Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1889-01-19
THE WICKED WARRENS
An Organized Band oE outlaws
Broken Up at Last.
A FAMILY OF MISCREANTS.
They Had Long Terrorizcd Connecticut
and Rhode Island Border Counties.
Piucky Constable Barstow's Clever
work-The Hidden Booty.

New LONDON. Conn.,, Jan. 19-Through
the dogged persistence Of a modest looking
town constable, Marcus Barstow, of Chestnut
Hill near East Killingly, in Windham
county, the rascally acts of band of rival
horse thieves, outlaws and midnight ma
rauders have been brought practically to an
end. This gang has for many years terror
lied the eastern border between Connecticut
and Rhode Island along the turnpike roals
between New London, Norwich, Plainfield
and Danielsonvilie ON the one hand, and
Westerly, Bristol and Providence on the
other
The operations of the Warren family have
been on larger scale than those of any
gang of freebooters on the Connecticut and
Rhode Island border for many years. A
perfect reign of terror has existed. Border
counties, and especially the section between
Connecticut and Rhode Island, have always
been the prowling places of gangs of robbers
and thieves and murderers, and in the tract
operated in by the Warrens the Dick Tur-
pins of the border have aourished for months
and years at a time-ever since old Ezebiel
Hopkinton settled in Scituate in western
Rhode Island in 17l7.
Only a few years ago a large posse of con-
stables was required to break up the opera
tions of band of horse thieves whose head
quarters We're in Hampton, Conn.,, and who
literally terrorized a circular section of
country of which the town of Foster, r. l.,
was the center Stables were continually
being emptied, and one day a human body
was found in the well Oh the Hammond farm,
near Foster Center This mystery was never
cleared up.
1t was in this country, on a lonely road
northeast of Hopkins Mills, X. l., that the
famous murder of Bill Ide by his mistress,
Jeannette Putnam, occurred on March 2i,
1873 The woman was nearly dead from
the abuse she had received at his hands, and
he went to sleep with the parting threat that
when he awoke he would kill her. She knew
he would keep his word end she chose to live
herself, so she blew out his brains with
double barreled shotgun A jury acquitted
her and she is now living.
Through the intuitive keenness and detect
i've sagacity of Constable Barstow the ring
leaders, at least, in the Warren family's gang
of sneak thieves and robbers have been at
last laid by the heels. The work of extermi-
nation has not yet, however, been fully COM
pleted. There are others of the plunderers
whose names and living places are known,
and it will be matter of time only when they
are bounded down, for public opinion in
Windham county is now nerved up to the
work of doing it.
The story of the Warren family is one of
the strangest on record The Warrens seem
to be clannish set OF people who latterly
had been living in the old Elisha Handel
house, situated in very lonely spot, sur
rounded by shrub oaks, on road leading
west from Hopkins Mills, r. l., and not far
from East Killingly.
The leading spirits of this gang, So far as
at present given out by the officers, were Ed
mond Warren, who leased the premises, and
who had wife and four children; his elder
brother, capt. Josiah Warren, the leader
OF the gang; his younger brother, Edwin,
and Elmer Phillips.
The father of this precious family was old
Erastus Warren. poverty stricken man,
who had belief that he had been cheated in
financial transaction he once had with a
neighDor of reputed wealth. He swore that
forever after the community should pay to
him and his sons from its store tribute of
whatever lay around loose that could be con-
veniently laid hold Of. The cynical old head
oil the family led the way and his three sons
were not slow in following him.
The Warrens have drifted all over eastern
Connecticut, having representatives living
in Eastford, Dayville, Brooklyn, KillingIy
and Foster. OF powerful build and criminal
cunning. they have always been held in
dread Elmer Phillips was born in '.Snag-
wood" near Foster, r. 1. One of his broth
ers is now ''doing time" in Rhode Island
There are abundant indications that the
Clan Warren have been connected with other
larger and acuter men, who have long had
the reputation of carrying on thefts by
which thousands of dollars worth of properly
have been spirited into places of concealment
in that country, for instance into the old
Handel house There were several con-
venient fences in that border wilderness
where stolen property has been held till it
could be disposed Of either in Connecticut or
Rhode Island. If the booty was secured in
Connecticut then 1t was run toward Provi-
dence, and vice versa.
The depredations of the clan were nowhere
more felt than among the manufacturing
villages along the Chestnut Hill brook.
where to carry on the business the foreign
element has not yet driven out the native
American girls from the mills These girls
are eminently respectable, and many OF
them are well educated. The fear of the
Clan Warren was so great among them that
they hardly dared venture on the street at
night In fact, every body in that part of
the country feared the Warrens
While the thets Of the gang have not been
Of startling Importance in individual cases,
yet it IS believed that they extend into the
/ thousands in number Farm utensils were
stolen, clothes lines without number were
| stripped, many horses-some very valuable
ones-were taken, and in one case q wagon
loaded with grainsFas driven away in the
night.
Things were going steadily from bad to
worse when Constable Barstow was implored
to taks hand IN the game. After studying
the situation for some time he engaged young
| Henry Daggett to help him, and the two went
| TO Nork.
| Dsazett thm went "a nj hsAansShaa sas.a-