Jasper County Democrat, Volume 18, Number 102, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 March 1916 — STEWART SHORT ARRESTED [ARTICLE]

STEWART SHORT ARRESTED

And Confesses Recent Robbery of Larsh & Hopkin’s Drug Store. Ctewart Short, a young man about 2# years of age, who has lived in Rensselaer for several years and of late has been employed by Dr. J. W. Horton at odd jobs, was arrested Monday evening by Constable W. S. Parks and Nightwatch Critser and taken up to Deputy Prosecutor Sands’ office where he was charged with the recent robbery of the tin cash box from Larsh & Hopkins’ drug store. .. JHe confessed the theft and told how he gained entrance by prying open the rear door and taking the box from behind the cigar counter near the front of the store, and said there was something over $43 in the box. He safd a confederate watched at the back of the store near the alley while the actual robbery was going on and that he had divided up the money with this confederate. First he named James Godfrey, a young man of about the same age and with whom he roomed, as the confederate. Young Godfrey was arrested, but denied the charge and his father said that he was home on the night of the robbery and that Stewart did not come in for quite a while after the Godfrey boy reached home.

.Young Short also said that a young man named Spangle was a confederate, and he, too, was arrested but denied the charge in toto. He later named still another young man as the confederate and a sworn statement or confession was prepared with the name of this latter party inserted, but before signing the statement yourfg Short had this name cut out, saying that he would assume full responsibility in the matter himself.

He told so many different stories that the officers did not know what to believe, but that an older head planned the robbery and got most of the money is generally believed. Dr. Horton, for whom young Short has worked for some time, talked with him at the jail yesterday morning and tried to get him to make a clean breast of everything. Mr. Horton says he has trusted him with money on many different occasions and had never seen anything dishonest about him, and he thinks, too, that someone else planned the robbery and got most of the money stolen. The fact, it is said, that the youth took some $5 to $6 from O’Riley’s bakery one time last summer is rather against him, however, and he said to the officers that he had been mixed up in a few scrapes and guessed it would be as well if he were punished, but he would not implicate anyone else. He was to have his preliminary hearing yesterday afternoon before Squire Dean. Credit for the young man’s arrest is said to he due Constable Parks, who had been working for some time on the case.