The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-03-24
GILBERT IN The
ROLE OF A SEEUTH
Man Receivers Stolen Bicycle
at Newton.
AFTER A LONG SEARCH
Thief Is Arrested After Making
Confession.
AFTER A LONG SEARCH

J. o. Gilbert, the furniture man Of
North Main, had an Autogo bicycle sto-
len from him on the night of February
8, and yesterday he succeeded in recover
ing his property near Newton and also
captured the thief. The wheel was found
in possession of a boy only sixteen years
OF age whose name is AdOlph Koehn. He
will be brought to this city today from
Newton by Sheriff c. d. Masters.
The story of the theft is peculiar one
and the arrest of young Koehn WAS re-
markable. On February ]. Mr.. Gilbert
purchased the wheel from the Hockaday
Hardware company and, in a joking way,
his friends told him that he would not
have it long as he could not run both the
wheel and an automobile. Then came
the missing OF the bicycle on the night
OF February ..
Mr.. Gilbert Immediately published a no
tice that he would pay 800 for The re
turn of the wheel and $500 for the ar
rest of the thief. One day not long ago,
a tall young man appeared in bicycle
shop on North Main and made the state
ment that he thought he could locate Mr..
Gilbert wheel providing there was some
thing in it. The proprietor of the shop
told the man that there was reward of
$500 for the recovery of the wheel.
Shortly after this incident Mr.. Gilbert met
the young man and questioned him as TO
T,a = no nh nj his
bicycle The man told Mr.. Gilbert that
that he would not tell anything
without a reward. Finally, the man told
about a friend. who knew all about it
at Newton. Then Mr.. Gilbert refused to
ask any more favors OF the young man
as the latter said he would not locate the
bicycle for $500. The man said he would
have to split the amount with his friend
at Newton which would not pay either
sufficiently.
After a little while Mr. Gilbert was
able TO learn this friends name and he
decided that the only way to get his pro-
perty back was to do little detective
work and, he started out.
He went to Newton and began a search
for this friend" last Tuesday and. like
an Old Sleuth found him. a rig was
hired and all sorts of adventures were
experienced. Mr. Gilbert played the role
of an old acquaintance of the young man
of this city, who first gave him a clue,
and the friend took up with him at
once as if they were the best Of chums.
Yet the friend" felt just a little wary
and said that he did not Ike to give the
bicycle thief away. Mr.. Gilbert said that
he knew the circumstances and was going
to get the wheel or know the reason why.
Then all kinds of maneuvers and strate-
gical manipulations were worked First,
Mr. Gilbert played the part of a home
seeker who was in the country 20 buy pro-
perty and then he told people in other
parts Of the city and country that he
wanted to hire a man with bicycle to
deliver goods for him. To one place in the
country which was several miles he wal
ked. and when he approached the house
OF a farmer by the name of Decker. he
met some little children from whom he
got a great deal Of information about the
bicycle. He impressed the children as n
kindly gentleman and, at once. Hon their
confidence
From here he went to the Farm Of Peer
A1'lllb'hSA NiitAt ne lbNi-G MS NIlefl ana
also, the boy, Adolph Koehn He inter
rogated the boy closely about the bicycle
The lad said that he won the wheel some
time ago in rattle. But after a little
while. Mr. Gilbert. came out plainly and
accused him Of taking 1t from the side
walk in front of his store IN this city The
boy would not admit it for sometime but F.
al last. when he saw that there was no I.
chance for a denial of the theft. he
acknowledged that he stole the wheel
MIR Gilbert had peviously arranged for /
the sheriff to be with him at this place
and the boy was Immediately put under
arrest. Today he win he brought TO
Wichita and will be tried shortly.
While Mr.. Gilbert was doing this sec +
ret service work he was told by several 4
strangers that there is in this part of
Kansas a band of thieves who go by the 4
name Of the Twentieth Century Gang"
and they are thoroughly and syste-
matically organized. Adolph Koehn was
asked about the gang and he replied that .
he was not member Of it. but &hat he
had been asked to join it.
From all reports it seems that this gang
Is organized 10 work the country between ,
here and Newton and also in the cities (
Wichita and Newton. 1t is considered bv
Mr.. Gilbert that something startling may
yet develop along this line and that the
gang may. perhaps. he captured Ii IS
quite probable that there are large num-
Der of thieves belonging to this "Twen-
tieth Century Gang" and that they have
been doing a great deal of the rohbins
and thuggery here in Wichita. AR Gil