Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-09-01
Leaders in Postoffice Robber-
les and Thrilling Man
Hunts, Make Confession
HEAVY SENTENCE AWAITS THEM
George Black and Joel White, Identified
by Chief Inspector Dice of st. Louis,
Make Full Confession Of Their Rob
berry of the Montezuma Postoffice--
Capture is Important.
10, 70 Times-Rep,blican.

Special to Times-Republican
Montezuma, Sept. 1.-Chief lnspec-
tor Dice, of ST. Louis, who was in Des
Moines Sunday, notified Marshal Geo.
Christian that he and his deputies had
made the most important capture OF the
year in criminal circles in the arrest OF
George Black and Joel Rice near Mon
!: tezuma July II.
Joel Rice has just been identified as
"Boxy" Wright, professional safe
craftsman and vault blower. who IS
wanted in Arkansas for shooting an
officer, cracking; safe, robbing post
office and escaping from the peniten-
tiary.
Inspector Dice went to Des Moines
after long sweating out with Rice and
Black in the Jail at Oskaloosa, when he
secured full confession from the bur-
gulars of their daring robbery OF the
postoffice at Montezuma. The men
stated their intention of pleading guilty
and asking sentence at once. Where
upon 1t was decided to take them be-
fore Judge Smith Mcpherson at the
convening of court in Council Bluffs,
September Is, and having sentence pro-
nounced without delay. The maximum
for the crime with which the men are
charged in Iowa is ten years. 1t is pos
sible that they will be sentenced to the
full extent of the law as they have
both been recognized as old and incor-
rigible crooks, men who will not stop
at anything in their criminal efforts.
Rice is alleged to have cracked a
safe and robbed an Arkansas postof-
flee of a large sum of money last year.
He was arrested and tried receiving a
sentence of fifteen years in the state
penitentiary. While being held in the
Jail awaiting trans portation to the pen
itentiary, it is alleged that he shot
down his guard in cold blood, kept off
those who surrounded him and escaped
Nothing had been heard of him until
1t was learned that the man arrested in
Powshiek county answered his descrip-
ton Inspector Dice says that the mans
record in the rogues' gallery would take
several books to recite it. His compan-
famous crook, although he has succeed
to the present time. Rice will be made
to serve out his term for the Iowa
crime before being turned over to the
Arkansas authorities
George Black and Joel White We're
arrested in the northern part of Pow
eshiek county the 18th of last July after
one of the most daring postoffice rob
berries and thrilling man hunts ever
committed in Iowa.
July Is the postoffice at Montezuma
was entered little before midnight,
the safe blown. and ASSOC in money and
stamps extracted. With no clew to the
robbers except the trace they could find
on their highway inquiries Deputy
United States Marshal Willis and
deputized posse started out in hot pur-
suit. They followed the trail of the
supposed robbers for two days, finally
catching up with two men in a buggy
driving thru the northern part of the
county The men acted uspiciously
upon the approach of the posse and
were ordered TO halt. They whipped up
their horses st a breaknecK speed and
ran them until exhausted. Then they
jumped from the carriage and made
for the woods according to regular
Harry Tracy tactics. The officers fol-
lowed and surrounded the men in a
clump of bushes. They were forced to
surrender. Stamps and money to the
amount of $500 was found on their per-
sons. The men We're then taken be-
fore Commissioner Gleason % Oskaloosa
and held under $1,000 bonds Deputy
Willis was credited with an important
capture, but 1t was not until Chief In
spector Dice of st. Louis recognized
them both as all around crooks that the
full import of the catch was realized.