The Portland daily press., 1892-10-13
DARING BURGLARS.
When Heard at Their Crime Ordered
a Lady to Shut Her Mouth.

They Fire Pistols in the Streets to Terribly
Pursuers-A Coat Dropped smirched
With Fresh Paint-After Discovery
They Arouse the Neighborhood.
There appears to be a band of burglars raid
ing the town at the present time who place the
citizens at defiance. Only a few days ago an
attempt was made on the two Spring residences
on Danforth street, and the burglars failed OF
success only through the intricate arrangements
OF the houses down stairs.
1t seems that either the same fellows, or per-
haps others belonging to the same gang, made
another attack on the same houses Tuesday
night. One of the houses has lately been paint
ed, and in the attempt to gain entrance to the
basement the burglars plastered one of his
hands with the daint and got great smooch OF
1t on his coat. AS on the former occasion the
| thieves secured no plumber except a candle, but
before they left the house wiped the paint from
their hands on a towel which they left behind
them.
From the Spring residence it is judged that
the burglars went up to Mr.. HI. M. Harris corner
of Spring and Emery streets They found an
entrance to the cellar but could not get into the
| main body of the house. Then they went to
Thomas street to the residence of Mr.. Henry
Pennell, of the firm of Cook, Everett & Pennen,
wholesale druggists. Here they gained an en-
trance through the parlor window and pro-
ceeded to ransack the lower part of the house
thoroughly. They secured quantity of silver
ware and then went to the sleeping apartments
A slight noise was made by them when they en-
tered the room adjoining the chamber occupied
by Mr.. and Mrs. Pennell. Mrs. Pencil was
aroused by the noise and cried out lis that you
Mary?" thinking the domestic had been taken
sick, or required something or other down
stairs. There was no answer to her query. She
repeated it in a louder tone. To her surprise
the deep voice of man answered, "Shut up
your mouth" At this Mrs. Pencil awoke her
husband, sprung to the window and called out
"police!' and 'burglars!" Mr.. Pencil, awak-
ened, sprung from his bed and the burglars
hearing the cries, made a bolt down the stairs
for the street. The neighbors had been aroused
for some distance and there was throwing up
of windows and a general cOmmotion. The
burglars, evidently afraid of being pursued,
discharged pistols rapidly, evidently thinking
by that means to deter citizens following in pur
suit if any of them had conceived that
idea We do not hear that the idea of pursuit
met with favor.
The officer on the beat is Officer Warren, and
it seems the affair occurred at time
in the early morning when he has to signal the
station that he is alert and doing his duty.
Whether the burglars knew he would be at the
other end of his beat at that time of course no
one knows. City Marshal SWEET lives but two
doors beyond Mr.. Pencil. His servant saw
two young men, wearing Derby hats, rush by,
and one said to the other as he passed "go back
and get your hat" but the fellow didn't seem
anxious to return. The marshal heard one shot
fred and thinks the first shot was what awoke
him. He looked out, but the affair was appar-
emily over and he was not dressed.
The firing Of the pistols, showing that the
burglars were armed and prepared for a most
daring resistance. gives the affair much more
serious aspect than ordinary burglaries.
The coat worn by the burglar when he
smirched itwith paint at Mrs. Springs, was, il
is reported, found in the street in front of Mr.
PennelIs-as well as one of Mr.. Pencils
after the burglary, where it had evidently been
dropped in the haste Of flight The paint on the
coat correspondent exactly with the paint at
Mrs. Springs. The burglars carried off their
plumber in the excitement of the affair.
Marshal SWEET has ordered all the beats in
the city reinforced after midnight by a double
force of police.