The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-03-14
A BOLD HOUSEWIVES.

Charles j. Martin. n Polished ScoundreI,
Caught by a Oct ctlvs in st. Louis.
Frank G. Lloyd, OF MartinsviIle, priv ate
detective in the employ of the Farmers
Horse Detective Association, made an
important capture st s.. Louis on Thurs
day, in the persoa OF Charles J. Martin,
formerly Of this city, who has been badly
wanted by the authorities for several
months to answer several charges of horse
stealing. He Is a polished individual,
about forty years old; has wife and child,
and has moved in the best society at the
various places where he has lived. He was
prominent in church work, aud hls repu-
tation was such that no suspicion as to his
true character was felt for some time.
There are affidavits on file in Justice
Smock's Office, in this city, charging him
with stealing four horses of the value of
1900. Originally he was in the employ of
St. Louis manufacturing company, which
opened branch establishment at Mitchell,
Ind, and placed him in charge of it.
Soon after coming to Indiana. he
began to deal extensively in horses
and, it seems, was not content with
the profits of legitimate specultion.
On being placed under arrest he at first
denied that his name was Martin, saying
he was Charles Davis, but subsequently he
acknowledged his identity. The st. Louis
authorities refused to allow him to be
brought back without the necessary COM
Bliance with the forms OF law, but held
him while Detective Lloyd came to Indian
apolis to secure arequisition from Governor
Gray.
In talking of Martin, Detective Lloyd
said to a reporter: "Martin was the boldest
operator in the horse thief line I ever
knew. His social position had kept him
above suspicion for a long time. When
no, ses were traced right into his hands
and the authorities would approach him on
the subject, he would threaten them, or his
accusers, with arrest for SANDER. 1t is a
fact that he has. driven stolen horses
through the streets of Mitchell and other
towns and watered them at the town
pumps, where there would be off ,ers
standing with a description of the lrse
and the thief in their pockets, yet he W aid
manage in some way to elude arrest. He
stole big irOn-grsy horse from + INK
Parker, of Broad Ripple, Marion Coz ity,
Ind and sold il tn the Fire DEPARTING at
Louisville, Ky. The horse was a very inc
one, and was recently recovered. An her
fine horse be got away with in broad ay.
| light was that of DR.. Morrill,, OF Yves In
| dlanapolis. For some time he mad mis-
headquarters at the little country TOW of
Waverly, Ind. 1t had no telegraph o e,
so he was away from police commu ca
ton. He told the people of Waverly nat
be YVES adrummer, but owned farm r4ar
| Mitchell, which be had pretty well sto Ied
with good horsehesh. He disposed of G lite
q number of horses in that neighbour od,
and nine of the twenty horses he is KIN wn
to have stolen have been recovered. AS
soon as he found out that he could hide his
| guilt no longer he skipped the country. At
Terre Hante he teiegraphed his wifs that
he did not know Just when he would re-
turn, and l have had long chasa after
him through Indiana, illinois aud Mis-
souri,. lost him for a while, but the horse
he stole at 0lney gave me fresh clew
| again until located him in ST. LouIs.n
Martin claims that he is innocent, and
that although he may have bought horses
| from horse-thieves, still he never stole one
1 himself. While I'm Mitchell he was con-
sidered model citizen, making II poiut
to attend the Methodist Church every Sum-
day with his wife and child.