The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-08-30
Ashburnham Bank
Burglars Spring a
Big, Surprise.
SENTENCED TO STATE PRISON.
Robert Kavanaugh of Wor-
cester Found Guilty
Of Larceny.

The morning session of the superior
criminal court at Fitchburg, yesterday,
opened with a genuine sensation in the
Ashburnham bank case. To the sur
prise of both court and spectators, Jas.
Lowe and John Lombard, who were in
dicted by the grand jury for robbing
the Ashburnham National Bank, on the
night of Jan. 9, retracted their former
plea of not guilty and pleaded guilty to
the charge.
The case will be remembered as one
. of the most sensational in Worcester
county for many years, the bank being
entered and the huge safe blown open
by the use of dynamite. The burglars
secured many non-negotiable papers
and bonds, which hav since been du-
plicated by the bank, and the only loss
was a trifie over $1,000 in cash.
The evidence against the two men
who were at once suspected was worked
up by State Detective Peleg F. Murray
and Deputy Sheriff w. H. Richardson
of Ashburnham. An accurate descrip-
ton of the men was obtained, and 1t
seems that from the first the officers
were on the right track. They located
Sf~AAAA
building, a few minues before the ex-
plosion, which wrecked the vault, and
agaih found witnesses to their depart
ure.
Boston officers made the arrest, and
the officers who were at work on the
case at the other end made the trip to
Boston in company with q number of
Ashburnham people who had noticed
the suspicious strangers in that town
before the robbery. They were identi-
fed and the men We're held. Afterwards
1t appars their record was tracd, al
though the officers were handicapped
by being unable to learn the true names
of the suspects. The tools and burg
lars implements which were used in
Ashburnham were traced to Lowe and
Lombard, and their identity was estab-
lished
Realizing this, they retracted their
former plea of not guilty, and District
Attorney Hoar moved for sentences, re-
viewing the burglary briefly.
John r. Thayer, who appeared for the
defendants in the preliminary hearing
said he believed the evidence in the
state was very seant to convict them.
He had advised the defendants to
plead guilty of breaking and entering
They could scarcely be classed under
the general characterization Of bank
robbers Their work, he said, was more
ike THAI u tlell lLlSNSS' I1o uOuplSu
the ability of the state to convict them
of the charge.
Judge Hopkins stated that the max
imum penaly of the law in the case is
20 years, and intimated that if the Ash
burnham break was first offense it
was on the whole very successful one.
If it is not the first there is no PROOF
that such is the case, and lacking evil
dence he did not feel justified in i'm
posing the minimum sentence of three
years.
While the complaint was being read
by the court the prisoners displayed not
the slightest emotion, and when the
sentence was announced, not more than
six nor less than four years in the state
prison, at hard labor the first day in
solitary confinement, they appeared to
have little concern. They We're taken
to prison on the 1.34 p. m. train and
this morning are in solitary conf1ne
ment.
In the case of Herman F. Prangler.
charged with illegal liquor keeping the
jury returned a verdict of not guilty,
and the defendant was discharged.
Joseph f. Jacques. Worcester,
charged with the illegal sale of cleo
margarine, was defaulted and admitted
to bail for later trial of the case.
Gustaf Kalet of Millbury retracted
his former plea of not guilty to charge
OF OlSOruSFly COnuucJ, ana pleadeQ
guilty. Prominent fellow townSmen
testified to his previous good character
and to the fact that his family is in
need of his support 1t was stated in
mitigation that Kalet was under the in
fuence of liquor at the time of the Of
fence. Mrs. Kalet said that she freely
forgave her husband for his offence,
and denied having had any previous
trouble. Selectman w. E. Horne of
Millbury spoke favorably of Kalet.
Dist. Atty. Hoar said that he could
not consent to probation or to placing
the case on file. but would agree to a
fine. The court imposed fine of 500,
which was paid by the defendant
The jury, in the case of George Gre
nier of Worcester, charged with Illegal
liquor keeping, returned verdict for
the defendant
Jesse Murphy of Worcester, who was
indicted for larceny and defauted, was
brought into court and was sent to the
Lyman school during minority. He is
Is years old and MIR, Taft stated to the
court that he had been troublesome and
was once committed to the Lyman
school.
Andrew Johnson, Worcester, was al
lowed to go on the recogniZance of
Sergt Thomas McMurray He was
charged with drunkenness, and has
been in Jail awaiting trial for two
months.
AT the opening of the afternoon ses-
sion William A. Hanson, Boston, cheat
ing etc, was allowed to go ON furnish
ing sureties in the sum of $1,000
Robert Kavanagh, Worcester, who
retracted his plea of guilty to charge
of breaking and entering at Worcester,
and pleaded not guilty yesterday, was
placed on trial. The articles taken at
the time of the break consisted of
watches and jewelry. He was found
guilty and sentenced to Is months at
hard labor. Mary Guider Worcester,
was the first witness, and testified to
being away from her home the night
before.
The jury. in the case Of George Gre
nier, charged with liquor keeping, re-
turned verdict of not guilty.
John Burger of Clinton was arraigned
for assault with a dangerous weapon
on A. G. Barr May 9. The case was on
trial at adjournment.