Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-05-29
WESTERN HORSE THIEVES.
The Inside Workings Of a Great BOr-
der Conspiracy--.Facts and Statistics
Cleaned from n Confession. IT,. ..
Kansas City Times,

During the past ten Or twelve years
DEMONSTRATING upon the western border
or along the state line of Iowa, Ne
braska, Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas
has been a profitable and lucrative bust
ness. Thousands Of fine horses have
been stolen and run out Of reach, and
comparatively 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 nefarious 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 startling record of crime of
this character. The extent and the
immensely of this contraband trade in
hOrsefiesh can only be estimated from
the official records on file at headquar-
ters. They show a startling increase in
hOrse-stealing and wonderful immu-
nifty from capture upon the part of the
thieves.
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 border states in the
Mississippi valley as follows: Horses
reported stolen in Kansas, 15.-; horses
reported III Missouri, 14O; horses re-
ported stolen in Iowa, 80; horses re-
ported stolen in Nebraska, 21; total,
36S. ...
This number only includes those
reported stolen and advertised by their
owners, and whose cards and descrip-
tons reached the Kansas City police
station. ..... ISL. .4r.
1t is presumable that this estimate
does not cover more than one-half Of
the number stolen during the last eight
months in the Missouri valley and the
adjacent country. Not more than nalf
of those persons losing horses by theft
20 to the trouble of having cards or
handbills printed describing the stolen
property and offering reward. Hence
it is not unreasonable to estimate the
losses of the owners of horses on the
border at double the number reported.
Or say $4,000 lost by theft III the four
states bordering on the Missouri river.
A few days ago a released convict
named Harry Lawrence, who has just
served out a two-years term in the Pen
itentiary for hofse-stealing, returned to
Kansas City. Harry is a native of Gin
ton county, and although not more than
% or % years of age, boasts Of stealing
not less than seven horses before he
went to the pen. He speaks of his ex-
PLOTS with the gusto and relish of an old
soldier telling the incidents of an old
battle. He describes the naoda1s operaodi
of taking a fine pair Of black horses
from q stable on Walnut street about
four years ago, and recites the details of
two other horse-stealing operations in
this city with a cool, careless nonchal
ance quite surprising. From him some
interesting facts were learned relative to
the mode of disposing of stolen property.
very large when [ went into it, but it
continued to grow year after year. AT
first we had no agents north of ST. JO-
seph nor south of Fort Scott, but now
we extend from Sioux City to Galveston,
and from the Black Hills to the Rio
Grande. / was only in the pen about
a year and half but in that time the
business has grown to great proper
TONS" 'x'A'" oS 'ds@3889".
Lawrence in conversation gave some
interesting details of various horse-steal-
ing affairs he had been engaged in, and
while he jealousy refrained from CIV
ing the names of his companions, he
did not hesitate to tell his own mis-
deeds. The favorite mode of running
out horses is thus described: Two of the
gang enter settlement where there are
good horses, and hire themselves out as
farm hands, and go to work After
working a while they leave the neigh
.borhood, and go to work for parties
owning good horses. By. this means
they learn the habits of the owners, and
the location of the coveted horses.
Within few days after they leave a
place or a neighborhood raid is made
upon the stable and the coveted horse
disappears The thieves seldom run
their stock. to towns or stations where
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