Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-10-11
THE BELMONT BURGLARY.
Arrest OF the Thieves By Deputy Sheriff Brown
OF Grant County.

THE BELMONT BURGLARY.
Arrest or the Thieves by Deputy Sheriff Brown
Of Grant County.
On Sept. tho store of Garden &
Miner, in Belmont. La Fayette county,
was burglarized. and goods to the
amount of from five to six hundred dol
lars stolen. Entrance was effected by
boring out hole in the outer cellar
door, by which the inside fastening
was unlocked, admitting the crooks to
the cellar. The inner door, leading up
to the store-room, was bored out in the
same manner, and the bar, which held
it, removed, Good judgment was
manifested in the selection of the goods
taken, the cheaper kinds being rejected,
and the general features of the job in
Dictated that it was performed by pro-
fessionals. But little noise was made
in regard to it, and one of the thieves
iDjudiciously made a present of a ring
to female friend, which, being OBJ
served by another woman, was COM
municated to Capt. Miner. With this
clue, detective Bill Rollins took the
case, and, by clever work, soon made
himself solid with the gang, and work
ed the case up to n sure thing. In so
doing another job was put up, and had
due discretion been observed the result
would have been successful.
In order to work out the proposed job,
which would have been more important
in its result, he wired Shattuck, of
Dubuque for help. who referred him to
b. c. Eastman, then at Platteville, who
aided in making arrangements for the
capture of the thieves and their plumber
on their arrival at certain place.
Rollins, however, had the Belmont
gang dead to rights, and only waited the
elimination of the proposed robbery,
before striking them. At this time
Mynheer Falstaff Mappes, of Belmont.
Deputy Sheriff, got an inklihg of the
matter, and promptly commenced adj
vertising it, which. of course, came to
the knowledge of the crooks, and up
set the pot. Warrants had meantime
been got out, one of them being placed
in the hands of Brown, Deputy Sheriff,
at Platteville, and the other was sent ON
Thursday night to the Sheriff of LaFay-
cite county, who came up here to
Belmont, anak with Mappes as driver
of the team, went out and arrested
Jas. Willett, young man living not
far from Belmont. Capt. Miner. Roll
Inns and Eastman went up to Platte
vile on the Dight train, and ON Friday
morning steersd the Deputy and Con-
stable Davidson to the home of the
| burglars, in the Town Of Harrison, near
the Center School house. Arranging
the party so as to cover the houses,
Brown entered the house of Oscar
Patch, arrested him, and turned him
over to Constable Davidson, but seeing
no sign OF action at the other house,
which he had passed, be approached it
rapidly presuming that Ira Patch a
brother of the other, had been arrested.
Without ceremony he entered the house
just in time TO prevent Patch from
ascending the stairway, and made the
arrest; telling Patch to sit down and
eat his dinner, which was ready.
Patch Hospitality invited him to par
take, but was informed by the Deputy
that he had got him sized up for a re-
solute, nervy man, and couldn't afford
to lose the drop on him, while eating.
The elder Patch, man of about Sc
years, weakened from the start, but
the younger was more plueky, and
never, until confronted by the brother
in handouts, and the property which
he had turned up, betrayed the least
anxiety or nervousness. Accepting
the inevitable, he turned to the
Deputy and said: .'Old man,
you know your business, and have
downed me squarely;T am going to turn
up all I've got, but, if you had ironed
me, would have seen you all in Hades
before I'd have yielded up a g nickel :"
The last named. Ira Patch, is about 81
years of age, and is without doubt an
experienced crook. The place where
they lived, to which they came last
spring is admirably adapted to their
business, and it is almost certain that
the trio perpetrated the Georgetown
robbery, and many other petty jobs this
summer. Both have families and they
are men of over average intelligence.
They were taken to Belmont by Deputy
Brown where Mappes attem pied to
arrest them, init his leettle warrant, but
was told to lie down and take snooze
by the officer in charge.
They waived examination, and were
committed to Darlington Jail, who have
plead guilty before the county Judge,
who will sentence them on Friday next
The capture is an important one, as
they were professional thieves and one
of them is said to be an expert gopher or
safe blower. Nearly all the goods taken
were recovered by Capt. Miner. Eight
loaded revolvers and shot gun were
found in the chamber for which Patch
was making when arrested. and had he
got there he would have made things
lively for the officers
/ The sad news comes to us that Mr..
John Kelly, for many years city mar
shall and street commissioner at Bosco-
bel, and at one time prominent candi-
date for sheriff this county, was in
stantly killed while engaged in superin-
tending steam threshing machine, in
Jimtown, Dakota. His daughter re-
ceived dispatch, announcing the
! above, while witnessing the drama OF
Uncle Toms Cabin in Ruka's Hall,
at Boscobel, Friday evening. and was