Authorities looked for thieves after crime spree near center of county
This week in history
130 years ago in 1895, transcribed as originally published in a larger article in the Youngstown Vindicator:
Mayor Miller engages in detective work in the county after burglars. Looks into a Winchester Rifle, while searching the premises of Ed Barringer in Ellsworth Township.
Mayor Miller, Detective Sam White and Charles Hine were out Monday and Tuesday of this week with search warrants and visited six houses, five located in Ellsworth and one in Canfield. No stolen property was found secreted, as a thorough search was made.
A brother of Ed Barringer, living near Ellsworth, caused a little anxiety during the Mayor’s visit and made a great big bluff at the official, but Barringer was kept in good humor and never got to an excited stage of the game where he wanted to shoot.
He had in his possession a Winchester rifle which was found afterwards to be loaded, but the bullets had lodged and could not be extracted. Noticing the mayor and horses, which were the same previously used by the chief scouting through the territory, Barringer suspected something was wrong. He cut across lots, suspecting the chief was going to search his mother’s house. All this time he carried the Winchester and walked at a rapid gait.
When the mayor knocked at the Barringer residence the big husky son with rifle in hand opened the door. The mother next came and gave permission to search the house and barn. In the meantime, the son was discontented, but the mayor wasn’t taking any chances and kept the young man in a good state of mind. He talked about hunting, etc., and finally secured a ramrod saying that the gun needed fixing.
As the mayor afterwards ascertained, Detective White knew the rifle was plugged and unfit for use, but no chances were taken. At the Sisco homestead, commonly called The Hotel, Wally Miller’s girl was seen and the house also searched. She said she loved Miller dearly and talked about him with tears in her eyes. The Ed Barringer farm, owned by ex-Sheriff Ewing, was also searched, but nothing supposed to be stolen was found.
Compiled from the Youngstown Vindicator by Traci Manning, Mahoning Valley Historical Society curator of education.