Why did they open and rummage the locked
drawers in the desk in the study, bat not
NEEDLE at all with the unlocked drawers.
The question may be naturally asked wi at
was the motive for self robbery. Mr.. Wor-
mell's report, we are told, explains the matter
thus. Mr. Coles liabilities Of all kinds were
about $4,000. He was estimated, and estima-
ted himself as worth about 5000. To meet
his liabilities on a forced sale OF his property,
and with what funds he could obtain he would
have about 81, 500 to meet the $4,000 If he
went into insolvency he could save good por-
ton OF the money and be some four or five
thousand dollars to the good. His creditors,
who had the greatest confidence in him, tele-
graphed him after the robbery not to be dis
couraged. He could have all the time he
wanted, bat Cole telegrsphed back he thought
he could meet the demands In thirty days
Now it is alleged that Cole this year has en-
tirely reversed his usual business practses.
Eornaerlu he has aIruaua axcl.a..s..a IL. -