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Pennsylvania collector’s 19th-century rifles stolen

Catherine Saunders-Watson
Catherine Saunders-Watson

INDIANA, Pa. (AP) – A western Pennsylvania collector says 25 long rifles from the 19th century have been stolen from his home.

State police are investigating the thefts from the home of Bill Jacobson. The 68-year-old man says he had planned to donate the guns to the Sen. John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, but returned home after being ill for several months to find the guns were stolen.

Jacobson says the guns used in the Mexican War and the Civil War were worth as much as $40,000. The guns were the only items taken from his home in Burrell Township, about 50 miles east of Pittsburgh.

Jacobson says a neighbor fed his cat while he was ill and didn’t notice anything amiss. The guns were stored in various parts of Jacobson’s house.

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Information from: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, http://pghtrib.com

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AP-ES-06-15-10 0957EDT