Ligonier Valley Rail Road Newspaper Articles
We have compiled over 1,400 newspaper articles that mention the Ligonier Valley Railroad, or related subjects. The articles were originally published starting in 1873 and our collection runs through 1995. Enjoy!
Ligonier Echo
Wednesday, December 3, 1902
Safe Crackers Visit Ligonier
Ligonier Valley Railroad Safe Blown To Pieces
Robbers Secure About $11.00
Saturday Morning About 3 O'clock Report Of Blowing Safe Was Heard Three Men Were Seen Running Away From The Station But Could Not Be Traced The Safe A Total Wreck Robbers Missed Most Of The Money That Was In The Safe As The Inside Door Was Not Blown Open
A second morning of excitement was enacted at the Ligonier Valley railroad station on last Saturday morning following the fire at the same place of previous morning. This time it was caused by safe crackers. On Saturday morning about 3 o'clock the people of
that part of town were aroused by an explosion. It was soon discovered to be the work of three robbers who had dynamited the large fire proof safe of the Ligonier Valley railroad station house. As soon as the explosion was over, the robbers grabbed two or three small boxes from the safe containing some silver and other valuables and ran across the railroad tracks in between some cars standing there and took the money amounting to about $11.00 from the boxes and threw what they did not want away. They had very little time to make a search for money. In less than two minutes after the explosion was heard, Wm. Stouffer, who was sleeping in the room above came rushing down the stairs to find the robbers gone. They were seen by young Mr. Hall, the engineer of the Electric Light company from the door of the power house, running across the railroad tracks and down the road between the cars standing near the station, search was made but no trace of the robbers could be found. It is supposed that they went down toward the Ridge as two ugly, vicious looking men were seen the same morning about six o'clock at McCance by a boy of that place. Three bad looking men were seen loafing about town the week previous and three men of similar appearance were seen on the mountain on the road above Laughlinstown on Sunday previous to the Jennerstown robbery in which the horse and buggy was stolen and found the next morning near Laughlinstown. These three men seen at different times and places are likely the same parties who did the safe cracking.
The force of the explosion was evidently greater than they expected as it twisted and tore the front and sides of the safe in a terrible manner and sent pieces of the broken safe with great force all about the room scattering things about in a promiscuous manner. The safe is so badly wrecked that to repair it would be almost impossible.