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A ——————— EN .
Circalatic Ove er 3600
in
are Captured!
Four Desperate Burglars Run Down Last
Saturday
SHERIFF TAYLOR'S CLOSE CALL
Burglar Tried to Shoot Him But Got Shot Instead-- -Cap-
tured in the Seven Mountains---Implicated in Many
Robberies— Tracked From Laurelton,
Woodward,
Spring Mills, Centre Hall, Potters Mills to Faust’s Old
Hotel--- Taylor and Foster Take Great Risk---Safely
Landed Three in Jail and One in the Hospital.
Since last Friday,
Centre county has been wronght uj
ieeh over numerous robberies committed
to a high
between Woodward and
inden Hall by a gang of four desperate men who were tracked into
the Seven Mountains and finally captured Saturday afternoon by
Sheriff Taylor and his score of
risk taken by
armed deputies,
thrilling, as great diplomacy was used from the start,
Sheriff Taylor and
The capture
and unuveual
Foster, who
WAS
Treasurer Phil
DD.
bravely approac hed the building snd secured the surrender, but came
near being shot themselves.
the leader fell fatally woun ded.
ROBBERS TRAILED.
We will take up our story with the
first appearance of the burglars in Cen.
tre county. Oa page 4
found a complete description of the
ing "of several stores at Laurelton and
the clubbing of a man into lity.
That happened on Wednesday night,
June 17th. Four men were
and the authorities down there traced
them westward to the Narrows and there
lost their trail. The is the
name of a long, lonesome mountainous
territory with a turnpike of seven miles,
leading from Union county to. Wood-
ward, this county. Iu this unfrequented
wilderness the posse spent the day,
aveiding their pursuers,
will be
loot.
insensin
implicated
Narrows
WOODWARD P O. ROBBED
=Early Friday morning, at about 4
o'clock, Mich. Feidler went down to the
postoffice, at Woodward, as was his cus-
tom, to get the mail sack out for the car
rier who passes there for the early morn-
ing train at Coburn. The postoffice is
kept in the general store of the R. M.
Wolf estate, Miss Mabel Wolf (now
Feidler) is the postmistress, and C. D.
Motz is the assistant clerk and mavager
of the store. Mr. Feidler found the front
double doors open, evidently forced by
prying with a bar. The rear door was
also open. The counters showed that
goods had been handied, while burnt
They landed all four men,
but not until
the fourth,
and it
L
nearby,
morning;
the front,
merchant
no doubt was on
is supposed that
D. Ormndorf came
that morning at
when
his
1 o'clock,
to
store,
they were frightened away
Woodward all trace of the rob
They
An old pair of shoes lying
road to Coburn
From
bers is lost, in evidence
were not
anywhere
led some to
think that they changed foot gear, there,
but that is ind« faite.
Friday night at 12 o'clock the street
light at Sprirg Millls was put out, by
some unknown which leads
some to think that the same parties were
plavping a raid, but the lodge was in ses.
sion pearby and that may have discour.
aged them
ROBBERS AT CENTRE HALL.
Two hours later an effort was made to
alovg the
persons,
rob the Pencs Valley Bask, at Centre |
Hall, which place is six miles west of
Spring aliils. Two diffcrent parties saw
four men walking up the street at that
hour, but had vo occasion to suspect they
were desperate outlaws and professioval
They went directly to the
the
for
safe crackers,
centre of the town and selected
bank, in the corner of the building,
a raid.
light was burping where Mrs Annie
Boozer was in charge as operator of the
1:¢a! United Telephone Exchange. They
stone through a pane of
threw a smal
glass io the exchange, evidently 10 see if
Toe Turee RoppErs STANDING IN ORDER, AS THEY
candles indicated that it was done at | a any man would vapasd
SURRENDERED
Ms. Booker
night. The postoffice drawers were | was so Irightened ot 4 she never moved
broken open,
about $5 in small change which was
missing, while some loose postage stamps
were not disturbed. The bottom till cen.
tained the supply of postage stamps,
each denomination being in a large ma-
nilla envelope, with contents marked on
the outside, the total value being about
$150, all of which were missing. The
following merchandise has been missed
from the stock: 5 pair men's shoes
sizes 7 and 8, 2 new revolyers, 2 Yankee
Ingersoll watches and chains, 4 umbrel-
las, a lot of 38 cartridges, several razors,
pocket knives and colored handkerchiefs.
They made thelr exit from the rear of
store, hastily, as there were three dis
tinct tratls, through the high'grass in dif
ferent directions, noticeable the next
The upper till covtaived | from ber chair,
. McClellan, the
pight watchman Bly in the rear
room of the bank apartments, on the
first floor, was awakened by the break.
ing of a window glass in front, He came
into the main fice and heard some one
prying at the front window sash. With.
out much besitation be pulled his persu-
ader ard fired, The ball passed two
feet above where the men were working,
plowing through about ten inches of
wood. The men hastily dropped thelr
tools, consisting of picks, bars, an um.
brells, snd started towards the station,
and on their way passed several parties
tut aroused vo suspicion. The shot was
heara ecross the street apd the men
were seen walking away, The street
light beirg out of repair, they could
In the room ahove a bright |
1
BELLEFONTE, PA,
THURSDAY,
| sentinel
tone of the most
| Pennsylvania,
| the main outlet for
| Penna
[Juuiate
JUNE 25, 1903
quarter of a mile from the M fllin county
line, in a clearing nn the lonely mountain
land on
and
fields are still
fastuess, is a stretch of fertile
the plateau The
fenced, the
farmed Ia the centre of the clearing,
alongside of the road, stands a dilapidat.
ed o'd barn, (shown in the above cut)
alongside of it is the wall and old stone
chimney, still standing like a2 guardian
over the ruins of what was once
in
the turnpike was
travel fro~ Central
to the eastern wp” via the
This point was known in its day
$ “Faust’s Hotel"
land is cleared
and green
famous hostlesies
when
Kets
where men stopped
i | to feed their teams and regale the joner
SAMUEL SHIREMAN,
not be easily distinguished. At the sta.
tion the 100! house was broken oper and
the next morning the band car
found beyond Linden Hall, which is four
miles west of Centre Hall.
ROBBERY AT LINDEN HALL.
was
Early Saturday morning, sometime
after 2 o'clock, A. E. Zeigler the clerk
in] H. Ross’ store and the post office,
at Linden Hall, who sleeps on the second
floor of the same building, was awaken.
ed. He the
porch lam
heard a noise below on
Thinking they
bermen who bad
were local
come along and pull
bim,
up to the window over the porch, which
ed the door latch to annoy be got
was open, and taking a window prop
rapped on the roof. Hearing the poise
again he went back and pounded loud
er: the noise not abating, he pounded
the third time on the side of the build.
| ing, so that they would keep quiet or
move along, all the time supposing that
they were bome people, barming vo one
Then one man walked out in the road,
then another, finally four. After
ing around two came back and soon all
{left. This was at 2:45 a. m. A short
time afterwards the same four men were
seen by Mr. Zeigler passing on the road,
deliberately, and talking io usual tones,
but caused no suspicion. Mr. Zeigler
went down immediately and be found
the store had been entered from a side
window, the front doors were pried open
from the The postoffice drawer
was forced open but a §1 bill and a few
stamps were not molested. About fi 50
in change was taken from the store
drawer; the handle on the safe was
wrenched off and the crease of the safe
door was sealed with wax or soap and
| there was evidence of a flaid being pour.
ed in. No doubt it was nitro-glycerine,
and everything was ready for an explo-
| sion, but they were interrupted by the
| clerk.
That night the cellar of Mr. Cather
| man. a blacksmith at same place, was
| entered and various articles were taken.
inside
PASS POTTERS MILLS
| About 6:30 Saturday morning four sus.
| ei. looking men came to Potters
Mills. Previous to that time they were
| seen by different parties on the road from
Linden Hall. At Potters Mills two went
| into Resh’s hotel and bought a pint of
| whiskey, the others made some small
| purchases at Smith's store across the
street, paying for the same mostly with
| pennies. They started into the moun.
tains on the turnpike leading towards
| Milroy. On the way, in Potters Mills,
| they got Mrs. Harper to grind some cof.
fee for them and some salt from Mrs.
Hartman. They stopped about two
miles further up at the Treaster road
where they cooked breakfast.
D. C. Bohn and Harry Ripka came
driving along with two horses and a load
of wood. As they passed the men, Ripka
bid them the time of the day, saying,
“Going a fishing to day?’ when the big
man (who later was shot) replied sullen.
ly, "What's that to you.”
They drove on, soon after noticing that
a shoe was missing, Ripka went back,
and passing the men asked if they saw a
shoe his horse dropped. The big fellow
sharply replied: '‘Better go back and
look on your horse's hoof where you will
find it!" intimating that Ripka had bet.
ter go along about his business and not
be nosing after them. This aroused
Bohn and Ripka's suspicion.
The morning the bank was robbed at
Centre Hall, telephone messages were
sent all over the county and that made
the people at Potters Mills suspicious,
Atg o'clock Frank Bradford and Jas.
Smetzler, of Centre Hall, arrived at Pot.
ters Mille to go fishing at Pat Gerrity's,
in the Beven mountains ; they knew
what transpired at Centre Hall! and
learned of the four peculiar looking men
preceding them isto the mountains,
They naturally were on the alert,
DISCOVERED AT FAUSTS,
Four miles south of Potters Mills, near
the summit of the Seven Mountains, a
| man with food
these
Times"
| Bradford glanced back and saw
fi ¢ vater. Around
ings, there still
of "Ye
tales are told of
and
lonesome surround
many Olden
and
men who as though
the earth them A
strange mystery seems to hover around
the place,
the spot
cling romances
gruesome
disappeared here
owed
had swall
aud tradition make
for of
former generations, while now the build.
ig is only inhabited by owls and bats,
The reader will pardon this brief digres
sion in the narrative, but it is appro
priate at this time, as this lonely aband
it Aang
will long
famous weird tales
oned sight again springs into prominence
look |
Janus Rvax
as bere, last Saturday, was enacted a
tragic scene that will form an interesting
chapter in the annals of Centre county
for deed and daring that vividly recall
the days when Lewis and Comnelly, the
famous bighwaymen aod robbers, had
their abotle in these same haunts and
finally landed in our county jail.
Let us come back to Bradford and
Smetzler, About 10 a. m,, these two
fishermen reached the edge of the Faust
clearing. Looking in the orchard they
espied a man under an apple tree, close
to the barn Bradford remarked that
they had better not look in but pass right
along. They turned to the left a short
distance above Fausts to go to the fish.
ing ground at Gerrity’s. Going down,
the
man enter the barn. They decided the
gang was in the barn At Gerrity's they
borrowed repeating rifies, hastily retarn.
ed by the woods and stationmg them.
selves above and below the barn, they
carefully guarded the building. Finally
Mrs. W. O Rearick, formerly of Centre
Hall, but now of Milroy, came driving
along and she was given the information
to take to Potters Mills, and telephone
messages for the sherifis of Mifflin and
Centre counties to hasten to the scene,
This she did in prompt order. When
the news reached Potters Mills, merchant
Frank Carson and five others got their
rifles and hastily drove to Fausts. Later
| merchant J. H. Ross, W, Catherman,
Charles Ross and Harry Hagerman, all
of Linden Hall, who tracked the men
across the valley to Potters Mills,
|got on the Faust premises by noon,
Sheriff H. 8. Taylor got the news about |
11, but the commissioners trifled and
dilly-dallied over fear of expense for
almost an hour.
them two Krag-Jorgonsen rifles, the new |
firearms recently received by Company |
B. They arrived at the scene in less
than two hours and other riflemen joining
the party.
ATTACK ORGANIZED.
Remaining in the woods about a quar.
ter of a mile from Fausts, Sheriff Taylor
swore in the following as deputies:
Frank Bradford, James Smetzler, Wm,
Sando, Frank Shutt, of Centre Hall:
Frank A. Carson, F. Pennington, R. J.
Sweetwood, Calvin Rhule, Calvin Cum-
mings, Reuben Colyer, Frank McCoy, of
Potters Mills ; Walter and Pat Gerrity,
who live a mile east, and many others
kept arriving on the scene, All was done
beyond view from the buildings. The
sheriff then directed the men, armed with
repeating rifles and plenty of ammani.
tion, to divide in two squads and sur.
round the premises, but not to come in
the open until he drove towards the barn,
or waited
Sheriff Tay!
the
, then
x quarter of an
bour for deputies 10 them.
iocate
selve be and Foster started for
the barn
BURGLARS TRAVPHED
At 2°45 drove by the old barn,
tied their team at the fence about 60 feet
they
distant, Foster remaived
and the ster
at the buggy
iff, unarmed, went directly
Ia
armed deputies began to close in from
all sides,
to the building the meantime the
mak-
ing escape deadly, impossible as most all
like a steel-toothed trap,
were old-time bunters and expert marks.
men.
Now comes an exhibition of courage
and diplomacy that is unusual
ed Sheriff Tavlor
right up to the building and entered um-
Unarm-
and alone, walked
af the build.
the
around to
led the
der the shed, the
ing,
part
ieit portion
He
he waked
at the centre found lower
Then
TE 5
clear
the front at and pu latch
and threw the horse stable door open,
COMMANDED TO SURRENDER,
and other
The sheriff
on the floor above
He saw a basket, bucket
packages in the centre
heard a movement
and was convinced his birds were cor
pered, but not yet captured. The sheriff
then spoke in a loud voice
“Boy you ave survounded
lam the
1m unarmed. [wan
red
mon’ Sheri)
J
and surrender as my pris
Some one sv ¢
ee thal rei
shoot Tayl ] oxing ibe words
five rifle shots broke the profound sus
.
the mountain
the
ana,
pense and re echoed over
tops. A man fell to view at polut
“XX ov the loft of the barn still
clutching bis weapon, staggered forward
pushing his arm over the sil attempliog
he
later
and
the men
to shoot, but there
over
| where he
Was no report]
rolled imp a few seconds
fell, in view Qf Foster
Taylor. It appears from that,
in the stalls
above was
were asieep, and the man
He wa
guard tched the
the sit “Z
he thrust out his
called
on
and some say
Then be ran
'. be wheeled
sheriff from
fevo. ver
back, Foster “hailt’
Wu PALMER
with
his left and took aim with his right, when
the shots were fired. Foster fire
the sheriff once, Bradiord once, also an-
other shot.
and crouched about the corner post
Inice,
This shooting made the other men
fierce, they wanted to riddle the build.
| ing, but were restrained. Sheriff Tay-
lor called to the men inside several times
! to surrender,
THE SURRENDER.
| wild fire into the building
lwill protect you' Fioally one man
answered and said: “We will swrvender,
if guaranteed profection.”” Sheriff Tay:
lor replied : ** My men are under my con:
once, one al a lime, drop your revolvers
as you step out, and throw wp your hands.”
In a few minutes one came out, drop-
ped his revolver and threw his bands
over his head ; then another followed
and did the same ; the third man com.
pleted the scene; standing there, covered
by a half dozen rifles, they were quick.
ly handcuffed and searched. Phil Fos.
ter went in the bam and found the
fourth man lying near point “X" in a
pool of blood, semi-conscious, still clutch.
ing his revolver. The limp body was
slid dows the plank, shown in the ple.
ture. The men were hustled In convey
ances and taken to Potters Mills, The
| visit to the jail
that be did not want any |
| more shooting or unnecessary bloodshed, |
Finally they directed |
him to go. He was joined by Co. Treas:
After at least twenty minuigs waiting |
urer Philip D. Foster, and they took with |
the sheriff finally announced that ** 7his |
{is last call; if you dow't swryvemder we |
Come ond, |
ret. 1 will protect you. Come ont af
VOL. NO.
25. 20.
suffsred on the trip. At
Potters Mills he was turned over to Dr,
Alexander for treatment, and Michael
Smith watchman, with instructions
that he receive the best possible atlen-
tion. At Centre Hall they were given a
hearing before Justice Mingle and com-
mitted.
By 7:15 Sheriff Taylor, with the little
man, and Phil Foster with Dan Zeigler,
as hrought the other two to
Bellefonte. Almost a thousand people
gathered on the streets and aboul the
jail to see the procession. They were
quietly searched, little more was found ;
turnkey Jerry Condo put them through
the bath.-tub process, got clean under-
wounded man
ans
driver,
wear, and soon they were securely locke
ed in the solid steel cells
They gave
Will
Shireman, 45
their names and age: as
Samuel!
and James Ryan, 32. The
Wiscon-
foliows iam Palmer, 49.
wounded man as Showalter, of
Louis, age 38,
inches. He
nce and strong feat.
build. Men in
under such circumstances, give
likely that
gin, then again as from St
weight 158, height 5 feet 8
is 3a man of intellige
ures and muscular this
business
ficticious and it is not
they wil
The following articles were
names,
| give their's,
found in
the stable and on their Five re*
re and Jot of cartridges,
purse
persons
volvers— 38 calib
stick of dynamite, knives, razors,
containing paper money and lot of small
change, tin bucket and table cloth—
i by M:
basket
identifie Catherman,
Hall,
soap, mirror
Walter
Taylor 1!
rrity wasengaged by
rch the barn and
hours later reported his find,
Bellefon
He ha
large manila,
address erased,
liately proceeded U« te
bere at 11 p. m i an
post -
which
cent de-
covering a
letter with
1 to 10
ull sheets, in good
in value $169 48.
watch and
tobacco, kuife, §
contained stamps from
pominations, mostly in fi
aggregating
Also “Ingersoll’
chain, plug of “Worth”
colored handkerchiefs and 2 "pint bottles
of brown greasy lad supposed to be
This closed Saturday's
tril events. The topic in every
pook and corner of Centre county Satur.
day and Sanday was the capture of these
four men: and if all the wid ramors afioat
were published, it would prove amasing.
From all that has been told, we have
carefully sifted the leading points and
the above we believe the true story.
Mr. Gerrity found the various articles
hidden at diff :reat places is the straw in
the abandoned horse stalls.
On Wednesday a dagger with deer
bore hand e was found in the barn.
A ———
A SUNDAY JOB.
condition
an
nitroglycerine
ling
Ia order to obtain portraits of these
men. send same to Philadelphia and
have cuts made and returned in time for
this edition, we had to do some hustling
the next day. Early io the moming a
was made, Sheriff Taylor
granted permission to see the prisoners,
and Jerry Condo soon landed us ieside.
They had very little to say, but soon
cheered up finding that no impertinent
questions would be asked.
The sheriff told them of securing the
postage stamps, etc., and they realized
that the “jig was up.”’ The writer read
the list of articles, to which they listened
with interest and looked at one another
with a knowing glance. When asked if
the two pint-botties contamed nitroglye-
erine, the smaller man grinned and said:
“Beller handle thal At
first he objected to sitting for his picture,
but finally yielded when told that the
postal authorities would do it later,
The other two willingly assented. In a
short time Mr. Mallory, photographer,
was on hand and they gracefully yielded
to any suggestion and we got perfect
stuff carefully ”’
Jonx SmowALTER.
Bhot "at Faust's Ban:
poidl Ay PAR ER
entered at “A came out at *
po Janth mht i
likenesses. Next we were on our way to
Potters Mills, The wounded man was
{Continued cn paged, Brat column,