People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1897-02-11
TWO THIEVES CAPTURED.
Deputy Sheriff Shaver Breaks Up an
Organized Gang of Thieves-More Ar
rests to Follow.

Deputy Sheriff Shaver Breaks Up an
Organized Gang of Thieves-More Ar
rests to Follow.
Daily Journal, 4th
Through the untiring efforts of
Deputy Sheriff c. c. Shaver, the
county has been ridden of one of the
best organized gang of thieves that
ever operated in Kansas. Ed and
JEFF HutsOn of Caldwell, and Neal
Smith. living in the Usage country 10
the Indian Territory, have been ar
rested and the Two Hutson boys are
now in the county Jail awaiting pre-
liminary trial, which occurs next
Wednesday morning at 10 o'clock be-
fore Judge Gilmore. Smith is under
arrest at Round Pond, and requisition
papers are out for him, but it seems
that the usual complications that
always arise whenever a thief is
wanted from the territory, have arisen
in this instance, and Smith will prob
ably be turned hose. He is a desper-
ate thief and the territory and state
will be better off when he is in the
penitentiary for a good term of
years.
Mr.. Shaver has been aware of the
existence of this band of thieves for
some time. He has waited patiently
for an opportunity to arrest some of
the gang and secure evidence that
would convict the entire lot. He
quietly gathered evidence and bided
his time. When Lige Priest was
brought up from Caldwell some time
ago charged with stealing hogs, Mr..
Shaver was satisfied that he be-
lOnged to this gang and he deter
mined to pump him for evidence
sufficient to warrant him in going
after all the suspects. Priest was
loyal to the gang and repeated efforts
to elicit information from him failed
until Mr.. Shaver, in the presence of
Priest and Uncle Billy COrzine and
Mart Rowan of Caldwell, announced
his Intention of arresting a certain
citizen Of Caldwell aud prevailing
upon him to turn states evidence.
Priest was afraid Of this member of
gang and he weakened and gave the
officers all the information they asked
for. As result the two HutsOn
boys and Neal Smith are under ar
rest aud warrants are out for about
dozen other persons in the county,
most of whom have gotten wind Of
the affair and left for parts unknown.
However, the whereabouts Of several
eff them are known to the officers and
more arrests are likely to follow.
There were about sixteen persons i'm
plicated by Priests confession, and
the officers are in possession Of
enough evidence tosatisfy themselves
of their guilt.
The story that Priest told to the
officers in his confession is substan-
italy this: About the first of NOvem-
Der, 1895, Ed HutsOn, JEFF HutSon and
Wood Smith came to his house in
Caldwell about o'clock and told him
that they had good jub on hand and
asked him, care YOU in it?" Priest
said he would 60 into it, and they
left his house. About II o'clock the
same night they returned with three
sets of harness and wanted Priest to
hide them. The harness were taken
to his barn and a barrel containing
kafiir corn was emptied and turned
upside down over the harness. Priest
asked them where they had secured
them and they replied that they had
been stolen from Pete Cramer, the
miller. A few nights after the theft
the harness were removed to the cellar
of a widow woman for safe keeping.
The city was supplying this woman
with provisions and she feared the
harness would be discovered when the
coal driver came with load of coal
that had been ordered, and the har-
ness were packed in a trunk and
hauled to the depot, being shipped TO
aecomplices in Fort Scott. The har-
ness were sold and Priest received
$3.50 as his share of the booty. Priest
gave other information which is not
to be made public at this time, impli-
eating several persons living in the
south part Of the county.
With the information given by
Priest, Officers Shaver and Heskett
went to work and succeeded in catch
ing Ed Hutson at Conway Springs,
and landed jeff HutsOn in Ell Dorado.
Neal Smith was arrested few days
ago at Round Pond, o. T., but it is
doubtful if the officers will succeed in
getting him into the state for trial.
The officers have overcome many OBJ
stacles 10 their efforts to run down
the members of this gang, and have