The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-12-11
Stratford Reused
 By Gun Fight of
 Police and Yeggs


 men, the post office building has been wired with an intricate system of burglar alarms. It was about 3:3O this morning when Chief Allen Jud- son was walked by the buzzing of the alarm He called up State Police man Rowe Wheeler.
 Wheeler hoped from bed into his car in record time, pausing only to dress hurriedIy. He used knitted bed room slippers on his feet instead of regular shoes.
 Judson and wheeler met on King street, in the rear of the post office. Wheeler had a repeating rifle and Judson two revolvers. They snuck up beside an anemic looking brook that and spotted two men in an al1eyway near the rear door of he post office.
 Wheeler opened conversation with a couple of shots from his rifle. The yeggs replied with Ko1ley from pistols.
 Prelirninaries over. the opposing forces settled down to business. Wheeler fired his repeating rifle until one shell damned the ejector, and Judson kept up a duet with his two revo1vers. The yeggs were excellent artillery conversationa1ists and kept their visitors informed on their move nent by several volleys of Ieaded mes sengers.
 Three of the coppers' bullets whistled down the alley and smashed through the plate glass window of Boya & Corso, across Main street.
 The artiIlerists finally fled, going south on Main street. Wheeler and Judson Ipursued them. Wheeler lost his bedslippers and stepping over the frozen ground in his stocking feet didn't make much of a hit with him. Judson had on his firemen's turn I- couldn't make any speed records. Af- ter a running fight. during which a dozen shots were exchanged, the yegg- men disappeared completely.
 Mrs. Bova. who lives next door to the post office says she saw three men come out of the alley, after the explosion and battle.
 2 t.1 looked out the window and saw a man down below she said. T thought it was Chief Judson. so called out: Hey, Juddy, what's the matter 2 But the man didn't answer me. A bit later. two others came out of the alley and all three ran towards the railroad station. One of them carried a small bag
 Policeman Wheeler, after getting a pair of regular shoes, went to Milford in his car and notified Constable James Maher of the trouble; Look outs were posted, butsnobody appear ed.
 Returning to the post office, the po- lice found Superintendent W. B. Bris- tol, in charge. Examination showed the interior of the building in great disorder. A
 The outer door of the safe had been ripped off in the explosions. Ia bles were smashed and windows with in the building were shattered. The. concussion cracked a steam radiator next to the safe and water was a, cou- pie of inches deep on the floor
 The combination of the inner strong box had been knocked off with . a sIedgehammer which was found near by. The yeggmen had built the con venIional bowl of soap around the aperture thus opened and had poured nitro -glycerine into the opening. The edges of the strong box were primed and calked with soap. tE
 Just about this time, the Stratford1 folks reckon, the battle of. the alley cut short their operations and they did the conventional thing under such circumstances it.
 Shortly before noon, a woman found a mail pouch near the west bound tracks at the railroad station. There were a few stamps and pennies in it and a section of a cash drawer. It is believed the cracksmen dropped the pouch there after transferring their loot to a more inconspicuous parcel Then, say the Stratford sleuths. they must have hoped a freight train
 The railroad station on the west bound side had been entered. A win dow was forced. The yeggs evident ly hugged the stove, for cigar ashes and matches were scattered. Aon the floor. The stratford police prefer to believe that their visit to the station was before the post-office was entered. They probably went there, is the po- life to quiet down and let the towns If etc quiet down and let the towns folks get off the main stem.
 Superintendent Bristol says the in ner safe contained about $500 in stamps. He figures that between $500 and $500 in stamps were taken or destroyed. and that $40 in cash is
 Stratford is now a sub-station of Bridgeport postoffice, and Postmaster c. F. Greene was notified of the bur g1ary. He sent Capt. F. J. BreckbiN to look the place over.
 This afternoon Captain Breckbill said that explosives experts had ad- i vised him to leave the inner safe un- touched. ro-glycerine isn't any thing to play with, they said. After | it stand 8 few days it loses it's "pep." The safe will be opened Monday.
 The last burglary in the Stratford l postoff1ce occurred on June 10, 1912