Jasper County Democrat, Volume 10, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 August 1907 — THE THIEF CAUGHT [ARTICLE]

THE THIEF CAUGHT

Had Five Horses In His Possession. ARRESTED AT PARIS, ILLINOIS. Confesses To Stealing Two Horses at Kentland and One at Ooodland, Also Two at Hoopeston, Illinois. The mysterious theft of horses at Goodland and Kentland recently was cleared up Tuesday by the arrest of Frank Didle at Paris, 111., and his confession to having stolen the Fell rig at Goodland on March 15th; one of .the Armold rigs at Kentland about three weeks ago; the horse of Joseph Presher at Kentland only last Monday night, the night before bis arrest, and a team near Hoopeston, 111., also on Monday night. The stealing of the Presher horse last Monday night, making the third horse stolen from Kentland in as many weeks, thoroughly aroused the people there, and a most thoroughly scouring of the country was made for the thief. Word was received by the authorities there Tuesday of Didle’s arrest for stealing two horses near Hoopeston, and that when arrested he was driving a horse answering the description of the Presher horse and leading the Hoopeston horses. When accused of the [ theft be admitted it, and said that he had stolen another horse from Kentland recently and one from Goodland last March. It is expected that the arrest will end the wholesale horsestealstealing in northwestern Indiana for the past several months, and which has resulted in the organization of a horsethief detective association at Kentland, with our former townsman, A. D. Washburn, as president.

Sheriff Stoner of Newton county went over to Paris and it was expected that the thief would be brought back to Indiana and brought to Rensselaer for confinement in our jail until court convenes in that county in October, but according to a dispatch from Paris the Illinois parties will prosecute him first. “The Paris dispatch says: The arrest of Frank Didle, fifty years old. in this city, is believed to have ended a wholesale campaign of horse stealing, extending over five or six months. Didle came here two years ago as a strike-breaker at the Merkle-Wiley broom factory, where he is still employed. For several months he has worked irregularly, absent on the average of two or three days each week. He was noticed to be dealing in horses more than his means seemed to warrant, usually having two or three animals in his possession, and yesterday bringing three horses which answered the description of the stolen property at Hoopeston, 111. Didle was arrested and two of the horses were identified as belonging to Charles Mallory, a farmer near Hoopeston, while the third had been stolen from Kentland. Didle has made a confession of widespread operations, and he has been taken to Vermillion county for trial. After the State is done with him he will be turned over to the Indiana authorities.”