The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1902-08-02
AFRAID OF THE BANKS.
Secreted His Money In a Moss rlat-
tress and Was Robbed of $500.

An old, old story has been tolc
again, and its repetition will occur
to he or she who will live In the
false doubt of the security anc
honesty of banks, as the victim
told Of in the appended has toe
truly learned.
"Wednesday mornings Biloxi
Herald prints this sad story, which
should serve warning to the peo.
pie of Hancock county who have
not as yet opened an account with
the Hancock County Bank.
Four hundred dollars gonel
Afraid of the banks.
Accumulation Of years in moss
mattress.
All disappeared in u few min
utes' work BY p Professional bur-
glar.
No clue TO the robber, and no
chance of recovering.
That, briefly, tells the story of
the misfortunes of M. l.. Weems,
an oysterman, living on Front
street at Point Cadet. His house
was entered Saturday night short
ly after IL o'clock, the occupants
placed under the influence of
chloroform, the entire place ran
sacked, and about $400 taken from
the interior of a moss mattress,
upon which two little girls were
sleeping. In was 8 o'clock Sum
day morning before the family
discovered their loss.
The Weems family live on the
north side of First street in a one
story, four-room, square-built ten
ement. The west front room is
the parlor; behind there is bed
room. In the latter compartment
a bad is stationed along the north
wall. Upon this two little daugh,
ters slept Saturday night. Mr..
Weems had a quilt and pillow
stretched on the floor before the
front door. Entrance to the
dwelling was no doubt made
through this door. To get into
the room it was necessary to step
overthe body of Mr.. Weems.
The bedroom behind the parlor
was ucvupicd by TWO grown girls.
Atrunk in this compartment was
ransacked, and the contents scat
tered all over the floor. In small
box in the trunk were lockets,
bracelets aud other jewelry valu-
ed at $50. These were left un.
touched. The thief was looking
for money, and was careful to
take nothing by which he could
be traced. Money is easily dis
posed Of, and can rarely be iden-
tilted. A bureau in the same room
was gone through Systematically
and thoroughly, each artic le
being thrown aside as it was TAX
en- from the drawers.
There are two reasons for the
theory that chlorofor n was used.
One is that without the and of
drugs it would be impossible for a
person to do all this work, making
the noise necessary for its accom-
plishment, without awakening a
sleeper within few feet of the
scene of operations; another is
that the family, on arising Sunday
morning, experienced a dull and
stupid sensation, the usual symp-
toms when chloroform is admins
tered.
For a number of years Mr..
Weems had been ''laying by" mo-
ney, and had accumulated nearly
$400. All of this was in paper
currency except one silver dollar.
He was afraid Of the banks, and
had frequently told his wife that
it would be safer in the family's
hands. The boarded treasure was
accordingly placed in the depths
of a moss mattress and the ticking
sewed up tightly.
The burglar was evidently fami-
liar with the habits of the family
and knew Of the existence of the
money and its exact location, for
he attacked only the bed, and
that was the right one. He used
a sharp knife or razor in ripping
open the cover, leaving the edges
ragged and zigzag. In the process
of extracting the money from the
depths of the moss it was necessa-
~ to move or lift the little girls.
Neither was aroused, and knew
nothing of the affair until long
after daylight.