Charles Culbertson

Special to The News Leader

A string of break-ins and burglaries that began in October 1904 in Crimora, and gravitated to Staunton, had authorities and the press referring to the culprit as "The Amateur Cracksman," from a popular book of the same name by E.W. Hornug featuring Raffles, a "gentleman thief."

Whether the person breaking into homes and businesses in this area was a gentleman or not is unknown. He was, however, daring and persistent.

He made his first appearance at the office of the Crimora Mills on Oct. 2. He broke into the office under the cover of darkness and managed to force his way into the safe. Unfortunately for the cracksman, less than $5 was his reward. Undaunted, he made his way across the mountain to Staunton where he apparently hoped for bigger hauls.

On the night of Monday, Dec. 12, the meat store of William R. Knowles was entered from a rear window. His store was located in the City Market on the northeast corner of Lewis and Baldwin streets. The money drawer was rifled of all its small change.

From the Knowles store the thief forced an entrance into the meat store of Stuart P. Silling by breaking out a panel in a window which had been boarded up. The money drawer contained only $3, which the burglar took.

Since none of the valuable meat products on the premises was taken, police told reporters that the thief was probably a boy who had worked at both places. In reality they had already begun to make a connection to the burglary in Crimora. Was it the same man?

Stauntonians opening their copies of the Dec. 20 Staunton Daily Leader quickly learned that the burglar had struck again. Under the headline "Burglar Still At Large" the Leader fired off this report:

"The 'Amateur Cracksman' seems to have been getting in some good work during the cold weather of the past two weeks, and has not only added materially to his sinking fund, but seems to be replenishing his larder, as well. His latest depredation was committed last night at the store of Mr. A.H. Baylor, corner Central Avenue and Baldwin streets.

"The store was closed about 7 p.m. and it is thought that the thief forced an entrance to the place about midnight. He appropriated to his individual use about twenty-five dozen eggs, ten pounds of butter, along with numerous other produce and a handful of pennies which he found in the money drawer."

The theft was discovered the morning of the 20th when Baylor opened his store and "notice his stock of eggs and butter was somewhat depleted." He notified the police and the premises were meticulously examined. There was, however, not even the faintest clue that would lead to the detection of the burglar.

"From the nature of the work," wrote the Leader about the Knowles, Silling and Baylor break-ins, "it would seem that all of the burglaries were committed by the same person."

Eight days later the city was in an uproar. The 'Amateur Cracksman' had launched a crime spree that affected five separate businesses and netted him yet more booty.

On the night of Dec. 26, the cracksman forced his way into the North Augusta Street furniture stores of J.M. Southards and F.T. Ware. A small amount of cash was taken from Southard's, but the thief got nothing at Ware's.

Perhaps angered at his meager haul, the cracksman hit three separate businesses on the night of the 27th. At the North Augusta Street grocery of George White, the burglar forced his way in but was apparently frightened away before he finished his work. He also forced his way into the old city market house where many goods were stored, but took nothing.

He then hit pay dirt. Late on the night of the 27th, he used an iron bar to force open the door to William Yeager's grocery at Main and Washington streets and stole between 700 and 800 cigars and cigarettes. The cashbox was lying open, but Yeager had removed all money before he closed the store.

While Yeager leaned toward the opinion that the theft was committed by boys, no one else did. The entire town knew that the "Amateur Cracksman" had been the culprit.

His reign of terror continued. On Dec. 30 he broke the window of A.B. Blackburn's grocery on Greenville Avenue, entered and stole cigars and $1.30 in small change. On Jan. 15, 1905, he returned to the meat stores of Knowles and Silling and smashed his way through a rear window. This time he was nearly caught. An employee who had come in to fire up the boiler heard the thief at work; the cracksman quickly escaped through the rear door.

The last such incident occurred in the early morning hours of March 1, 1905. At about 3 a.m., a prowler broke a shutter and raised the window of a boarding house on Kalorama Street. The noise aroused some of the boarders; at least one of them was armed, and fired several shots toward the intruder. He fled.

Thus ended the string of break-ins in Staunton. No doubt being shot at made the "Amateur Cracksman" reconsider his theater of operations, if it indeed was he who went from store burglaries to private home invasions. The fact that the crime spree ended here indicates it may well have been.

Contact Charles Culbertson at stauntonhistory@gmail.com