Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-11-28
From ne daily Of the 22d.
The Hog THIEF.

bUtO buOk sOt0Is
j. W. Carpenter, Esq, who owns
largo farm adjoining the city, be-
tween the water power canal and the
river, Is also the owner of quite
large drove of hogs TO which he has
been feeding tho product of his farm
this fall, in a large open pen near the
dam this side of Turkey Island. lie
was counting his hogs the other day
and found that he was short is or 20
head of hogs, fat and almost ready
for market. None had been sold nor
could the omission be supplied or ex-
planned, except on the hypothesis that
they had been stolen, as the enclosure
seemed to be in as good condition as
it ever was. He made diligent inqui.
ry of his ncighbors and friends ofthe
city, and being unable 10 learn any
thing of the missing property. caused
the following notice to he published
in the Daily CouRIRE:
Stolen.
Between the 10th and 10th inst.
from the pen of the undersigned.
twenty fat hogs, for which will paw
800 for the recovery of the same and
$50 for the apprehension ofthc thieves.
N. b. / now keep loaded shot
gun at the pens, let them try again.
l-2O-dSw2L j. w. CARPENTER.
This notice was first published on
Tuesday evening and on coming to
the notice of John Gray, he conclud-
cd he would investigate the matter a
little and see what there was in it.
After visiting the pens and getting
the lay Of the land, he concluded that
they had been stolen sure enough,
and that as there would naturally be
some risk in driving that number Of
hogs through the city, an ordinary
thief would probably go the other
way, therefore, he started west. The
first positive information no had that
he was on the right track was at Com
stocks Station where the thief was
observed driving the hogs towards
Kirkville, Monday morning, 18th inst.
Gray followed to Kirkvillc, where he
again heard of the hogs and from
whence he had no trouble in follow
ing the trail through the woods. and
by-roads to where the hogs were
found in Mahaska County. When he
found the hogs, from the description
he received, he made up his mind as
to who had stolen them and about
what course the man would take, He
forthwith started to Eddyvillc, where
he left his team, boarded freight,
ahead of the passenger train and re-
turned to this city which he pretty
generally overhauled before the arri-
val of the passenger train. His opin-
ion had been correct and the fellow
had been in the city all the time, and
while John was sauntering around
the depot waiting to make the search
which it was supposed wsuld be sue
cessful, the man he was looking for
made his appearance. He was arrest
ed at IL o'clock last night. He is a
young man by the name of Napoleon
Sparks, about % or 90 years Of age,
and is said to live IN Oskaloosa when
at home, of whom it is said that his
character is not above suspicion, he
having served term in the Reform
School and also term in the peniten-
tiary with what foundation we cam
not say. Mr.. Gray informed our re-
porter that the prisoner fully ac-
knowlcdged his guilt after being
lodged in Jail last night, and begged
of Mr.. q. for the loan of revolver,
with which he proposed to kill him.
self. He was brought before the
Mayor this morning, bnt he was re-
mandcd back to Jail until the 4th of
Dec. when the preliminary exami4ia-
ton will be held, and unless he can
make better showing than the cir
cumstaDces seem to warrant, he is
likely to go back to his old quarters.
We have given the particulars Of
this robbery, which was certainly a
bold one, rs they We're related to us
by Mr.. Gray to whom the credit of
working up the case and the arrest
belongs.