Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-05-20
SLUCGERS FOUND
Bonaparte Boys Confess to High
way Robbery.
BENIONSPORT POSTMASTER VICTIM
The Object Was to Get Money to Go to
okIahoma-Chief Henneman of keo-
kuk Does Some Fine Detective
Work.

Work.
Keokuk, May 16.-The Bentonspcrtl
mystery was solved by Chief Henne-
man yesterday The Bradford boys
confessed to doing the smuggling of
Postmaster Henry Fulton there some
weeks ago.
The confession came at the end Of
a couple of days of arduous and skill
full work on the part of Chief Henne-
man who started with really no foul.-
dalton and ended with all the details
of the assault given by the highway
men themselves.
Curtis and Clio Bradford were ar
rested the other day for stealing bi.
| cycle apiece on Main street. Curtis
was picked up on upper Main street
by the owner of the wheel. Clio got to
Bonaparte, his home. and was caught
there by orders of Chief Henneman.
Curtis was sent to the county Jail by
he superior court, and Clio was kept
i the city JAIL he was arraigned yes
erday morning and given until this
/ morning to plead.
OOOQ OeCeCIiVG WOrk.
Chief Henneman discovered that
| both young men have been leading
wicked lives for some time. He
touched them up on all the sdevilment
done in this section lately. but the
only line which seemed to bob the cork
was the smuggling of the Beptonsport
1 postmaster.
/ When trouble at Bonaparte was
4 touched on, the face of Clio showed
that there was something on his mind.
Then the chief harped on that one
string all day. After while Curtis
was visited in the county Jail and ques-
\ toned about the Henry Fulton sand
bagging. He stood pat for long time,
A but when ne found that the officers
knew a good deal from his brother, he
told the story in the presence of Chief
!, Henneman, Assistant Chief Harrington
and Sheriff kenney.
Their Confession.
He went into considerable detail af-
ter he did begin to talk straight. His
Il story was this:
i Both boys wanted to go to Oklaho-
ma and decided to rob somebody to get
it. The day of the smuggling of Post
master Fulton, they raised some nets
from the river, and while there filled
the piece of rubber hose with sand and
plugged both ends. The younger one,
Clio Bradford, said that they would
tackle the first man they met and if
they got no money they would at least
) find out how the sandbag worked and
+ get experience for the time.
They Wanted Crawford.
4 Curtis Bradford, the elder one, says
that he wanted to hunt up man nam
$ ed Crawford who had recently arrived
. from the west and carried consider
a able money. Clio Bradford said thai
t Curtis wanted to attack Tom Cooper
S for an old grudge. But they tinall,
y met Postmaster Fulton and at oncs
: proceeded to go for him.
/ Curtis Bradford confessed that he
welded the sandbag and hit the oil
0 man on the head. He says that Full
y ton grabbed him by the leg and III
!: him, and then for the first time HI
I recognized the identity of the victim
Afraid of Postmaster.
d He says that as soon as he found j
v was the postmaster he weakened, be
!; lieving that the federal authoritie
i. would take the case, and having know,
edge of their thoroughness and sue
cess in finding criminals.
The sudden and vigorous defense @
the old man, who used to be locomc
= tive engineer, and the weakening G
Curtis Bradford's nerves was too muc
for them, and both fled. Since the
they have been to Hannibal wher
- there is girl who has prosecuted Gu
= tbs Bradford for seduction in the Va
J. Buren, county district court. The
II came here from Hannibal, and stol
g the wheels here to go home withou
paying railroad fare. That led t
- their arrest.
v The Case Complete.
st Chief Henneman and AssistaI
a Chief Harrington talked to both of tn
" young men most of Tuesday and a
10 day yesterday at intervals. The
ID were carefully questioned, and then a
1t lowed to go back to the cell to let tn
lie talk soak in. The officers CAREFUL
ID avoided any threats, promises or III
1t due influence, and simply coaxed tn
Il confessions out of the prisoners in
n skillful way. Their confessions wei
e. in the presence of witnesses, and it
m believed that the case is complete *
H. the Van Buren, county authorize
ID whenever they want them.
as Was Mystery.
- Bentonsport has been discussing IL
% mystery of who hit Henry Fulton ev'
since the assault. The postmaster
well known all along the Rock IslaI
road and the whole Des Moines riy'
basin is interested in the case.
:" Several other men were under su
picion with more or less cause, and tt
confession of the Bradford boys wi
relieve the other suspects of any odiu
in the matter
REVISING CODE.
Committee Working Hard on Supp