The sun., 1903-12-09
IS WEBER THE "PANTHER?"
ESCAPED BURGLAR GOING ABOUT
WESTMINSTER WOODS.
Read Sheriff Miller's DescriDtion-h That
Isn't the "Panther," What Is?-Sleuths
Employed In Securing the Main Roads
With Great MPlOdranatio success.

She Westchester gentleman burglar. took
his departure and other things, including
Deputy Warden Winn's pants" (official)and
SlQ7 from the WestcheJter county common
..sail. Eminent jurists, including his Honor
D. Webster Quinn of Valhala. j. r., have
since received large posters announcing the
offer of a reward by the county officials
for the recapture of Webber.
The authorities have been doing what
they call securing the country" for Webber
ever since. An interesting detail OF the
-scouring" process was presented to the
children of the family of A. b. Paddock OF
Chappauua one night last week They
had been skating on Wampus Lake. Young
Paddock and his sister were tramping along
the moonit road toward home about lo
o'clock, when they were startled greatly
by two men who jumped out IRON the
at their heads. The boy and the girl were
too much surprised TO speak :.
"S.s-ss-st!" hissed the two strangers IN
chorus, Are you John W ebber' the
burglar 49,. ~, soid tbs vounp
people greatly relieved.
"Then, have you seen him?" asked the
two strangers in scarcely less menacing
tones. ~
.We have not" sale, young Paddock; eSs H. r.
linen say llOllI iIB, 81 "'N'
lantern persons mysterlOusy, ana pacheo
away into the underbush. >,
But in spite Of such extraordinary vlgl,
lance as this, Webber has thus far escaped
recapture. That he has been been in the village
since his escape no one doubts.
The night after Webber so unklndly
walked away from Westchester common
Jail without having the decency to tel any
body where he was going, a sur anger caIile
TO the door of Stephen Washburn's home.
a., ,f Dlaa N Vile and aDDleu
Tor lodgings. 1t is no unusual thing tor
the kind hearted farmers of this part OF me
county TO take in strangers who really
seem to need attention. This stranger
who is now believed to have been Johh
Webber, was in pitiable shape. ne couio
barely walk. In the morning he asked MT
Washburn to sell him his horse and wagon
"I'll give you a hundred dollars for them,
he said: H., . ,,.
Mr. Washburn said that he did not want
to sell "
"Fix any price you want said tie he wax ;oSk
out big roll of bills and ran his fingers
over. the ends. "I've got to get out u o,
this" he continued, land | need morse
and wagon in my business;
Again Mr. Washburn refused to sell and
the wayfarer went away he seemed 40
weak and feeble that Mr.. Washbnrns
family thought he would hardly be able to
reach Pleasantville. Apparently how
ever, he did not go to Pleasantville station.
He went north across the head of the main
street of Pleasantyille' past the the upper bes
avoided the roads and to have travelled
at the home of another Washburn family,
which is not related to the Stephen Wash
burns. There he asked for something
to eat. When 1t was brought he refused to
eat, but gulped down glass OF water and
He seemed to be afraid some one would
recognize him. He need not have been
worried When word got downtown that
a strange man had been seen around stephen
"ashburn's, not unlike Webber, great
George Poth, the barber and camel keeper
and dog fancier and constable. and told
him about it. George went up, SO % the
story goes, and looked at Stephen wash
ought to be stopped He is understood
to have asserted that If escaped burglars
didn't stop hanging arount PleasantVllle
he'd do something about it.
The village became still more excited
gentleman burglar had been at the other
Washburn's. Not only George Poth,. but
Postmaster Moore. representing the Federal
Government, went up and looked az this
house. 1t was partly as result OF tnis
agitation that the reward was onered az
White Plains. ,,
Some of the citizens hereabouts think
that it might be worth while to examine
the house where John Webber used to 1--we.
The place at which he was last seen was
but fifteen minutes walk from the place
where he used to make his headquarters
when he was a gentleman burglar, before
he descended to the barefaced theft OF
the trousers of the jailer who had laNished
hospitality upon him for SIX long months.
PocANTICo HILLS, Dec. Sit is now re-
garded as well established that the sup,
posed panther which has been reported
on the Rockefeller estate and at other
places along the Sawmil! River Valley ls
once known as the suburban Raffles,.. .
The descriptions of the panther and OF
John Webber are of surprising similarity.
It Ia thought exceedingly proban'e that
criminal who had the extraordinary, in
genuity to walk. out of the jail, making
Eapoleonic use Of the fact that all his keep
ers were asleep, would be just the man to
assume the disguise of "a pink spotted
panther" Webber. it is pointed out, was
exceedingly feeble He would therefore
On all fours, A the reports OF the panther
describe it as having a most, unpanther-
like variety of colors; The folks who have
seen the beast say that 1t seldom comes
Showing only its head" From White
Plains to-day came circular giving the
following description of Webber:
Pink Striped Night Shirt, Dark Green
Jacket, Short Black OVercoat, BLACK DerDy
Hat, Steel Gray Pants. pepper and salt
Bleeds from ears and vomits after eating.
Complains of pains in head and back. Mus
lache and beard, Cherry Red
Webber,s ingenuity cannot, according to
Sheriff Miller, be underrated. What, there
lore, say the members Of the Pocantico
Hills detective force can be more likely
than that the reports of horrible catlike
bowls" from Buttermilk Mountain are
true? Is it not Webber, hoping that the
Rockefeller game wardens will scatter
huge traps baited with raw meat" within
bis reach, so that he may have sustenance
without making hazardous calls at farm.
houses? If caught. it is asserted, he could
.lear himself Of the charge that he has
been personating wild beast, by contend.
ng that he was merely complaining of
hose pains in his head and back" of which
sheriff Miller has notified the countryside.
bne Of the mystifying features of the two
weeks panther hunt has been that no
panther tracks have been found. Here
,fter the huntsmen will look for human
footprints and hope to find Webber and
get the $3.50 reward.
ELMSFoRD, Dec. S.The Hon. John ID.
Wilson, the confidential secretary OF John
brisben Walker. it was reported in this
Iillage to-day, had an encounter with the
Rockefeller panther MIR. Wilson leaves
Ills home at daybreak every morning to
walk to Irvingt onion Hudson. He sur
briSed strangely colored animal in the