The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-10
LITTLE PAY in NURSING
HORSE-THIEF KOERNER SAYS
WOMEN WORK TOO CHEAPLY.
Driven from His Occupat alton, He Re-
sorted to Stealing Animals
His Ohio "Fence."

Detective Splann and thirteen men whose
horses have been stolen recently, went to
Ohio yesterday for the purpose of Identify
ing and gaining possession of the horses
stolen by John George Koerner and driven
to Ohio and sold. From the descriptions of
horses stolen, the thirteen men are positive
they will find their property scattered
about the country in the vicinity of Frank
lin, o.
The case of Koerner is one of the most
peculiar the police have ever had to deal
with Respected by everybody and unsus-
pected by the police he carried on a system
of stealing on a large scale, and was only
detected through a disagreement between
himself and q pal in another State. Koer-
ner has had the friendship of many of the
men whose horses he stole. He is the last
man who would have been suspected. For
years he has worked in this city as a pro-
fessonal nurse, serving chiefly brother
members of the several lodges to which he
belonged. There is no doubt several prom
inent men of the city owe their lives to the
faithful nursing of Koerner. Physicians
who knew him were always anxious to get
his services in serious cases. especially in
typhoid fever, and men who knew him felt
that if they ever became seriously i'll they
must have him to assist the physician.
Yesterday afternoon Koerner was found
at the Jail, occupying cell in the United
States row." He did not hesitate to dis
cuss his case. He had the appearance of
man who was suffering terribly, but seemed
resigned to his fate. He said he felt that
the only course he could pursue with honor
was to make clean breast of everything.
81 do not know what shall do when it
comes to trial. l have not consulted an
attorney, and don't suppose I shall need
one. / think the best thing for me to do
is to tell the court the whole story and ask
for mercy. And when the whole story is
told, a judge must have a cold heart in
deed who would not be merciful.
Il was driven to steal, and the man who
would hot steal under the same circum-
stances is no man at all. The time was
when 1 could make a nice living for myself
and family. My family consists of a wife
and three daughters. When the girls were
growing up L had a fairly good income
from nursing. 1 had the friendship of the
lodges and was in demand in cases of sick
ness But the women nurses came along
as a. sort of a new profession, and they
have supplanted me. not because they are
better nurses, but because they work for
less money. | was poorly enough paid for
the work L did, but they work for less.
AS my work was gradually taken from me
my daughters grew to wOmanhood and my
duties as a father required that | give them
the best l could in order that they might
appear we'll My rent was high, and the
expense of giving the girls the opportunl-
ties they deserved was great
Il found that | could not make both ends
meet | had not the courage to tell my
family, and not the heart TO let them suf-
fer, either by humiliation privation. The
end of it was that | stole horse The
way. A colored man took the animal first,
and sold it to livery man. He
stolen, and made the deal with me accord
ingly. L got very little out of it, but was
given to understand that others could be
disposed of. This was the start and the
rest was easy. Whenever l was pressed
for money l got it from this man in eX-
change for a horse and buggy stolen from
this city. But for the most part, the rigs
were stolen by the colored man. do not
know him by name. He is now in Louis
VILE and lately he sent another colored
man here, so that there are two of them
besides the livery man in Ohio who are i'm
plicated.
ton given to the chief of police at Middle
town by the liveryman. You see, decided
to quit the business. Not that L was afraid.
There seemed to be no possibility of detec-'
ton here | had the confidence of every
body, and if 1 had been caught with
horse and buggy that did not belong to me,
any simple explanation from me would
have ended the matter. But did not think
the liveryman was giving me as much for
the horses as was entitled TO and quit. lie
wrote me several threatening letters, and |
took that Alfree horse and drove over
there more to talk with him than to set the
profit l might out OF the horse. l reached
there sunday night and he sold the horse
the next day, and then was arrested.
Koerner seems a little absent minded at
times and has difficulty in concentrating
his mind. Some of his many friends think
he is mentally unbalanced.