The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-06-09
POLICE CATCH BURGLAR
POLICEMAN CONNOLLY CAPTURED
SHINA RED-HANDED sun
DAY MORNING.
James Shina, Who Recently Came to
Montpelier, Was Arrested Early
Sunday Morning Trying to Gain
Entrance to Opera House Block
and Admits Motive Was Burglary.

Entrance to Opera House Block
and Admits Motive Was Burglary.
Through the vigilance of OFFICER P.
D. Connolly one break and probably
several more were prevented yester-
day morning when he arrested a man
who gave his name as James Shina
trying to burglarize offices and stores
in the Opera House block The bur-
glar did not succeed in getting any
thing, but suspicion points strongly
to him as the party who effected a
break in the ticket office OF the Mont
pelier & Wells River depot on the
morning before.
The first intimation that a burglar
was operating about the block came
shortly after 3 o'clock when Albert j.
Gauvreau who had sat up in his tail
oring establishment in order to catch
an early morning train, heard a key
tried in his door. The door has
that an entrance could not be affect
ed, so he laid low and when in few
minutes he heard the man tip-toeing
away from his door, he went to the
key hole and looked out He saw
man of medium height walking down
the hall way, who stopped at several
doors and tried to gain an entrance
at the office of DR. Leo A. Newcomb,
among the others. The man then dis
appeared from sight.
Prisoner Surrenders.
Mr. Gauvreau called up the police
station and Officer Connolly was
quickly on the scene and after des-
cription started off in search of his
man. The officer started for the rear
of the Blanchard block, and, waiting
awhile, heard a noise as of some one
stepping on a stick of wood. He crept
up a little closer and heard some one
tinkering at the rear door of the
Lynn b. Brooks grocery store. The
light was rather uncertain and be-
fore Mr.. Connolly could advance he
heard the man moving to the next
door and there endeavored to pry
open basement door of the McCuen
store and not succeeding, tried the
rear door on the platform. At this
point the burglar caught sight of the
officer and made for a shed at the
rear of the Putney stables, where he
hid. Mr.. Connolly advanced and
threw his hashlight on the man, or
derng at the same time to surrender.
Pleads for Liberty.
The burglar wilted likt leaf at
| finding himself in the tolls of the law
and begged to be left Off, claiming
| that it was his first offense and prom
Using to leave town at once if given
his freedom. Officer Connolly told
him to tell his tale to the court and
took him to the station, where Chief
Durkee arrived shortly afterwards,
and the man was closely questioned.
but he claimed that he was not con-
nected in any way with any of the
other recent breaks. All of them,
however, We're made in the same
bungling fashion as the one of yester-
day. particularly the attempt at the
rear door of the Buswell store two
weeks after the prisoner landed in
town and the one Of Saturday morn
ing at the Montpelier & Wells River
depot. The police recognized their
man as James Shena, the individual
who had his wife arrested last week
for breach of the peace. The authori-
ties spent the entire forenoon looking
up the case and detained a room.
mate of Shena's named Smith but the
latter gave good account of himsel
and he vas allowed to depart. Shana
has been working on the new
city hall and has been in town abou
five weeks, rooming in differen
places, lately in the Massucco block
|