Rensselaer Standard, Volume 1, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 September 1879 — STOLEN HORSES. [ARTICLE]

STOLEN HORSES.

mala e Bfowwd. - ChkWoTlger The Times has, on different occasions, noted the prevalence of honethieving in this part of the world, and mildly speculated as to whether it waa the work of an organised gang or of isolated crooks. ffwwwhM undertaken by lieutenant Ben field of the West Madison street station, within the last few days, have pretty well settled this question and done much toward breaking up a dangerous organisation of thieves which, while making Chicago its headquarters, has not confined its exploits to any particular section of the countiv east of the Missouri. The story of the way in which the rascals were unearthed runs something in this wise: On the night of July 24th, Henry Kutch, of Bremen, Cook county, lost from his barn a valuable span of horses and a light boggy - Twenty-four hoars later, Mr. A. Butterfield of Marseilles was despoiled to a similar extent. Both these cases found their way to Madison street station, and Lieutenant Bon field, on hearing of them, concluded that perhaps a resident of his own bailiwick “up South” might know of the whereabouts of the stolen property. It was, of course, one thing to suspect a man, but a far more difficult task to prove him worthy of arrest So the Lieutenant knowing the difficulties which lay before him, adopted a novel and ingenious plan. He wanted to get his men in a bam kept by a man named Rawson, at the comer of twenty-eighth and State streets, and he also wanted to accomplish this without arousing any suspicion. So four policemen were detailed to do the business, two wearing plain clothes and two in uniform. They proceeded to the scene of action separately. The lads in citizens’ garb were a block or so ahead. When they reached the stable they rushed in aud through, and disappeared via the back door.„ In followed the unifomed patrolmen, breathless and with clubs drawn.

“Did you see two men come in here?” they asked. “Yes,” was the reply, “but they didn’t stop.” “Well, they’re desperate villains, and may be you’re mistakeu about their going out. We don’t suppose you’ll object to our looking about the place for them a bit?” “Of course not. Go ahead; but I tell you they’ve gone.”- - The coppers began their pseudo search ana soon fell afoul of two of the missing horses. They took them away, leaving Rawson to curse his luck and think the discovery had been made by accident. So for the result was highly satisfactory, but Kutch had as. yet foiled to g«t any trace of his wagon and harness. Bon field knew that the police “racket” could not well be worked twice on the same parties, so he laid out a new scheme, with Kutch as the principal actor therein.: He sent the bouest old German out to a saloon in the neighborhood which was known to be a sort of rendezvous for the suspected parties. Here Kutch sat and drank lager and talked. He wanted to buy a horse—perhaps two, for that matter —and he would pay a good price.. He seemed an elegant “mark,’* and he was forthwith taken over to Rawson’s lively stable, wherehe saw, lying about, the ny-nets and neck yoke which were a portion of the goods he had lost. He selected the horse he wanted, and then suggested that he would buy a wagon if he could get a bargain in that line. No sooner had he made the remark than the boys steered him to a place at the corner of Twenty-sixth street and Cottage Grove avenue. The barn had board? off* all about, and looked as though deserted, while;the yard in connection with it was concealed from improper scrutiny by a high fence. Inside there ranged a long array of veh'cles of every nature and description, but in all the lot Kutch couldn’t see his own. He used his eyes to good advantage, however, for he noticed that the basement to the tumble down barn was substantial and evidently in use. He also got a squint at the buggy lost by Butterfield, and learned that the “owner” of the stuff was one Frayne, alias Keed. Armed with this intelligence he came down to town and reported. It looked like a good case, ana Kutch, at the suggestion of Lieutenant Bonfield, swore out warrants for the arrest of Reed and Rawson. These men, as will be remembered, were captured a day or two ago, and after a preliminary hearing, held to the Criminal Court in bonds or $1,500 each. Now comes the sequel. After the apprehension of these parties the subterranean stable at the corner of Twenty-sixth street and Cottage Grove avenue was entered and examined. It was found fitted up with box stalls and all conveniences for Suine com form, while atnong the furture of the place were all sorts of implements and drugs for so transforming a horse that the owner might buy him and never know the deceit. Another important discovery was also made on yesterday, in the finding of a shop at the corner of Thirty-fifth and Vincennes street, where carriages and vehicles of all sorts are put through the transformation act with neacness and dispatch. It was as well ascertained that one of the recently stolen horses had been ostensibly sold to a man named Donahoe, who hangs out at Thirteenth and State streets. Indeed, up tjo ten o’clock on last night Lieutenant Bonfield was not only in possession of the facts detailed above, but also Of additional “pointers” which go to show that the places mentioned are headquarters of a gang comprising at least a score of persons and operating throughout Illinois and lowa. Had the raid on Frayne’s “ruined” stable been delayed one night, il is now known that no less than six valuable horses believed to have been stolen might have been captured. The operations of these parties have hitherto escaped detection, but now that some of them are in the toils it is believed that less buggies will change paint and form, and fewer horses go into the stalls bays and come out mouse-color-ed and with changed toils.