The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-06-24
OF BRASS.
Police Seize a Freight Car
Which Held the Booty.
Effort Made to Smuggle Stuff
Out OfCity.
DONE BY JUNK DEALER
officers Think They Have
Found the 6 Fence.'
Thousands of Dollars Worth of
Stolen Brass and Copper.
Several Arrests Are to Be Made
Soon.
DONE BY JUNK DEALER

the biggest scheme of operation ever
brought to light in this city The Santa
Fe railway, the Topeka City railway
the telegraph companies and the Edison
Electric Light company have been rob
bed of thousands of dollars worth of
brass and copper in recent years and
all efforts to stop the illegal traffic have
been unsuccessful. Occasional arrests
have been made of persons who have
been caught in the business and small
fines administered in police court, but
these arrests have been inefectual.
In the yard at the police station are
seven or eight barrels of old brass and
copper, amounting in all to about $500
pounds of brass and 1000 pounds OF
copper.
The $500 pounds of brass and copper
were secured at the junk shop opposite
the Rock Island station which is opera
ted by p. Salzberger. Abe jacobson, VINO
has a pawn shop near the postotflce
furnishes the money to operate the JUNK
shop and it is managed by his brother
in-law, Salzberger. The goods have
been identified by the owners
All of the old brass which was found
in the possession of these people was
stored in a freight car and hidden from
view to be shipped out of the city
The manner which was adopted by
the Junk QedIeIS IN preparing Liz oAeN7N
for shipment is evidence that they We're
aware of the fact that it was stolen
property. and that they were trying 10
get it out of the city SO that they couiu
get rid of it without detection.
The car which was being loaded Tor
shipment stood in the rear of the junk
shop on Monday when Reed and Hen
derson went to the place to make
TTnon looking into the car they found
half flI0 of OLD
rags. Throwing all the rags into one
end Of the car the officers discovered
that they had been used to hide thlr-
teen wash boilers full of old brass
which We're carefully plieu IN the emu
of the car.
The process of Grating this old brass
for shipment is interesting A wash
boiler was filled nearly full of old brass
over which was carefully spread a
gunny sack. The sides of the boiler
which the mare higher tina nthe quantity
of brass inside, are bent over, when
makes a good cover and prevents the
contents being spilled The freight caA
contained thirteen of these wash boil
ers filled with brass. The property was
confscated and taken to the poles
station and it has been identified by
officials of the Santa Fe railway COM
pany as brass which has been stolen
from the yards and shops in this city.
/ Tuesday the officers searched the
building which is used by the junk
:
were thrown into the front of the build
/ ing and eighteen barrels of zinc, lead
and copper were discovered OF this
quantity 1000 pounds of the material
I was copper wire of various sizes which
has been identified as the property OF
the Edison electric light plant, the city
Railway company and the telephone
companies. The copper has been sorted
and the material belonging to each of
the companies is in a separate barrel at
/ the police station.
The discoveries of the police depart
ment followed the investigation started
last week when Henry and John
Schultz, Santa Fe shop men, were
arrested and pleaded guilty in police
court of stealing brass from the Santa
Fe. The brass which they stole was
located at the Jacobson shop, and the
men We're fined $40 each. The officer
followed up their work and have now
unearthed the plan which is used il
disposing of the contraband goods
The scheme Of operation was given CT
airing in police court this morning wheT
the cases of George Rawlings and Jess
Crawford two other Santa Fe shop en-
ployes. were called for trial They wer'
/ arrested by the police and confessed t.
the brass and that they mad disposed OF :
to a colored man named S. d. Simms. VIII
is on East Crane street and who in turf
handed it over to the Jacobson outfit
/ Crawford was not put on trial this morn
ing and Rawlings was discharged Ra vi
/ ings will escape on the technicality tha
he was not arrested on warrant sworl
z out by the~complainants. The technicalit
holds good so long as the officers did no
ing it, They were arrested by the authori
ties on their own confession of guilt. The
were represented in court by ". w. Har
The police department is hampered i
their work of prosecution for the reaso
that the Santa Fe mas been delinquent i
swearing out warrants for the arrest c
any of the employees who are suspected O
offenses of this nature, because it
; feared that damage suits VIII result IL j
any event the case could not be proved
A warrant was sworn out in the cit
: court this morning for Rawlings. however
, but the probability is that he will escap
The negro S D. Simms. who appeared /
I court this morning. it develops, is nothln
4 more nor less than a g0-between for IN
men who steal the brass and the Jun
"A dealer He testified that he paid the me
who brought the brass to him a the rat
of four cents per pound and that he Il
ceivcd in turn from the Jacobson QUIT
pay for the brass at the rate of 81 cent
Thus it win be seen that in taking II
q responsibility Of the brass .ae makes q
Z equal sum as the person who actually sto
"a hIe an two counts The state laws on thes
{ points are very stringent.
q Police Judge Hamilton gave Simms ar
Salzberger of the junk shop a severe ie'
& fure They both testified that they did ia
y know they were buying stolen prOpert
but in the evaslve answers ana the Goa
ing of questions put to them by the jud.
they showed that they were perfectly co
infant of the fact that they were viola
ing the law. Judge Hamilton told the
that they would better watch out tn
thew did not get into court charged Wi
buying stolen goods. He informed the
that it would go hard with them in vic
Of the few facts which had developed
the last few days investigation
More arrests are to follow The poll
"a believe they have not captured all OF q
M gang which has been operating in this cit
E The guilty parties include boys and M
( about the city as well as the railway 81
"A ploves It is believed that the negro SiTnr
81 acted as the intermediate between prac
3 cally all of the brass stealers IN the nelg
4 horhood Of the Santa Fe shops.