Charlotte News
The mysterious Mr. Raffles who has been robbing Myers Park homes, spreading terror generally throughout the residential districts of Charlotte for the past 60 days, cleverly avoiding police hot on his trail most of the time, is behind the bars of the city jail. He has confessed to an amazing string of robberies and meekly awaits his fate, according to an announcement at police headquarters last night.
Ralph Hollars, 17-year-old Charlotte boy, of soft hands and beardless face, whose experience in the world until recently had been confined to going to school and “jerking soda” in this city, is the individual who has kept this community on pins and needles for weeks, according to Police Chief Ferguson. Ralph is well known in Charlotte. He attended the Third Ward school last winter and he resides with his parents at 902 West Fifth Street.
15 Houses Robbed
Fifteen house robberies in this city and one at the summer home of a Charlotte family at Blowing Rock are on Ralph’s accredited list by his own admission, the officers said. And there is much more that he has not yet revealed, his memory being a little weak in spots when questioned by officers.
Jewelry and other valuables stolen by Ralph and already recovered by the police and restored to the owners, are valued nearly $4,000. Probably this much and more has not yet been recovered, and much of it perhaps never will be, according to the police chief.
As is always the case, Ralph’s “last” trick proved his downfall. He went to Blowing Rock a week ago to visit relatives, he said, and while there made friends with the family of William C. Petty, president and directing manager of the Selwyn Hotel here. Incidentally, Ralph stole a magnificent diamond ring, property of Mrs. Petty, valued at $2,300. Mr. Petty enlisted the assistance of local police officers who put two and two together, and promptly connected the youth Raffles with the many recent Charlotte robberies.
Jail Boy, Seize Diamond
Local Detectives Dan Bradley and C.E. Barnhardt left Charlotte for Blowing Rock with Mr. Petty, in the latter’s auto, last Wednesday night. Thursday morning they had both Ralph and the $2,300 diamond ring in their custody. The officers returned to Charlotte later that day with their prisoner. Since that time Ralph has been in the city jail. The police department withheld the news of Ralph’s captured until Saturday night, fearing that if the cat were let out of the bag sooner their efforts to recover the stolen property might be frustrated.
Ralph, with 15 indictments against him for housebreaking and larceny, will be given a hearing in recorder’s court Monday morning at 9 o’clock. He will have to answer in the Blowing Rock court for the theft of Mrs. Petty’s ring at the resort.
From page 6 of the Concord Daily Tribune, Monday, June 29, 1925. The article referred to the thief as "Mr. Raffles", who was a popular fictional gentleman thief in a popular series of short stories, a play and a book by E.D. Hornung.
newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073201/1925-06-29/ed-1/seq-6/
No comments:
Post a Comment