Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1889-10-02
4 PRETTY HORSE THIEF.


Eta Robinson, . West Virginia Girl, Ar
rested for Her Frcak.
A Petersburg. West Vireinia, special
says: There is now in progress here q trial,
begun yesterday, OF q 17-year-old girl,
named Eta Robinson, whose life has for
the past six months been full Of sensations.
The charge against her is horse stealing,
and the circumstances attending the com
mitt:ng OF the crime are very romantic.
Six months g 0 Eta was visiting her
brother who resides in the adjoining county
OF Putnam, and is engaged as q farm hand
by Thomas Handley, a wealthy real estate
owner. One morning Eta was missing.
and also a fine horse belonging to Nathan
Mccoy. After q search OF some days
throughout the neighborhood, including
some of the toughest OF West Virginia's
hills and thicket r~avines, the horse wal
found in the girls possession near the Ohio
river.
While her pursuers were debating what
To do with her, Eta dashed into the Ohio
still on horseback, and endeavored to
swim across She vas captured and, while
being F6GuFueu w I6Hs tOiu uOW BIO AuO
rode fifty miles alone through q strange
country after night. She was placed in
Jail but broke out and returned to her
brother, when Mccoy, from whom she had
stolen the horse, took pity on her youth
and refused to prosecute her.
A short time after q horse belonging to o
farmer named Smith was missing, Just at
the time when the low country in the Kan
awaha valley was all flooded. The horse
was traced to the edge OF the waters aud
later found on the other side. The next
day both Eta and the horse we're found In
a hollow. The girl had swan the stream,
q mile wide, on horseback. She slept out
at night, living on what she could steal.
For the second time her youth protected
her and she was not prosecuted. o
SIX weeks later she stole q horse from
Louis Lesley. She was pursued across the
Ohio, captured and brought back to the
Putnam county jail. She was confined
there several weeks, in which time her win
ming ways gained her an entrance into the
confidence of the jailer who allowed her
many privileges. Two weeks ago he awoke
to find the fair maid had gone, having
c~leverly made her escape by cutting through
an old wall. 1t vas afterwards found that
she had stolen q suit OF clothes. and, taking
the stable key, had stolen a fine horse,
UcupOFdTHy III 0uc JdiicT PROGRESSIVELY duu
fled the country. For ten days ALI Burnett,
the detective, and a posse secured tbs
country in vain. She was finally captured
with the horse still in her possession near
her old home.
During her escapades she had lived on
berries, corn OF anything she could find and
alone wandered through the most danger
GUS territory.
This young adventures does not steal
from any other motive than simply the
love of excitement and adventure. Her
face CLOVIS with youth and apparent limo
cence, aud her every look and action deny
that her peculiar conduct is from evil mo-
tiyes. Physically she is beautiful; always
full of life and a general ~favorite. Her edu-
cation and tanners have not been neglect.
ed. Neither is she other than neat and
comely in her attire. Her youth, beauty
and general excellence in many ways have
created q vast deal of sympathy in her ia
vor and some Of the most prominent citi-
zens of Putnam county are interesting
themselves in securing her release. The
trial willprobably last a week.