Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1901-02-14
MADE A RICH HAUL.
THREE MEN ARRESTED FOR STEALING
SAFE CONTAINING $4,000.
Tell Talc Tracks In the Snow Lead to Their
Arrest--Iron Box Taken From Platform
at Manila, Ia--None of the Money or
Valuables Recovered.


Sioux City, Feb. 11.-Prompt and ac-
tive work by the authorities at Manila.
Ia. resulted in the arrest of three men
who are accused of having been I'M
plicated in the theft of United States
express safe, said to have contained
$4,000 The Chicago, Milwaukee ana
st. Paul train. on which the safe was
taken from Sioux City, arrived at Ma
Mia at 500 p. N. Saturday night. The
Omaha train was late, and James
Sturtevant Of SiouX City, the express
messenger, did not hurry in unloading
the goods and packages from his car.
The express safe, with other articles,
was unloaded and placed on truck
on the depot platform, and then
Sturtevant and the baggageman Went
to the other end of the platform to get
another truck load
When Sturtevant returned he no.
ticed that the articles on the truck
We're disarranged, and glance showed
that the iron box was gone.
There was great excitement and 10
time was lost in spreading the alarm
City Marshal Ferrell hastily assem-
bled posse and vigorous work was
begun. Snow lay thick on the ground
and it did not take long to discover
the tracks of two persons, who evident
ly had been carrying some heavy OBJ
ject from the truck, as it stood upon
the depot platform.
They carried the safe distance of
about two blocks and then loaded it
into wagon. which had been left there
in waiting. The wagon was driven
about mile and Il half out into the
country and there the safe was forced
open and the contents abstracted The
men there abandoned the safe and
went their way on new track.
1t was not difficult to trace them.
however. and Sunday morning three
arrests We're made The men arrested
are John Jackson, John Stovall and
Charles Hayes. All are men who live
at Manila and are we'll known Their
regulations heretofore have not been
bad. They stoutly protest their innc-
cence, but the authorities believe the
evidence against at least two of them
W III prove conclusive.
The safe when stolen contained IN
the neighborhood of $4,000 Twelve
thousand dollars was in cash and the
remainder in drafts. checks and vari-
Gus valuables.
While the robbery undoubtedly was
deliberately planned. as the horse ana
wagon We're i'll waiting in a convenient
is, bn1i hot
knew they were making so rich a
haul
They had no means of knowing the
contents of the safe only that it was
used for carrying valuableS They
found an unusually favorable oppor-
tunity when Sturtevant left the safe
on the truck. and had it not been for
the tell tale tracks in the snow it is
not likely that arrests would have been
made so promptly.
Jackson. Stovall and Hayes have
been in the habit of hanging about the
depot at train time. but that was not
considered significant. as it is the Gus
tom of number of townspeople at
Manila
Mrs. Jackson, wife of John Jackson.
also was arrested, but at a preliminary
hearing. held last evening. She was re-
leased. The examination will be con.
tinued today. The three prisoners are
in jeil, having been unable to furnish
bonds of $4,000 each.
The authorities say the shoes of two
of the men exactly fit the tracks in the
snow at the depot where the safe was
carried off None Of the money or
vnlllaDleS has been recovered