Local officials, the owners of a hosiery mill and a dye factory, and several residents of the Lykens Valley area testified against Paul Briggman of Wiconisco, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, in a hearing held in Lykens in October, 1924. Briggman was accused of robbing the Isaac Mossop Hosiery Mill of Wiconisco of $25 of stockings. The hearing resulted in Briggman being remanded to jail in Harrisburg where he would he held pending disposition of his case in criminal court.
From the Lykens Standard, October 31, 1924:
PAUL BRIGGMAN JAILED FOR HOSIERY THEFT
Paul Briggman, notorious thruout this entire section, was arrested Tuesday and placed in the borough jail pending hearing of a charge of breaking into and stealing hosiery from the Mossop Hosiery Mill, Wiconisco, Pennsylvania.
The trial was held Tuesday afternoon at three o’clock. Justice of the peace W. E. Young, presiding. The room of the Justice’s office was too small for spectators who crowded the place to hear the trial.
The warrant for Briggman’s arrest was sworn out by Mr. Isaac Mossop, proprietor of the Mossop Mills for a theft committed on the night of September 13th [1924], when the hosiery mill was entered and hosiery and merchandise taken to the extent of about $25.00.
The defendant was represented by H. E. Buffington, attorney at law, and plead “not guilty” to the charge lodged against him.
Mr. Mossop on the stand gave information that he was informed a Mrs. Newton in Williamstown had purchased hosiery from Briggman on September 27th. Upon this information Messrs. Henninger, an employee of the Mossop Mill, and Mr. Ross Higgins, manager of the Dye Factory, were sent to Williamstown to investigate. They went to the Newton home, saw the hosiery Mrs. Newton bought, and after telling of how they were received, were successful in securing them as testimony against Briggman. Five other parties also were sold some of the same goods.
In his testimony Mr. Mossop told that the mill was entered on two different times, the first theft having occurred on the 13th of September. Each time a good quantity of unfinished hosiery was taken.
During the procedure of the case Mr. Mossop identified the hosiery which his men with the assistance of Jacob Umholtz, constable of Dayton, were able to secure from parties to whom Briggman had said during his peddling trip in Williamstown.
Elmer Reid, a resident of Williamstown, was the next witness to take the stand and explained that while he was standing at the gate at his home Brigggman passed and asked: “Can I sell you any stockings, Jack? I’ll sell them cheap.”
Reid replied: “I don’t know that I need any at this time.”
“I’ll give you 12 pair for 75c.”
Then followed an examination of the goods. Reid quizzed Briggman. “How can you sell these socks at such a price?”
“Well,” said Briggman, “I’ll tell you how: The Army and Navy store at Lykens is clocing our and I got them from him.”
Reid purchased a dozen pairs and upon examining the hose found one was faulty. He complained of this and Briggman gave him an additional pair for the one that was a “mender.”
Reid, on the stand, also identified the hosiery as that which had purchased from Briggman and explained various defects before examination was made of the stolen goods.
Charles Henninger, foreman of the Mosco [sic] Mills, was questioned by attorney Buffington as to whether the mill had ever sold socks to Levin and Company, at Harrisburg. Henninger answereed in the affirmative with the exception that the hosiery being submitted in the trial were never sent from the mill. Henninger identified the hosiery as the unfinished product stolen from their mill.
Ross Higgins, manager of the Wiconisco Dye Factory while offering testimony stated the defense could secure and analyst and have the dye analyzed and he would be able to tell them before the secure the information from the analyst as to the exact ingredients in the dye. He also identified the hosiery as that of the Mosco [sic] Mills which was dyed at their factory.
Jacob Umholtz, constable at Dayton, was called and told how he traced the goods at various places and was successful in securing the socks sold as evidence for the conviction of Briggman.
Off the stand Umholtz related of how, while inquiring at numerous places relative to the stolen socks, he was informed that Briggman did not offer socks at all places, but on various occasions had offered automobile parts for sale. As this did not enter the case, testimony along this line was objected to by the defendant, and the objection was sustained.
Paul Brenner, proprietor of the Army and Navy Store, at this place, was placed on the stand and gave information he had sold socks to Briggman for peddling purposes, but that the socks were not of the quality or color as those shown during the trial. He presented hosiery of the kind he had sold, among which were some finished material of the Mosco [sic] Mills.
When placed on the sgtand in his defense, Briggman was nervous, his face was flushed and he faced the ones from whom he claimed he had purched the hosiery. After hearing the testimony of Mr. Brenner and others, Briggman attempted to show that he had purchased the goods from the Army and Navy Store. Questioned by his defendant as to how he secured the goods Briggman exclaimed: “I saw those socks before. I got them from Brenner. He sold me three dozen pairs; the man before him (Kopelman), sold me four dozen pairs; another time I got seven dovzen pairs and another time five dozen pairs. “This man,” pointing to Brenner, “did sell me different colors, and I got some from the Thompson Manufacturing Company, in Dayton, Ohio, by parcel post.”
After I got these socks, I got a job,” said Briggman, ” and I didn’t go out to sell them. I put them in two suit suit cases and stood them away. That’s why they are so wrinkled.” Briggman explained that he purchased the bulk of the hose two days before Kopelman, former proprietor of the Army and Navy store quit business here.
Briggman testified he did not steal the goods, neither did he know of anyone who did take them.
After hearing the testimony, Squire W. S. Young informed Briggman he would be held over for court, under $500 bail.
In default of bail, Briggman was taken to Harrisburg jail, where he will be held, pending the next term of court.
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While not much information was located on a conviction related to the September 1924 theft, a brief article was published in the Lykens Standard of September 26, 1930, noting that Paul Briggman was sentenced for a fourth criminal conviction. Ironically, the fourth conviction was for a theft that occurred at the same hosiery mill where Briggman was accused of theft in 1924.
HEAVY SENTENCE ON FOURTH CONVICTION
In the Dauphin County Criminal Court Thursday of last week, Paul Briggman, Lykens, reveiving a sentence of from five to ten years in the Eastern Penitentiary, the heaviest sentence thus far imposed at the September term of court.
It was Briggman’s fourth criminal conviction, which added to the severity of the sentence. Briggman was convicted of entering the Isaac Mossop Hosiery Mill, Wiconisco, and stealing $100 worth of hosiery on June 15. Police found hosiery hidden in the mountains nearby.
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