Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1884-01-31

in his regular line.
He first detailed the circumstances of his
capture, and his statement was so nearly
identical with the above extract from the
Herald, that we adopt it.
He then said that he had been sentenced
from this county to the penitentiary for
two terms of one year each-tirst in 1877,
for grand larceny, and again in 1881 for
house breaking. He served out the full
period of each sentence. 1t was after his
return from serving the last sentence that he
joined the band then composed Of Babe
Dixon, jim Gillespie and Henry Lane.
Jim Gillespie is also a native of York coun-
ty, having been raised by the late Richard
Gillespie in the Clay Hill section, and Lane
halls from Raleigh, N. G. Babe Dixon is
native of York, his father having been the
slave of Edward Avery, Sen., of Ebenezer.
Broomfeld joined these men in June, 1882,
but was not, as has been published, the
leader Of the gang. They had no recognize
ed leader, but acted in unison and upon
plans mutually agreed upon, and all shared
the profits of a robbery equally.
He says the first job ofimportance they un-
dertook after he joined the gang, was the rob-
berry of the store of j. R. Lindsay & Co.,
in Yorkville, in November 1882. This was
planned by Jim Gillespie. Besides Giles
pies general knowledge of locations in
Yorkville, being familiar with the place,
he visited the town one day, and after max
ing special observations, decided that Lind
says store offered the strongest induce
ments. He returned to headquarters in
Charlotte and reported the scheme, when
all four of them started on foot for York.
Vile. They stole wagon and two horses
on the way-from Johnson Ray, in Meek
lenburg county-and after thus equipping
themselves with team and wagon, they
drove rapidly, crossing Catawba river at
Neelys ferry late in the afternoon. Arriv-
ing here that night, they drove up in front
of the store, and observations of the manner
of securing the back door having been pre-
viously made, the work of boring SO as to
effect an opening by which to remove the
fastening, was butt work ofa few minutes.
To use his own words, they "lOaded up the
wagon pretty WE'LL" and very rapidly, and
were soon on the road to Charlotte, crossing
the river at the same ferry about day
light the next morning. Arriving at Char
lotte, the wagon was unloaded at the house
above alluded to in LogtoWn, and they kept
the team and wagon concealed until night,
when they were driven back to the owners
premises.
Broomfield says he did not enter Mr..
Lindsay's store himself, but remained on
the outside with the team and to keep
watch. These goods, as other booty stolen
by them, were sold clandestinely in Char
lotte, mainly by woman recognizedas jim
Gillespie's wife. Broomfield says this was
a good haul. Of course, he could say moth
ing of the market value of the goods stolen,
nor what was realized from their sale, but
the lowest estimate Capt Lindsay could
make on the articles stolen was $500 at cost
price.
Broomfield claims that this is the only
store that he had any connection with rob-
bing in Yorkville, though he says the other
members of his gang robbed Mr.. J. W.P.
Hopes store before he joined them, Or while
he was in the penitentiary.
Among other robberies committed by his
gang, he mentioned the store of Mr.. Nc
Ginnis, in Mecklenburg, n. G.; Mr.. Len
! Woods store at Clay Hill in this county,
taking from it S75 in cash; Mr.. CaldWelps
house, near Charlotte, and the houses of two
negro men in this county last June. Though
Broomfeld says that he never entered any
dwelling house himself.
In his narrative, he remarked, en- passant
that one Sunday last summer, in open day
light, he went into a store at LoWrysville,
but didn'tsee anything hardly worth taking
except pair Of pants and pair of shoes.
He says that the robbery of Stahn's jew
elry store in Chester, last month was, per-
petrated by him and his three confederates,
and the articles taken therefrOm were all
taken to Charlotte and sold. They tried
another store in Chester few nights sub
sequently, but before an entrance could be
effected they had to desist on account of
persons passing on the street.
Their latest exploit of any note was the
robbery, week before last, of a ''large fine
store" as he expressed it, in Winnsboro.
"Here," he said, 1--WE made a good haul"
Subsequently they entered the store of l..
M Davis at Rock Hill, which Broomfeld
says he was connected with, and his part
ners burglarized Baxter Caldwells house in
'Mecklenburg. 1t is for this burglary that
Lane and Gillespie are in Jail in Charlotte.
The store entered in Winnsboro was Phil
lip Landecker's, and since the arrests were
made he has gone to Charlotte and identified,
among the recovered goods, large part of
the goods stolen from his house. 1t is prob
able that Lane and Gillespie will be taken
to Winnsboro for trial for this offence.
On being asked about the robbery of Lat
ta's clothing store, in Charlotte, and the res
idence of DR.. Norment, in the same city, on
New Years night, Broomfeld denied any
knowledge of either. He says he was not
in Charlotte on that night, and if any of his
gang were connected with one or both of
these robberies, they had never told him
of it.
The only escapade Broomfield had in
North Carolina was in the Inferior Court OF
Mecklenburg, where he was tried before
Judge Waring on the charge of house-break-
ing, and acquitted. He was guilty, and the
warrant of arrest was in his own proper
name, but on the trial he claimed that his
name was Charles Youngblood. which could
not be controverted, and accordingly he was
acquitted.
Broomfield and his associates are harden
ed in crime, and if we may believe that
portion of his story relating to the stealing
of Mr. Rays team and wagon, in order to
facilitate the robbing Of Lindsay's store,