The Somerset Press

A Heavy Robbery Near Thornville.

[From the Lancaster Gazette.]

A peddler stopped at the house of Mr. S. S. Chalfant, near Thornville, on Wednesday of last week, and endeavored to sell some table cloths. In this endeavor he was unsuccessful he did dispose of a quantity of cheap goods to Albert Chalfant, who in making payment for the same, rather indiscreetly and conspicuously displayed a considerable sum of money, which the peddler noted as a matter of course. Closing the bargain the purveyor of cheap goods took his departure, and an hour or so after the entire household went off to church. On their return they found all the doors of the house open, and evidence of a thorough ransacking of all the bureau drawers, closets and so forth. This was attributed to the peddler whom it was supposed had returned and gone "through things" in the hope of finding some of young Chalfant's superfluous cash, but being unsuccessful had a second time levanted. After discussing the matter for an hour or so the family retired for the night, and did not awake until very late hour the next morning, a very unusual thing with them as they were all early risers. Their suspicions were accordingly aroused, and the indefinite odor pervading their respective apartments heightened these and hinted at some thing else, and investigation into their individual exchequers showed that they had been robbed. The conclusion at once arrived at, was that the persistently thievish peddler had a third time returned, and after scientifically chloroforming the family proceeded to gather up the "swag," which amounted in all to about $3,400. Mr. J. H. Guild, a young minister of the gospel, who was visiting the house at the time, was the heaviest loser. He discovered himself minus $60 in money and thirty-one hundred dollars in notes and drafts, while Albert Chalfant lost a draft for $75 on the First National Bank, Ispilanti, Mich., besides a small sum in currency. Immediate steps were taken towards the apprehension of the robber and a recovery of the money, one party going to Newark, another to New Lexington and a third coming to this city, where the man has been traced, Marshal Lamott has the case in hand and will probably work it to a successful issue.