Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-02-19
"HONEST JOE"
TUKNs OCT To BE MUTHART, TINE
HORSE THIEF.

Fler-A sly OI0 FOA nOl0O aBhAu
After Marrow Escapes.
The horse thief, "JOe Hinkle," who
called himself Honest Joe." and whose
arrest at Koch's tavern, on the line OF
Lebanon and Lancaster counties, under d.
rection Of Alderman Spurrier, was recently
noted in the INTELLIGENCEH, turns out 70
be a famous criminal His real name II
William Muthart, and according to the
story Of bis life, related BY the Pres, he
is the peer of any offender who has ever
led horse by halter. Age seems not to
have impaired his cunning, but experience
has placed him in position to be regarded
as the king Of horse thieves. Although
of respectable parentage, he prOtited not
BY their wise instructions, but at an early
age went astray. For almost forty years
he has been a terror to farmers and others
possessing valuable teams. and there was
scarcely a society for the detection of
horse thieves that did not have q descrip-
ton of the man posted up IN their meeting
houses. He was especially LOted for his
daring and rapidity Of movement, often
stealing as many as four or five teams IN as
many different localities Oh the same night,
a plan of operation that often served to be-
wild ar jury to his advantage when he was
captured In his younger days he was SO
| successful and the stolen property accu'
| mulated on his hands with such rapidity
that he found it necessary to establish
agencies in different cities adjacent to
| Philadelphia, where he would send the
teams to be disposed of. On one occasion,
when Mutbart was engaged in shipping
pair Of carriage horses to the South via
the Coast Line from Philadelphia, he had
a narrow escape. The horses broke away
from him on the streets, but were finally
recaptured, and the thief was compelled
to stow himself away on Savannah
steamer. He was followed on board by
detective, but while the vessel was passing
Lewes, Delaware, after dark, Muthart
lowered himself down the side of the
steamer and swan ashore.
Muthart had strange adventure IN
Chester county, which is best told in his
own language, as follows:
Zone summer day while seated in front
of the Madison house, West Chester, a
fine saddle horse, which caught 10y eye,
was driven by and became so much IN
terested in the animal that | made up my
mind that it should be mine. Learning
the name of the owner, the next day
hired a team, drove to his place, and,
nnder some pretext, gained admission to
his stable This enabled me to study the
surroundings and learn something of the
habits of the owner. l formed resO-
lotion to steal the horse the following
night, but receiving a dispatch from a
friend in Philadelphia notifying me that
, the detectives were on my track, L had to
give up the project. That horse haunted
nv mind, and u year afterwards again
happened to be in West Chester. The
animal was Just the same as had left it a
wear before. One night l lay in the woods
until the moon had disappeared, and then
, T went 20 the stable. After securing the
horse began searching for the bride and
saddle, when suddenly giant form loom
ed up in front of me AMI in a soft voice in
auired "My friend, what is thee doing
there ~
81 replied l was just going to
borrow this horse to ride to West Ches-
= ter, for am footsore and hungry, and
intended to leave him at livery stable
upou nv arrival there" The Quaker com
mandei me to leave the horse where III
was. and follow him into the house. which
I did. He gave me supper and then tool
me to q window overlooking spot where
huge dog reposed, remarking that thu
animal was ferOciOus enough to eat up
whole platoon OF horse thieves. lie ther
: showed me bed, first exhibiting gun ant
=, warning me against attempting to escape
- Reclining on another bed he watched m
~ until daybreak, when he gave me break
q fast and told mo to depart.
., On another occasion of late year
~ y Muthart was pOdding along cOuntr
-. 30 road on a snowy afternoon, when farme
s@ in sleigh, drawn by a beautiful col,
a a happened by. Jump in, old man, an
a. take ride,' was an invitation of wiic
~ y. Bill gladly availed himself. Stranger,
40 remarked the farmer, rubbing his hand
=, together in a manner peculiar to the DucOl
VI resident, "Ive made good sale to-da,
st Got ninety cents 4 pound for butter. an
ID so long as prices are thar, halnt agoin
to let my family have butter; no, sass
ri good enough for Them"
= !" 6 don't know why" said Muthart,
- relating this story, - but l was immedl
'o' ately seized with q desire to possess thu
@ team, and you may depend on it when I'll
!. farmer awOke next morning the pony an
II, sleigh were things of the past"
y In 1870 Muthart was captured III Mon
A yomery county for horse stealing an
~ sente fenced to twenty years Imprisonment
z,' the NorristOwn jail, but was pardoned OF
~ last spring. He registered an oath that |
j., would never steal another team in tn
n' county, and, SO far as is known, he h
..ss' never broke his word. He, however, in
~. mediateIy began stealing horses III 9th
=. localities, which was developed quite r
20 Gently when he ran of with the vile III
~ team of Colonel Cregar, the cOunterfelte
at North Wales. Most of his stolen tean
\. he had placed in the hands of Cregar Il
-. disposal. One night when the great hOr
~, thief went to Cregar's house, the cOunte
S feiter received him with shotgun al
40 sickle. Mutbart had driven up in
-. stolen team, but when he attempted
- escape he found that some one had unfa
-" tened a trace and the vehicle upst
'1' 100 throwing him into the road. He fled to
'n.. IN field. where he remained until Cregar b;
~ disappeared with the team, when ne q
:. ~ lberately walked into the counterfeiteI
stable, Jumped on a mare barebaoked al
- with nothing but a rope halter ON, Al
, ll., drove into town. Arriving there he made
nu -. confession to friend, with tho view
fo. for getting square with Cregar, and which
,oi suited in the recovery of much stOl
a. property. Among the animals he h
~ taken was a valuable trOtter from ne
o, ;o Media, and it is for this Otfense that
~. has now been arrested. 1t is claimed IL
o. o. he was captured through informati
nd lodged BY d former associate.
In
els Almost Fire
md Harry Gallagher, the barber, is
owner of young bloodhound that likes
sleep on a soft bed, and when one Is .
made for him he does the best he can
rnaLo ono for hiuse1f by pulling dOV