Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1904-07-13
FOUR BAD MEN
ARE CAPTURED
Grant County Sheriff Arrests
Quartette of Burglars.
ARE DESPERATE MEN
Take a Team from BoscObel and Fail
to Return 1t. Rob Two Stores
at Excelsior.

Four suspicious looking characters
sighted from a freight train at
Boscobel Thursday evening and
soon after their arrival engaged a
livery from the firm of Oswald &
Lickel, stating that they were going
three miles into Crawford county
to see a party and would return
in two hours.
Friday morning the team was
still absent and nothing had been
heard of the quartette Of strangers.
Soon however came news from
Excelsior. small village located In
Richland county twelve miles north
of Boscobel, that two stores had
been burglarized the night before
and in one safe had been blown.
Jewelry, cash and merchandise to
amount of nearly $500 was missing
and no clue to the burglars.
Boscobel officers who had noted
the presence and departure of the
four stranger on the evening provi-
Gus came to the conclusion that
they were the very ones who COM
mitted the burglary, as they had
not returned to the city. Sheriff
Watson was in town on other bust
ness and he believed the parties
were one and the same.
Accordingly Oswald & Lickel
went before Justice Henderson and
swore out warrants for arrest of the
four unknown and parties were
organized to go in search of them.
Sheriff Watson and Marshal Henry
of Boscobel, with assistance of
Frank Washburn and a party Of
Excelsior men got on the track of the
robbers near West Port, Richland
county, and soon found the team
and badly wrecked new surrey
that was identified as the Boscobel
livery. The horses were still at
tached to the buggy and were feed
ing by the roadside. From appear
ances they had been left to shift
for themselves some time previous.
The occupants were traced to Port
Andrew where they crossed the
Wisconsin river bridge to Blue
River, thence through the adjacent
bottom lands towards Muscoda.
The searching party was at last
rewarded by catching a glimpse OF
four men fastening across corn
field towards patch Of timber and
a red hot chase followed, the pursu-
ers gradually gaming and when
within hailing distance ordered the
fugitives to halt or receive a charge
of buckshot from a half dozen
shotguns.
Weary from the chase and know
ing that they were being surrounded
the robbers halted, held up their
hands and threw down their re-
volvers which they we're carrying,
surrendering Internationally. After
much persuasion on part of Sheriff
Watson one of the gang consented
to reveal the hiding place Of his
portion of the stolen property
which had been divided up among
them, and another followed his
example. Searching parties con-
tinued the quest for the remainder
of the plumber and succeeded in
discovering it entire.
The four burglars were brought
back to Boscobel and taken before
Justice Henderson on charge of
horsestealing. Examination was
postponed until today and bonds
for their appearance were placed at
$500 each. Not having this amount
each was remanded to county jail
and all were brought to Lancaster
The Richland county officials
were notified Of the capture and
will take charge of the prisoners as
soon as the charge under which the
prisoners are now being held is
disposed of.
The men are hard looking char
acters evidently experts at their
calling and were in possession OF
complete burglar outfits. Sheriff
Watson and his aides are deserving
of considerable credit for the clever
capture without bloodshed and
their efforts will result in landing
the culprits behind the bars OF
Waupun prison.
The men give their names as
Harry Butler, James Ford, John
Mcdonald and Geo. Miller and claim
they are faom Ohio.