Rensselaer Republican, Volume 12, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 November 1879 — Robbed by Masked Burglars. [ARTICLE]

Robbed by Masked Burglars.

The usually quiet village of Unionville, Orange County, N. Y., was on Monday startled by the report that the residence of a farmer named Hough, near the village, but in Sussex County, N. J., had been visited the previous night by a gang of masked burglars. There were four in the party, all young men apparently, all dressed in dark clothes, and all wearing masks of white cloth,-which entirely concealed their features. Mr. Hough and his family retired early Sunday evening, as was their custom, and were aroused soon after nine o’clock by the entrance of the robbers. Mr. Hough, who was the first to awake, was astonished by the sight of one of the masked men, who was sitting on the foot of the bed pointing a revolver at him, while anotner stood beside the bed with a pistol pointed at Mrs. Hough. On the same floor slept Mrs. Hough’s sister, familiarly known as Aunt Sarah. Into her room one of the robbers thrust his head, saying: “‘You keep quiet. Aunt Sarah; we don’t mean to do you any harm.’.’ This was heard by the servant-girl, who slept at the otlier end of the hall, and she at once run to the room of the hired man and aroused him. H’e seized a revolver and ran to Mr. Hpugh’s room and leveled his weapon at the man who had covered Mr. Hough, but the robber paid no attention to him beyond quietly remarking: “ Put up that pistol or I will shoot the old man.” Mrs. Hough, alarmed for her husband’s life, besought the hired man not to fire, and he dropped his weapon. He was immediately seized from behind by the other two robbers, who hurried him back to his room, where they bound him, and also the servant-girl, with halters procured from the barn. In the meantime the two men inMr. and Mrs. Hough’s room had securely bound them, and the door of Aunt Sarah’s room being fastened, the entire household was completely at the mercy of the robbers. They then leisurely ransacked the house, devoting two hours to their wbrk. They succeeded in finding two hundred and seventy-five dollars in money, but evidently expected to find more, and in their anger at being disappointed they destroyed a large quantity of clothing which they did not consider valuable enough to carry away. Thdy also found a quantity of jewelry and some silverware, which they added to their plunder. They then visited the . kitchen, where they made a hearty lunch, after which they droVe off, leaving their victims bound.. t

About an hour after their departure, the hired man succeeded in freeing himself from his bonds, and he at once relieved the girl and Mr. and Mrs. Hough and Aunt Sarah. Mr. Hough and his man at once proceeded to tne stable with the intention of driving to Unionville to give information to the authorities,, but, to their dismay, they found that the burglars had destroyed every piece of harness that there was in the place. When they finally got a harness patched up from the pieces, the robbers had a good two-hours’ start. It is supposed that the robbers came from Port Jervis, to which place information was sent, and also to Sergeant Jacob Wilson, of the Jersey City.police, who is a son-in-law of Mr. Hough, with a request that a lookout be kept in that direction for the thieves. — N. Y. Times.

From a curious statistical statement of the trade of Canada, just published, it appears that the traffic between the Dominion and United States has increased in imports all around. Purchases of hardware from Great Britain were in 1874, $2,478,827. In 1878 they fell in value to $757,573. In the same period purchases of hardware from the United States fell only from $2,797,741 to $2,386,587. In the case of cotton and woolen goods the import from England has fallen off, while that from the United States has positively increased, and in regard to a great many other articles the same may be said. In a word, Canada has during the past five years increased her imports from the United States by nearly forty per cent., while she has decreased her imports from Great Britain by twelve per cent. —A singular coincidence recently occurred at Lafayette, Ga. An elderly lady,, while out at her cow-pen, by some mishap fell over a rail and broke the cap of her thigh bone. She sent for her sister, who went out next morning to perform the same work, and had the misfortune to fall over the same rail, breaking a bone just as her sister had done. They both now lie in beds in the same room, without much hope of ever being able to walk.