The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-01-16
POLICE POINTS.
Arrest of a Thief Saturday
Other Criminal and Police
Court Items.
A SCRAP OF PAPER.

For some time the police of this city and
Davenport have been looking for the party
who has been committing numerous bur-
glaries in the two cities. A clothing store
had been entered in Davenport and CON-
plete outfit of clothes, including an over
coat, stolen, Then on Friday night Mr.
Lynde's residence in this city was burglar
lied to the extent of two overcoats and
some other articles and Saturday night
Hansen's grocery store was robbed and
nickels and pennies to the amount OF about
twelve dollars taken This last robbery led
to the arrest of the thief. The pennies
were wrapped up in paper coverings.
twenty-five cents in roll, and Sunday
morning, about half past ten, as officer
Etzel was passing along First avenue near
| Twentieth street. he observed man upon
the opposite side of the Rock Island and
Peoria track, behind freight car, drop
piece of paper; the officer at once began
to watch the man and when he crossed the
street the person under supervision at ence
moved away Etsel stopped him and ask
ed if he had dropped the paper and the
man replied no. On examining the piece
of paper the officer at once discovered that
it had been used to wrap around coin and
arrested the man as the thief who had
broken into Hansen's store the night
before.
He was taken to the armory and
searched when all the articles which had
been stolen in the two cities for the past
week was found upon him, with the ex-
ception of the overcoat taken in Daven-
| port.
| He had on the two overcoats taken from
Mr. Lynde's house, the suit of clothes
missing in Davenport. and in fact, with
the exception of his shoes and stockings
everything he had on, including underwear,
had been stolen from one place or another
| in the two cities, and was all identified
| The overcoat which he stole across the
river, he stated was in a certain second
hand clothing store. and upon going there
the officer secured 1t, making recovery of
everything that was lost.
| In Davenport the police authorities had
discovered in the basement of the Scott
House, a convict's suit and shoes which
were hid there that are doubtless the proper
ty of the man arrested; although from what
penitentiary he escaped is now not known
He is man of about thirty-nine years OF
age, smooth faced, with blond mustache,
FIVE feet nine inches high and would weigh
about one hundred and fifty pounds. He
is a German and gives his name as Charles
Pruss.
The police are happy over their capture
as it was their opinion that there was a
party at work here and it was not suppos-
ed one man would have the courage to at
tempt so many thefts unaided. Officer Ell
eel certainly deserves great credit for the
arrest, as the clue that led to it was very
slight.
At two o'clock this afternoon Pruss was
brought before Justice Chopper on pre-
liminary examinations he plead guilty to
both charges and the Justice held him In
bonds of one Thousand dollars to answer
at the next term of court. In default OF
bon lsmen he was sent to jail.
=. Pruss states that he left St. Louis in
company with pal by the name of Mitch
ell who helped him in the Davenport rob
berries, but that after the discovery of the
clothes there, Mitchell got scared and fed
and he, Pruss, did the Rock Island job:
alone. His prospect for Joliet is exceed
ingly good