Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-08-17
THIEVES At DU POINTS BANKS
Houses of John Cathcart and
John Baird Entered.
LITTLE PLUMBER WAS SECURED
The lntruders Surprised by MIR.
Calhcart.
Adjoining Houses, m wagnor's Row.
Broken Into Yesterday Morning, and
EatabIes and Twenty Cents stoien-ons
ofthe Burglars Left HIS Hat as a Souvenir

Burglars cracked two residences in
the vicinity of the main office Of the e.
l. dupont de Nemours Co.. near Rising
Sun yesterday morning. but were not
very well paid for their trouble, secur-
ing only some provisions and 20 cents.
They were frightened Oft before they
had completed their operations and left
hat at one OF the houses.
The dwellings entered were those &C.
cupied by the families of John Cath.
cart and John Baird, in Wagner's Row,
where about 20 families reside, and it
is likely they would have broken into
several more houses If they had not
been frightened away. Each house
was entered through windows.
The Baird and Cathcart families live
in adjoining houses. The burglars
evidently entered the Baird house first.
They rapsacked the place and carried
of some provisions and about 20 cents
in change, aud finding nothing else
they care to appropriate left, going to
the Cathcart house. How long they
had been there is not known, but at
about 2 O'Clock Mr.. Cathcart heard a
suspicious noise, and, partially dressing
himself. started down stairs to make
an investigation. The burglars heard
him coming and Just as he was about
to enter the room in which they had
been operating they jumped out the
window and made their escape.
Mr.. Cathcart did not SIZE the men, as
it was dark, but after they had gone
he picked up a soldiers hat, which
had evidently been worn by one of
them ard which gave him the impress
sion that one or both were soldiers or
had been in the service and were dis
charged volunteers. He saw before
him q basket in which the men had
been packing clothing which they in
tended to carry off, but their departure
was so unceremonious and unexpected
that they took nothing away from the
Cathcart house. SO far as is known.
As was the case at the Baird house,
they ransacked the rooms on the lower
floor and left things in a state of dis
order. Mr.. Cathcart was prepared for
any emergency and if he had met the
intruders there would have been
trouble.
People living on the Highlands and
at Rising Sun and its vicinity have
been very much annoyed lately, how
ever, by burglars, but no heavy losses
have been reported. From the charac-
ter of tho robberies the men who hare
been committing the depredations are
evidently in search Of food and clothing
in particular and incidentally take
whatever of value they can lay their
| hands gu
This condition of affairs has resulted
in some of the people living in the
neighborhood providing their buildings
with burglar alarms, and in one in
stance recently the alarm served good
| purpose. Thomas j. Lawless, who
| conducts hotel on the du Pont road,
about 100 yards from the tollgate on
the kennett turnpike, has had his
buildings equipped with an alarm
outfit and few nights ago he was
aroused by one Of the bells ringing.
Looking at the indicator he saw that
the trouble was at the carriagehouse
and he and his clerk hurried to that
building. But the intruders had also
heard The alarm and Immediately
| started to run away. Consequently,
when Mr.. Lawless and the other man
arrived on the scene they saw nothing
but two men running away in the dis
tance, too far to be reached by pistol
shot. Several similar attempts have
been reported from places in the
neighborhood, but in most cases the
burglars were frightened off before they
had fully accomplished their purpose.
II is this general impression among
people living in the northwestern part
of the city that the burglaries have
been committed by gang of tramps
who have been making their headquar-
ters in wood near there and it is
believed some Of the men are dis
charged soldiers, some of whom were
in the vicinity Of the du Pont works
during the war with Spain.