Culled by Judy Garrison From October 1910 issues of

The Andes Recorder  – 100 Years Ago with commentary by Jim Andrews

Week In and About ANDES

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Events of a Week as Chronicled by the Man on the Street

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Farm Trading Fever Continues

Last week we chronicled the fact that Wm. H. Liddle and A. B. Liddle had traded farms and the fever had spread.  This week William H. Liddle traded the farm he secured in Biggar Hollow with Mrs. E. J. Covert for her farm adjoining the farm traded to A.B. Liddle.  William. H. Liddle then traded the Covert farm with A. B. Liddle for his old farm, with the result that he again owns the farm where has lived for the past six years and which he owned when the trading began. [Ed.: Whew!]

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ATTEMPT TO ROB ANDES BANK

Handle of Vault Combination Smashed and Hole Drilled—

Escape Made with W. C. Oliver’s Fine Team

An unsuccessful attempt was made to rob the private bank of David Ballantine in Andes, sometime about midnight Tuesday night, October 4, but they had evidently been frightened away, and they made good their escape with W. C. Oliver’s fine span of blacks.

The first intimation that there had been night visitors was about 5 o’clock Wednesday morning when Philip Reside went to do the chores and found the horses missing, the visit to the bank was not known until more than an hour later.

The burglars had gained entrance to the bank by forcing an entrance thru a window on the south side of the building.  They had knocked the knob and dial of the combination from the door of the vault and had then drilled a hole over the combination but had used no explosive.  They had then left leaving the rear door of the bank standing open.  Mr. Ballantine has sent for an expert to come and let him into the vault.

The men had taken the team from the rear door of Oliver’s barn and attached them to the surry [sic] which was in another building and had then driven to the lower cemetery and tied the team until they could rob the bank.  Several heard a wagon go down thru the village about 11:45 and it was probably the burglars taking the team to the cemetery.  It is supposed that the work at the bank was done soon after midnight and that the gang were frightened away by a party who had been out for a chicken roast and who on their return were saluted by two or three shots fired by Jas Mable from his room at Wm T. Hyzer’s.  The men probably believed that this was a signal and as the “roasters” did not go to their home for some time they evidently thought it was not safe to continue the job

It is thought that there were four in the gang and a man who had been here taking orders for enlarged pictures is suspicioned as one.  Saturday he was in the bank on pretext of wanting to secure information as to a rating by Bradstreet but the firm asked for was not listed.  It may be a coincidence but burglaries here always follow visits of picture men.  Burglars made an attempt on the bank five years ago this month and Frank Graham was shot.

Officer Hyzer found the horses at Roscoe on Wednesday.  They had been found about 5 o’clock that morning in the church sheds by the minister.  [Jim Andrews:  W.C. Oliver was the local undertaker and ran a feed and furniture business.  He lived in Paul Moore’s house and owned the building two doors up from the house which was originally twice the size which housed the businesses.  I am assuming his team was in the barn behind his house—there used to be a large carriage house back there which the Moore’s tore down.  Jas (James) Mable lived in my house for over 50 years but at that time wasn’t yet married and apparently boarded at WT Hyzer’s (was once a livery and is now owned by Bill Groom).]

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An old resident states that he never has seen water so low in the Tremperskill as at present.~