The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1921-09-20
ATTEMPTED ROBBERY FOILED
BY WATCHFUL WATCHMAN
Second Attempt to Rob the }. w.
Kibler Co. Store Fails When
Thieves Are Shot at

At the early hour of l o'clock Fri
day morning those of our citizens
who were awake heard four pistol
shots in quick succession. At first
thought, soon after the midnight hour,
fire was looked for. No sooner had
the shots been fired than Policemen
B. F. Melton and ]. c.. Foy, knowing
from the sound the direction to take,
were on the ground, driven there in
rapid time by Mr.. Sam Melton in Mr..
Ounce Williams transfer.
Policeman Melton says they made
such quick time the smoke from the
pistol hadn't more than assembled to
the top of the telegraph pole on the
spot. They found Mr.. Newton T..
Hogge at his place of business and
learned the particulars of the at
tempted robbery. Mr.. Hogge is watch
man for the Standard Warehouse, the
c., N. & L. Freight depot, the New
berry Lumber company and the j. w.
Kibler company. He was sitting at
the railroad crossing in O'Neall street
when he saw car come out of Friend
street. The car, which proved to be
Cadillac, stopped between the rail-
road tracks at Kibler company's. Mr.,
Hogge Immediately got up to invesh-
gate, knowing something was wrong
as he saw the men cut out the car
lights and left the engine running.
The car doors were thrown open and
the twoum men alighted, leaving the dri-
yer in his seat.
Mr.. Hogge made his way between
box cars on the two tracks so as to
keep the men from seeing him. AS
he got nearer he saw the two men
standing on the steps of the Kibler's
platform, when he promptly fired his
first shot. The rest was so quickly
done it seemed as though all the shots
were fired almost together. At the
first sound the men jumped into the
automobile and fled, the watchman
shooting twice as they sped down be-
tween the tracks and once as they
were crossing the tracks into O'Neall
street 1ving from the freight depot
corner.
AS the car had to cross two tracks
and at the rate it was going, it was
4 wonder there was not smash up.
A smaller car would probably have
been wrecked in it's zigzag course
down and across the tracks.
After leaving the depot grounds the
car flew around the corner at Mr..
j. w. Denning's residence and turned
into Friend street at Baxter's Under
taking ablishment, passing the Cen
tral house at about the speed OF ~
miles an hour, according to Policeman
Melton. Reaching Calhoun street
thew turned to the left and went out
and around in the direction Of Har-
rnigton and College streets, but turn
ed and retraced. some of the steps,
going through Glenn street, the way
they had come in.
Mr.. J. w. Hodge, who runs trans
fer, was coming home from Co!um-
bia Thursday night, accompanied by
Mr.. F. w. Stanton. When they had
reached Little Mountain, Mr.. Hodge
saws the Cadillac car passed them on
it's way to NewIberry. The car had
been following them on the way from
Columbia. He is satisfied it was the
same car with the would-be robbers.
The attempted robbery Thursday
night, or rather Friday morning, was
the second time thieves tried to steal
from the J. W. Kibler co. The hrsI
attempt was made about two weeks
ago.