Omaha daily bee., 1888-07-31
PAINTING FOR PANTALOONS.
Crooks Empty the Pockets of Land
lord Harmon and His Guests.
HOW AN 1904 DOLLAR TRAVELS
Three Cases Got Ready for the Grand
Jury-Summer suits i'm Police
Court-Brief Bits Of
Bluffs News.
The Work of Crooks.

A gang OF crooks visited Lake Manawa
Sunday and got in their work quite sue
cessfully. The management of the
various enterprises about the lake has
made it rather uncongenial for toughs
and rowdies, and those who have visited
there have speedily found hat they
were not wanted. Two fellows APP
preached Mr.. Odell and wanted permits
sion to run "a shell game on the beach,
but they were very promptly informed
that he would as soon have any other
form of robbery going on as that. They
wer.S"iriven off, but their cheeky re-
quest indicated that there were crooks
lowering about. In the evening, when
the rush was greatest for the boats and
trains, there were Il number of pockets
touched, and it was evident that the
light fingered fellows were working.
Yesterday morning about a o'clock
several guests of the hotel were sleep
ing on cots on the upper veranda,
when one of them noticed a mar com-
ing out of the window of n of the
rooms. He awoke one Of his compan-
ions, and asked him about it, the latter
being more familiar with the house and
its habits. The information was given
that it was the window of Mr.. Charles
Harmon's room, he being one of the
proprietors of the hotel. 1t being evil
dent that something was wrong, the
alarm was given, but by this time the
fellow had slipped around the house and
down the back stairs. One of the
domestics in returning from an out
house saw the fellow running down the
hnol. Stai,S nnl intn thn ,rnnlc uhnrn
he was soon lost sight Of. 1t seems that
he had gained an entrance into Mr..
Harmon's room through the window,
which was only protected by netting.
Mr.. Harmon S pantaloons lay at the foot
of the bed, and the fellow picking these
up made his exit, searching the pockets
as he run along the veranda, and secur-
ing a watch and about $450 in money.
He dropped the pantaloons after thus
helping himself.
1t was also discovered that two of the
guests chambers had been entered.
The sleeping inmates lost small amounts.
but Mr.. Harmon's loss was the only
large one.
Frank Levine, the cirgar man, had
his pocketbOok taken while in the
crowd getting On the motor train. He
was satisfied by the way they were rush
iuS dIlu pushing IndU III WIS SURROUNDED
by ~pickpockets, and so clung to his
pocketbook, as he had no cash in it.
They took it just the same, and it con-
what was as good to him as cash, there
being two checks, n of $50, signed by
Chris Straub, and payable to Jans Jen-
sen, by whom it had been Endorsed on
the back. The other check was for
$7.65, signed by the Council Bluffs Gas
company, and payable to j. Nord, Oh
bearer. Any one to whom these checks
are offered should report promptly in
order to help the authorities get track
of the thieves.
John Scanlan, of Upper Broadway, was
ais "A victim. The crowd at the motor
was so great that there was danger O.
women and children being seriously
hurt. One little fellow was jammed in
against the corner of a car in such 6
manner that Mr.. Seaman saw he wa.
going to get hurt. The little fellow
and the woman who was with him, were
crying for help, and Mr.. Seaman brac
ing himself, pushed his broad shoulder,
back, relieving them from the awful
pressure and thus saving them from be
ing jammed further. When he got GU
of the unpleasant squeeze he discovered
that his gold watch had been taken. HI
had looked at it a few moments before
so he is quite certain it was taken a
that time.
Some one without the fear of prohi
bition before his eyes set up a tent near
the hotel on Sunday and began selling
drinks with boldness and less neatnes
than dispatch. He must have reapet
quite a harvest, for there were neve.
before seen so many drunken fellow
about the lake. On the other side O
| the lake there is said to be an oppor
tunity given for drinking, aud unles
prompt steps are taken to suppress
these places, the lake will fast get al
~unenviable reputation. Such places
run by irresponsible persons, VIII
naturally want to make all the none,
they can, to recompense them for TIN
recklessness with which they defy tn,
law, gather about them a gang who will
drive respectable people away. Thu
care shown thus far to keep the lax,
and its resorts decently and in order
and make it a pleasant place for re
spectacle citizens and their families
will lead those interested to at ono
force these fellows to seek other quar-
tiers.