Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1904-12-29
TOUGH DESPERATE CAUGHT.
Thought TO he the Ringfeader OF
a Desperate Gang of Horse
Thieves Operating In
This State.

- NtoHCsetS t'aN
has in C years been captured in
this part OF South Dakota, says the
Tuesday Aberdeen News, is now lodged
in the county Jail in this city after a
most bitter struggle. The man gives
name as George Turner, though he
ia known by several other aliases,
among which are the names Of George
Koch and Black George. His capture,
which took place al Hecla on last
Thursday night, after q fight in which
he nearly succeeded in killing Sheriff
Cole, Of this county, marks the most
thrilling event that has ever taken
place in the criminal history OF the
Though the capture Of this desperate
has been known by the News sincs last
the circumstance has been kept
a secret. for there have been other
for whom the officers have
been looking / this vicinity who are
In the same affair and to help
the officers in their efforts to capture
them 1t was Thought best TO keep the
arrest q secret until they should see ft
10 have the story disclosed.
The captured man 10 syrested for
being a horse thief. and his record Ia
found to be the blacklist Of any thief
that ever followed that profession.
Though he 10 known TO have followed
that line Of business all Of his life
nearly. the particular charge on which
he is arrested 10 the stealing OF twenty
two horses in Canada at different times
between the dates of May 0, 1904, and
November Is, 1904. The thrilling story
of the chase and capture Of this interest
ing person 10 q follows:
Three weeks ago II. McGuire. one OF
the provincial constables Of Manitoba,
started from Winnipeg with a full des-
cription of the thief, with the order 70
spare no effort or expense in bringing
him TO justice. He also had in his pos
session the descriptions of the stolen
animals. For the past two weeks he
has been tracing the thief all over the
central part Of North Dakota and has
succeeded in finding five of the stolen
horses, which are scattered along the
line between this city and Bowden, N.
d. The horses found are a team of
brown ponies that will weigh $50
pounds apiece, with twelve small white
spots across their backs and hips about
the size of a nickel; one black horse
of about l 800 pounds with a bar along
its right hip; n blood bay mare Of
about the same weight, 6 or Z years old,
with spots on the it's forehead and with
a black main and tail one sorrel mare
1900 pounds in weight, with a
strip in its face, about 8 years old and
of q long and lsnky build All Of these
horses are where Mr.. MCGUIRE can lay
his hands upon them, and their owners
a procure them by notifying him and
proving their property. With the
brown team a new buggy with an old
pole and neckyoke was found.
Last Wednesday afternoon the con-
stable arrived in Aberdeen hot ON the
trail of the suspected thief. He regis
tered at the Ward and after a few
hours he saw the man drive by the
hotel, driving the team of brown ponies
that has been described. The officer
Immediately followed his man and saw
him drive up in front Of the North Side
hotel. He notified Sheriff Cole aud
both the officers went to get their man,
but he in the meantime had gone. The
officers, from what MoGuife knew of
the thief. suspected that he would go
to Hecla, and they accordingly went on
the afternoon freight 10 that place.
They were not mistaken, for shortly
after midnight on Friday morning the
man walked into the ofice Of the
Arlington Hotel, where the officers
were stopping. The man was brought
TO Hecla by a man named Louis Perry,
who lives directly over Che state line.
The thief between the hours Of two
o'clock in the afternoon and midnight
had driven the team over sixty miles,
besides having time TO retrace his steps
from Perry's TO the village Of Hecla, a
distance of fifteen miles. This is a good
ILLUSTRATION Of the rate Of speed at which
horse thieves travel.
AZ soon a the man entered the room
the officers spotted HIM He wore q
large fur coat and kept both Of his
bands in the large outside pockets. He
also had q Winchester rifle he left in
the hall. The officers knew him 70 be
. desperate man, and they well knew
that he was armed 70 the teeth, and
that he probably bad two pistols in hil
hands inside his pockets. The man
walked across the lobby and took a seat
about elk feet from the sheriff, always
keeping his hands on the pistols that
were concealed In his pockets.
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