Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-10-21
BAGGED BOY BURGLARS
Had Operated For Weeks In a
Connecticut Town.
HAD A HIDDEN DEN IN THE WOODS.

Merchants of the Old Town of Putnam
Were Robbed Night After NIrht and
CouIdn't Solve the Mystery French
Canadian Caught a Band of Town Boys.
PUTNAM, Conn, Oct. 21.-During the
past two months the merchants of this
beautiful village among the Windham
county hills have been greatly disturbed
by a series of inexplicable burglaries and
the officers of the law were at their wits
ends to discover the thieves. The burglars
evidently were both bold and crafty, and
they entered the most strongly intrenched
stores with dexterity. Often half a dozen
shops were ritied in a week and sometimes
two or three in a single night
Lately most of the depredations were
committed at the Upper Village, so called,
and part of a wagon load of plumber the
robbers took out of ole store was ferrets,
bottles Of beer, cigars, plug tobacco and
household rugs.
A Detective Engaged.
Finally the eXasperated shopkeepers en-
gagged n sharp nosed French Canadian,
Beaulia, to trap the miscreants, and Beau
liza promptly laid his plans to do it. Beau
liza has not described his campaign as yet,
but during the past 10 days he has been os-
tensihly the most idle and unconcerned cit
izen of Putnam. He strolled about the
. lower streets OF the plAGe great uSsiA, now
ever, and became astonishingly friendly
with all sorts of odd characters in lowly
walks of life. \ day or two ago he sudden
! ly unmasked his battery. The thieves were
local gentry solely, and they had organized
a wonderful rural school of outlawry and
/ crime.
/ Beaulia arrested just Is youthful Pat
/ nam outlaws in one batch, and then he
/ said quietly to the local merchants: ''S'puse
! your thieves. I've got 'em all. and they arc
worth looking at for show Th.l briefly,
/ without exposing his dptectiN- ms: hods.
Beaulia narrated the history OF the bur
/ glaries. The boys were from Is To is years
! of age, and had organized their enterprise
/ about two months ago on the plan Of the
| Jesse James rObberies The Putnam hand
bound themselves with big, horrible uaths
never to reveal the dread secrets OF their
trade and never to pc CHI ON each other
under penalty of death"
/ Then they established a camp in deep
and unfrequcnted ravine among the hills
in dense forest mile or more distant
from the business streets of the village,
and since they had called their society the
Brotherhood, they styled the retreat in the
woods the BrotherhoOd's headquarters
a Hut In the Woods.
The headquarters was a warm and roomy
boards stolen from lumber merchants, and
it was perfectly screened with thick
copse of witch hazel bushes, which the out
laws wove closely about its walls.
Inside on the ground were rough couches
Of stolen blankets or bedsprcads, box
stove, with a crooked pipe that prOtruded
through the shanty roof; lot of chairs
benches, table and stools, while the beard
walls were hung with revolvers and mar
oil RTfaf-rV nj lar
hand lamps.
Beaulia nabbed the whole gang at one
sweep and with no trouble or danger Il
himself With the whole band in tow. thi:
presumptuous French Canadian detective
went down Main street, Putnam, and intS
Justice of the Peace ChesebrO's court anC
took his tribe of outlaws in. Justice CHEESE
bro wasn't quite ready for the whole banC
and tried only 'Capt:Sn'' Corey, who wa
called Captain Dcadwood Dick by hi
associates, and he promised to attend t
the rest OF the culprits by wholesale meth
od Just As soon aS he had time
He fined DcadwoOd Dick Correy s. an'
costs sent him to Jail for ~ days and charg
ed the cost OF the prosecution to his, Cor
rey' s. account
On tie same day Beaulia, with a com
pauy Of curious Putnam citizens, mer
, chants and others. visited the interesting
headquarters in the woods. ard the Office
recovered in the shauty a CARLOAD OF good
-sled-e hammers, spades, PickaNss, shuy
els, axes, hoes. SIMS and 20 on-all Of whiCl
. were fruits of robheTies in all parts Of tn
town One member of the band escaped
but he was arrested day or two later il
Norwich