The Scranton Tribune

LARGE AMOUNT OF PLUNDER FOUND

House Where the Barrett Girls Lived Was Filled with It.

MOST OF THE GOODS CLAIMED

They Were on Exhibition Yesterday at Police Headquarters. - Girls Given a Hearing Before Mayor Bailey and Asked to Furnish Bail for Their Appearance at Court.

Eldest Girl Spent the Night in the Police Station.

A wagon load of plunder was recovered by the police yesterday morning at the home on Taylor avenue of Ethel and Maggie Barrett, the two girls who were arrested Monday night for stealing a clothes basket filled with Chief of Police Robling's and others' linen.

The goods recovered were distributed about the floor in the assembly room at police headquarters for the convenience of a dozen or so residents of the hill who called yesterday afternoon and identified their property. The place looked like a department store.

Articles of every description, from a baby carriage to a flat iron, were on exhibition. Costly rugs which covered almost every foot of floor with porch chairs to the number of seven, butter, sauce, eggs, fruit and a can of kerosene oil made a very domestic appearance.

Chief Robling, as he was the first to discover his loss, was the first to take home his property. This was early yesterday morning before the crowds were on the street. At 8:30 o'clock the chief and Detective John Moir went to the Barrett home, accompanied by Ethel, on a searching expedition. It was suspected that the capture of the two girls would go a great way toward explaining the wholesale robberies on the hill.

FATHER DID NOT KNOW

When the two officers entered the house they were met by a little girl, a sister to the two who were arrested. Mrs. Barrett, the mother, is dead, and in an inside room Patrick Barrett, the father, an aged and infirm man was sitting by his bed. He is suffering from a disease from which he cannot recover.

The old man when he learned the mission of the police invited them to search his house. He knew nothing of his daughters' petty thievery. In the garret, cellar and every room in the small house the goods were found stored away in careless confusion.

A dray wagon was sent for and the goods taken to the police station at noon. At 2:30 o'clock Mayor Bailey began the hearing of the Barrett girls. It lasted ten minutes. The prisoners were brought before his honor by Chief Robling. Ethel, the eldest, is a very chic looking young woman with blue eyes, a fair complexion, a trim figure. She wore a neat shirt waist of light blue plaid and a dark skirt. A small velvet trimmed hat rested jauntily on her head. She smiled with an almost infantile expression when she entered the police court and took her place on the front seat with her younger sister.

The little girl, Maggie, is better looking even than Ethel.

Present in the court room at the time were: A number of spectators, Chief Robling, Detective Moir and Attorney George S. Horn, the latter having been retained as counsel by the defense.

AT THE HEARING

Mayor Bailey asked the girls ages. Ethel said she was twenty-five.

"Occupation?" asked the mayor.

"A servant," she answered with a blush.

The younger girl said she was 12 years old and a school girl.

"You are charged with larceny-stealing," said his honor.

Before the defendants could answer Attorney Horn interposed with "Produce your evidence; you may be seated girls."

Chief Robling was sworn and testified to the arrest and the confession of the prisoners.

"I hold you in $300 each to appear at court," was the mayor's decision.

After a consultation Thomas Collins, a brother-in-law of the prisoners, was sworn as bondsman for the younger girl.

Ethel was taken back to her cell in the woman's ward and remained alone over last night. The younger sister rebelled against deserting the young woman but she was finally persuaded to leave the station house. Bail for Ethel Barrett will be secured today.

A complete list of the goods recovered is as follows:

GOODS RECOVERED

Seven rocking chairs, 1 child's chair, 1 wringer, 1 baby carriage, 1 velocipede, 3 flat irons, 1 foot rest, 1 ladies coat, 1 kerosene can, 3 Turkish rugs, 1 goat rug, 2 pieces carpet, 2 crocks butter, 2 table spreads, 2 ladies' wrappers, 1 bottle table sauce, 1 baking pan, 7 lace curtains, 2 bed spreads, 3 bed blankets, 1 jardiniere, 12 towels, 1 pillow sham, 3 pairs of drawers, 2 skirts, 2 undershirts, 1 night dress, 1 apron, 15 pairs stockings, 1 bake pan, 2 jars, 1 mixing bowl, 1 cream cup, 1 butter dish, 1 silver milk jar, all of which we secured yesterday, and added to this is what was stolen and afterward found in the clothes basket Monday night, as follows:

From Mrs. M. W. Collins, 612 Washington avenue, 2 sheets, 1 shirt, 6 towels, pair drawers, 1 night dress, 3 child's waists, 1 clothes basket. From Mrs. Fred Stone, 616 Washington avenue, three sheets, 5 pillow cases, 2 night dresses, 1 night dress, half dozen napkins, 4 towels, handkerchiefs. From Mrs. Macquan, 707 Adams avenue, one counterpane, 2 wrappers, 1 skirt. Mrs. Clark Ridgway, 1 skirt.

Others who called yesterday and claimed property were: Dr. H. B. Ware, 615 Clay avenue, Turkish rug, valued at $20; Mrs. L. T. Payne, Washington avenue, one ladies' coat, valued at $25; Mrs. Dreyer, 526 Gibson street, 7 pair hose, 1 skirt, underwear; William Siebecker, 623 Washington avenue, hall carpet, $20; Melvin I. Corbett, Washington avenue, wicker chair; Hugh Bradley, 625 Washington avenue, several dozens of stockings; Mrs. Gross, Adams avenue, 150 pieces of linen; Mrs. Pettigrew, Gibson street, jar of butter.

The estimated total value of the goods recovered is $400.