The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1901-11-05
SECURE SMALL HAUL
Six Despradoes, Supposed to
Be From Canton, Enter a
Farm House Near
Massilion.


which is located about four miles north
east of this city on the New Berlin
road, on Saturday night and at the
points of their revolvers compelled
the occupants of the house to give up
what little money they had. All that
they secured was s35 in money and
several bank certificates on Massillon
and Canton banks. The robbers ran
sacked the house from top to bottom
after binding and gagging the occupants
and then
MADE THEIR ESCAPE
in buggies, going directly from the
scene of the robbery to Canton accord
| ing to the tracks of the buggies and
| from the information which the police
have been able to secure. The local
police are of the opinion that the rob-
berry was the work of Canton talent.
The story of the robbery as told by
Balser Race, Jr., son of the man who
owns the farm where the robbery took
place, is as follows. He said: my
father and mother and my older broth
er, Andrew, and l were sitting in the
when the door was
| SUDDENLY BURST OPEN
and five men, their faces covered with
black masks and holding revolvers in
their hands, filed quickly and silently
into the room. They surrounded us
and demanded that we give them all Of
the money we had in the house. My
mother jumped up and ran to the door
and tried to get out but the door was
held shut on the outside by another of
the robbers. My brother Andy started
| for the robbers with the intention of
showing fight but he had only taken
few steps when he was laid out from
A BLOW ON THE HEAD
| by club in the hands of one of the
robbers. My father had been sewing
some wheat sacks, as we were going to
thresh on Monday, and they tore these
/ into strips and tied us up with them.
/ They bound and gagged my mother, and
| tied her to the bed down stairs but did
not touch my father as he Is quite old
and feeble. Andy was bound and gag
ged and left on the floor. Then they
bound me and took me up stairs and
poured the oil from the lamp over me
and threatened to set fire to my cloth
ing unless l told them where the money
was. | told them that if they would
not kill me as they had threatened to
do down stairs, when they had threat
ened to cut my throat, / would tell
them where it was. Thirty-Gve dollars,
all there was in the house. was hidden
UNDER MY BED
and they took this. They then pro-
ceeded to look in every available re-
ceptacle in the house from top to bot
tom, where money might be concealed.
The house looked as though a cyclone
had struck 1t when they got through
Finding nothing more they left, taking
horse and buggy from our barn. They
also had rig which they had taken
from the barn of John Sheets who lives
about a mile from our house. / work.
ed myself loose and released the others
in about an hours time. | went over
to a neighbor's house for assistance
but his wife would not allow him to go
as she was afraid to stay alone With
the aid of lantern l
TRACKED THE BUGGIES
to New Berlin station but lost the track
there as there had been q dance near
there and the people returning had
obliterated the tracks left by the rob-
bers. One of the citizens of New Ber-
lin said that he had seen two rigs pass
through that place driven at furious
rate heading the direction of Canton.
In the morning Sunday l drove to
Massillon and got Officers Budd and
Whitman to come out and look the
place over but they found nothing Of
ir,an nnYtn 70 hny lts 4 L..
banks which issued the certificates not
to honor them If they should be pre-
sented. We did not know any of the
men and cannot give good descriptions
Of them as we were too
BADLY FRIGHTENED"
1t is the theory of the local officers
that the men came down from Canton
on freight, got off at New Berlin and
then walked to the scene OF the rob-
berry, and that after the deed had been
committed, they drove directly to the
vicinity of Canton and then walked in
to that city. The officers have no clew
other than that the parties were from
Canton.
Pace stated that he had money on
deposit in several of the Massillon and
Canton banks but that he was not in
the habit of keeping any large amount
in the house. 1t is stated that the
Race family has the reputation of be-
ing we'll off and 1t was probably in the
hope that they would make a good haul
that the thieves selected the Race
house. The robbers forced the door
upen by ramming heavy rail against
1t. The latch was broken from it's
fastenings. The miscreants evidently
thought that the door was locked but
| IL was not