Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1894-05-18
GRAND LARCENY Case
B. F. Bixby and Son Fred Arrested
On Complaint of e. s. Boards
ley For Theft.
Charged With Being Concerned In
Abstracting $500 From the
Western House Safe.

Western House Safe.
Both Men Bound Over to District
Court In $500 Bail-other
Local News.
From Saturdays Daily.]
Bixbvs Arrested.
B. F. Bixby and son Fred were arrest
ed late yesterday afternoon by Sheriff
Donnelly, upon complaint Of E. s. Beard
sley, on a charge of grand larceny. The
charge upon which the arrests were
made is that Of the theft of s47O from
the safe in the Office at the Western
house some weeks ago. Search war
rants had been gotten out prior to the
arrest, and when it was made, the room
occupied by the two in the Dakota block
was searched, but the search was with
out result, for no part Of the missing
money was found.
The hearing Of the two men was held
before Justice Tibbils last evening. The
hearing of the testimony consumed some
time, and at it's close, the men were
bound over to the district court, in bonds
of $500 each, in default of which they
were committed to jail.
The crime, for the alleged commission
OF which the arrests we're made was
committed some time in the early
morning of Sunday, April 18th. Some
time prior to this date, Henry Here, who
was employed at the Western, received
from the "old country" a draft for $512,
left him by some relative. The draft,
or check, was left in the hotel safe for
several days, and was afterward cashed,
and Here took about $40 Of the amount,
leaving $40 in small bills in charge Of
the hotel proprietor, until he should call
for it. The money was put in an envel-
ope, and placed in the money drawer of
an old fashioned, key safe, where it re-
manned for several days-or until Sun
day morning, when, in the Irishman's
p%arlance, lit turned up missing" An
investigation of the safe showed that it
had been unlocked, and, strange to say,
the thieves had not touched about $40
in bills which lay on top of the envelope
containing Here's money, belonging to
the house. This was n suspicious cir
cumstance: Another was the way the
thief or thieves had effected an entrance
in the Office, and into the safe. The
ability of the marauders to do this so
neatly lent a suspicion that the theft had
been performed by some one who knew
or the presence Of the money in the draw:
or, and who possessed knowledge of how
to get at it, by means of the key to the
safe, which was always kept in another
money drawer, ear by. Briefly, it
looked as though the robbery had been
committed by some one pretty familiar
with the Office, and it's surroundings.
Bixby was night clerk at the time the
crime was committed, and although
some suspicion rested on him, nothing
was done in the way of an arrest at the
time. About a week after the robbery,
be was dismissed from his position for
intoxication, and since that time he has
been watched. And he is said to have
spent money pretty freely, where, prior
to his leaving the hotel, he was not
known to possess beyonda dollar or SO
at a time. Night before last, the
younger Bixby lost $40 at poker, and
this led to his arrest, as he, likewise, has
had no money during the winter, and
was not known to have any income. It
was also proven at the hearing that the
two had rented a room, and paid rent in
advance for it, and were rather flush of
money. Bixby had two fve-dollar bills
on him when arrested.
Hayden, the barber who has a shop at
the Western, testified that Bixby told
him a day or SO prior to the robbery,
that the money in question was in the
safe, and that he (Bixby) wished it was
his, as it "would do him more good than
that Russian, referring to Here. These,
with the facts above stated, we're about
the principal parts Of the testimony
brought out by the prosecution. Bixby,
senior, testified that he knew nothing
of the money having been in the safe.
When asked to explain where the two
had gotten the money, which it had
been proven he and his son had, ad.
mitted the possession Of $50 when he left
the hotel, but would not explain where
he got it. The case will be tried in dis.
trict court which convenes next week.
Coroner's Jury Finds Verdict.
The coroner's jury in the Kent case at
Mandan held another meeting yesterday
and found that in their opinion Mrs
Kent came to her death at the hands o.
S%udienski, the hired man, but whether &C
%cidentally or intentionally the jury could
not say. This ends Sudienski's relations
with this jury, but States Attorney Vosi
has now taken the matter in hand, and