The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-03-30
HE'S THE BOSS BURGLAR
Fighting SteYJ" Has Fourth Glass
Reputation and Some Stolen Stuff.
HOW HE MANAGED THINGS
BY Hook. Crook and Devlltry the
Old inne Butte Hustler HAS
Evaded Work and Kept
Out OF the Pen.

BUTTE, March c9.-"Fighting Steve"
Simpson. tho all-around crook, who ha2
been suspected 10y the police for several
years of being mixed up either directly or
indirectly in about all of the robberics of
the city, has been finally lodged in all
and the discovery was made this after
noon that his cabin has been used as a
regular storehouse for stolen goods of all
kinds.
Several days ago n kit of tools was
stolen from a shop in Upper Main street,
and the suspician that Simpson knew
something finally became a certainty.
This afternoon w. A. Sherlock had a
search warrant issued from Judge Mcsch's
court, and Constable COMBS made "A
highly satisfactory trip TO Fighting
Stcve's" cabin. The tools were found
without much difficulty and Simpson was
at once locked up on a charge OF petit
larceny. Other search warrants were
sworn out soon afterwards ut the in
stances of Gould Bros. and w. /. Lippin-
colt, and some more stolen property was
recovered. All of the stolen articles have
their owners name stamped on them,
furnishing n means of positive identified
sion.
While the constable was searching the
cabin for the articles described in the
search warrants he found a great guam
tty of other stuff that has undoubtedly
been stolen. The cellar was found TO be
nearly full of picks, drills, hammers,
shovels, axes, caps and giant powder
Some of the shovels and picks bore the
stamp of the water company and the rest
OF the siu1 has probably been stolen
from mines. A quantity of woman's
wearing apparel was also discovered in
the cellar and in a small loft above the
III f.tIfH fc
two of which had never been used were
also found. Altogether several hundred
dollars worth of stuff was found and
there will probably be n wholesale issu-
anco of additional search warrants to-
morrow. III owners are found for all of
the property simpson can be easily kept
in jail for the rest of his natural lise.
The officers are undecided as to whether
Simpson himself stole all of the stuff that
was found or whether he has been run
ming n fence, but 1t is believed that he has
been doing n great deal of business in
Butte. When the constable first visited
the cabin he found a murdcrous looking
billy between the mattresses of Simpsons
bed and he laid il away. intending to take
IL with him later on. When he returned
IL was gone, having probably been discov-
cred and carried away by one of Simp-
sons pals. The billy consisted of piece
of rubber hose filled with shot, with
handle of convenient length attached.
Simpson pleaded not guilty to the
charge of petit larceny and he will be
given q hearing before Judge Mesch at IL
clock tomorrow. Simpson has sus-
tanned very intimate relations with all of
the thieves and crooks who have visited
Butte during the past four or five years
and his cabin, in a little gulch north of
the Gacnon, has been n regular rem
dezvous for tough characters of all kinds.
He has frequently put the police i'm pos
session OF somo valuable Information
concerning crooks, but he was usually
careful TO give away only the smaller fry,
while nc pro ed the big thieves who no
doubt rewarded his consideration.
About two years ago Simpson put tho
police force onto two notorious thieves,
who had just arrived i'm Butte to carry out
n big robbery which they had already
planned in every detail. Large rewards
were hanging over the heads of both men.
one of whom had recently escaped from
the Colorado penitentiary. where he was
serving out 20-year term. Simpson gave
the fellows away on account of an old
grudge that he entertained against them
and they got onto the fact just in time to
get out of town and escape arrest. One
of them wrote Simpson a letter from Hell
ena the next day. in which he said he
would return TO Butte some time and cut
his heart out. Fighting Steve" has
been in constant fear ever since that he
would carry out his threats.