Rock Island daily Argus., 1886-11-18
WAYS OF THE WICKED.
A Farmer Held Up Near the e., II. Il
q. .Sards---Arrest Of the Robbers
A Fsrger Captured.

the G.. Is. u q yards, this city, at 3:3t
yesterday afternoon. Thomas Twelftree,
a farmer from near Reynolds, was met
| in the early part of the afternoon by four
river men, employees of the Diamond JC
lineSTho were returning south from Dd-
buanc after the close of tie steamboat
season. NThe four raseals ent;ced the
farmer into saloon, and after getting
him pretty well saturated with henzine,
got him down near Fourteenth street
and the river front, where they
boldly robbed him of his purse
containing $25, and gold watch,
and put out. The police were Informed
and having been given an accurate de
scriptlon of the robbers: Officers Wich-
man and Boland arrested one of the gang,
man named Joseph Allen, in Trostel S
saloon. and the stolen watch was found
in his possession. Later. Officers Bren>
nan and Wichman overhauled three sus>
picious characters at the r. |. u P de,
pot, who proved to be Chris Anderson.
Thomas O'Brien and Geo. Decatur the
other three who had taken part in the
crime
The prisoners all had in their pockets
railroad letters from Dubuque to ST.
Louis. They were four of gang of
rousters and other steamboat men who
have just been discharged from the Pitts>
burg, aud other Diamond Jo steamers
which have tied up for the winter.
This morning Officer Brennan arrested
another suspicious character for being an
accomplice IN the bold robbery, and
locked him up.
A FoRGER CAUGHT.
Cyrus A. Bradford, better known in
this vicinity as Cyrus Benton, a
roof painter, has at last landed
in limbo, having been arrested re-
Gently at Council Bluffs for forgery.
The particular crime now laid at his door
is not specified. but there is good reason
to suppose that he is just the man who is
wanted in this county for very daring
forgery and most successful swindle.
About three years ago there appeared
here fine looking, we'll dressed, highly
educated. and apparently very shrewd
young man, who gave his name as Cyrus
Benton. His exploits here have been
described in the ARGUS, but revival of
the circumstances will be interesting
nevertheless He went into the patent
roll painting business, but spent more
time playing cards than he did at roof
painting. In the course of time he be-
came acquainted with and wormed into the
confidence of D T. Snyder, of Searstown,
whom he induced to go into the roof busi
ness with him. After a time Benton left
here and went to Kansas. Some time
after,a Kansas man named Ksughman met
Snyder and said to him that he (Snyder)
had sold his Kansas farm for too low a
price, stating that the land should have
brought at least 81 900 more than it sold
for. This was news to Snyder, who de.
clared that he had not sold his farm at all
Inquiry developed that the purchaser of
the land had bought it through Benton.
The deed was afterwards sent here, and it
bore, besides Mr.. Snyder's signature. the
notarial seal and signature of P. o Mara
to the acknowledgment, The alleged
transfer was made some time during the
fall of 1885. The theory, based on as thor
ough an investigation as possible, is this
That Benton came to Rock Island and put
up at the Schafer house. then kept by
George W. McMichael, who by the way
Kept no register. Mr.. O'Mara's office is
in the same house, and he often left the
door of his Office unlocked when he LETT
the office temporarily. 1t is supposed
that Benton, who was a fiue penman, en-
tered 0 O'Mara's office during his absence
stole blank deed, filled it out with
O'Mara's ink, put the seal on the docu
ment, aud forged O'Maras name to the
acknowledgment, Ever since then there
has been a hot hunt for Benton, and not
long since Mr.. Snyder went to KansaY to
institute suit to have the fraudulent in
strument set aside
1t is further said, SAYS the Moline DIS
pdtch, that soon after Benton first arrived
here, one of our local detectives identified
him as the man wanted for the murder OF
the sheriff Of Coshocton county. Ohio;
that the local detective wrote to the
Ohio parties, who said that Pinkert0n
had the matter in hand, and had So 900
in cash to work with. Correspondence
with Pinkerton was not satisfactory, as
the l. d. wanted $500 for his informa>
ton, and Pinkerton was willing to give
only 800. A Pinkerton man came down
here to see if he could not catch on, and
while he was watching the l. d e., Benton
skipped. Benton, it seems. was also
wanted for embezzling funds from King
man, the Rome, N. Y. nursery man If
the local detectives surmise as to Ben
tons identity and connection with the
Ohio murder is correct, Benton has got
ten himself into mighty serious difficulty
POLICE POINTS.
William BIeuer was fined So and COS S
by Justice Cooke yesterday for shooting
a dog belonging to John Greim.
New Books.
The following new books have been
received at the Rock Island public libra
rV.