Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-12-15
BURNED FIVE DOLLAR BILLS.
Startling Confession Made by One OF "a
Gang of Youthful Thieves.

1--WE used to take s. bills and hold them
up, touching a match TO see them burn,
and - me o. the checks W. carried out DC
hind the old pottery and burned in a
pile
Such was the startling confession Of one
OF Il confcss.dly organized band of youth
full thieves who have been robbing money
drawers and other roCeptaCles for casa
about the business portion Of this city Tor
something like six months. The boy Nhu
made the startling confession of wan,on
W.Ckedncss was having an interview with
the police Monday. What he told i'm
p!lcates himself and several others in rob
berries which have proved Il puzzle To the
police for many weeks. Close watching
brought the TRAN to its end and the boys
who are believed to be connected with
some half a dozen robberies are under sur
VIGILANCE ana viii be- placed under arrest
at the proper time. The police refuse 10
give their names for publication.
The robherics rate back to the removal
Of valuable papers ana some cash from TIE
cilicc of Mckannon Bros. x Co. early last
April. This case was Il peculiar one and
up to this time no tangible evidence cou.d
be secured as to who was concerned in IN,
theft. The robbery took place during H.,
day. Sometime in May q considcrub.,
amount OF cash was found 10 Toe missing
from the store of George |. iIaEar. Thi,
loss was not then reported To the police
as it was thought it could be traced
George II. kinsley was the next victim
and the robbery was shrOudrd in the sam,
air OF mystery. Tho remainder have rom,
in quick succession. The store of ~ l.
Taft suffered the loss OF $lj in cash from
the cash register on November 9th ant
o. j. Walker Il Co, found losses on Mon
day Tuesday and Wednesday OF last
week,
A telegram sent from the station agent
-.
stated that two boys from this city wcr,
there and spending money freely, 1t wa.
added that they had about So with them
The boys were George Corrigan and Harry
Giddngs and they returned at 42D Mon
day afternoon the story of the difforcn
thefts seemed clear and il is believed tina
the boys now under surveillance can civ,
information concerning them all. Comics
sion of some of them has already bceI
made.
The method used to secure the money
was simple. The boys would go to store,
or offices and ask to look over the waste
paper for stamps or upon some other pre-
text. While one rummaged in the baskc
another kept watch and perhaps still an
other lifted the coin from the safe o.
money drawer. Sometimes the gang wa
made up of but two OF the boys, but in
either case the work seems to have beer
planned and executed with the nerve an,
success of older crooks, What was don,
with the money is evident from the con
fession of one of the gang given above
1t was apparently not the money tn,
boys wanted or perhaps what il woul;
secure but spirit of prohigacy, which
led to tho frequent attacks upon tn
money drawers.
The names of the places where none.
has been missed and the amounts are n
follows: McKaEnon Bros. & Co., sl34.Si o
which 1854 was currency; George !. Ha
gar, about s7; George II. Kinsley, abou
s21; F. l.. Taft, sl5 o, J. Walker g. Co.
SIS