Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-02-11
BANDED FOR THIEVERY.
DEPREDATIONs BY ORGANIZED
GANGS IN THE SUBURBS.

fest tue OulsklELs ol Tue CITY anu are Gun /
tinuaIly raiding suburban properties do
not decrease in numbers, and almost
every day thefts and rOb5eries Of the most
audaciOus character are reported. A
gentleman who happened in the Old
Fort neighborhOOd a day or two ago
counted - able-bOdied tramps in one
squad, and almost any day 10 or 20 can
be seen lettering on the commons and
skulkiug about the country beyond An
derson street. In the latter neIghborhOod |
they are organized in camps, and spend
the dav playing cards and drinking such
cheaD whisky as they are able 10 buy or
steal During the night they replenlsh
their cOmmissary by raiding the cellars.
kitchen and chicken-cOOps OF people Nv
ing in the suburbs. The southern part OF
the CITY has Of late been almost OYerrun
by the lOa6ng pilferers, and the people |
there have begun TO look upon them as a
nuisance they would be perfectly justit-
able in abating with shOtguns. All sorts |
OF methods are resOrted to in order to
work their way into houses. DOOrbells
are rung sometimes three and four times
a day by able-bOdied Migrants, who hang
about until they are sure all the male |
members of the family are out and then
they demand provisions and often money /
from the frightened women and children
more after the manner of highway robbers |
than Of common beggaTs.
Some Of them have become fastidiOus in /
their notions, and are not satisfied with |
s.cold snack'' handed out at the back /
door. They want 10 make their entrance |
BY the front way, and try to leave the i'm
preston that it is a regular meal they |
want, and they seldom forget to include |
hot coffee in their order. Money, how
ever. is what pleases the average tramp |
more than anything else. One OF his |
lodges is to tell a pitiful tale to any one |
who will listen, and ask tor help IN way |
that will leave the impression that cash |
is preferred. If this does not succeed, |
then he asks for a meal, and, If he Is very |
hungry. he will fall back as a
last resort on piece Of bread and butter.
but the thoroughbred tramp would rather
have a 10-cent piece tnan the best "square
meal" that can be set before hin. lie mas
an uncomfortable appetite for whisky,
and TO get it he must have cash. He is,
therefore, willing to be dismissed with a
dime, and will often make his most ac-
cOmplished bow and pronounce his most
feryent ''GOd bless yOu' for nickel.
SOME OF THE VICTIMS.
A NEWS reporter visited a number Of
residences in the southern part OF the city
Yesterday, and found but few families
who are not daily annoyed by the
wandering vagabOnds. No doubt residents
OF the central part of the city would be
subjected TO the same annoyance if 1t
were not for the vigilance OF the police.
A number OF very serious rObberies have
been committed within the past week IN the
southern suburbs. besides the petty pllier
ing that is continually going on. The cool
| est exploit was at the residence Of Mr.Chas.
II. Holmes, on Lincoln and Bolton streets.
The house is occupied by Mr.. Holmes
E'ffzalnfh 4 Rai1aN
During the afternoon the members Of the
family went out, and left the doors locked
| and as they believed secure. When
| they returned the house had
been entered: every room had been
/ sacked. and the jewelry and other Valu-
ables, lot Of clothing and about $40 IN
I cash had been carried away. The rob-
/ bers had taken the drawers from bureaus
and dressing cases, and, after dumping
their contents upon the floor, had picked
out all the articles of value they could
/ find. After securing their booty they
went into the Kitchen and prepared meal
from the best the family larder Afforded,
/ and ate from the dining table in as much
style as though they were at nome.
/ This was accomplished in broad daylight.
Another serious robbery occurred a
few DAYS a1O at the house of Mrs. Mar
garet GiebelhOuse on Second street. The
/ house was entered in the night time
while the members of the family
were asleep. and about 5000 worth
Of iewelry was carried away. Mrs. Glebei-
| house was awakened while the robbers
| were at work, and gave an alarm, which
| brought TO her assistance Mr. }. W. Hunt,
her sOn-in-law, living next door. When
| Mr.. Hunt arrived the robbers had gotten
out of the house with their booty and
were making their retreat as rapidly as
| pOssibIe. Mr.. Hunt gave chase and fired
r-Lo If shar1 hfTf tho nn rlr-
ness was unable to OVertake them.
RAIDING THE KITCHENS.
NIr. Hunts residence was visited a few
nights afterwards. The thieves content
ed themselves there with carrying off
whatever provisions they could get their
hands on. They were not heard while at
work, and when the family went to the
kitchen next morning TO prepare break
fast they found the larjer totally ''cleaned
out"
A rather amusing robbery was perpe-
tra:ed recently at the residence of Mr..
Theodore ROber, on Bull street, near First
street some friends had been invited IN
and refreshments had been prepared for
them, but while the family and their
friends were enjoying themselves IN the
DarlOr the thieves ralded the kitchen ana
carried away the provisions.
On Saturday night. between IL and II
O'clock, as Mr.. John W. Keller. a grocer
at the corner of Lincoln and Bolton
streets, was closing up his store, three
tramps put in an appearance. Mr.. Keller
was counting the money in his till at the
time, preparatory to making up his cash
account. and was alone. One of the vaga-
bonds entered the store and the other two
walked a few steps down Lincoln street /
and waited The one who went in began
begging for a nickel, and at the same time
watched Mr.. Keller closely as he counted
his money. After doing all in
his power to get the grocer |
tn give him money the
fellow went out. and was seen IN close
consultation with his companions. MIR.
Keller at once saw that there was
scheme on hand, probably to rob him,
and he hastily locked himself in the store,
where he remained until satisfied that
the gang had moved on or given up their
plan of robbery.
Numerous cases Of petty plundering
and of efforts being made to break into
houses are every day reported. The Vaga-
bonds, VINO seem to be organized into
bands, have become 4 nuisance and |
terror that the people would be glad !
to see abated by some means.
Il don't believe in killing people, but
wouldn't mind helpilg to turn up the |
toes of about a dozen tramps." remarked |
one citizen who is frequently annoyed |
by them.
FINDING HOW THE LAND LAYS.
Among the unwelcOme habitues Of the |
southern suburbs who have annoyed the |
citizens, and who is believed by many TO |
have had some connection with the |
heavier rObberies that have been COM |
mitted there, is a man wearing reversl- |
BILE ulster and whose Ostensible business |
is selling patterns for cutting ladies' gar
meuts. He is a plausible talker and |
generally manages 10 stay in house Tor /
some time showing his patterns and try |
ing 20 sell them. Wherever he has |
visited he appears to be taking an in |
ventory of everything in the house. He |
fingers as long as possible as if to ascertain |
if he could discover where yaluables were |
kept. One mysterious thing about him I
is the number Of times he reyerses his |
ulster, changing it every time he visits a |
house. One party in describing him said |
that he bad on brown OvercOat and al |
the next house ne visited he was de- |
scribed as wearing a black coat. The IA |
cIlitv with which be reverses his outer |
garment is said to be remarkable. lie |
certainly excels the ''little joker" at the |
trick Of changing his appearance.
The people are suspicious OF every |
stranger that makes his appearance, and |
the suburban neIghboThOOds are up in !
arms against the tramps.
GRIPPEO WITH THE NIPPERs.