The record-union., 1899-09-01

from Mr.. Elint'S engine he said the
cops had been around his place red
hot looking for it, but that he had
stalled them off and that there was no
danger I don't know anything more"
AT LAST GESTNER TALKS.
When Gestner was next led into the
presence of the officers, he was shown
the statement Fritz had made A Wis
ible change came over him and at last
the patience and skill of Fisher was
| rewarded.
MIR. Gestner, do you desire to make
a statement, also?' Assistant Di$2eict
Attorney Wachhorst asked.
Gestner replied: with due respect to
all of you gentlemen, I have none such
to make. If you have any questions to
ask l may answer them if l can do so
| conscientiously, but if 1 were to break
promise to oblige you then 1 prefer to
remain silent"
When asked by Sheriff Johnson re-
garding Kunstings sacks, he said that
he now realized it was hopeless to
deny his share in that crime and he
was ready to admit it, but, he declared,
that he would refrain from stating
who his accomplice was. If you catch
him it will not be my fault" said he.
| Being reminded by Chief Dwyer and
Officer Fisher that Fritz had settled
that matter, Gestner then replied:
''As far as I see, Fritz's statement is
correct as far as l am concerned per-
sonally. l shall not speak of others
who may have been with us. When
Van Norman suggested for us to spec
| ulate in grain and new sacks, Fritz got
| leary and went by himself. 1t was too
much bulk for him, SO myself and
| someone else drove down to Courtland
and we cut open three bales of sacks
| and brought them to Van Norman's.
There We're 1,500 of them. In the
dark we did not notice the blue letter.
! ing on them. Van Norman had told
| US II we came late at night to come
to his house and call him and he would
open the shop for US. Well, that night
hWe got in very early in the morning;
| 1t was the 18th of June. / went to his
house and called him and at daylight
| he came over. We wanted three cents
apiece, but he haggled about the price.
He said on account of the lettering he
! could not give us more than two cents,
/ because they could be easily identified
and he would have to keep them shady
quite while and all that time his
money would be tied up. He asked
where the sacks came from and we
told him exactly where and how we
got them.
He said for us not to bring any more
lettered ones, but that he would take
all the plain ones we would bring.
Then on July I'd we took 1000 plain
ones out of Ben Ely's warehouse near
Winters and Brought them over to Van
| Norman's. He had agreed to pay us
more for plain ones and when we
wanted three cents for them he would
not pay US but two. Butch got mad
and Van Norman said, Here is $50 for
the lot, SO apiece is pretty good for
one nights work, / have to run a big
risk
I'VE let him have the sacks and
to know where they came from and
we told him and he said That is right
don't get anything too close to town -
THERE WE'RE OTHERS.
Being asked by Dave Reese if he
knew of anyone else who had been
bringing things to Van Norman, Gest-
ner said:
Well there was Harry West, he
was good at it, so Van Norman said
| Then I met middle aged man with
black whiskers at Vans several times
I think he called him Wells or Wilson.
He said this fellow was an expert on
| getting copper wire and had brought
/ lots of electric and telephone wire to
| him and that he was good at getting
lead pipe and other things out of va
cant and new houses that were being
built. Then I used to see three pretty
! good-siZed boys and lot of little ones
hanging around there. I told him he
| ought not to have these children
around there, but he said that there
was good mony in them: that they
| brought lots of stuff He told me not
! to worry; that he stood we'll in the
| community and was rot afraid. He
said If l got broke anywhere, to tele-
graph or write and he would relieve my
| financial embarrassment. He said he
did this with all the boys and that
this kept his name up amongst them
as a good fellow. No, can say moth
| ing more"
There" he said. good naturedly
nodding at Fisher, there sits the gent
who can perhaps tell you more if you
seek further information.
TWO INDICTMENTS
When the Grand Jury met yesterday
morning it was known that they had
under consideration the case made out
by the officers against Van Norman,
| and when a couple of hours later two
indictments were brought in against
him, charging him with receiving stolen
! property, nobody who knew the facts
in the case was surprised
And Immediately after the indict-
nlents were filed. Under Sheriff Reese
and Chief of Police Dwyer visited Van
Normans place of business and placed
him under arrest.
Van Norman went along with the Off
GERS quietly, but before he started
looked longingly upon the floors, walls
and inches of his store. which were
piled high with every conceivable kind
of junk.
When taken to the County Jail, Van
Norman was questioned by the Off
GERS. but denied having bought any of
the property that Gestner and Stephan
credited him with buying. He said
that While he might have bought old
brass, he had bought no railroad
brass, no steam gauges, oilers, garden
hose or grain bags. He said in short,
that he had bought absolutely no goods
Of any description that he knew to
have been stolen.
| Then Van Norman was confronted by
Gestner and Stephan, the men who
claimed to have been stealing under his
direction, and for his and their mutual
profit but still the junk dealer said he