Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-05-25
WESTERN HORSE-STEALING
The Inside Workings of a Great
Border Conspiracy.

Facts and Statistics Cleaned from
One Of the Gang.
Kansas City Tineg.l
During the past ten or twelve
years horse.stealing upon the Wes-
tern border or along the State line
of Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Mis-
souri, and Arkansas has been a prof
liable and lucrative business. Thou
sands of fine horses have been stolen
and run out of reach, and compar-
atively few of the thieves have been
arrested. The efforts made by the
officials of the various border coun-
ties to arrest the thieves have
proved futile, and to-day the nefa-
rious business is being prosecuted
with little or no check or restraint
upon the part of the law. The
records of the Kansas City police
court for the past eight months
reveal a startling record of crime
of this character. The extent and
the immensity of this contraband
trade in horse flesh can only be esti.
mated from the official record on
file at headquarters. They show a
startling increase in horse-stealing
and a wonderful immunity from
capture upon the part Of the
thieves.
HoRsE-THIEvING STATISTICS.
Within the last eight months the
number of horses reported stolen
at police headquarters, in Kansas
City, was 36S. The thefts reported
were divided between the four Dor,
der States in the Missouri valley.
as follows: Horses reported stolen
in Kansas, l57; horses reported
stolen in Missouri, 140; horses re-
ported stolen in Iowa, so; horses
reported stolen in Nebraska, 2l;
total, 36S.
This number only includes those
reported stolen and advertised by
their owners, and whose cards and
descriptions reached the Kansas
City Police Station.
1t is presumable that this esti.
mate does not cover more than one
half the number of horses stolen
during the last eight months in the
Missouri valley and the adjacent
country. Not more than half of
those persons losing horses by theft
go to the trouble Of having cards
or hand-bills printed describing the
stolen property and offering a re-
ward. Hence it is not unreason-
able to estimate the losses of the
owners Of horses on the border al
double the number reported. Or
say $4,000 lost by theft in the four
States bordering on the Missouri
river.
CONFESSION OF A HORSE THIEF.
A few days ago a released con-
vict named Harry Lawrence, who
has just served out two years
term in the penitentiary for horse
stealing, returned to Kansas CITY
Harry is a native of Clinton coun.
ty, and although not more than
twenty-five or three years of age,
boasts Of stealing not less than
seven horses before he went to the
pen. He speaks of. exploits with
the gusto and relish of an old SOL
dier telling the incidents of an old
battle. He describes the modus
operaddi of taking fine pair OF
black horses from a stable on Wal.
nut street about four years ago, and
recites the details Of two other
horse-stealng operations in this
city with a cool, careless noncha-
lence quite surprising. From him
some interesting facts were learned
relative to the mode of disposing oI
stolen property. He said "Our
organization was not very large
when l went into it, but it con.
tinued to grow year after year. Al
first we had 70 agents north Of St.
Joseph or south of Fort Scott, but
now we extend from Sioux City ia
Galveston, and from the Black Hill;
to the Rio Grande. was only in
the pen about a year and a half,
but in that time the business ha.
grown to great proportions.
HOW THE BUSINESS is CARRIED ON
Lawrence in conversation gave
some resting details of various
horse stealing affairs he had been
engaged in, and while he iealcusly
refrained from giving the names oI
his companions, be did not hesi.
tate TO tell his own misdeeda. The