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115 years ago, 1908
Taken directly from the Youngstown Vindicator
"An epidemic of rural burglars. Southern part of the county has been visited frequently and much property taken. Thief was discovered late Friday afternoon but was frightened away by Fred Oertly.
"Special to the Vindicator:
"New Springfield, O., June 27 -- An epidemic of house-breaking and burglary has been raging for the past few days in the southern part of the county. Tuesday the homes of Elmer Burkey and Frank Ulmer, on the outskirts of the village of New Springfield, were entered. On the same day the houses of Mrs. Sue Peters and Edward Miller in the village were entered. In each place small sums of money were taken. In the Peters home the thief, in ransacking the house, ran across a Bible in a dresser drawer. He threw the book upon the floor and gathered up a number of small coins which the drawer contained. Had he gone through the Bible he would have found a large sum of money secreted between the leaves.
"Late Friday afternoon Mrs. Sylvanus Heaver, living at the Esterlly school house, north of New Springfield, saw a suspicious character passing along the road. She telephoned to her neighbor, Dan Metz, to be on the lookout for him. In a few moments the Metz family saw him going through a field toward the Sprinkle farm. The Sprinkles were absent from home. The man attempted to get in the front and rear doors of the house and finding them locked, tried the cellar door which was open. The inside cellar door, however, was locked, and no entrance could be gained.
"It was just at this time when the hero arrived upon the scene in the person of Fred Oertly of the Vindicator, who happened to be visiting at the Metz home. He started for the Sprinkle farm to capture the intruder. The latter, however, saw Fred first and took to his heels and disappeared in the woods.
"That the stranger who was frightened away from the Sprinkle farm is the man who has been committing all the depredations in the section is firmly believed by everyone and a strict lookout is being kept for him."
-- Compiled from Youngstown Vindicator archives by the Mahoning Valley Historical Society.