The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1888-08-02
SUNDAY NEWS
Two Young Horse Thieves Boldly
Take the City of Chicago
By Storm.
The Indian Chiefs Say They Will
Not Sign the Proposed
Treaty.

CHICAGO, July 29.-The police have sue
ceeded in capturing 16.year- old roSber,
with achievements in horse stealing I'M
paralleled in this part of the country.
His name is given as Edward Brown, and
he claims to have come from Kendall
county, Texas. About June 6 he came in
with carload of Texas ponies, and when
his friends had sold their stock and re-
turned home, he formed the acquaintance
of Chas. Crane, aged 10 years, also haiIing
from Texas. Brown soon proposed that
they go into the horse stealing business
on large scale, being convinced that 1t
would be verv profitable. A business
partnership was formed between the two
Texans and barn rented in the west side
of the city that would hold about
twenty horses. Nightly forages were
begun and were successful. The boys
hired five men as grooms, bought hay by
the ton and oats by the carload. In less
than twenty-four hours after they started
in business they had stolen FIVE horses and
sold three of them for liberal price. The
boldness of their plans was remarkable.
They would hitch two stolen horses to
stolen carriage and drive along Michigan
avenue until they saw team that suited
@
ship for them for they would follow it
home and in all probability secure it that
night. Every few days the two Texans
would go cut into the suburbs to look for
good horses. They stole them from Hyde
Park, Grand Crossing, South Chicago,
Engewood and other suburbs west and
south. Their stable became full of valu-
able horses, and citizens began to fire.
10 EolI no
of buying stock. The business
prospered, and the whilom cow
boys blossomed out in radiant
raiment. All this time complaints were
coming in to the police thick and fast, but
they could not find the thieves. July u,
however, was fatal day for the adven-
turers. They stole horse and buggy from
a North side citizen and drove to black
smith shop near by to have some slight
repairs made. While waiting one of them
stole the blacksmiths watch and was soon
accused of the theft. Both drew revolvers
and compelled the blacksmith 10 apologize
for the charge. As soon as the boys had
left the smith complained at the Lake
View police station, giving good de-
scrlption of the bandits. detective was
detailed on the case. He was about to
give up the search IN the early part OF
last week, when he saw the boys driving
west on Washington boule-
ard. He secured horse,
followed them to their barn and Swallowed
the place for three or four days, as he
could not believe they could have been
guilty of such gigantic scheme of horse
stealing as was before his eyes. Crane
became suspicious of the espionage and
fled, but Brown was arrested. On his per
son was found $500 in cash. Twenty
horses and eighteen stolen vehicles have
already been turned up and more are
coming in every day. The horses are
uniformly fine, and the vehicles range
from a dogcart to a four-in-hand. Brown
confessed everything to Captain Villiers.
The stolen property is being restored to
the proper owners as fast as it can be Sc
cured and identified.