Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-01-31
Officers Unearth a Wholesale Pack
ing establishment.
A HAM WRAPPED IN A NIGHTDRESS
Ace AIbertson, Enoch Gee, William
Hammersley and Another Arrested
on Charge of Stealing Swine From
w. E. Guggerty, of ChiIlicothe.
From Tuesdays Daily.

From Tuesdays Daily.
Robe de Mutt Cured Hams" Is
probably the title which would have
been applied to the product of GER
tain new packing industry which has
sprung up in Ottumwa within the past
few days, had not Constable
Campbell, assisted by Policeman
Grammer interferred with the meat
while it was in the curing process.
But in this interference there is
story. The officers claim that Enoch
Gee, Ace Albertson, Ace Gee and Will
liam Hammersley are the incorpora-
tors of the industry referred to, and
because of their activity in the some
what progressive undertaking, the
men named have been placed under
arrest and they are now in jail await
ing hearing.
Last Sunday morning, w. E. Gug-
gerty, who lives short distance east
of Chillicothe, went into his pig pen
and discovered that two of his middle
weight hogs had been slaughtered.
But he could not find the hogs; only
their digestive apparatus remained to
tell the story.
He found hand sled tracks leading
toards the Des Moines river and fol-
lowing the marks to their destination
he brought up at house in the west
portion of Ottumwa, about seven
miles from the scene of the hog kill
ing.
Got Search Warrant.
Mr.. Guggerty called at the Office of
Justice Ballard, altho it was Sunday,
and, securing search warrant enlist
ed the services of Constable Camp
bell. The house referred to, altho it
was occupied by an innocent person,
was searched but nothing whatever
was found.
Bloody Hand Sled.
| Monday a bloody baud sled was
| found at the Gee home which was
then searched. with the re-
suit that almost the entire body
of butchered hog was found in a
bureau drawer The meat was identi-
lied by Mr.. Guggerty as that which
had formerly belonged to him. The
officers then went to the William Ham
mersley home, wher esearch was made
and they were rewarded with finding
a ham wrapped in woman's night
dress, well packed away under bed.
And they found other evidence, which
they claim helps fasten the
crime on Ace Albertson, as
well as on the Gees and
Mammersley. AS result the four
were arrested late Monday afternoon
and placed in Jail to await hearing.
i 1t is shown, so the officers state,
THAT the sled tracks which led to a
river bank home in the west end, led
away again, and it is certain that it
Twas pretty we'll worked ruse to fas-
i ten the crime on an innocent person.
i Four Hogs Taken.
In all four hogs were taken from the
4 Guggerty pens-two of them being
KILLED on the ground and the others
lbeing brought to the city alive. These
4 were found in a west end cellar, and
1.-THE officers. believing that the persons
who were keeping the animals are en-
tirely innocent of any wrong in the
matter, prefer not to disclose theiI
names. The two "shotes" are now in
the city pound.
Constable Campbell did some excep
tiorally good work in running down
this case and he deserves credit.
relation of all of the moves he made
in following UP various clews, sounds
Ion the order of some very much reaC
detective stories. 1t is understood thai
there has been much of this class Of
stealing during the past few years
and now that the officers have gained
what they believe to be a good in
sight into the matter it may be tina
stop will be put to it.
Policeman O'Brien, at the instruc
ton OF Constable Campbell arrested
} Albertson Chief Williams assisted
in locating the alleged stolen goods