The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-12-27
SCARED OFF BY A MINISTER.
now PisTOR SOULE's SERMON B4LK-
ED A GANG or BURGLARS
He was Working Rather Late on His Christ
mas Discourse and Overheard the Crack -
men at Work on the Nnugatuck Banks
Safc-As u Consequence tho Bank SIN
Hn. the $4,000 That was in It's safe.

NAuGATucK. Conn. Doc. %. IT the parson
hadn'ta-ben writing his sermon when he was
they night-a. got the money!" is the way folk g
un here in Naugatuck explain tho failure OF
gang OF craftsmen to get away with $4,000
from the safe of the Naugatuck National Bank
early on Christmas morning.
There is a ripo old tradition. nurtured by the
older and more conservative New England
thcologans. that n minister must always have
his next days sermon written by Saturday
night. unless ho has an old one to fall back on.
In defiance OF this well-preserved tradition
tho Rev. Sherrod Soulc. { he progressive pastor
OF the Naugatuck Congregational Church. fin
ished his Christmas sermon early on Christ
mas morning and thereby saved the $40. 600
for the bank.
At ton minutes to 3 Mr. soule com pcted his
task, lit cigar. and settled back comfortably
in his chair intending TO smoke till 3. o'clock
and then 30 to bed. His mind went back in
reflective mood over tho ro.nts in his sermon.
ushcrnG n "A cold. crisp Christmas Day.
., fow minutes nnss,.d; and then the minister
an explosion. which in turn was followed by
Not more than Il hundred feet from the par.
sonage is the church. standing out cold and
white on n ight eminence at the head OF
Maple street. W lch leads up from the railroad
station; New stained glass windows have re-
Gently been put in tho church. and tho minis
tcrs first thought was that one of these had in
some way been broken,
toward the Town, Hall. which stands almost
directly Opposite tho church. at tho cornc: of
4 on the sidewalk-ri.ht, in front of tho Town
Hnil-he, saw man. lie was Standing near
Gs s"rnfr 9? the LIns Ihs
by the Nausatuck National Bank.
IT was 9's s in the I morning,a sunday
sounded Ike an explosion. and there ccr-
tninly had been breaking OF glass. Mir Soule
thought thmt if it. was not his windows it must
decided to act.
o At tho same tms as near as could DO
Franklin J. Tutt!", who lives next door to Mr.
S"nie' and who is one Of thI directors in tho
Tut;lo had not heaiI I'd" ANYTHING and didn';
know Just about this time Mr.. Soule rang
In response to frightened inquiry the pastor
told what he had heard aud seen.
DR.. Tuttc turned on nIl the electric lights in
hts house; makinGnn illumination easily seen
ter stated out together. tho Roy. Shcrrod Soue
W"ndrrinF II ANYTHING had hnpnened to the
:, They hurried down to the Town Hall and
there found that the window on the first floor
been broken. P'crinr through. Mr.. SouIe saw
that the outer door Of the vault was partly
opon; There was apparently no ono about tho
While Mr.. Soue and nr. Turtle were making
an HX9mlnatlon tho news had spread around.
Cashier Arthur Ii. DAYTON. and Sheriff james
Sweeney came hurryn; up.
ras tho " TS Goo ha Of
doors were Still closed. but in ono o. Of them then,
outer door. 1t had been blown OIL. and hurled
On tho floor was IA piece Of dynamite about
three inches long, and scattered about were
small PIECES Of tho explosive. There wore
also Il bit stock. n cnrrenter'S large nugcr. two
small auEets. Jimmy about fifteen inches
long. a cold chiscl. and a heavy doutle-headcd
The hurGars had tried to break the lock
dinl off the door. Tho knob gave way and
l"f' the nial Hnnlnarei Marks on the inside
made either to saw or pry 1t Off. Failing in
thii, the men had lan.mcd trn;;cent piece
had opened M u small space. into which they
had put the dynamite. On the floor was tho
eaSE%nSa Wn Lei" b. the n hurting FUSE
the glass in that was covered with leo. None
81 Ct t." other windows had any ice or them.
one through which persons in the street
tonl1 So" into the hank l1d TO the conclusion
Which, fro"HiI rnpiiIy in The intense , coI i'd OH
scureh tho view from tho outside.
The men had TAX en- careful precautions for
mort beast corner Of the building. and it wa $
probably hr1,ugh this thai, they escarod when
Ilty i!"hFI NJ 'NpNlh anu I'F. Iultlc coming.
Tho lock OF the front door Of the building had
also been tampered with. SO that it could not
be opened from the outside.
In the course OF the excitement some one
tclepkoncd 70 tho Waterbury police that all
the cash in the bank hah been taken. Later
In the morning this statement was corrected,
but Ia" Waterbury authorities were asked to
keep lookout for the thieves.
Tho only thing the latter got was Cashier
Dayiuu'S new revolver. which they took. lcav-
ing an old one. which was also near at hand.
The cashier stated yesterday that there was
only $4,000 in the SAT" on Saturday night.
although during the day about $4,000 had
been sent out to DO paid to tho workmen OF
two factories.
But little is known about the crncksmen,
who nunGlcd awkwardly. and yet did ono or
two clover things. 1t is thought that there
were four in the gang. and that they had
planned I'll" burglary with some knowledge as
to the lost timo 20 ATTEMPT it.
On Friday afternoon Baggage Master Fill
more saw four rough suspicious looking mon
hanging about the railroad station Three Of
the mon were short and ono was tall. Tho tall
man carried Il bag said TO h" II little larger
Than one left behind in tho bank by the bur
glars.
\ man who rassed the town hall shortly
after | o'clock on saturday night says that lie
sA " four mon loitcr ing about the place. Fear
Ing that they intended TO wNylay him no made
no inquiries rs 10 their business.