Omaha daily bee., 1899-02-28
TAKES UP CRIMINAL DOCKET
Sam Barnes the First Man to Be Put on
Trial,
YOUNG MAN BRANDED AS A CHICKEN THIEF
Zed Bethcrs 90 Come Before Judge
AyIcsworth. Charged with the
Larceny of Numerous
washboIlcrs.

The civil calendar for the term having
become exhausted, Judge Thornell will today
| in district court commence the trial Of the
criminal cases on the docket, the first case
| on the assignment being one against Sam
/ Barnes. There are two cases against Barnes,
one for breaking and entering the premises
| of Mrs Kirk and the other for stealing
chickens of the value of $50, the property
of Mesdames Kirk and Snyder.
John Kronig and Rufus Moon, the two
! boys arrested at the same time as Barnes
and who are the chief witnesses for the
state, are in custody at the city jail
! Following the trial of Barnes, the case
against John Wallace, charged with ma
licious mischief by cutting harness, the prop
erty of Scavenger Burk, will be taken up.
! This will be the second trial for Wallace,
the jury at the last term of court having
failed to agree. The first assignment of
criminal cases was made yesterday by Judge
| Thornell.
In the district court yesterday the entire
day was taken up with the trial of the
damage suit of the Sharpless Company
| against Day & Hess.
August Olderog commenced suit against
Henry Hordge for $500 rent and secured a
! landlords writ of attachment.
The will of the late Colonel William Orr
| was admitted to probate.
The application of John Wallace to have
his witnesses subpoaenaed at the expense of
/ the state was granted
| In the superior court in the case of Lydia
S. Joslin ct al against Andrew j. Howe ct al
| Judge Aylesworth yesterday appointed ]. p.
Hess receiver of the property involved pend
ing the foreclosure proceedings
At the hearing of Zed Bethers before
Judge Aylesworth this morning, the police
! expected to prove that for some time past
| he has been engaged in the business of
! stealing. 1t is said that Bethers had par
ticular penchant for appropriating copper
| washboilers and selling them to junk deal
ers G. w. Kennedy and wife have i6enti-
| fed one that was sold to 4 Main street Junk
dealer by Bethers, and c. G. Bowers of COT
East Broadway has identified another.
set of harness recently sold by Bethers to
Jacob Stein has been identified by another
| party as having been stolen from his barn
short while back.
! Over twenty persons who have lost prop
erty at the hands of Bethers have been sub
poenaed by the police to appear in court
this morning and every one of them will
be asked to file an information. Detective
Weir, who has had the case in hand. has
the names of fifteen persons who have in the
last few months lost copper wash boilers.
Many of these have been recovered while
Bethers, the police say, admits the theft
! of the others. These copper wash boilers
cost from So to 81 apiece and Bethers re-
ceived from the junk dealers 81 apiece for
, all he brought to them. The list of per-
sons from whom Bethers stole shows that
he did not contine his thieving operations
I to any one part of the town.
In addition to the wash boilers Detective
Weir yesterday recovered a baby carriage
that had been stolen from the residence
of Mrs. A. Smith of Eleventh avenue This
was found at Bethers house. A table and
bucksaw, stolen from the residence of City
Auditor f. l.. Evans at POI Eleventh avenue,
were also found at Bethers' home. From
the house Of Stephen Cook, at 620 Seventh
avenue, Bethers stole cavalry sword, buck
saw. hatchet and some other small articles.
Part Of these have been recovered. lap
robe and two blankets which he took from
a buggy standing in front of St. Johns
Lutheran church a few night ago, have
also been recovered. The police also To-
Gated yesterday a bride that he took from
a horse standing last Sunday night in front
of the First Baptist church while the owner
was inside attending the service.
Bethers has already served one term in
the penitentiary and the police expect to
send him over the road again, as they say
the can prove, in order to have committed
some of the thefts charged against him,
he broke into the buildings
Arthur Palmer one of the two boys ar
rested on the charge of being implicated
with Bethers in the different thefts, has
given the police valuable assistance by show
ing where considerable of the stolen plum
der can be recovered.
! George Lawrence, the other boy in GUS
tody, denies any transaction in the thefts.
The against Bethers charged with
stealing a set of buggy wheels and an axle,
| the property of Jesse Pierce, has been set
| for hearing in Justice Vien's court today.