Silver and cigars stolen in Mount Vernon in 1868

Another one for the Good Old Days file comes to us today from the May 22, 1868 issue of the Delaware Gazette, which reported that Mount Vernon had seen a flurry of burglaries earlier in the week: “…[T]he houses of Jared Sperry, Samuel Brent, Wm. Henderson and Joseph Bechtelwere visited by burglars.”

The article informs us that a silver watch worth $30 was stolen from the Sperry
residence, while only a box of cigars was stolen from the Brent home. No information is given at all regarding the Henderson and Bechtel houses, so either something was stolen but the residents declined to identify the items, or perhaps there were signs of a break-in, with nothing found missing upon inspection.

It is difficult to place a value on the cigars, considering that the size of the box is not noted. A box of cigars could mean anything from 25 cigars to 500 cigars. In 1868, even a fine cigar would not likely cost more than a nickel apiece. A small box would therefore run about $1.25 in value, though a larger box could be worth quite a bit more. Using a basic inflation calculation from then to now, we get that these items would be worth over $727 today. Considering, however, the value of silver and the modern taxes levied against tobacco products, it is likely that the actual value of these products today would be over $1,000. This makes it clear that these were not petty thefts.

“A call was issued for a public meeting to be held last night,” the article continued, “and there was earnest talk of using hemp on the thieving fraternity.” I would interpret “using hemp” to mean a threat was made to lynch the burglars with a hemp rope.

Jared Sperry was a prominent Mount Vernon businessman of the mid to late nineteenth century, the owner of a dry goods store, one of the directors of the nationally active Home Insurance Company, and a board member of several of the railroad companies that formed during this period. He also appears to have been active in local and state politics, giving every appearance that he was a wealthy target for these burglars. The 1870 census identifies him as living in the fifth ward, and estimates his personal estate at $30,000, equivalent to almost $700,000 today.

Sperry’s name shows up in late nineteenth century atlases of Mount Vernon via a real estate development on the north side of town. The land marked as the “Jared Sperry Addition” is the neighborhood on what is today, Cassil Street. He passed away in 1886 and is buried in Mound View Cemetery.

According to White’s 1876 Directory of Mount Vernon, Samuel Brent was the proprietor of “Brent & Rogers, grain and flour dealers, Norton’s old stand, near B&O RR depot.” He was also a Civil War veteran of the 62nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, the 51st OVI, and the Signal Corps.

I was unable to find a follow-up article about this crime, suggesting that on this occasion, the bad guys may have gotten away with it.