Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-11-11
MERRlM|AC EXCITED.
Its Entire Police Force Over
come by Burglars.
They Then Blow Safe, Wrecking
Office, but Secure Little.
Citizens Turn and Liberate Police
Force Of One from Jail.

Merrimac. Mass, Nov. 10.-AtWood
Nixon. the only officer of the local
police force, was knocked down, early
Tuesday, robbed, handcuffed and lock-
cd up in cell in the town Jail by four
unknown men. who later blew off the
door of the postoffice safe with a
charge Of dynamite, and departed
without leaving any clues behind them
Before departing the burglars held up
one man at the point of revolver and
fired two shots at another, both bullets
going wide of the mark.
The sounding OF the fire alarm called
the entire male population of the town
to the scene and all citizens began
securing the town bent upon capturing
the thieves.
Nixon met the men. about $50 o'clock
Tuesday morning. Without a word
they sprang upon him, knocked him
down and handcuffed him with his
own handouts. Then they went
through his pockets and relieved him of
his gold watch and chain and s26 in
money. Then taking him to the town
pail they thrust him into a CELL locked
the door ami went away.
Soon after this Phillip Quimby, night
Waterman at the electrical power sta
ton. heard the sound of the explosion
which wrecked the safe in the post
office. He walked up the street to in
vest;gate and was met by the burglars,
who levelled their reroivers at him and
told him that if he did not go back
where he came from they would kill
him.
1tof n1x a.
the power station and on arriving there
sounded Il general alarm on the fire
whistle.
The citizens Of the town poured out
of their houses and thronged the streets,
incuiring of each other the cause of the
alarm being sounded. 1t was not long
before they found out, as Charles
Howes, the engineer at the Walker Car
riaae Cos. shop, soon appeared with a
thrilling story. He told them how he
had met four men as he was coming
down the street and some one in the
party fired two shots at him, neither
shot taking effect.
The investigation on the part of the
citizens soon disclosed the fact that the
post office had been the scene of opera
tions Of an unusually bold band of
burglars. The door of the safe was
| blown off and papers and records We're
| scattered about the office.
| 1t occaSioned conSidera BILE surprise
among the citizens that Policeman Nix
! on was nowhere to be seen and accord
| ingly search for him was begun
| Among other places the town Jail was
| visited and the officer was found hand
l IN, tl,nt he
burglars were four in number, theil
| ages ranging from Is to 30 years. Nix
on said that he would know two of them
| if he should meet them again. He de-
scribed them as being well dressed and
barring their treatment Of him, very
| gentlemanly.
| In their hurried departure the burglars
| left behind them horse and carriage
which they had obtained from somebody
out of town.
| The government lost nothing
| through the burglary, as the post Office
money and stamps are kept at night in
a safe deposit vault in a bank and
nothing of value was left in the Office
safe. The postmistress, Mrs. Elizabeth
W. Smart. sustained a loss of $500 on
the safe and office fixtures.
The police of the surrounding towns
and cities We're promptly notified OF
the burglary and efforts We're made
here to secure d tangible clue to the
identity of the burglars and their direc-
ton of escape. Nothing was devel-
| oped locally other than the discovery,
| tonight that the horse and carriage
CONTINUED on page 81