The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1909-01-14
BURGLAR
Captured BY Constable
And Posse OF
Farmers
BROUGHT TO CO. JAIL

A man giving his name as James
Britt and claiming Canton as his home,
was caught in the act of burglarizing
the home of William T. Slutz, farm
er residing on the Canton-Mapleton
road, about ten miles southeast of this
city, by a posse of farmers about
o'clock yesterday morning. The burg
lar in charge of Constable David Kin
ney, of Mapleton, and William T.
Slutz, was brought to this city be-
tween and o'clock Sunday morning
and Immediately placed in the county
Jail.
At about 2:30 o'clock Sunday morn
ing, Mr.. Slutz was awakened from his
peaceful slumbers by hearing a noise
in the vicinity of the basement. He
Immediately jumped out of bed to
make a hurried investigation and in
doing so heard a man walking around
in the basement. without losing a
minutes time he jumped into his
clothes and securing hammer and
some nails he nailed the cellar floor
which held the burglar prisoner as
that was the only exit beside the one
which came up through the house and
the farmer had locked that door.
The next thought which entered the
badly scared farmers head was to call
for help and he Immediately put the
telephone into good use. So excited
was he that he could not think of
the numbers of his neighbors at first
and he lost several minutes which
seemed like hours to him in his terri
BILE predicament. He finally calmed
himself and Just as soon as neigh
Dor would answer his phone he hur-
riedly told him that he captured a
burglar; that he had him nailed in
the cellar and wanted him to come at
| once and help him make the capture
The Mapleton constable was also noti-
fed as we'll as the Canton police. In
the meantime he stood guard at the
cellar door with revolver in hand
In less than half hour a dozen
excited farmers formed posse and
surrounded the house where the burg
lar was held in captivity. In the
course of an hour Constable David
Kinney, of Mapleton, appeared on the
scene. Although the posse was armed
to the teeth no one wanted to sacri-
fee his life by going down the cellar
after the man and after long con-
sultation it was decided to wait until
daybreak. So at O'Clock the cellar
door was unfastened and Constable
Kinney ordered Britt to come out of
his den. No sooner had he spoken
| when to the amazement of the entire
| crowd, Britt walked out of the base
ment into the constable's hands, He
was without coat or hat.
Just as soon as the prisoner sur
rendered himself he was handcuffed
with clothes line and in company
with the constable and the farmer
whose house he had entered. was
brought to this city in a buggy and
placed in the county prison where he
remained all day Sunday. When first
captured he refused to talk or give
| his name but before being placed in
the county prison he gave his name
| to the sheriff as James Britt, and also
| said that his home was in Canton.
When Mr.. Slutz returned home late
| in the morning he found that nothing
was disturbed in the cellar. He is
of the opinion that had he not heard
| the noise which he made in gaining
an entrance to the cellar that he might
have looted the house and carry OFF
considerable booty. The farmers in
that vicinity are now sleeping with
one eye open.