The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-10-18
TWO CALIFORNIA THIEVES.
The Mysterious Career of the Escaped Con-
victs Thorne and Shinn in Chicago.

The Mysterious Career Of the Escaped Con-
victs Thorne and Shinn in Chicago.
Especial to TIE HERALD-Examiner Dispateh.1
CHICAGO, Oct. 17.-Great interest has
been aroused in Chicago as to just what the
two celebrated California bandits arrested
in this city have been doing here and how
they managed to conceal their identity.
There is much mystery as to the move
ments Of the men since they have been in
Chicagos 1t is known for certain, how
ever, that Thorne has done considerable
work cleaning carpets in various west side
residences. During the past two years
burglaries. many of them netting the rob
bers big booty, have been committed, and
the efforts of the police to discover the per-
petrators of the crimes have been in every
case unsuccessful. 1t is now thought that
Thorne used the business of carpet cleaning
as mere blind to get the "lay" OF the
interior of residences for a midnight visit.
This theory is advanced by several of the
detectives in this city, and Thorne's method
of doing the work gives some credence to
their belief. Thorne always insisted on
doing the work in the house: he wouldn't
allow a carpet to. be taken up, saying the
work could be well done without it.
To the residents of the neighborhood in
which Thorne was arrested he was some
what familiar figure. At 2S9 South May
street, the number given as the location OF
the carpet cleaning establishment of Lee 81
Burton, with which Thorne was ostensibly
connected, no firm of that name is known.
An elderly lady arrived here early last
spring from Fop du Lac, Wis, having with
her two nieces They took rooms at 2S9
South May street. One of the nieces gave
her name as Mrs. Lee. A few days later a
man answering in every particular the de-
scription of Thorne, appeared. Mrs. Lee
told the neighbors ne was her brother in
law. He began paying attention to Mrs.
Lees young sister, the disparity in their
ages being the subject of comment. After
several visits 'sMr. Lee' disappeared and
was gone several weeks. After time ne
again returned to his courtship and an offer
| of work TO clean some carpets was refused
| by him for some reason. A few weeks
ago. the party removed to another portion
of the city which is as vet unknown.
Thrne, according to those who knew him
did scarcely enough work to keep him in
pocket money, yet he always seemed &c
| have plenty. While not a frequenter OF
| saloons he was not entirely unknown tC
| the gambling fraternity of the west side
! Regarding his absence from the city he
never spoke and it was supposed he was IL
the habit of following the races.
Captain ]. B. Hume, the California
officer who effected the capture of the two
desperadoes, was asked what the two, par
ticularly Shinn, had been doing since they
escaped from San Quentin. Captain Hume
replied: They say they have been lead
ing honest lives, but we know that is no
true If there is a cessation of the stage
robberies and train robberies in the noun
tains after they have been safely lodged
behind the bars at San Quentin, we vii
know pretty well what they have beef
doing since they escaped"
Hume would not tell where he got tn
clew that led him to his search in Chicag
for the noted desperadoes.