Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-04-17
A NIGHT OF TERROR.
Daring Outrage by Masked Desper
adOes-A Family Bound and Robbed.
From the Herald.

From the Herald.
READING, Pa, April 13.-The leading
band Of burglars, consisting of the five
lately escaped convicts from the Dover
del. Jail, and who have since taken up
their abode in the Ephrata Hills, together
with a few of the Buzzard band of out
laws, committed one of the bcldest out
RACES at O'Clock this morning that have
vet stamped their infamous career. The
desperadoes visited the house Of John K.
Roger, n tollgate-keeper, half mile from
the village of Ephrata. The family were
at the time sleeping so sOundly that they
failed to hear the robbers gain entrance to
their home.
A TERRIBLE NIGHT SCENE.
Shortly after . o'clock Mr.. Roger was
rudely awakened TO see standing around
his bed three masked men, one OF them
carrying a dark lantern. All three OF
them held cooked revolYers at his mead,
They commanded silence. and then de-
manded his money or his life. Mr.. Roger,
who is a man not easily frightened, made
a desperate effort to tear off the mask OF
the robber nearest him, when the scoun-
drel jumped back and asked his fellows,
"Shall l let him have it?'-meaning a
ball. One OF the men replied. mo; not yet"
In the meantime Mr. Rogers daughter
awOke and was about raising an alarm
when the fourth masked rufiian suddenly
appeared and covered her with revolver.
Then another masked desperate went
into another room, and kept guard over
the remaining members Of the family,
threatening instant death if they were
not quiet. Mr.. Rover was then COM
manded to tell where he had his money
concealed. He refused to tell, and in a
moment he was struck on the head with
the butt of a revolver, and knocked
back on his pillow. Seeing this the
daughter rushed forward and begged the
burglars not to kill her father. One of
them jumped on the bed and was about
beating the mans brains out, when a
frightened member OF the family told the
thieves where all the money in the house
was, about $50.
THREATS 10 BURN THE WHOLE FAMILY.
This the burglars secured. but were not
satisfied, saying they knew there was
more cash in the house. They threatened
to bind the whole family all in bundle
and burn them alive if thev did not shell
out every penny they had. The family
finally persuaded the burglars to believe
they were telling the truth, and they de-
parted, warning them to give no alarm or
take the consequence OF outrage and
death.
The thieves escaped, and as yet there
have been no arrests.
The ruffians also visited the home Of
John Hutchinson, but were heard getting
in at the cellar door, Mr.. Hutchinson
fired at them. The thieves promptly fired
three shots in return and hurriedly
escaped. No one was wounded. These
desperadoes arrived in the Ephrata Hills
last Friday, having travelled on foot from
Dover. Two Of them are negroes. They
were serving longterms for burglary. One
of the six, William Bryant, alias Ber-
tram, was captured on Saturday and
brought to Jail here for rohbing the rail-
road station at WernersWlle.
OLD BUZZARD AND HIS BAND.
One portion Of the gang is safely in
trenched in one Of the many caves in the
mountains and can easily cooperate with
Abe BuZZard aud his band in the Welsh
mountains. The most intense excitement
prevails, and the farmers will at once or
ganize a vigilance committee to hang
them up as soon as caught. There is no
knowing who the next victims may be, as
the escaped cOnvicts are poor and despe-
rate, and are determined to raise as much
money as they can in the shortest posi-
b1Q Tina