Sam Newton used to pull three or four of his Florida landscape paintings out of the trunk of his car and head into Neil William MacMillan's office every once in a while on Fridays during the 1970s.

"He would say, 'which one do you want to buy today?' I'd say, 'I'm broke Sam,'" recalled the longtime Jensen Beach attorney who usually gave in anyway. "If I'm going to buy that for 50 bucks, you better sign it."

 For the next 30-plus years, MacMillan, 63, watched Newton's work become a sought-after collectable as he was part of a group of young black artists from Fort Pierce who became known as the Highwaymen. So it was personal when someone stole 15 of the paintings out of his office in the 900 block of Northeast Jensen Beach Boulevard this past weekend.

"I am hopeful the various paintings can be located by the authorities and returned to their rightful place on my vacant walls," he said in an interview Tuesday. "Any help by the public would be appreciated."

The real estate, wills and probate attorney still was looking for clear pictures of the paintings to give to authorities.

Once sold on the side of Fort Pierce area highways for a few dollars, the landscape paintings from the group of artists in the 1950s and early 1960s have become lucrative collectibles. Some of the paintings are on sale for $6,000 at the Fort Pierce gallery of the late famous Florida landscape artist A.E. "Bean" Backus, the inspiration for the Highwaymen.

"I applauded their success. I kind of watched them become famous," MacMillan said. "They've been with me forever so to speak."

MacMillan told a Martin County Sheriff's Office deputy he did not have any insurance on the paintings, estimated to be worth $20,000.

Also stolen was a landscape painting by his mother.

"I guess it must have looked like theirs, which is a complement to my mother," MacMillan said.

Several file drawers were opened, but he didn't notice anything else missing at the time.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Lt. Jenell Atlas said a detective had been assigned to the case, but there were no leads she could discuss.

Anyone with information in the case is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at (772) 220-7000 or Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers at (800) 273-TIPS.

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