Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-18
GRIST FOR THE GHOULS.
One of the Wholesale Robbers Of Flood
Sufferers Arrested-He Personated
an Officer and Robbed Other
Robbers Capital in
Misfortune.

UlleIOrtunos
IFRoM STAFF CORRESPONDENT
JoHNsTowN, June ia man was arrested
this afternoon for impersonating an officer and
searching houses on Prospect Hill without
authority. For the past week or more detec-
tives have been making quiet and diligent
search on the hill for property supposed to have
been stolen after the waters had subsided, and
also on the lookout for large quantities Of pro-
visions obtained from the various relief COM
mittees. The first two or three days after the
flood there was large amount Of valuables re
covered from the wreck and hidden in places
of safety. All kinds of household goods. pro-
visions, ETC., were also stolen from the wrecked
stores.
Detectives were given authority to visit all
the houses in that neighborhood, and search
them for the stolen goods. In the majority of
cases they met with resistance; but, notwith-
standing the odds they labored against they
succeeded in reclaiming several carloads OF
property of different kinds Some of the stuff
consisted of provisions and clothing furnished
by the relief committees.
For several days man has been visiting
houses where goods were secreted. Showing
badge, he would seize the property wherever
be found it The authorized detectives. who
were conducting the search concluded that he
found that he lived in JohnstoEn, and, together
with several pals had succeeded in
working the receivers of the stolen
send it away with the other men. The latter
would ostensibly start for headquarters, but
would take The stuff outin the country and SELF
it They made most OF their money an -four.
some of it selling for as high as $5 per sack. On
the Frankstown road, which leads from Main
street to Hollidaysburg, there has been a
famine in this product. The farmers there do
not grind wheat or rye, and have been in the
habit of getting their -four in Johnstown. They
have fed SO many people who were fleeing from
the stricken city that they were entirely out of
flour, and could not get any more. BY selling
the -four to them st good prices the men were
enabled to drive lucrative business with the
stolen goods. In conversation with your cor
respondent to-day. Detective Sharpe, of the
Pennsylvania Railroad said:
There are any number Of people up their on
Prospect Hill, who have their cellars full of stuff
that they stole and begged after the flood. Hun
dreds of people are coming here daily for provis-
ions, etc., who are living better now than they
ever dreamed Of Why, l know any number Of
them who never had half enough to eat, on ac-
count of spending their money for whisky. since
the flood, when people have been supposed to be
ing on the best in the land. They have their cell
lars full of stuff and each one of them has several
suits Of clothes from the relief committees 1t is
IAN i'll wind that blows nobody good, and in
this case hundreds have profted by the mis-
fortunes of others. These people are wishing that
a food would strike the town about once q year.
lift did they would lay in enough supplies to last
them for another year. MCSWIGAN.