Smyrna times., 1907-12-25
TWO CROOKS BURGLARIZE
AND TERRORIzE SMYRNA
HELD UP AND ROBBED BENJAMIN F. MID
DLeTOwN AND NIGHT wATCHMAN JONES
Blow Open Safe of J. e. DePOrd, Rob ". F.
Duns and Norris Truax. Visit in all About
Nine Different Places and Thea Escape

Dunn and Norris Truax. Visit In all About 1
Nine Different Places and Then Escape
Two burglars with an unusual
amount of nerve and daring visited
Smyrna Thursday morning between
four and five o'clock, and in a brief
space of time had visited nine and
robbed three places, held up two of our
citizens, B. F. Middletown and Night
Watchman Jones and walked as quietly
out of town with seven or eight dollars
and some booty for their trouble and
enough glory to make them feel that
Smyrna was about as easy to work as
they could have anticipated. 1t was |
the most daring piece of burglary |
sver perpetrated upon the people of !
Smyrna and how they visited so msny
places at an hour in the morning when
people were beginning to stir and es
capped so easily, is mystery that has
bafled our wisest citizens. Just when
theyeggs came to Smyrna is not known.
Some think that they were delayed in
their escapade by the presence of DIR.
J. w. Clifton and DIR. E s. Dwight,
who were up to half past three op a
case. The lateness of the hour for
operating may have been due to this,
and lucky it was, for their safe crack
ing reports were taken for Joe Cum
Minis early morning dog shooting and
oil
ments of the yeggs indicate that they
came up the state road and first visited
"Woodlawn" the pretty country home
of Miss Louisa Cummins, near town
They attempted entrance by ladder
at second story window but were
scared away. Later they visited j. B.
Webb's Flour Mill but did not effect
entrance. At the Smyrna Post-Ofice,
the next in line, there were marks on
the door showing plainly that they had
tried to pry it open. The lock was Sc
tampered with that Postmaster Jeffer
son could not open the door the mex
morning and was obliged to break
window to gain entrance.
Hold Up Night Watchman and Rob OeFOrds.
The first indication of explosion wa
noted by Night Watchman Jones an
Benjamin F. Middletown. The latte
heard several reports like the shot of
gun while at the stable back of @, E
Registers, feeding Norris Truax
horse. Going down to Truax's Mes
Store he saw Night Watchman Jone
and remarked that Policeman Cur
minis was out early killing dogs,
frequent occurrence here of lat
Neither of the men at that time hi
given the noise any other though
Watchman Jones started on his be
around Main street and when at t
alley between DeFOrd's store al
George F. Browns he saw in the di
haze of light a man who called an
beckoned him to 'come here" Thin
ing it was Policeman Oummins wi
wanted to tell him about dog, NJ
Jones advanced up the alley when
other man jumped out and the t
covered him with their revOlvers
made him hold up his hands. He
robbed of $3.50 in money andh
volver. When his revolver was pull
out one of the yeggmen said ''Wt
are you doing with this?" "Aren't y
afraid it will go off and shoot you
Jones, seeing his predicament and
wishing to intimate that he inten'
using the gun on them, replied, -
Just carry it to scare the bad boy
From this time on he was shown
mercy and with an oath was sho
into wheeIbarrow and charged no
budee or utter a sound under the tn
of having his brains blown out or
thrown into his face. While OFT
the robbers kept watch the o
worked on DeFord' 8 safe and succe'
in blowing it open with the excep
of the inside door back OF which
Mr.. DeFord's books and twenty
or thirty dollars in cash. They
nitro -glycerine and several exPlos
followed in succession but to no a
Strange to say that these explos
were heard IN a number of cases,
like Messrs. Jones and Middleton
occasioned no alarm for the re
everybody thought it was Joe
Minis.
Leave Jones at DefOrd's and 90 to Tr
When they had exhausted the
forts at DeFord's the yeggmen
Jones leave his seat on the W
barrow and climb in the back
window of DeFord's and sit By
damaged safe under the threat
he moved or gave an alarm in