The following article about a burglary near Hellertown appeared on the front page of the June 2, 1897 edition of The Allentown Democrat. Today the unsettling crime it describes would perhaps be labeled a “home invasion,” and it would certainly be investigated by local and perhaps state police. In 1897, however, there was no local police department in Lower Saucon Township, which did not have its own police force until 1930. It is also likely that this case would be described using different terms if it were being reported by the media today. However, you can be the judge of whether that would be the case.
Was the robber who targeted the Leith family ever apprehended? Did he have accomplices? How did he know that Jacob Leith was recently in possession of thousands of dollars in cash? Was he, in fact, a resident of the “rendezvous for tramps” near Ehrhart’s Mill?* And did he commit other crimes in the area? Unfortunately, the answers to these questions and many more may be lost to history.
Ehrhart’s Mill, which was destroyed by fire in 1995, stood near the home that was robbed. (Credit: National Park Service)
*Ehrhart’s Mill was a grist mill build in the mid 18th century along the Saucon Creek, near the end of Old Mill Road in Lower Saucon Township. The mill was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and part of the Ehrhart’s Mill Historic District when it was destroyed by fire on the night of June 6, 1995.
DARING MIDNIGHT BURGLARY NEAR HELLERTOWN–AN ENTIRE FAMILY BOUND AND ROBBED
This story about an elaborate armed robbery in Lower Saucon likely sent shock waves through the Hellertown community when it appeared in The Allentown Democrat in 1897. It is unclear whether the suspect in the case was ever apprehended.
About this column:Â Olden Days is a Saucon Source series in which newspaper articles in the public domain are used to recall area news from the late 1800s and early 1900s.
