The herald., 1897-12-10
Contractor AccuSedOfROb.
bing Himself
TO DEFRAUD HIS CREDITORS
THEODORE LUTGE ARRESTED
ON THIS CHARGE
And in Default Of Bail Goes to Jail.
Says That He Was Robbed Of
$4,000 Wednesday Night

Theodore Lutge, building contractor
living at zoos East First street. was ar
rested yesterday afternoon on a warrant
charging him with misdemeanor. The
complaint was sworn out by George e.
Specht, cornicemaker living at 283
East Main street. Lutge was arraigned
before Justice Young and his bond
placed at $4,000, in default Of which he
was confined in the county Jail.
The specific crime alleged against
Lutge Is that he robbed his own house
Wednesday night, taking tin box con-
taining $4,000, for the purpose Of defraud-
ing his creditors.
Lutge had the contract for building
the new Long Beach high school and
completed the Job only q few days ago.
Wednesday he received $1,000 in final
settlement Of the contract. During the
course of construction of the building
he had run up large bills with several
firms in this city for materials. One Of
these, due the Willamette Lumber COM
pany, amounting to $780, he paid on
Wednesday afternoon. lie also called
upon George e. Specht and presented
check drawn on the Farmers and Mer-
chants bank for $1,000 In payment for
cornice work. He asked that the check
be not presented until the next morning.
as he would not have the money on de-
posit before that time.
Yesterday morning the police were no.
titled by Lutge that he had been robbed
during the night by burglar, who
had secured a box containing $4,000,
which he had received from the school
contract. He stated that the money had
been left on a bureau In his sleeping
room about fifteen feet away from his
bed and that he had not been awakened
when it was taken away. The robber
had obtained entrance to the house by
means Of rear porch. A hole had been
cut in a screen door large enough to ad-
NIT q hand and the latch had been re-
moved from the hook. A pantry win-
dow had then been raised. which gave
entry into the living rooms.
Detectives Bradish, Auble and Steele
| were detailed to investigate the robbry.
| In examining the screen which had been
cut they found the ragged edges of the
wire turned out instead Of in, which in
dicated that the hole had been cut from
within. This convinced them that the
robbery story was a put-up job. and
after investigating further they re-
turned and reported that they did not
take much stock In the tale which Lutge
told Of burglars making away with the
money.
| There are q number of other large
creditors In the city who furnished
Lutge materials used In the construc-
ton of the Long Beach high school, who
expected to receive their money when
the contractor made his final settlement
with the school board. Probably the
largest creditor besides Specht is the w.
c. Furrey company. AS soon as re-
port of the alleged burglary was circu-
lated the opinion was expressed that the
story was invented by Lutge to avoid
paying his debts.
| George E. Specht considered the evi-
dence of Lutge's guilt strong enough to
warrant him in swearing out a warrant
for the contractors arrest, and the doc
ument was issued from Justice Young's
court late yesterday afternoon.
| The warrant was served by Deputy
Constable De la Monte, who arrested
Lutge at his home. The prisoner was
taken at once before Justice Young and
arraigned. Bail was fixed at $4,000, and
although he made an effort to find
bondsmen he was unable to do 80 and
spent the night in JAIL
| Yesterday afternoon Lutge stated that
he had saved 5000 out of the money
which he had received in settlement Of
the contract by placing that amount in
the pocket Of his trousers at the head OF
the bed and which the burglar did not
disturb. He said that he had not de-
posted the money in the bank because
he had been told that if he did so it
would be attached by firm to whom he
owed 5000.