The record-union., 1893-07-04
KRIPP'S CAPTURE.
The Officer Lands the Knight Of the
Jimmy.
Fred Blrdsall His Latest Victim-Most
of the Stolen Plunder Found
on the Prisoner.


the plunder he had secured was found
upon his person, together with pistol
and the Jimmy" which he has used so
effectively in forcing windows open.
The man gave the name OF August
Wilde. He is a harmless looking Ger
man, and says he is new hand at the
business.
According to his adroit operations, how
ever, and his skillful mode of entering
and ransacking houses, he has either had
considerable experience or else he has
natural qualifications for thievery pos
sessed by few criminals or professional
burglars.
Although he acknowledges entering
only the houses from which the articles
found in his possession were taken, he is
believed by the officers to have entered
in the past twenty days no less than
dozen or fifteen houses, escaping in each
instance without being detected or meet
ing with mishap.
Nearly all of the police force have been
on the watch for the smooth and active
burglar, and number of suspects have
been shadowed without success, while he
continued his operations unscared.
serve credit therefor.
He commenced operations about June
Goth, as various houses in the vicinity of
Twentieth and j were entered about that
time, some of them on two successive
nights. Each time he was disturbed in
his work and escaped without securing
any booty.
AN INDUSTRIOUS FELLOW.
About l o'clock A. NJ, on June Goth, he
of rC M
Prentice, at l40l l. street, ransacked the
house and secured 81 in coin, a silver
watch with gold chain and valuable
seal, dined sumptuously on some berries
and milk, and then took his departure.
he entered the room where Charles
Prentice was asleep and rifed the pock-
cts of his clothing, broke open desk in
the library and searched other portions
of the house without arousing the in
mates. Marks of his jimmy were found
on nearly every window of the house,
but where he effected entrance was not
discovered.
On June 30th, at about the same hour,
Il A. NJ Rev. ID. w. Conry's residence,
at 6l2 0 street, was entered and some
money and small articles were taken.
About the same time the residence of
W. u. A. Miller, at Second and p streets,
August HeilbrOn, at 704 0 street, and
John Z. Fenton, at l4l4 Tenth street,
were successively entered and money and
jewelry were gathered in by the thief.
Since then several other burglarieS have
been reported, ana the marks left in each
case seemed to be about the same, the
work being done with a jimmy and en-
trance effected by rear doors or win
dows.
Wilde was unusually bold in his work,
and did not hesitate to enter rooms which
he knew to be occupied, and nearly al
ways continued this work until some one
was aroused, and then he was not par
ucularly hasty in getting away.
HIS LATEST JOB.
About 4 o'clock yesterday morning
Frederick BirdsalPs residence at Ninth
and IL streets was entered by Wilde, who
secured about the richest haul of booty he
had made, and then only decamped when
Mr.. Birdsall was aroused and got up to
light the gas.
The burglar was standing within two
feet Of Mr.. Birdsall, in an alcove of his
room, when he passed by him to light the
gas, and then tine fellow slipped out and
made mis- escape with $40 in coin, a valu-
able gold watch and chain, and various
small articles OF iewelry. These were all
found in Wilde's possession, and We're
identified by Mr.. Birdsall after the burg
lar was arrested yesterday morning.
BY some means Officer hripp obtained
clue to the proper description OF Wilde,
although no two of his victims described
him alike.
Yesterday morning Kripp thought he
recognized his man in a saloon on X
street, near the Capital Hotel, and being
quite confident of his man he took him in
charge. Wilde started out readily with
Kripp, but when he got to Sixth street he
broke and ran toward j, proving himself
lively sprinter.
Kripp happened to be without a weap-
on, but he determined not to be fooled
and gave chase to such effect that he
overlook his man, who turned and
showed fight.
Kripp succeeded in throwing him
down, and Officer Goods, with the patrol
wagon, went to his assistance, and the
prisoner was taken to the City Jail.
SOME OF HIS PLUMBER.
When searched he proved to be big
bonanza, and yielded up the following
list of articles:
A steel jimmy, small pistol, little more
than a toy; one silver watch, 81 In silver,
taken from the Prentice residence; one
gold watch, one napkin ring, one pair
sleeve buttons, one ribbon watch chain
one gold chain, one gold pencil, one
cOrkscrew, one compass charm one lot
of keys, SO in gold, taken from Bird
sails residence; one gold watch and
chain, one pair of sleeve buttons, one
lady's pin, one diamond ring, one knife.
Several of these articles We're taken from
HelbrOn's residence.
Besides the collection recovered Wilde
is supposed to have disposed of large
quantity of his booty, or it may be in the
possession of a confederate.
When questioned he acknowledged
the burglaries of the houses from which
the articles identified were taken, but
denied entering other houses which he
doubtless did enter.
In appearance he is a shabbily dressed.
short, stout, ight-complexio ioned German,
who looks innocent enough. and speaks
brokenly. He says he is lately from the
East, and never did any crooked work
until he came here, and that he met a
man on the train who told him how to
rob houses.
HE HAD \ ''BARDNER."
When questioned closely by Chief
Rodgers later in the day Wilde pro-
tested that the only burglary he COM
mitted was that of the Birdsan residence.
He claimed that the other robberies, by
which the "swag'' found in his posses
sion was obtained, were committed by
his partner" a man named Willie He
said he had lately made the acquaintance
of the mysterious willie" and the latter
did all the work except the last job, the
Blrdsall robbery and the jewelry was
turned over 10 him to dispose of. Wilde
had tried to pawn one of the watches
of which Kripp learned, and following
the clew arrested him. He says both he
and his partner expected to leave town
last night, as they had money enough to
get of with.
Wilde furnished an accurate descrip-
ton of his active partner to Chief
Rodgers, who fears, however, that
"Willie'' has got out of town.
RODGERS believes that Wilde's story