The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-03-28
CRONKHITE is CAPTURED.
Ascending Treasurer of Warren
County in the Tolls.

The defaulting treasurer of Warren
county has been arrested. The fact was
announced Saturday by a telegram re-
ceived at the governors office from the
sheriff Of Fountain county, who has
been engaged upon the case for several
months.
IT will be remembered that early in
January, 1898, Augustus Cronkhite, treas
urer OF Warren county, absconded. An
investigation of his accounts disclosed
the fact that he was short in the sum
of $65,0O0. A suit was Immediately be-
gun by the board of county commission
ers against his bondsmen and the mat
ter was referred to the grand jury OF
Warren county, which returned an in
dictment against Cronkhite during the
March term for embeZzement
Since that time the authorities of War
rem county have made every effort to
capture Cronkhite, but he has proved too
cunning for them. Three times he was
located, but each time when an officer
went for the man he had skipped out
and the officer was compelled TO return
without a clue to his whereabouts. 1t
seems that Cronlxhite's wife was the
means Of assisting his escape. She re-
manned in WilliamspOrt and kept IN
formed Of the action Of the authorities
and by writing to a friend in Chicago was
enabled to notify her husband when 10
make himself scarce at a particular
point.
The authorities Of Warren county were
a long time learning how Cronkhite man
aged to escape just in the nick Of time.
They located him once in Nebraska and
secured a requsition from Governor
Matthews for his return, but when they
sent an officer for him he had gone, no
one knew where. Again he was known
TO be in a town in Michigan and later
in Chicago, but he was gone before the
authorities could reach him. Finally
his wife was suspected and Ambrose
Moore, sheriff of Fountain county. was
secretly employed upon the case and it
was given out in Warren county that
the case had been dropped. Moore had
a wide reputation as a successful theft
taker and the people Of Warren county
had great confidence In his ability He
came to Williamsport and having OBJ
tanned authority from the postmaster
general, examined the mail of Mrs.
Cronkhite and found that she used a
special color of ink in writing to the mid
dleman in Chicago. After awhile he
went 10 Chicago and discovered, by
keeping track of the correspondence Of
this Chicago friend, that Cronkhite was
being communicated with under an as
sumed name. He was located in Los
Angeles, Cal, and Moore Immediately
cured the fourth reQuiSitiOn that had
been issued for his man and left for the
West. Arriving at Los Angeles he made
arrangements with the postoffice depart
ment there, with the authority of the
postmaster-ge general, that he should wait
in the pOstofiice until Cronkhite should
call for mail and then arrest him. While
in Chicago he learned that the Chicago
friend used a violet ink in addressing all
letters to CrOnkhite. This was supposed
to mean that all was going we'll and the
fact that the last letter seen by Moore
while in Chicago was written in the
same ink was taken as evidence that
his knowledge of the case was unknown
to the wife and friends of Cronkhite.
Moore was in Indianapolis on March
9 and left the same night for Los An
geleS. He must have had a long wait
for his man, but his efforts were reward
ed with success, for yesterday Myron
King, private secretary of the governor,
received the following telegram, dated
at Los Angeles, from Ambrose Moore:
Arrested Cronkhite this morning."
The arrest was made without the Gus
tomary warrant from the governor OF
the state in which the arrest was made
it being feared that Cronkhite would get
wind of the fact that an officer was after
him and would escape This will neces-
state a trip by Moore to Sacramento be-
fore he can bring his prisoner back to
this state.
CrOnkhite was first elected treasur-
err of Warren county i'm November, 1883,
and took his office the following August
He was reelected in November, 1890.
and had served nearly a year and a half
of his second term when he realized that
his shortcomings would soon be found
out and left for parts unknown. II is
supposed that during his first term his
Office was properly conducted and that
every cent of the county's money was
accounted for During the first year Of
the second term he began specializing in
a small way in the Chicago markets and
before he was aware of 1t had almost de-
pleted the county treasury. Cronkhite
WAS elected on the republican ticket