The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-11-11
THIEF RANSACKs
LOCAL HOUSE IN
MID AF TERN0ON
Secures Over Sixty Dollars and
Other Plunder
ONE MAN UNDER ARREST
Suspect Helped Deliver Load Of Coal
at House While the Family
Was Absent

One of the most daring daylight bul
glaries that has come to the attention
of the Bennington police in many
months was committed Monday after
noon at the home of Mr.. and Mrs
John j. Mcbride on Spring street.
The thief or thieves got away with
at least $64 in money, some silver
ware and some clothing. Clarence
Packard, aged 90, who has been a
work in the coal yards here for a few
days, was arrested early in the even
ing on the charge of having commit
ted the gurglary. He denied all know
ledge of the theft.
According to Mrs. Mcbride, the bur
glary must have been committed in
side of hour. About o'clock Pack
ard and Harry Horton appeared al
the house with a load of coal, a por
ton Of which was to be delivered
there. Mrs. Mcbride was just leav
ing the house. She stopped on the
sidewalk, paid for her share of the
load of coal and told the men how to
deliver it.
After paying for the coal Mrs Nc
Bride went directly TO the business
section of the village to make some
purchases. She says that she was
absent about an hour. When she Ell.
tered the house upon her return she
found that the lower floor had been
completely ransacked. Every draw
in the bureaus had been cleaned out
and the contents scattered upon the
floor. Even the board at the foot of
the piano had been taken out as
though the thief suspected that the in
strument might be used as hiding
place for money.
Mrs. Mcbride was so thoroughly up.
set by the discovery that she broke
down neryously and the services of a
physician were required.
An investigation disclosed that $50
in money had been taken from one
bureau draw and $5 from another.
Five silver knives that had not been
taken from the tissue paper after be-
ing purchased by Mrs Mcbride and
six silver spoons were likewise miss
ing. Several of Mr. McBride's shirts
had also been taken and his oyercoat
had also disappeared,
Chief of Police Hurley made an in
vestigation of the premises and dis
covered that entrance to the house
had been effected through window
in the shed. A light of glass had
been broken giving an opportunity to
release the catch and raise the
window. Chief Hurley says that he
discovered some small particles of
coal directly under the window
through which the entrance was made
and that there was also the print of
smutty hand upon the window casing,
Packard was arrested shortly after
o'clock in the evening at the home
'of Harry Horton on Pleasant street.
Horton and Packard delivered the
coal Horton told Chief Hurley that
he was the driver and shoveled the
coal and that he did not see Packard
while he was doing the work. After
leaving the Mcbride house the two
men drove to a house on Bradford
street where they disposed of the rest
of the load and returned TO the coal
yard.
After arresting Packard the chief
began to make inquiries concerning
the mans record before and since he
came to Bennington. The officer
learned that Packard had been in
town only a short time and that he
had been living at the Horton tene-
ment since his arrival. He claimed to
have come here from Rutland and
that he had lived in Wallingford. The
chief telephoned to both Rutland and
Wallingford but could not locate aIf.S
person in either place who had ever
heard of Packard.