Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1916-12-01
LAWLESsNEss
Wholesale Thieving and Robbery Re-
gularly on The PrOgram-SmOOth
"Get-a-Ways" - No Clues I'm
creased Protection Necessary.

During the past three or four weeks
there has been regular carnival of
theiving and robbery in this section of
Ohio. The burglarizing of some store
some where within the county has
become the regular monthly program
In Henry county hogs and beeves
taken from the fields in broad day
light, apples gathered from the trees,
the barns, poultry from the poultry
yards, in fact anything that is loose
seems to be considered as spoils for
any one who can succeed in getting
away with it. Last Sunday night The
Frogley Clothing Store at Swanton
was entered, At suits Of; gents clothes
and Sc overcoats of leading manu-
facturers make besides other meH-
chandise was taken. At Fayette on
the same night meat market was
broken into and money and meat
taken. The thieves have become ex-
ceedingly bold and seem to be very
successful in making getaways"
that leave no clue that may be used
by officials to bring the crime home
to the perpetrators.
When an occasional arrest is made
and some individual is brought to
the bar of justice there seems to be
the very shrudest and best legal tai
ent in the country ready to defend
and stand between lawbreakers and
the penalty prescribed by law; in
stance the case of the State of Ohio
VS. Shafer, in common pleas court last
week. Here were goods positively
identified as having been stolen from
the Saxton Company Store in Delta
and found on the premises of the
defendant and yet it seemed impos-
sible for the prosecution to so con-
meet the chain of evidence as to fas-
ten the act of burglary upon the ac-
cused.
The court could do no other than to
entertain a motion on the part of the
counsel for the defense to instruct the
jury to return a verdict Of "not gull
ty."
Whether the defendant was guilty
or not is not the question we wish to
raise here; the point is that the peo-
pie who have perpertrated such
crimes as these seem to have the best
side of the case in the courts, and the
news of such results of prosecutions
as that of last Friday travels very
rapidly among those who are mem
bers Of that portion of the underworld
engaged in such operations; the in
evitable result is an increase in bold
ness on the part of the people who
would rather steal than work
There seems to be no use in side
stepping the fact that the protection
offered by the law is not sufficient
in the present conditions; citizens are
certainly justified in taking reason
able precautions and measures to
protect their property and their lives,
and to this end their should be CO.
! operation among the citizens both in
town and country.
Individual victims seem to be I'M
able to get much satisfaction after a
robbery has been accomplished and
their efforts to prevent such crimes
seem to be very inefficient.
Organized efforts would unquestion-
ably be more successful in protect
| ing property and also in apprehend-
ing criminals and bringing them to
account.
Here is something that ought tc
be taken up The Wauseon Boosters
Club and some method or system OF
cooperation devised in which all the
people of the community, town and
country might participate.