HISTORY OF ORANGE
keeping a diary. From one volume of his diary we quote the entry for Saturday, November 4, 1882. This item would be an every-day occurrence in the present age, but sixty years ago it shocked the town. Mr. Treat had retired about ten o'clock. Shortly afterwards, he was aroused by loud knocking at both the front and back doors. On answering the summons, he was told that it was a United States detective looking for a man, with a warrant to search the house, and demanding to be admitted. When he opened the door, four masked men rushed in, pointing pistols and telling him to hold up his hands. They then said, ''Money or your life." He was forced to comply, and going to a chest, Mr. Treat produced two pocket books containing $15.50, every cent he had in the house. Not satisfied with the amount, the ruffians knocked him down and tortured and abused him shamefully and disgracefully. Finally, after wrecking the house, they left, warning him that if he gave any alarm before they had time to escape, he would be shot. The next day he managed to make his way to the home of Stiles D. Woodruff, his conservator, to relate his experience. That allowed the culprits plenty of time to get away. However, through some clever detective work on the part of the conservator, all four young men, residents of Derby, were eventually apprehended and convicted. They served six years in State's Prison for their crime.
By 1873 West Haven had become more than a village and felt that the rural town government was not adequate to their needs of better roads, street lighting, police and fire protection.
The Borough of West Haven was, therefore, created by the General Assembly in May, 1873. The Selectmen continued at the head of the town government, but the Borough was administered by a Warden and a Board of Burgesses. Taxes were levied by both the Town and the Borough.
There were frequent controversies between the ''upper section'' and those living in the Borough. The citizens of
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