Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 February 1915 — HORSES RECOVERED; THIEF CONFESSES [ARTICLE]

HORSES RECOVERED; THIEF CONFESSES

Three Animals Stolen From O. H. Hillis, of Newton County—Th|sf Is In Jail Horn. “Caught with the goods;” That seems to express the case of Walter Miller, who was overhauled Monday morning within a few miles of Momence, 111., by George H. Hillis, a commissioner at Newton county and an extensive farmer and former trustee of Colfax township. Accompanying Mr. Hillis in pursuit of the stolen property were several neighbors in two automobiles. The stolen property consisted of a draft team, a driving mare, a bjjggy, two sets of single harness and one set of double harness. Miller was driving westward about four miles from Momence when Hillis and Iris volunteer posse overtook him. He mad no resistenCe, did not take advantage of his right to fight extradition but accompanied the officers to Kentland an'd after making a confession at a preliminary hearing was bound over to the circuit court ad sent to Rensselaer for keeping in the Jasper county jail. Miller talked freely with The Re publican editor at the jail this Wednesday morning. He said that he was guilty and that he realized he was up against it and that nothing could be done for him. The re porter told him that he represented a newspaper and that any questions he did not cae to answer he should refrain frbm doing so. He said, “Yes, I know that the newspapers want the news and I expect that my case wHI be published and I do not mind telling you the truth, except that I do not care to say where my home is or to go into details about myself.” He then said that he had worked last November for Mr. Hillis and that he know there were some good horses there. He said he planned to use the draft team to engage in the teaming business at Galesburg, 111., ahd that he intended to sell the driving mare to /buy a wagon/ He stated that he had all of his plans developed before he went to the neighborhood of the Hillis ranch on Sunday but that he did not undertake to make way with the horses until Monday night but kept in hiding owing to the bad weather. It was between 11 and 12 o’clock Monday night, he thinks, when he went to the stable and took the horses. He said he had pfianned to reach GaleCburg by Tuesday evening and that he wtoufd

not hove been caught except for a delay occasioned by the rain storm of Monday night. He thinks it was about 2 o’clock when the hardest rain occurred and the draft team ■would not lead behind the buggy and he tied them on either side if the driving mare. He estimates that he lost about two hours on account of the rain. This two hours, he thinks, would have permitted him to make good his escape; The reporter Was about to go when Miller said: “There Is one thing I would like to call your attention to and Mr. Hillis will confirm my statement. Next to the door out of which I took the horses stood the draft team. In the third stall was*a driving mare belonging to Russell Harmon, who works or Mr. Hillis. In the fourth stall was a driving mare belonging to Mr. Hillis. It was not quite so large and not quite so good as the Harmon mare. Mr. Hillis asked me why I~ skipped the Hannon driver and took his. I want to anSwer this clearly. Harmon Is a working man and could not afford to, lose his animal. I figured that it wouldn't hurt Hillis' and that is why I selected his driver Instead of the other." (Miller claims never to have been in trouble before. He is a man of about 32 years in age; fair complected and his hair on top Is quitte thin. He is about 5 feet 11 inches tad and quite slender! He talked cooly and did not seem to take his ] capture with much more seriousI ness than he would had he stolen j the property on purpose to get arrested. He weans a blue flannel

shirt and apparently is a laboring man. He is a man of Intelligence and has evidently seen considerable of the world When the reporter entered the Jail he was engaged in a game of “seven-up” with Howard, one of the Chicago men accused Of auto insurance frauds. Dunlap, the other insurance agent, Was reading a paper near the table. Their Case has been venued to Kentland. Howard says that the charges that have been made abotft him are false and that he 2nd Dunlap were the authorized agents of President Williams of the Motor Security Alliance. Since their arrest they have settled their board and room rent, they state; and there will be nO prosecutions there. These three are the only prisoners in the jail at the present time.