The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1901-05-09
05NrR ALA WlPING OUT THE
THUGS.
viii Try to Lift the Stain Of Lawlessness From
That Community. Five men now in Iail.

The Ashland Ada0cate of last week
says Centralia has evidently deter
mined to make a supreme effort TO
down the gang of cowardly young
thugs who have by their cowardly and
disgraceful actions brought that town
into disrepute, ard given it a name
for lawlessness that it is hardly deserv-
ing Of The lawless element of the
town can be embraced within a score
of young men who are as tough as
hickory, and a disgrace to any com
munity. Helpless foreigners have
been their prey and the fact that they
are cowardly is evident from the fact
that they always operate in gangs,
and never less than two of them at
tack one man.
For months past they have made
Centralia notorious, and there has
been a general desire on the part of
the better element of the town to see
them brought INTO severe contact with
the law. The fact that when arrests
have been made, and the criminals
taken to Bloomsburg for trial they
have generally gotten off with very
light sentences has only emboldened
these young thugs, and they have re-
turned to renew their rascalities with
more vlgor than ever. Recently
Judge Little, of the Columbia bench
resented certain statements implying
that political influence had prevented
many of those brought before the
Court from getting sentences that
would fit their crime, and said that if
the offenders were brought before
him that there would be no more
complaint on that score. With this
assurance from him the local authori-
ties at Centralia have decided to root
out the lawless element, and to that
end several arrests have been made in
the past several days, and the often
ders railroaded to prison, and now
the Columbia courts will have an op.
portunlty to deal with them as they
eserve.
Tuesday we noted that two young
men, Michael Grant and James Bren-
nan had been sent to jail for unmer.
cifully beating anil robbing a for
eigner.
Wednesday VIM. Riley, of Cen
tralia, and Charles Ennis, of Bucks
Patch, were sent to jail for the same
ofense. They beat and robbed a for
eigner at Dark Corner on Saturday
night. and deprived him of every
thing that he had OF value, even TAX
ing his clothing and leaving him
naked. They held a revolver 10 his
head and threatened to blow his
brains out if he attempted any re-
'lstance. He positively identified
Riley as one of his assailants, and
vas not sure of Ennis, but as the
men are boon companions they were
both sent up.
Another hard character who was
sent up is a young foreigner who an
'wers to the Americanized name of
Jack Pische. He broke into a house
On Saturday night tor the purpose of
robbery, and almost set the place on
lre. He had imbibed his lawlessness
rom association with the tough ele-
nent of the town. Each of these de-
lendants are stepped IN petty crime
md are generally around and ready to
take hand In any sort of lawless.
ness. The fact that they are all in
Jail and likely to be sentenced to long
terms of Imprisonment is very salts
factory to the better class of the peo-
pie of Centralia.
The arrests have not ended here,
md the good work will 60 ahead un-
III all of the hard characters in the
-own are brought within the pale of
he law and the stigma that their law
ess deeds have brought upon the
own has been completely wiped out.
Too much credit cannot be given
% Squire Gerrity, and his officers,
or the determined stand that they
lave taken in the matter of suppress
ng lawlessness. Mr.. Gerrity is a cool
headed, courageous man, who has a
Iroper conception of what is due to
he people from him in his official ca
uscity, and he is determined that law
essress IN his town must be stamped
'ut, and in this position he has the
moral support of the best element OF
hat community.
l.nLnnnr, malta K-.-l..