The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1868-04-10
HORSE THIEVES

HORSE THIEVES.
On Saturday morning last quite stir
was raised in this place by the arrival
here, before sunrise, Of several gentle
men on the hunt of q small gang OF
horse thieves. Sheriff Bancroft gives
us the following par4enlars: On the
29th of March, p. NJ. Thoapson and
James Stoker, living twelvemiles west
ofthe town OF Ellsworth, some 200 miles
northwest of here, lost some stock, the
former a span of horses, and the latter
a span of mules. 1t seems that the par
ties, which have been arrested and are
now in Jail here. had been Mt work for
Thompson and Stoiscr, and suspicion
fell upon them. Accordingly Messrs.
T.. and s. with IoHr others pursued
them. They found traces of the thieves
along the route, sufficient TO encourage
them 10 follow to this point. On Thurs
day last, up the Cottonwood several
miles, the company of four divided. two
OF them, with one horse and one mule,
coming to, this PLACE., aud the other two.
with the balance Of the stock, going i'll
the direction of Eureka. The two who
came here arrived Friday afternoon, put
the stolen animals iii Grove Bros livery
stable, saiIntered, about town "a while,
and took lodgings atthe EmpOria House.
On Saturday morning, Il little after day
light, the pursuing parties arrived. They
found two Ofthcir stolen animals at the
livery stable, and proceeded to gain SOME
information, IL possible, in regard to
the thieves. AS the puvsuers rode into
town, one of. the thieves happened ,tC
look out of an upper story window o.
the hotel, and espied the gentlemen
whom they evidently were not looking
for, and whom they had no very great
desire to see. the owners of the proper
Ity. In short order they donned theii
clothes. and took ::French leave lhro
the back door of the hotel and MADE
their escape to the timber OH the Cot
tonwood. With as little delay as pos
sible Sheriff Bancroft, accompanied b!
Robert Cooper, was after them. After
IL few hours search, which was partici
/. pated III by several citizens who live OF
the Cottonwood, above town, the TIVE
. thieves. who few hours before Were
/ quietly rcposing at the Emporia House
were .'gobbled," in a thicket near TIL
: residence of Mr.. uickox. At first the,
: showed some signs of fight, one of then
Q drawing pistol on Jack, Armstrong
who first came upon them i'll the thick
ct. Jack remarked to the gentleman
that it might not be very healthy bust
: ness for them to engage in, and tl.e tirir
!. immediately "forked- over" his reVolye
and surrendered. One of the pursucr
u claimed that one Of the thieves was
! the rebel army and had killed his brothe
: and seemed anxious to shed blood, bu
: was restained from doing so.
u After the two who came here ha
been secured, Messrs. Thompson an
: Stoker turned their attention to the tw
II who had gone toward Eureka. Forum
ately gentleman in town from Green
! wood county, who had come up tina
: morning, had met the thieves over on tn
Verdigris. They were taking matter
: leislurely, stopping occasionally to in
quire the way to -EGlreEa, and hence
was an easy matter to track them. The
were found Sunday night at a house u
Bachelor creek, some four miles thi
!, side of Eureka, and brought here Tues
:. day morning.
= On Tuesday the four had a prclimina
ry examination before Justice Spicel
u One of them was held to bail i'll til
u sum of $500, and the other three i
$1,000 each, i'll default of which the
n went into our new Jail, where they wi
be apt to remain until the fall term {
the District Court.
n OF one thing horse thieves will Gel
: tainly soon become convinced, and tha
3 is that it does not pay to follow tina
i trade i'll Kansas. They nearly alway
e get caught, and if they escape with thei
lives, generally suffer the scvcrest pen
r alties of the law.