Danville intelligencer. [volume] (Danville, Pa.) 1859-1907, 1906-12-21
Thieves BUSY ON
MONDAY NIGHT

| currence in our town. The visitation
Monday night, however, was charact.
erized with such boldness and possess
ed so many mystifying features that it
stands as first class sensation and
shows that Danville, like neighboring
towns, is likely at any time to fall a
prey to expert robbers.
Four houses, three of them adjoin-
ing properties, were burglarized. At
neither place is it known to certain
ty just how the thieves effected en-
trance ;neither did they cause alarm at
any of the houses entered. They left
unmistakable evidence of their pres
ence, however, and at two places car
red off considerable booty. That they
were experts is pretty evident
The fact that robbers had been about
was first discovered by Mrs. f. ".
! Howe, East Market street. She arose
shortly after six o'clock Tuesday
morning and was walking through the
hallway leading from her bed cham
Der. when she stumbled over some oh
iect on the floor. which she found to
be her husband S trousers. These had
been left hanging on clothes tree at
the head of the bed By the side of the
trousers lay Mr. Howe's pocketbook-
empty.
A moments thought convinced Mrs.
Howe that the house had been robbed
and she lost no time in arousing her
husband. Downstairs everything was
turned topsy turvey. The drawers of
the sideboard were open and while the
silverware and other articles revealed
! signs OF having been handled, yet so
far as could be discovered yesterday
nothing was missing. About eighteen
dollars in cash were taken from the
purse contained in the pocket of Mr..
Howes trousers, which seems to be all
that was stolen from the premises
| That the thieves were expert and
bold is proven by the circumstance
that in order to reach Mr.. Howe's
pantaloons they were Obliged to enter
his bed room at one side of the bed,
pass around the foot to the other side
of the bed, at the head of which hung
| his clothes That they ran a desperate
risk in this is apparent when it is ex
| plained that Mr.. Howe is very light
sleeper, that twice during the night
once about one o. clock and again about
| three o'clock-he was awake for long
| intervals.
! On the bureau only couple of feet
from where Mr.. Howe's clothing hung
lay two diamond rings and valuable
breast pin containing eight diamonds
! belonging to Mrs. Howe, neither of
which were disturbed by the burglars.
Tuesday morning all the doors and
windows were found securely locked
with the exception of the front door,
which was merely unlocked; 1t was
closed aud there was nothing to show
that any force had been applied. The
family is willing to conoede that the
front door might have been left uu-
locked by mistake on Monday night.
When the family of T. j. Price,
whose fine residence adioins Mr..
Howe's on the east, awoke Tuesday
morning the discovery was made that
the house had been visited by thieves.
Down stairs every thing was turned
upside down, but fortunately nothing
was stoleu. While ransacking the low
er story the thieves had taken great
precaution not to disturb the family
sleeping on the upper floor. That their
footsteps might not be heard one of
Mr.. Prices overcoats was laid on the
floor to cover the margin left bare by
the large rug in one of the rooms and
over this the thieves walked back
wards and forwards.
One of the rear doors at Mr.. Prices,
although closed, was found unlocked
| Tuesday morning. The key had been
removed and was found lying on the
table in the dining room. How the
robbers managed to get the door open
is mystery. The lock was perfectly
intact. The fact that the key had been
removed might be taken to indicate
that false key of some sort was used
by which the true key was pushed out
of the lock. All the windows were
fastened Whether the robbers were
frightened away before they made any
selection or did not discover anything
that constituted the kind of booty they
were after, of course is not known.
The house occupied by Henry Trot-
ter. adjoining Mr.. Howe's premises
on the west was also invaded by the
| thieves, although nothing was stolen.
The burglars here gained entrance III
the same mysterious way, leaving no
marks whatever upon the door which
was found rnlocke |, although closed,
yesterday morning.
The residence of W. r. Miller, gen.
eral manager of tho Danville and
Bloomsbury trolley company, on Pine
street, was also robbed on Monday
night. the booty consisting of new
overcoat and pair of gloves. Here
the same mystery exists as to how en-
trace was effected, as the family is
perfectly sure that every door and
window was locked on retiring. Yet
on arising yesterday morning the side
door was found unlocked, although
closed. None of the windows had been
disturbed. There was nothing to in
dictate that the key hau been removed.
nor was there any sign about tine door
to show that force had been applied.
The lower story was pretty we'll ran
sacked but all that the robbers seemed
to want was the overcoat and gloves,
which belonged to Mr.. Miller's son,
Robert. fourteen -yearold hoy.
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