The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-08-29
COLoNISTS ARE
IN TROUBLE.
Member Is Suspected to Have
Robbed the treasury,
REPORT OF THE DETAILS
Suspected Man Was Found
and Will Be Prosecuted.

Guthrie, o. T., Aug. 2S.-The Greer
county colonists in Mexico are in trou-
Bile. one of the members Of the colony
being charged with robbing the COM
panv's treasury. The report Of the af-
fair has reached the AIangum Sun-Mon-
itor. as follows:
y. w. Garrett, who went from near
Eldorado. is treasurer of the colony and
he kept the ready money Of the com
lnunity in a small tin boxel a trunk at
his residence. Turner is an experienced
COW puncher and he had been employed
TO round up and brand the cattle owned
by the colony. The next day after Treas
urer Garrett had paid him for this work
Turner came back with a torn five-d0llar
bill and said he wanted a good one, that
the Mexicans would not take the torn
bill Garrett said he would give him an
other bill and went into the house after
it. Turner followed him in and saw
where the money was kept The next
day Turner who owns a lot adjoining
Garrett's, was building fence close to
CARROTS kitchen door. During the day
the Garrett family all happened to be
away from home a short time and dur
ing that time it is supposed that Turner
slipped in. opened the trunk and stole
the tin treasure box. That was on Fri
day. The box and its contents was not
missed until the next Sunday morning,
when il was found first inside Of CARROTS
back door, with the lock broken. The
receipts and checks were all there, but
cash amounting to about 4S5 was miss
ing. When the robbery became known
and the circumstances inquired into,
Turner was suspected of being the thief.
But the cOlonists were slow at first to
believe that one of their members would
be guilty of such a crime, and at first
no effort was made to arrest him.
Within few days, however. he disap-
peared and this served 20 confirm their
suspicious and they started after him.
He was found at San Louis Potosi and. /
it is said, had been drinking heavily.
He was bound and taken back to Cha
nal. We have not learned how much
of the missing money was recovered. /
The colonists intend to prosecute him to /
the fullest extent of the Mexican law and
the penalty is ten to twenty years in
a heAiN6n pAlSoli- L ilC NCioiAtotS SAis'p I
claim to have conclusive evidence that
Turner attempted to steal. OF did steal /
cattle. from the colony. lie bought thir-
ty-fve head of the colonys cattle and /
put his own brand upon them Since
his arrest they have found seventeen |
head over the thirty-five with his brand /
on them.
1.-THE colonists are much chagrined to /
find that they took a thief into their /
community and they feel very bitter /
toward the county officers of Roger Mills /
county, who recommended him very /
highly and even attached the seal of /
the county 10 the recommendation which /
they signed. Frank Turner came from /
Cheyenne City. Roger Mills county. He I
was not, previous to the organization, /
personally known to any member of~the /
colony. but he was taken in on this ex- /
ceilent recommendatio of Roger Mills (
county officers which stated that he was /
an honorable and trustworthy citizen /
and had served as deputy sheriff sew +
eral years, when at the same time it /
must have been known to some of the /
said officials at least that he had been 4
accused of horse stealing
"All of the week following the disap- /
pearance of the money Turner remained /
at Chamal and mingled with the peo- /
pie. but was very much worried. The /
loss of the money was known to but I
few and no talk was made about it. (
Finally they rounded up the cattle to +
see if he had branded more than he /
owned and found that he had and then 4
they had a sure case Of cattle stealing /
against him and got a warrant for his /
arrest When Turner saw that they were /