The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-09-29
BURGLARS
CUT WIRES.
Chester and Darby Cars
Delayed by Acts OF
Vandalism.

8Chester September 2S.-Oflicers OF the
Chester and Darby Trolley Company snd
inhabitants Of the boroughs and hamlets
lying along the pike between the points
named are perturbed over the latest act Of
vandalism and malice attributed to des-
psrate gang Of thieves who make the re.
gion the scene of their operations. For q
cause which can only be surmised rs a
purpose to cripple the traffic of the trolley
company, with the object Of faclitating'a
scheme Of highway robbery, the feed wire
supplying motive power to the electric
cars was cut some time during Tuesday
night and the fact was not known to the
employees or officers Of the company un til
Wednesday morning. when an attempt
was made to run out tho first car from
this city. 80 -.
Not car could be moved until the
break In the wire was di covered and
which was found to BE- near tie junction
CT Clifton avenue and Darby pike, about
live milos from Chester. Ole hundred
and fifty feet Of feed WIRE that had been
Luu VAVh q sow, iuJ Ou Ouo siuo VI bu6 EUhu
while long coil Of live wire dangled in
menacing fashion from above Contact
would have meant death the moment tho
current was turned on. and the trolley
people are congrAtulatinR themselves that
tragedy did not follow upon the deed Of
vandalism aud robbery that became known
yesterday morning.
1t was learned that some time after mid.
night, presumably after the completion Of
the wire cutting William Gardiner was
held up on tho pike, and robbed of all his
vEluabes by two colorsd men, who accost.
ed him at Sellers avenue, on the Darby
road, presenting o pisi ol to his head at the
moment they demanded his money. Gard
iner surrenderel along with the cash. q
gold watch and u suit of clothes which he
was carrying under his arm. He was un-
able to identify his assailants, farther than
describing them us sturdily built young
negroes.
This outrage occurring simultaneously
with the cutting of tha trolley wires, leads
to tho belief that tho deeds were associated
and their perpetrators in all probability
iGenticnl
Part OF the power for tho running OF tho
Chester aud Dorby trolley system comes
from tho Clifton Heights power plant, op.
Grated by tho same company, and they
bnve u line of feed wires running from
there to tho Chester and Darby pike, down
Clifton avenue. This Is tho wire that was
cut al the point indicated. The dospern-
does did not have climbers to scale the
poles but used ladder to get at the wires.
the marks of which whero they rested
their apparatus, being visible on the sides
of the poles. The wire was not cut until
after the current hal been turned off aud
the fact that upon completing the job they
did not attempt to carry off the wire,
seems to negative ths theory that they
were simply after the metol for plunder.
and to indicate that the bolder game of
highway robbery was their object The
holding up OF Gardiner as narrated. proba-
bly, short time later, seeming to bear out
the latter presumption. 1t ispo sibie that
after cutting tho wire they were frighton-
ed away before they could secure their
buo3.
There is an organized gang of outlaws
which recently has been making the high.
way between DAT by and this city the scene
OF activity in the nature OF holdups. lar
cony and depredations of varied character.
Tho attack on Gardiner on Tuesday night
.,,c
oil the Inhabitants OF the countryside. The
gang is believed to rendezvous at several
points along tho pike, aud al effort Is to
bs made by the Traction Company. stirred
by the bold attempt to cripple their prop.
erty as means of carrying forward far
reaching scheme OF highway robbery to
induce tho borough authorities along tho
limo to act in conjunction with them to ef-
feet the capture Of tho highwaymen.