The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1907-07-25
PHYSICIAN IS The BURGLAR
Dc. HoIhrook, of Delaware County,
Pa, Confesses to Robberies
Led % DIR. Jeky1 and MIR. Hyde Life
Committed the Crimes in
Order to Wed.

CoatesYille, Pa.-Dr, BENJAMIN
HoIbrook, one OF the best known ply
sicians In Delaware County, has been
held under $4,000 bail on a charge
of burglary. Holbrsok Is the son OF
a former Philadelphia physician now
deceased. ,ae
DR.. Holbrook is said to haTs con-
fessed fully to Detective Dague of the
Pennsylvania Railroad, whose head
quarters are at Parkersburg. the
crimes charged against him.
The robberies were. of course.
committed at night, and always the
doctor, it is charged, drove to the
scene in his buggy and carried the
booty away behind his spanking
team of sorrek. In the daytime he
was d suave, we'll bred practitioner.
a specialist in Eye nose and throat
diseases, the we'll hammered Symra-
thstfc DrsaJekyll of local society, and
as especial favorite with the families
of good standing in the town in which
there were marriageable daughters.
!, 50ne of the things that ne said to
Detective Dague in the course OF his
confession was that he was engaged
10 udIIy IHO SOuuS HO4AOAJ OAO a
very charming philadelphia, the
not sure which of them he would
have made his wife if all had gone
WeH. The doctor has been a wild
over for about four years. He told
Detective Dague that the first
thought of criminaNty came to him
when, desiring to remarry, he found
himself confronted with imminent
bankruptcy
a private hearing was given Hoi
brook before Justice OF the Peace
Joseph Johnson at Downingtown and
he was held in $4,000 bail fol- court.
He was unable to furnish bail and
was committed to the prison in West
chester.
Many robberies are laid at his
door. In April last the station at
Wyebrooke, on the Holland branch
of the Pennsylvania Railroad, was
broken into and 4000-mi1e mileage
books and some jewelry and silver
ware were stolen.
A few nights afterward the station
at GlenmOre, on the same line, was
entered in like manner by the same
person, chiefly that he might put the
agents stamp on the mileage books,
a thing he had neglected at Wye
brooke. He topksa silver watch. and
a razor belonging to the agent and
several pairs of new shoes which
were in the freight room. Next the
station at Buck Run, on the Pome-
roy and Newark branch. was robbed
and q typewriting machine vas sto-
Ter
Suspicion was first directed to DR..
through his attempting to
make use of one of the mileage
but he escaped detection.
Meanwhile other burglaries were
committed within q radius. OF ten
of Coatesville. Three of these,
in Gainesville, seem to have fur
the clue to the burglar. He
took from the electrical supply store
of Edward Thomas, on Third avenue,
a typewriting machine, a revolver,
some valuable electrical tools and
a stock of dies. He then entered the
Office of David Mariner, liVeryman,
and stole a gun and a stop watch.
Next he broke into the store OF
Frank Carson, at Second avenue and
Diamond street. There were also
robberies at Pomeroy, Timacula post
office, near Brinton's Mills, and
Mount Carmel schoolhouse. At the
Cliff farmhouse. where DIR. Holbrook
boarded and had a kind of office,
search by the law officers revealed a
large variety of booty.