Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-12-23
One of Henry Alleys Accom-.
plices Tells a Startling
Story in Court
Alleys METHODS DESCRIBED
He Had Keys to Stores in Many Places
and Sent His Lieutenants Out With
Perfect Description of the Places to
Be BursIarized-Want to Burn
Sheffield.
Special to Times-Republican.


Mason City, Dec. 23.-Henry Abbey
a former citizen of Sheffield, and Ma
son City, has been heard from in the
| Minnesota courts. 1t will be remem-
/ bered that Abbey was convicted OF
/ stealing at Sheffield and served SEN
tence in the penitentiary and later was
caught in the same business in this
city. Abbey, while apparently an in
nocent shoemaker, was really the
leader and director of a gang OF
thieves. Besides his shoemaking he did
little work as gunsmith and he was
| found to have keys that would ut IN
! the locks of nearly every store door III
| the city. At Sheffield his method was
| to enter a store at night and take out
q few articles that would hardly be
missed and in this way he accumu-
| lated a large amount of goods which
i he would quietly ship to various fen
ces to be disposed of. Abbey was held
up in court at Fairmont, Mimi, last
week in a way that startled the court.
Archibald Hall was his accuser. Hall
was convicted of burglary of a store
at Granada, Mimi. and Abbey having
turned traitor to Hall the latter made
statement which made the gunsmith
vince.
Hall was brought before the bar of
justice 10 receive a sentence for bur-
glary. Judge Quinn asked him in a
most sympathetic voice if he anything
to say, whereupon Hall made a most
startling confession to the court He
said that Henry Abbey, in whose junk
shop at Mason City was found the
shoes stolen from the store in Gran
ada, and who has in consequence
pleaded guilty to grand larceny in the
third degree, had in his employ a reg
ular gang of burglars--seven of whom
he (HalD knew, and gave their names
by which he knew them, but of course
it was only the stage name" of each
and has no significance. Abbey sent
them out in pairs. directed them to go
to certain store in a certain town
and gave the keys to use that always
fitted. The goods SO secured were
shipped to Abbey by express. Hall and
his partner committed two burglaries
at Hauska and one at Winthrop. Abbey
always paid them cash for the goods
sent him when his men returned the
keys used Hall denied that he had
anything to do with the burglary at
Granada. He admitted having bought
the grip of Sam Levi, which he turned
over to two others of the gang at Imo-
gene who said they wanted 1t to carry
cigars in. Hall says previous to his
arrest he had a falling OUT with
Abbey and had quit working for him.
He declares that Abbey wanted him to
burn the town of Sheffield, Iowa, and
offered him $500 for the job, giving as
a reason that he (Abley) was sent up
for burglary from that town, and was
going to make grass grow in the
Streets. Abbey told him that he could
make little fire boxes which could be
left by man on a bicycle which would
an hour or two after being set in a |
good place, burst out in flame, and the
man who left them could be miles
away. Hall was returned to the Gus
tody of the sheriff without being sem
fenced