The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-12-30
Slick Strangers Robbed
Fellow BOarderS.
SAID THEY SOLD TOBACCO
When They Went Overcoat, Suit
and Banjo Went Also.
POLICE SEARCHING FOR THEM.

Two men, one short and the other tall,
room in her lodging house. 1873 Clifford
street, Immediately In the rear Of rne
Chestnut Street Methodist church. They
remained two days and when they de-
parted for parts unknown they took a
fine banjo belonging to James Stanton
and an overcoat suit of clothes and
fancy vest belonging to Lyman Thurber.
The police are now looking for the miss
ing uen with small hope OF finding them.
The two strangers appeared at the lonR-
ing.house lastMonday morning and,want-
ed tn know IL they could be nccommo-
dated They appeared to De respectable
and when the lodging house Keeper was
told that they wanted rooms for the rest
OF the winter she said she could accom-
modate them.
Troy told her they were salesmen from
a New York tobacco nrin and that they
would be In and out Of ths'city according
to ;he demands made upon their time by
their business This seemed likely
enough and there was nothing to arouse
suspicion about her applicants.
They were assigned to two rooms on
the second floor They adjoined each
other and. Monday evening the strangers
appeared to be comfortably domiciIed for
the season.
Lyman 1hurber, who works in .
jewellers findings establishment nt 6T
Friendship street, had room on the
second floor next to one Occu pied by the
strangers. James Stanton was located in
room near by. They had been dodgers
at this house for considerable time and
the thought Of being robbed on the prem
ises never entered their minds
ON TUESDAY morning the tobacco sellers
showed up all right, anu there was no
lack of confidence by anyune.- They Rsra
seen in the house during the day. On
Wednesday morning one OF the men was
seen i'm the hallway and In the light of
subsequent events it is believed he had
been in Tburber's room. he made an
exclse at the time about getting mixed
as 70 the location of the bath room and
nothing more was thought OF the circum-
stance Ihe shorter man was not seen
at this time. Indeed, he has not been
seen since Tuesday.
When everyone in the house seemed
TO be employed elsewhere the thieves went
10 the two rooms occupied Dy Thurber
ana stanton and looked all the contents
carefully over in order TO get that which
would he OF the most service TO them.
Thurber's clothing was anout the right
size for ons or the mon ana ne selected
the best of the lot.
The other thief had taste for music
and he could not resist the temptation so
ma toox the banjo. They then went out
to see about the tobacco business or
something else and never came back.
Wednesday noon Ihurber ran up the
front stairway To his room whistling,
ave shall meet but we she'll mis- sthem.
and on entering the apartment knew at
| n glance that something had happened.
| ne looked for his overcoat. Ii was gone.
| His Sunday suit 81 clothes was also on
its perch. and that fancy vest was out Of
! sight.
IL was no joke. Overcoat and suits and
| fancy vests are not lying In heaps these
| hard times and TEurber was troubled.
| He did not knw then that he had bene
| robbed. That was incredible. He
! searched high and low, but the missing
| clothing did not materialize. Then he
| called Susie Houston, the landlady. She
did not know anything about thew Of
! course
A watch was kept for the strangers,
| hut they were conspicuous 10y their ab-
! sepoe. It was finally settled that the to-
| bacoo drummers were responsible for the
| missing goods. When stanton came
home ne ascertainod that his banjo was
| not In its accustomed place. No one
| knew where IL was but the other five
lodgars in the house had suspicians tDat
| it was not very far from Ihurber's over
coat suit of clothes and fancy vest
| They had been robbeds There was no
| doubt of IT, Then consultation vas
be Id and the whole business was referred
To the police and thus the matter stands
up TO the present time