Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-11-18
Their Career as Housebreakers
Lasts Just Ninety Minutes.
WERE SURPRISED BY THE POLICE
Best Capture Made in ottumWa in
Years-Rear Doors of TWO Stores
Broken Open and Men Taken at the
Third Place.


made their appearance III OttulnWa
were captured early Sunday morning
in the alley at the rear of Friedman s
dry goods store at the corner of Main
and Court streets, after they had made
several Intellectual attempts to enter
the place and after they had broken
into two and possibly three other bust
ness houses within an hour and a
half. This is the best capture made |
by the local police in several years
and it is more creditable because moth |
ing was secured from any of the places |
entered and the testimony secured |
against the men is so conclusive that
there is little or no doubt as to their
being the parties wanted, although |
they suenuously deny their guilt
They gave their names as Edward |
Curran and James Walsh, and claim to
be tarveling laborers, but in the opin-
ion of the police they are professionally
burglars.
A Short Career.
The career of these two would-be
desperadoes lasted just ninety min
utes. At / o'clock the rear door of
the store occupied by Scott & Co., and
Fred Swenson, on Main street, was
-
under arrest and on their way to jail.
The First Job.
However, they went fast" while they
were going, and it is due almost to ac-
cident that they did not secure some
thing from one Of the other places
which We're broken into. At the Scott
Swenson establishment the glass in
the rear door was broken in order to
affect an entrance, but the crash was
heard by passers-by and this started
the downfall of the two partners. Will
liam Eaton and Ed Rector, two young
men who reside in this city, We're
walking east on Main street at the
time. and just as they were passing in
front of the store occupied by Scott &
Co., and Fred Swenson they heard a
crash as of breaking glass. They stop
ped, but could see nothing in the
store as there were no lights burn
ing there However forms could be
seen from the rear and the would-be
burglars made their escape before help
could be summoned.
Leaving Rector to watch the front
notified the police station of the &C.
on the street. In little more than a
minute Officer Black had been called
from near the Ballingall hotel and was
at the rear door of the store. and soon
Captain Gallagher. vino had received
the call at the police station, was on
hand
The officers entered the building at
the rear door, leaving Rec
tor and Eaton at the front
of the store After search
ing the place thoroughly and finding
no trace of anyone. the police repaired
the door temporarily and left the
store. While they were inside two
men who were later identified as the
men arrested at the Friedman store,
passed Rector and Eaton at the front
of the store and went west on Main
street. This indicates that they were
the cnes who committed the act and
! that they came around Commercial
sreet and up Green to Main after see
1 ing that it was useless for them tc
| try entering the building after having
4 been discovered in the act of breaking
! the glass.
Lost No Time.
/ The men lost no time, for it was
| less than half an hour after the officers
had left the scene of the first attempt
at burglary people in the Wapel-
| 10 chop house heard the sound OF
| breaking glass and more excitement
ensued. Robert Carruthers and Harry
| Harper. who were eating lunch at the
chop house at the time. ran out
through the kitchen and behind the
! building confronted two men, the
same two who were later arrested
/ Carruthers, who was unarmed. was
near the men and asked what they
wanted.
I'VE want you" said one.
well, get me then" was Carruth
ers' reply but the man sized him up
and evidently considering him too bur
ly to attempt any work upon, walked
away without another word. Carruth
ers and Harper We're unarmed and fol
that reason did not TRIP to stop the
strangers, but wished they had few
minutes later, when on investigating
they found that the rear door of J. F
Anderson's tailor shop was broken OPP
en-.
AT this jucture Merchants Polio,
. Ed Johnson and Captain Gallagher
both of whom had started out on
tour of inspection OF the business dis
trict after the first affair, met in th
alley in the rear of Andersons place o
business and learned the story of til,
occurrence there from Carruthers an,
Harper Meanwhile Carruthers ha.
telephoned to Chief John Gray. at hi
residence, telling him OF the condition
: of affairs, and he joined the party o
officers at the chop house
+ Surprised and Captured.
After closing up the hole in the doc
of the Anderson establishment. tn
police pushed on in their search for tn
miscreants. Chief Gray held the the
q DRY that since they had broken int
$ two tailor shops they We're eyidentl
$ after goods and would attempt to ente
: another establishment OF the sam
a class. Accordingly he decided to go t
q Fishers tailor shop, on Main. ins
n west OF Court street and made hi
IS way in that direction with CAPITAL
q Gallagher and Officer Mcbride.
=. On reaching Court street Chief Ora
sent the two other officers along Mai
" street in front OF the stores and
III