Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1919-10-23

| AiteE spcloiHS d tlkHI III rISociiSh
city, at which place four business places
were entered and two safes blown to
pieces, two burglars boarded the Thur
mont trolley at Montevue Hospital just
out of Frederick, and eventually landed
at Thurmont soon after o'clock Satur-
day morning last,
| The two men took the first car out of
Frederick. This car runs to Lewistown
only, hence the two men had to wait
until the through car for Thurmont came
along. During the interval of 20 min.
utes the news of the burglaries at Fred
erick had reached Lewistown, and the
two men were suspected, but not until
| the last minute did any person take
courage enough to report to Frederick
| that two suspicious characters had arriv-
ed there.
AS soon as Sheriff Klipp received the
news. he got in touch with Deputy Sher-
iff c. W. Lidie at Thurmont, telling him,
we are told, that two suspicious charac-
tiers were on the incoming train and to
watch out for them. Deputy Lidie had
the mail for the Western Maryland train
east to deliver and receive and also look
for suspects.
The men arrived, and Lidie met them
and informed them that they were under
arrest. They evidently had heard the
same story before as they paid little at
tention to the information.
The Western Maryland train came,
and one of the men got aboard while
Lide tried to take care of the other.
Not being equal to the task VIM. Har-
baugh was ordered to look after the
fellow on the train, and he went in the
coach and brought his man out and Lidie
put cuffs on him.
In the meantime the other fellow start
ed TO run, Lidie firing several shots at
him, but the shots made him run the
faster. Lidie called for help, and Leo
M. Creeger, Samuel Vanhorn and VIM.
Foreman responded. Seeing that the
man was taking across the fields, Mr..
Creeger got these men and Lidie in his
auto and made run around by-road to
head off the burglar, while Mr.. Charles
Spaulding, by himself, followed the bur-
glar across several fields and through a
woods to what is known as the Apples
Church road. At that point Creeger met
Spaulding, the latter jumped on the run
ming board of the car. The fugitive was
at that time on the road and Creeger put
on full speed and determined to run over
the man. The man escaped by jumping
aside and the machine went into the side
drain. The burglar was now in the Or
chard and the four men close upon him.
When in the peach orchard to the west
of Latiper Schldt's barn, and when
Creeger was almost on the burglar, the
latter suddenly stopped and fired directly
at Leo, the bullet striking him in the
left side below the heart and he fell to
the ground. Spalding, Vanhorn and
Foreman were nearby, Spaulding having
the only gun in the crowd and that proved
no good when he attempted to shoot the
then burglar and murder. The burglar
held these men at standstill for short
time, then started out through the field,
Spaulding, Vanhorn and Foreman going
to the assistance of Creeger.
When Creeger dropped to the ground
he called to Spaulding. saying. Get him
Charlie, he's got me-
DR.. E. C. Kefauver arrived and reliev-
ed Creeger's suffering, but he died with
in half an hour of being wounded. His
body was taken to the home of his moth
err, Mrs. j. w. Creeger, by DR. Kefauver.
After the shooting the murderer de-
parted from the scene, taking a norther-
ly direction across the fields to a tract
of woods where he was lost sight of.
This woods or more properly, tract OF
briars and underground, afforded the
best of hiding places, the briars being
so dense that cattle could not penetrate,
and person could hide from pursures
for long time. Nearly all the timber
was cut several years ago.
AS soon as the news of the shooting
reached town, almost every man and
boy grabbed gun, rifle and revolver
and went TO the woods, but to the best
of our knowledge neither sheriff, his
deputies nor citizen ventured in the
briars or bushes.
After spending several hours around
the woods word was brought to town
that the fugitive had been seen about
two miles to the north, and the officers
made hasty trip to that place, but
nothing could be found. Soon after l;
O'Clock word was sent from Rocky Ridge
that person answering the description
of the burglar was seen at that place
and scores of persons went to Rocky
Ridge and from there to Detour at which
place the man was supposed to have
been seen along the railroad. Possibly
a hundred or more persons were engaged
in the hunt along Monocacy and Doubl,
Pipe Creek rivers, along the railroad
and over fields and hills on both sides o.
the Western Maryland.
If the fugitive was in the localitys h,