Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-12-01
A COAT THIEF CAUGHT.
A Kansas Scamp Operates in Rock
Island.
VIM. Henry Harper and His Many
Fraudulent Transactfons---Hi Ar
rest---Other Evil Doors,


On the morning of Thanksgiving day,
there registered at the Harper, William
Henry Harper, of Richland. Kan. After
breakfast he left the hotel and did not |
return during the day, or until last even
ing, when he entered the hall, walked |
rapidly about a few minutes and then de-
parted. He left a reasonably nice over
coat, which Chief Clerk Willerton seized |
upon for the board of the stranger, who
had attempted to beat bis breakfast bill. |
Thursday noon he dined on turkey at the
Taylor house, and after he had Toasted to
his hearts and stomach's content,
he took his leave, and with him
went an overcoat belonging 10 Charles
Arnold. 1t is supposed that he
spent the remainder of the day in
Moline, for he did not show up IN Rock
Island again until last evening. when Mr..
Arnold was up town with a friend and he
o bserved stranger. with one oyercoat
on and another one over his arm and
carrying satchel, enter a drug store. A
close scrutiny satisfied Arnold that the
coat the man carried was his stolen gar
ment. Leaving his friend to watch the
stranger, Arnold hurried to the police
station and got there just as the night
patrol was going upon duty. Officers
Long and Schaab accompanied him back
to the drug store, where they took the
stranger, who proved TO be none other
than VIM Henry Harper, in charge, and
started with him for the station. When
they reached the corner of Sixteenth
street and Third avenue, Harper flung
the overcoat in the face of Officer Long
and the satchel in Schaabs face and flew
down Third avenue. The officers pur-
sued the fugitive and overhauled him a
block below, and landed him behind the
bars. The overcoat was turne d over to
its owner and an investigation of the
contents of the grip found it to contain
3 pair of new overshoes, some new UNDER
clothes and a number of papers, books,
etc.
This morning more of the fellows
criminal transactions were revealed by
the recovery by Sheriff Silvis of an over.
coat that had been stolen from the sher-
ifs Office in the Jail building on the after,
noon of Thanksgiving day. The coat hat
been given by 8 man-and his identity
and that of, Harper have since been estab
lished-in payment for board at the Isl,
and City hotel. In looking through tn,
pockets of the coat, the proprietor, Mr.
Job Ross, Ediscovered letter addressed
to Mr. Silvis, and upon investigation
found that the coat had been stolen.
But this does not end the tale of thi
high toned villains rascality. On Thurs
day evening a stranger whose description
answers that of Harper, had driver Of
one of the cars on the Moline s Rocl
Island line stop his car in front of tn
Belmont restaurant ii Moline, while thu
stranger lugged chest of carpenter
tools from the hallway near by to the ca
and brought them to Rock Island. Th
chest and contents, it is learned, belonge
to a man named James Howard, but wins
disposition the rascal made of them
not yet known.
But there is more. Last evening sbou
o'clock handsome overcoat was stole
from in front of q clothing house on tn
busiest thoroughfare of Moline. No on
saw the thief, but the one that Harpe
had on when arrested last night answer
the description of the one stolen in Mo
line.
A stranger stole several bundles
linen from the c. o. D. laundry WACO
while the driver was delivering packae
on Moline avenue yesterday Afternoon
but the driver starting in pursuit, tt
thief released the packages and fed.
This morning Harper was taken tefol
Magistrate Bennett. He gave his nan
as Harper, but lost as he was to all sen
of honor and with the penitcntiary sta
log him in the face, he did not wish
recorded that he came from Kansas,
he put down his place of residence
Menominee, Wis. He was held in 81
bonds to await the action of the Janua
circuit court, and sent to jail in defau
To Sheriff Silvis he made confession
his crime, and said that he had sold Il
tools spoken of above at a Second aven
store in this city, but so far the sher
has been unable to find them.
From description the morning
walked away with Sheriff Sivis' col
which was the oldest and most worn
three that hung together on the rs
the fellow has as much gall and audsc
as he has villsinous instincts He v
= standing behind the railing looking o,
the sheriff's shoulder, when Turnl
n Ship Silvis entered. and being confron
J by the stranger, asked him his busine
He asked for the sheriff. and being /
that he was not about, the stranger s
he would call again, and walked out W
the overcoat over bis arm.
POLICE POINTS.
Marshal Brennan and Officer Cary
rested gsng of drunken rowdies
tramps, seven in all, in the upper R
Island yards last evening. This morn
o" Thea were all arraigned before Ma!
trate Bennett. John Kelly and
Mclean, of New York city, were e
sent up for fifteen days James Gibs
of La Sale, ten days; John Eagan