Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1870-03-25
MORE vlLLaINr UNEARTnED
A Thief with no Specially, but a
Decided Leaning toward
Horse Flesh.
HIS ARREST AND CcMMITTAL.


been resident here for something over a
year, and who, by means as is now suspect
ed, the reverse Of honest, has acquired con-
siderable property in this vicinity. Trip
in connection with brother has been en-
gagged in the business of finding and re-
turning stolen or strayed horses during the
past fall and winter, and from his success
in that line, it has been more than surmis-
ed by observing persons, that he had orig
inal sources Of information respecting the
location Of stolen stock, and that the steal
ing and recovery of the same night be
parts of the same general business. He is
the owner of forty acr. of land about 4
miles southwest of town and some distance
from settlement, upon which is a straw
barn or stable, which figures prominently
in the circumstances attending his detec-
ton. A few weeks since he bought out the
Auction Store in Wilcox block, and ap-
parently lad settled down to legitimate
business. But blood will tell. and if
man is born a thief, his thievish instincts
will often crop OFT in spite of the best Eeso-
lutions, so with Trip; the events of the
past few days prove that his free soul re-
beled at the bondage of tapes, ribbons,
mouse-traps and cheap jewelry, and that
he varied the hum-drum monotony of mer-
camille life by occasional (k)n;ghtly raids
upon the stables and barns of the surround
ing country.
The particulars concerning his detection
and arrest are as follows: On Monday
morning Sheriff Davis received telegram
from Cedar Falls that valuable team, dc.
scribing them, belonging to Chas. Collins,
of that place, had been stolen the night be-
fore, and requesting him to keep bri sht
lookout for the thief and team. The same
morning, before daylight. man living in
the vicinity of Trips farm was aroused
by the barking of his dog, and looking out,
saw in the dim light, man riding one
horse and leading two. His suspicious
having been aroused before by the move
ments around Trips lone stable, he and
some of his neighbors paid it visit during
the day. They found fine span Of horses
merely blanketel, a bag Of olts and other
articles, which confirmed their suspicious
that all was not right. Surprising that
some one woull come at Night 10 feed the
horses, three of them esconced themselves
in the sta5l, and awaited events. About }
o'clock that evening (Monday) a man rode
up, dismounted, tied his horse to the fence
some twelve rods from the stable, lighted a
dark lantern, aid moved toward the stable
When he got to the door he seemed to dis
cover tie fresh tracks in the newly fallen
snow, of those who lay in wait, and instead
of going in novel of in the dir elton Of the
horse. The watchers sailed out in pursuit
and so closely did they press Tripp-he wa
now plainly recognized that he was unable
to mount the horse but made off on the
prairie in the dark. Word had in the
meantime been sen, to Sheriff Davis con-
corning the suspicious circumstances about
the stable, and he arrived OH the ground
etfectua search for Trip on the prairie, tie
Sheriff returned to iowa placed guards on
the bridges and made such other arrange
ments as he supposed would secure the ar
rest of the rascal in case he should venture
to return to the city.
Thus matters remained until little after
daylight, on Tuesday morning, when John
Campbell Esq. up,n going to his barn dis
covered tracks about it which indicated that
it had been entered during the night. Go
ing in, Mr.. Campbell discovered that a
valuable bear skin robe worth about $50
was missing. The tracks being fresh in
he snow which had fallen the night before.
Mr.. Campbell determined 70 follow on the
trail. Taking O. f. Hunt along for compa-
ny they followed the track north and east
until crossing the railroad, and going about
half a mile beyond, they at last caught
sight of the red lining of the robe in a
clamp of bushes few rods in advance,
aad apparently wrapped around the form of
human being, animate Or in
animate. Creeping softly up, Mr..
Campbell pounced upon the bundle, when
oft rolled the hall-frozen and ha!f-aslcep
form of Trip. He was at first disposed 10
make some opposition to his unceremonious
arrest and to the motive TO bring him back
to town, but he was In safe hands, and dog
gcaly succumbed to destiny. 1t turned out
that Trip had crossed the river on the ice
above the dam, and in doing so had fallen
into the water, had entered Mr.. Campbeli's
barn, where until few days since valua-
bic horse had been kept, aud in lien of some
thing more valuable, stole the most useful
thing to him in his damp, frozen condition,
"a warm robe. He was arraigned before
Esq. Little Tuesday morning, on charge of
stealing the robe, and held to bail in the sum
Of ST 900, in default of which he was sent to
Waterloo Jail for safe keeIing
Subsequent search of the stable on the
prairie and a barn occupied by the Trips
in town. brought to light buggy top, sun.
dry bundles Of fence wire, some grain sacks
and horse blankets, all of which are supposed
tohave been stolen, but none of which have
been identified with the exception of the
wire, which is the property Of King & Ken
yon, hardware merchants.
We observe that the Dubuque and Wa
lerloo papers i'll their accom-. of this affair."
Intimate that there were threats made, and
at the time imminent danger that Tripp
would be lynched by the mob in this city.
This is a mistake While the arrestwas the
universal subject of conversation for day,
there was at no time any feeling amounting
10 the mob spirit, and we distinctly aver
that at no time was Trip in more danger
from mob, than the officers who arrested
him or the mag iS,rate who tried him.
Police IrEMs.-Our new Marshal, Uee.
&C is making it interesting to violators Of city