Delaware gazette and state journal., 1896-04-02
ROBBERS AT GREENvILLE
The Wilmington & Northern Station
Entered by Burglars.
ATTEMPT MADE ON THURSDAY
The Entrance Effected Soon
After Midnight.
BUILDING THOROUGHLY RANSACKED

Indications That the Thieves Were About
TO Crack the Safe When They Heard the
Stationmaster and n Neighbor Approach-
ing the Scene of Their Operations.
| The Wilmington & Northern railroad
station at Greenville was visited by
burglars about 80 o'clock Thursday
morning, and had it not been for the
timely appearance of George DeGodt,
the faithful station agent, and David
Hall, a neighbour, there is no telling
what might have been done by the
| miscreanta.
Mr.. DeGodt, who lives near the sta
| tion, has his house connected with the
| railroad buildings and postoflice ad-
joining, with an electric burglar alarm.
Mr.. DeGodt retired as usual Wednesday
some time before midnight, and at
| about II. 30 o'clock he was awakened
from his sleep by the burglar alarm.
He took in the situation at once, and
| jumping out Of bed, without scarcely
taking time to put on much clothing,
caught up his trusty double barrel
shotgun and FASTENED to tho station.
| On the way he aroused his neighbor,
Mr.. Hall, who followed Mr.. DeGodt
to the station.
The burglars evidently saw Mr..
DeGudt rush out Of his house, for,
although he reached the station scarcely
| 10 minutes after the alarm had sounded,
| the miscreants were nowhere to be
| seen. The moon was shining, and ID
| is supposed that somebody who was on
guard gave the alarm to his companion
or COMPANIONS who were inside the
building, and all left unceremoniously
| and in such manner as not to allow.
themselves to be seen.
| When Mr.. DeCiodt and Mr.. Hall
reached the station they saw that tho
front door of tho waiting room had
been pried open by crowbar or some-
thing similar, as the door frame and
door were very much disfigured. On
entering they discovered that the door
to the ticket office had been broken
open in the same manner. An in
vestigation showed that all the drawers
that could be readily reached had been
ransacked, but as there was nothing of
value outside of the safe the burglars
were not paid for their trouble.
1t is probable that they were about
to attack the safe when they were
frightened off, as the indications
pointed that way. They had turned
everything else upside down and scat
tered the contents of drawers and
pigeon holes about the room promis-
cuously.
After the building had been thor
oughly searched and Mr.. DeGodt had
become convinced that no booty had
been carried away he and his COM
panion started to look for clue, but
the miscreants had left nothing behind,
and it Is supposed that they had come
fully prepared. The people of Green
vile have not the slightest idea who
the burglars were, but it is supposed
that they were strangers in the vicinity,
The police department has been noti-
fed.
A police officer stated on Thursday
that in his opinion the burglars belong
to the gang which recently vacated
their habitation in Folly Woods and
1t is supposed that they have hiding
| place somewhere uear the city 1t ia
presumed also that they are part of
the gang which was recently raided by
officers near Salisbury and some of
whom were captured.
Within the past six years the Green
vile railroad station and pustOflce
have been broken into ~ times, and
on each occasion Station Agent DeGodt
has appeared on tho scene either while
the operations were going on or soon
thereafter as he could get there. He
has seen the burglars at work ON
several occasions and captured three,
all OF whom were turned over to the
authorities and punished. Mr.. DeGodt
has had several thrilling experiences,
but he rather relishes the idea OF
taking hand in capturing burglars
who are bold enough to visit Greenvile.