Rensselaer Journal, Volume 11, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 October 1901 — CATTLE THIEVES NABBED. [ARTICLE]

CATTLE THIEVES NABBED.

A Former Resident of Rensselaer Implicated. Saturday’s and Sunday’s Chicago papers gave the accounts of the cap ture of two young men from Rose Lawn while attempting to dispose of stolen cattle in that city. Since then 8 G. Henderson, who ran the oil wagon here two or three years ago, has been arrested and is in jail in Chicago with the two young men. The latter are Charley Sprague, age 19; and Mandel Ward, age 15. Henderson has been living in Thayer and has been engaged in the broom making business, and in raising broom corn.

Having a mortgage on his house he conceived the idea of stealing enough cattle and disposing of them to pay off hie indebtedness. He induced the Sprague and Ward boy to assist him and last Friday' morning early they selected 15 fat steers from a herd of 160 belonging to Mrs. J. A. Hixon, living near Rose Lawn, and started for Chicago with them. The two boys rode horses and Henderson went along on foot. Saturday the loss was discovered and the stock yards police and commission men were notified to be on the look-out for the cattle and thieves. They reached Chicago Saturday and were met by a commission man who invited Henderson to ride with him in his buggy. When he asked Henderson if he was from Rose Lawn, the latter became suspicious and jumping from the buggy disappeared. The police attempted to arrest the boys and they put spurs to their horses and were not captured until they had been pursued about eight miles by the mounted police. Henderson was apprehended the next, day.