Danville intelligencer. [volume] (Danville, Pa.) 1859-1907, 1906-05-18
BURGLAR CAUGHT
RED HANDED

The oldest of all burglaries was COM
mitted in one of our department stores
Sunday afternoon. 1t was daylight
affair, in which nothing was absent
needed to make we'll rounded and ex
citing robbery. The burglar was
caught red handed, there was detail
ed confession, after which the culprit
was hustled off to Jail. What makes
the episode distinctively odd was the
fact that the we'll planned robbery was
committed by a boy / years of age.
I. About six O'Clock Sunday evening a
small boy named~Ad Candy appeared
at the residence of S. Lowenstein,
West Market street, with the startling
information that somebody had broken
into their department store. Joseph
and Marvin Lowenstein Immediately
ran up to the store, one passing around
to the front of the building and the
other going to the rear At the rear of
the store one of the basement windows
had been forced open. The two SONS
of Mr.. Lowenstein, accompanied by
James Freeze entered the store simult-
aneously from the front and the rear.
Inside was found William Renner, who
said he was the son of George Renner.
Seeing no chance to escape, himself,
he began to implicate the Candy boy,
who had given the alarm, and Joseph
Seaman, another boy, who lives near
Groves court, leaving the parties I'M
der the impression that Joseph was Sc
creted about the store.
By this time Chief Mincemoyer and
officer Voris were on the spot and as
sisted in searching for the confederate
alleged to be hidden. For at least an
hour the search went on merrily, ev-
cry hole and corner about the big es-
tablishment being ransacked, while Il
crowd of a hundred curious people
hung about the front of the store OBJ
serving the movements within through
the big windows.
At length Chief Mincemoyer went
out to the Seaman home and there
found Joseph, whom he brought back
to the store. Joseph cried and stoutly
protested his innocence. Charles Lung
er and little son soon after appeared
at the store and proved that Joseph
was with them during the afternoon.
! At this juncture William Renner,
| the real culprit, declared that he had
been Lying" and that he had planned
and executed the job himself. He
also eXonerated the Candy boy.
The officers were sorely vexed when
they reflected how much time they
had spent in the vain search for boy
who was only phantom and they be-
gan to upbraid young Renner for his
falsehood and deception, The young
ster was full of bravado. He laughed
heartily at their chagrin and remark
ed, as if it were an accomplishment to
boast of:
"Yes, know l am an awful liar!"
By this time the officers began to
take an account of the booty found with
Renner, which consisted of 81. in
cash. lot of cuff buttons, two match
safes, a tablet and two decks of play
ing cards. AS indicated by the booty
he had been pretty much over the
whole store.
Entrance was effected through rear
window, the shutter of which was
fastened with an iron bar that swung
ON pivot fastened to one of the shut
ters. Mr. Lowenstein;is of the opinio
that the boy by rattling the shutter
caused the bar, which probably had
not been secured by the pin, to tilt,
one end rising and the other falling
until it passed out of the staples. If
the youthful burglar may be believed
the "shutter opened easily"