Well, it was actually a heist, but caper sounds so much more intriguing, but I get ahead of myself.
First and foremost, fact or folklore? Did the eagles go missing in 1932 on Halloween Eve? It is a fact that the eagles vanished in 1932 but not on Halloween Eve, it made for a good story though! The exact date of the heist is actually not known but it happened sometime at the end of September.
Several people had noticed the missing eagles but assumed that authorities were cleaning or repairing them. It was not until Oct. 3, 1932, that a Democrat reporter (the previous name of the Goshen Independent) inquired with the County as to why the eagles were missing.
It appears many thought this was a prank (some would say a caper) and the eagles would fly back to the roost on the statue. In a Middletown Times Herald article dated Oct. 5, 1932, a Let Roosa is quoted as saying: “They weren’t stolen, they just felt the cold weather coming and migrated.” From another article dated Oct. 11, 1932: “Most plausible theory is that an ornithological-minded pilferer will duck the birds until next spring, then air them in a disguising coat of gilt.”
Like the Minisink DAR who offered a reward, the police department took it seriously as well (both definitely thought it was a heist!). What followed was an exhaustive search by Police Chief Robert W. Bruce and his men following up on every clue and lead. The public got involved as well, searching gardens for a 10-mile radius for the elusive eagles.
In the first article we mentioned that the eagles weighed ~160 pounds and were roughly 10 feet off the ground. So how was this heist pulled off? Well, Chief Bruce and his men figured it out; at first, they thought a ladder was used, but then deduced the perpetrator shimmied up the base, as there were shoe scuff marks — brown shoe scuff marks to be exact — in several places on the base and sides. He believes there was an accomplice that “boosted” the perp up (“perp” adopting to current lingo). There were footprints on the cornice around where the eagles had been.
There were promising developments in the case and a suspect in the heist was identified as one Charles Dill from Milton, NY, and Torrington, Conn. (both locations believed to be false information). He was arrested in Newburgh on Oct. 11, 1932, after being caught stealing two valuable bronze busts of George Washington from Washington Headquarters Park. Unfortunately, he escaped from the Newburgh jail. This jailbreaker fashioned a piece of metal from a garter, picked the padlock and escaped. Seriously, this is fact, not a TV crime story! After Dill’s capture and arrest, his description was sent out over the teletype. Turned out, his description also matched a man who stole a valuable bust from the Gloversville’s library. Police theorized that he may have been part of a ring of thieves stealing valuable historic relics. Apparently, there was a great demand at the time among curio seekers for historical statues and relics, as it was the bicentennial of Washington’ s birth. After Dill’s jailbreak, while clues and tips were investigated, the case of the stolen eagles went cold.
With all this additional information, someone is sure to find our eagles!
Continue your detective work and search for our missing eagles! Were the other stolen statues and relics ever found...? Perhaps there are clues lurking just waiting for someone with an eagle eye (sorry, couldn’t help myself) to solve this cold case!
Please report any leads, findings or clues to: battleofminisinkmonument@gmail.com. Good luck in finding our eagles!
A special thank you to Sue Gardner, Town of Warwick Historian, and Victoria Braidotti of Thrall Library in Middletown for their research help!
Our Save Our Monument fundraising campaign continues into 2025! Please donate online via PayPal or Venmo or mail donations to: Minisink DAR Chapter, PO Box 704, Goshen, NY 10924.
Valerie Desharnais, Minisink DAR member
Goshen