Photo courtesy of the Union County Museum This replica of an 1850s riverboat gambler two-barrel percussion derringer was one of two guns stolen from the Union County Museum last week. A thief of thieves broke in by breaking out the glass in the front door and took the pistols and a box containing an estimated $35 in donations to the museum.

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Photo courtesy of the Union County Museum This Smith & Wesson .38 caliber revolver once belonged to a Union police chief. It was on display in the Union County Museum when it was stolen last week. The gun has the word "Mule" etched on the side.

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Charles Warner|Daily Times This is the rock a thief or thieves used to break the window in the front door of the Union County Museum and steal a box containing donations to the museum and two handguns on display.

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UNION — A rock was the weapon of choice of the thief or thieves who broke into the Union County Museum and stole two handguns and some money.

The incident report filed by the Union Public Safety Department stated that an officer was dispatched Oct. 11 to the museum, which is located at 127 W. Main St., in reference to a window being broken out of the storefront.

The complainant told the officer that she comes up Main Street every morning at 6:30 a.m. to let her children get on the bus. She said that when she got to Main Street that morning, she noticed the glass in the museum’s front door had been broken out. The woman said she called 911.

The officer then inspected the door and it appeared that the thief had not actually entered the building, but had instead broken the window and then reached in and took a box that holds donations to the museum. He also noticed a rock inside the museum that appeared to be used to break the window.

The door of a glass case inside the building was also broken but it didn’t look like anything had been taken from it.

Another officer who’d been patrolling Main Street said he didn’t notice the window had been broken when he patrolled the street between 5:30 a.m. and 5:45 a.m.

Ola Jean Kelly, executive director of the museum, was notified of the break-in and told the officer that the donation box probably contained no more than $35.

Kelly initially said that nothing else was missing, but later contacted the officer and said two handguns had been stolen.

One of the guns is a replica of an 1850s riverboat gambler two-barrel percussion derringer. The other is a Smith & Wesson .38 caliber revolver which once belonged to a Union police chief.

The handguns, which have a combined value of $400, were part of a display of weapons and other law enforcement and related paraphernalia donated by the families of former Union County law enforcement officials.

Peter Triggiani, assistant to the director, said the thief or thieves left behind the ramrod used to load the derringer.

The revolver was once owned by Carl M. Creasman. Triggiani said the gun’s leather holster as well as a leather wrapped billy club and a police badge were also left behind. He added that “Mule,” which he was Creasman’s nickname, is etched on the side of the gun. The gun’s serial number is C 88567.