Smyrna times., 1923-02-28
ARRESTS IN HPINE CANDLE"
ROBBERIES DOWN STATE
GEORGETOWN NEGROES SAID TO
HAVE CONFESS 100 ROBBERIES
Hunt Made By Officers In Both Del
aware and Maryland For the Lead
er of the Gang of Thieves

also colored, safely behind the bars,
sheriffs of three counties, two of
Maryland, and the other from Sussex
county, are combing both states for a
third Negro who, according to alleged
confessions of Bailey and Lines, form
ed the triumvirate of "Pink Candle"
thieves who have robbed more than
100 stores and residences in lower Del
aware and the eastern shore of Mary
land during the past six months. This
man is Charles Davis, notorious Negro
crook and bootlegger. He is descrb-
ed as a tall mulattO, about 80 to 35
years old and weighing around 40
pounds. He travels great deal in a
Ford touring car which he uses in
bootlegging and rObbing. The last
positive accounts the authorities have
Of him he was stopping at a Negro
settlement near fredericksburg, Md.
The Maryland authorities raided this
place Thursday night, but failed to
locate him. For the past several
months he is said to have been max
ing his headquarters at Seaford and
| Salisbury.
Bailey, alias Friday" is a Virginia
Negro, but for the past ten years has
been residing at SeafOrd. He is
known to the authorities as a pro-
fessional robber and has been mix
ed up in many robberies in Maryland,
the biggest of which was the whole
sale whiskey robbery made at the rail
road station at Rhodesdale four years
ago.
RObberies Take Place in Several Towns
The robberies to which the two men
are said to have confessed, according
to State Detective Ottie DonOway, of
Sussex County, were perpetrated in
Milford, Bridgeville, Blades, SeafOrd,
Greenwood, Georgetown, Laurel and
Delmar and other small towns in this
State and in fredericksburg, Hurlock,
Easton, Salisbury and other towns in
Maryland
The men travelled in a Ford auto
mobile and in this way were able to
get from town to town without at
tracing a great deal of undue atten-
tion. They made their home in a
tumble down shack in a negro settle
ment on the outskirts of SeafOrd,
known as Greenabaum's Grove. In
this shack some of the stolen goods
were found which was later identi-
fed by victims of the thieves.
Credit for the apprehension of the
two men is given chiefly to Sheriff
John H. Farlow, of Wicomico county
Maryland; Policeman Cahall, of Sails
bury, and Justice of the Peace, ]. N
Phillips, of Seaford, State Detective
Ottie Donaway, Policeman Charles 7
Jester, of Georgetown, Constable G. I
Adams and Policeman John Martin
Seaford, were also instrumental il
rounding up the clues that resulted il
the arrest of the men.
Part of Loot Was From Greenwood
Sheriff Farlow first apprehendeC
. Ines who was wearing a cap whicl
was recognized as part of the loo
, from the store of r. f. Wiley o
r Greenwood. When he was questione,
r he first denied his guilt, but later, ac
cording to the officers, admitted being
) implicated and then named a numbe
+ of places where loot was secreted a
: we'll as naming Bailey as an accom-
! plice. The police went to Seaford an,
5 Salisbury and in places pointed ou
q recovered various portions of the stol
? en- goods.
0 According to the authorities bot
d the negroes are from Maryland, bu
+ so far they have been unable to lear
their former places of residence.
The prisoners gained their name 0
the "Pink Candle Gang" from thei
L habit of allowing pink candle greas
le to drop to the floors of the variou
II places they entered and ransackeC
7" In all the rObberies to which they ar
- alleged to have confessed the tell-tal
'e marks were noted. Some of the car
~ dies were found in the shack in Greer
= abaum's Grove and are part of tn
:. loot of the first robbery to which tn
- men confessed which took place i
- Maryland.
A. In many of the towns in lower De
20 aware and on the Eastern Shore G
N Maryland the residents had been keeI
If ing watch nightly in the hope c
a catching the men at their work, an
at a number of persons had been unde
ce suspicion, but with the arrest of tn
ID two negroes this suspicion is set &
t. rest.
he Rewards had been offered in a nun
Der of the towns, including Milfor,
where $3.50 was offered. In Milfor,
too, the police force had been aug
In mented by the addition of four plail
lg clothes men, who aided in partrollin
er the streets at night.
IN During the search for Bailey Wee
r. nesday the authorities searched a nul
he Der of negro settlements and four