Connecticut western news., 1910-11-17
BERKSHIRE HOLD-UP
ROBBERS OF PAYMASTER
 STILL ELUDE PURSUERS

Woods are Surrounded by Man Hunt
 CTS, but Many Think Robbers Got
 Away in AdtomobiIe-Many Clues
 Prove Worthless.
 The sensational hold-up and robbery of the paymaster on the trolley extension job, in Great Harrington last Saturday continues to be the principal theme of discussion where men do congregate, and to all appearances the affair is as much a mystery to-day as ever, though much of the conflicting, confusing and imaginary detail that befogged the earlier stories has been discarded and something like an adequate idea of the affair as it really was may now be had.
 The story is by this time too familiar to the public to need circumstantial narration here. The essential facts seem to be that Paymaster Hein of the Woro- noco Construction O., which has charge of the building of the Berkshire trolley extensions: Superintendent 0. O. Robin son, and Deputy Sheriff Fred N. Trues- dell, who acted as guard to prevent robbery, were making their usual semi monthly trip over the lines, to pay of the laborers, and carried considerable amount of money, the exact sum being still matter of doubt, as no accounts agree on that score, though it appears to have sbeen somewhere from $l0,o0e to $l5,0O0.
 They had paid of three gangs on the Egremont branch, and were walking along past the Chapin farm three miles east of Great Harrington, when three men, supposed to be Italians, with their faces covered to the eyes with burlap, and each armed with gun, sprang out of the bushes and commanded them to hold up their hands, and drop the hand bags containing the money. The Depu- ty Sheriff was slow in getting his hands up, and one of the robbers fired in his direction, to hurry his movement.
 The robbers encountered no resistance, the trip surrendering in the face of the guns and the robbers took the sntcheln and hastily retreated into the dense woods near by, and escaped, One sat- chel contained $5, 900 in silver and weigh ed nearly 100 pounds. Another satehel contained checks and currency to an amount not agreed upon, and the time sheets of the company.
 When the robbers disappeared in the woods the Deputy Sheriff fired his re- volver Into the forest. after them, but no casualties were recorded. The vic- tims of the robbery at once went to the nearest telephone and called upon Great Harrington for help. and in a brief space of time armed citizens of that and other nearby towns were out in force, SCOUT ing and surrounding the woods in winch the robbers were supposed to be hiding, Automobiles by the score were impressed into the service and followed the roads in every direction, but so far as any authentic clue was concerned, the fugitives might as well have been swallowed up by the earth or evaporated.
 One theory that is generally accepted is that the robbers made an immediate and successful getaway in a swift auto mobile, and there have been a number of stories of persons who saw fast automobile in the neighborhood at about the time the robbery was com mitted. Another theory is that the men who did the job were Italians employed on the construction job, who at once concealed their booty and were again mingling with their fellow workmen in time to engage in the general man'hunt for themselves. Still another theory is that the robbers are still in the woods awaiting an opportunity to get away. This later view is supposed to be strength ened by the fact that some unknown person shot at an Italian laborer Tues day afternoon near the identical spot where the robbery was perpetrated, and inflicted wound in the abdomen, a circumstance which puzzles the authori- ties.
 There is no end of "clues" which prove worthless. Dwellers in the neigh borhood have "seen" strange men of all shapes and sizes, carrying guns and satchels of money, some in automobiles and some on foot, going in all directions, In the meantime the Egremont woods are surrounded and picketed; a reward of $700 has been offered by the company for the apprehension of the robbers and recovery of the money.