The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-12-17
AN IMPORTANT CAPTURE.
Charlie Gage, the Alleged Wheat Thief of
Sumner County, in JAN.

Last evening Constable Jim Williams of
this city arrested Charlie Gage and put
him behind the bars The arrest is an i'm
portant one and one that will make every
farmer in the counties of Sumner, Cowley
| and Harper rejoice.
During the past two or three weeks over
2,000 bushels of wheat have been stolen
from the farmers OF Sumner county, and
the officers down there have been con-
tinuously at their wits ends trying to
capture the thief.
A few days ago young man, apparent
ly not more than thirty years old. went
into Wellington and hired number of
teams to make an expedition into the
rural districts.
The teams drove out at night under the
personal charge of the young man, few
miles. and hating at a grain bin belonging
to farmer, had the wagon filed with
wheat aud returned TO Wellington, where
the grain was disposed of early next morn
ing When the farmer missed his wheat
next day he drove to Wellington and as
certained the above facts. Sheriff Morse
went to work on the case at once, and Sc
curing description of the thief set out on
his track. He traced him TO Wichita, and
in company with his deputy came up here
dav before yesterday. He searched the
city high and low, but could not find his
man. He furnished description
of him to Constable Williams,
and yesterday that officer went
to work on the case. He searched the
town from one end to the other and was
about ready to quit for the day when he
avenue. Charlie answered the description
and as he has been acting a little suspic-
ious lately Constable Williams concluded
he was the man and Immediately placed
him under arrest. That done he telephoned
the officers of Sumner county, and Deputy
Sheriff Frank Henderson came up last
night and identified Gage as the wheat
thief that has made many poor farmer in
Sumner county still poorer. Gage wont
talk since his arrest but Deputy Sheriff
Henderson is positive that he is the man.
Other circumstances in connection with
his mysterious disappearances from this
city go to prove the charges against him.
The modus operandi of the criminal
was to drive through the country and To-
cate well filled graaary and having it
thus located he would hire teams in town
to go out at night and cart as much of the
grain away as he desired. To allay the
suspicious of the teamsters be would tell
them plausible story such, for instance,
as saying that the wheat was his and that
as he owed some debts, it became necessary
to naul the wheat away at night TO avoid
the observations of creditors. Gage it
seems has been engaged with threshing
machine during the summer and, of
course, for that reason, locating well filed
granaries was an easy matter for him to
do. Recently he has made his home in
this city and it is said that he was one of
the best customers of livery
stable in this city, keeping a horse
and buggy constantly in his service and
sometimes keeping the outfit for two or
three days without bringing it back to
the stable.
The officers say that during the past
three weeks over two thousand bushels of
wheat have been stolen from Sumner
county farmers alone and that fully as
much has been stolen from the farmers of
Cowley and Harper counties. all, presum-
ably by the same man, as the methods
were the same in all cases where a theft of
that kind took place
Deputy Sheriff Henderson will take
Gage down to Wellington this morning
where he will be given a preliminary ex-
animation