Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1893-08-29

Dell Potter Arrested BY Deputy sher.
in Baca.

money was in the money drawer where
only a small amount Of change is left
ouer night. An entrance wa effected
by a side door which opens from a
stairway between the stores Of H ID. Gil
bert & %. and J. j. McEwen. This
door was locked and the catch was push
cd down 30 that the door could not be
opened without forcing IL after Il had
been unlocked.
Until a short time since this door had
been simply locked at night, but as the
lock on the door is nothing but a cheap
one which could be unlocked without
trouble, some enterprising fellow had
unlocked il and taken two OF three dol
lars in change from the drawer one night
recently. McEwen missed the change IN
the morning and noticed that the thief
had left the door open when he went out.
Mr.. McEwen said nothing about his loss
at the time but after hat he took the
precaution TO secure the catch also. Last
Wednesday morning the door was secur-
ed In this manner After It had been
unlocked the burglar found that it
would not open and used q chisel TO
force the catch back.
The burglar made q noise while in the
store which attracted the attention Of
Or. Wood, who occupies rooms over Gill
bert's store and who was not asleep at
the time, and he went to a window in
the rear Of the building and listened
for further developments. Hearing no
more noise, he concluded to go to bed
and was pulling off his coat when he
heard another noise and he went to the
door opening to the stairway. just as
he opened the door he saw a man COM
ing out OF the door from the store and a
dark lantern was turned full in his face.
The doctor fred his pistol at the man
but missed his mark. The ball struck
the door casing and went through a bar
rel which was standing in front Of the
store. AS soon as be had fred the shot
he ran to the window in front Of the
building and looked out but could see no
one. The shot attracted the attention
of Deputy Sheriff Baca and others who
started IN pursuit Of the burglar. Some
Cinnamon we're still up in the Chinese
quarter and inquiry developed the fact
that a man had just passed by on the
run.
The chisel which the burglar had left
behind had on it the name Of D. Potter
ond this clue was made use Of IN the
pursuit. The officers went direct to his
house but he had not yet arrived. Two
men waited on one side OF the house and
one on the other and in a short time Mr..
Potter made his appearance. He was
Immediately sliced and taken into the
house where he attempted to get out Of
his pocket and conceal some money but
Deputy Sheriff Baca saw what he was
doing and got a Mexican dollar and
some nickels.
Search warrants we're sworn out and
the house was searched but only a few
articles were found which would tend to
throw suspicion on MI. Potter. He did
not attept to deny that he owned the
chisel which was found in front OF Gil
bert's store and on which his name ap-
peared, but he claimed that the chisel
had been lost for a long time. Drills
we're found in the house which exactly
fitted the holes which were drilled in
Steve Ublie's safe when it was burglar
lied some time time ago, but as drills OF
this kind are made in regular sizes that
fact proved nothing more than that the
holes might have been drilled with
those drills. The possession of drills OF
that kind, however, by a man who is not
employed in working metal tends to in
crease the suspicion already aroused,
The articles which we're found in the
house and which the officers concluded
might have been stolen were not OF much
value, but it is thought hat a consider
able quantity of stolen goods might have
been concealed in some other place.
The officers think that Potter had an
accomplice and strength is lent to this
theory on account Of the fact that Mrs.
Wood, on the night OF the robbery Of
McEwen's store, saw a man climb over
the back fence about the time that the
man emerged from the door into the
hallway between the two stores. Be
sides this, the two hams which were
taken from the store we're o carried
out by the man with the dark lantern
when he was observed by DR.. Wood.
The evidence against Potter is oircum-
stantial but il is too strong to be dis
missed as Of no Importance. He has
been in town for months but no one has
seen him on the streets In the day time,
He excuses this by saying that he has
had rheumatism and that OF late bis
wife has been sick, but he was not seen
by persons who have visited her at the
house.- This fact lends color TO the
theory that he was ~ooncealing himself in
town audit is believed by many that he
has been concerned i~n.all!of the robberies
which have been committed in town
recently.
Potter is we'll known in this part Of
New Mexico and in southeastern Arizo-
ma, having been a deputy sheriff Of this
County at one time and a deputy United
States marshal under the late republi-
can marshal Of the Territory. He was
strongly suspected Of a robbery at Gift
ton last year but succeeded in getting
out Of the scrape on account OF the fact
that the complainant was a woman of
alleged questionable reputation.