NH: robbers foiled by elderly store owners

[KBCraig]

Ha ha! You fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous is never get involved in a land war in Asia, but only slightly less well-known is this: never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!
-- "Vizzini", in The Princess Bride

Guess they forgot to spread the word about that in New Hampshire.

http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx ... 5a6fc89c26

78-year-old, wife fend off robbers

By DALE VINCENT
Union Leader Staff

Manchester – Four Seasons Market owner John Ragonese yesterday said it was the last straw when one of two robbers, brandishing metal baseball bats, started poking at his wife, Margaret, who was at the cash register of the 431 Lake Ave., store Wednesday night.

Ragonese said he grabbed his own metal bat and yelled: "You touch that woman -- I'm gonna zap you! ... You touch her again, I'll kill you!"

Yesterday, the 78-year-old store owner said the two turned and ran, then took off down the street and jumped over a wall.

"I showed 'em who the boss was," said Ragonese. He added: "I would've chased them if I didn't have a bum knee."

The Navy and Air Force veteran of World War II, the Korean conflict and the Vietnam War isn't one to back down. And nobody better mess with his wife of 51 years.

Margaret Ragonese is no shrinking violet herself.

"I got angry," she said, and grabbed her cane, ready to back up her husband. She said young people should be out working, not trying to steal money. "That's not the way to live," she said.

Ragonese, who left the military life after 20 plus years to be home to help raise his five children, has owned the store with his wife for 35 years. They open early and close late. Over the door of their shop is a sign: "Thru these doors pass the most beautiful people in Manchester -- our customers."

This isn't the first time some less-than-beautiful people have entered the Four Seasons Market for the wrong reasons.

In another incident, said Mrs. Ragonese, a man wearing a mask pulled a gun on her and demanded money. She said her husband grabbed the robber from behind, but the robber was a slight man and was able to slip down and out of her husband's grip. Empty-handed, the robber ran to the door, turned and pulled the trigger, but there were just clicks.

"The gun was empty," she said.

Last year, she said, two masked men came in with guns and demanded money. One rapped his gun on the counter and demanded money. When the other robber rapped his gun on the yellow lottery machine, she said her husband got really mad, brought out his trusty bat and chased them off.

They must have been neighborhood kids, she figured, because one of them said to the other: "I warned you what he'd do."

Wednesday night's robbers wore camouflage jackets over dark hooded sweatshirts, with the hoods pulled over their heads. They had multicolored bandannas covering their faces and were wearing gloves.

They apparently waited outside for a customer to leave before entering the market about 10:40 Wednesday night, because they entered as soon as the customer left, said Mrs. Ragonese.

Yesterday, there was a steady stream of neighborhood residents entering the store to pick up a few things and to give the Ragoneses a thumbs-up for routing the robbers.

Ragonese said the new store they plan to build on a vacant lot next door will have security cameras and all the latest security measures.

Judging by the couple's response to past robbery attempts, those measures will just be icing on the cake.

[casselthief]

*still searching for the man with 6 fingers...*

[surprise_i'm_armed]

Hey, that's great that he's a tough old bird with his baseball bat.

But he needs to add 2 guns to his self-defense inventory!

One for him, one for his feisty bride!

[stevie_d_64]

"Inconceivable!"

"There's that word again? I do not think it means what you think it means..."

(Yeah, I had to watch it too...)

[NcongruNt]

Hey, that's great that he's a tough old bird with his baseball bat.

But he needs to add 2 guns to his self-defense inventory!

One for him, one for his feisty bride!