The record-union., 1899-07-10
STORY OF RANCH PIRATES.
PRISONER GEsTNER AND HIS
rARTNER HE1NTz.

Their Rsdds Through Sacramento
and Yolo Counties-Heintz
ut Large.
Ever since the arrest of w. H. Gest-
ner for the wholesale theft of grain
bags from farmers Chief of Police
Dwyer has done his utmost to estao-
lish the identity of the prisoners part
ner, and through the efforts of OHcers
Fitzgerald, Higgins and Max p. Fisher
the Chief has learned that his name Is
Henry Heintz. 1t is now believed by
the Chief that sHeintz was connected
in very serious robbery in this city
several months ago.
AS Officer Max P. Fisher had seen
Heintz several weeks ago and could
identify him, Chief Dwyer on Thurs
day last allowed Fisher to discard his
uniform and go on the fugitive's trail.
1t transpired that Heintz learned or
Gestner's arrest a short time after II
occurred, and at once drove across the
Sacramento River and camped for a
short time near Bryte's dairy. The
| officer traced the wagon to the latter
! place, but when he reached there it
was gone, and he next heard of 1t at
the Monument Ranch, where Heintz's
father had been at work.
| There the officer learned that Heintz
had changed horses leaving the buck
skin-colored animal behind and taking
\ hol 60
companied by his father, Heintz drove
away from this place at a rapid gait
and stopped to water his team at Elk
| horn, thence going in the direction OF
Woodland.
The trail was followed to Madison,
Yolo County, but there Fisher was
misled by learning Of another rig an
swering quite accurately the descrip-
tion of Heintz's outfit and travelling
Fnorth toward Colusa. Fisher followed
this trail as far as Arbuckle, where
! he discovered his mistake.
| Heintz evidently went toward Napa
or Sonoma, and as Chief Dwyer has
caused notices to be sent out all over
that section, it is expeced that Heintz
will soon be in custody. (
| Chief Dwyer has learned that Gest-
ner and Heintz have not confined them
selves to stealing new grain bags only,
but also grain, harness, and even go
| ing SO far as to despoil stationary en-
gines Of all their costly brass and cop
per trimmings.
1t has been ascertained that about
| six weeks ago Gestner and Heintz were
down near Clarksburg, on the Yoio
| side, and We're busy at work with
sled gehammers knocking off the valu-
/ able brass and copper attachments,
such as oil-cups, watergauges, axle
boxes, etc, from the dredger belong
| ing to the Clarksburg Reclamation Dis
| trict The damage done to the dredger
will amount to considerable, while the
thieves may have only realized small
sum of money for the brass as old
| junk,
They were seen at work dismantling
the dredger on June 18th by two fish
ermen, named Adam Shoup and Will
liam Anderson. The freebooters load
ed their vehicle so heavily that their
horses were unable to pull the load up
the steep grade. and Gestner and
Heintz carried the brass for some dis
| tance.
I
! CINE on the Flint hop ranch, short
distance below the street levee, was
similarly despoiled of it's brass trim
mings. and Mr.. Flint placed the dam
| age at $50. It has been learned that
!; Gestner and Heintz brought the
dredger brass across to this side Of the
river on the Freeport ferry, and pos
sibly they buried it near there, and it
I is now believed that they also stole
! Flint's trimmings and hauled both lots
to Stockton.
I Chief Dwyer has also learned that
| Heintz some six weeks ago had a large
! tent in his possession which he sold
for a trifling sum to a junk dealer in
Stockton. The tent is believed to have
| been stolen either in Solano or Sonoma
| County. 1t is described as having a
strip of burlap all along the wall sides
| and rows of snaps to fasten to the
| roof. AS it was very large tent and
nearly new it was quite valuable.
The Chief has learned further that
Gestner and HeintZ on the I'd of this
month were seen near the ranch Of
| Benjamin Ely. about twelve miles
southwest Of Woodland. That night
1.2QO new grainbags, valued at $40,
were stolen from Mr.. Ely. Early the
next morning their rig was seen in
camp near Elkhorn, heavily laden, and
with the curtains tightly drawn. Under
cover of darkness that night they
brought the stolen sacks to Sacramento
and sold them for less than half price.
After resting their team for several
hours. they again, on Monday, the 3d.
at about 3 O'Clock, left for Yolo Coun-
ty and drove toward Blacks Station
and camped near Farmer Albert
Bourne's warehouse. Their actions
aroused the suspicious of a travelling
butcher who notified Mr.. Bourne, and
the latter watched the outfit for some
time, but during that night 1000 of
Farmer Bourne's new grain bags dis
appeared, and early on the morning of
the 4th Gestner and Heintz again
camped near Elkhorn, with their vehi-
Gle heavily loaded with new grain
sacks. They tried to sell the sacks
to river rancher, but he refused to
buy them. Their wagon being some
what damaged from fast travelling with
heavy loads, they asked permission to
store the sacks in the farmers granary,
which was also refused.
The men camped all day on the 4th
Of July near Elkhorn, and early on the