Robbed, and Then Fired.
The Branchville Junction station of
the Lackawanna was totally destroyed by fire on Friday morning of
last week [Nov. 24], the estimated loss being about one thousand
dollars. The fire was discovered about 6:20 a.m. by William Struble,
of Lafayette, agent of the Susquehanna railroad at Warbasse, who was
on his way to work. He immediately notified Daniel Plant, the Lackawanna
agent. On their arrival at the station the fire was beyond control
and it was impossible to save anything. When the fire burned out,
it was discovered that the United States Express Company safe had
been forced, and it is the belief of the agent that the office was
first robbed and then fired.
The station was built about ten years
ago, [six actually --DR] and was located at the intersection
of the tracks from Branchville and from Franklin Furnace. The Sussex
County Express was delayed about an hour before it could make
a safe dash past the burning building.