The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-01-16
POND CREEK OFFICER
ARRESTS MAN HERE
OBrien Charged with Swind-
ling Liverymen.
ALONG THE ROCK ISLAND
Victims of CRATER Said to Be
Numerous.

a man giving his name as OBrien
was arrested yesterday afternoon by
Chief OF Police c. S. Bunyan, Of Pond
Creek and taken to the police station
He is wanted On a charge of swindling
different liverynen along the Rock Island
between this city and the Indian terri
tory.
Thursday morning the man put in his
appearance in Pond Creek representing
that he was a contractor working on
| some side tracks for the Rock Island and
would soon begin work in that city. He
said that he used 30 head of mules and
wanted to make arrangements with some
liyeryman to get a corral that would ac-
commooate that number of mules. He
also said that he wished to purchase
seven or eight more mules as he did
not have quite enough for the work. c.
S. Bunyan. chief of police. referred him
to c. Foster, a liveryman in Pond Creek
and with him he made arrangements for
place TO feed the mules. Later in the
evening he returned to the livery stable
and told Mr.. Foster that he was going
up to Caldwell after seven or eight mules
THAI he had there and he asked if he
could borrow some halters to take with
him, as the mules he was going after
were in a lot and he had 10 halte-s for
them. The haieers were furnished and
he then asked Foster if he could lend
him two dollars as the bank was closed
and he had nothing but a check. He
offered to give Foster a check for the
amount, but as the man appeared to be
all right. the liveryman dld not take the
offered check, but gave him the money
without any security, and O'Brien left
for caldwell on the next train.
Later in the evening Foster was talk
ing the matter over with Mr.. Bunyan
and he mentioned that the man said that
he also had mules in Enid ana that ne
had just come from there They decided
10 call up Enid by phone and ascertain
if the man hau been there and if he
was to be trusted. This they did ana
received the reply that O'Brien had been
there and mad worked one of the livery
men for several dollars
The chief and Foster Immediately fol-
lowed their man to Caldwell, only to
learn that he had been there and worked
his graft with a livery man and had left
that place on the train his pursuers had
arrived or. II. Dimke the Iiveryman
in Caldwell, said that O'Bren had told
him the same story that he told in Pond
Creek and Enid and that after borrow
ing several dollars had left the bundle
of halters with him and gone to We'll
lington for the purpose of bringing back
some mules which he had at that place
A telephone message was at once sent to
Wellington, giving the mans description
and asking the officers to look out for
him. The two men then boarded a train
bound for Wellington, where they were
met at the station by an officer who said
that their man was not in Wellington. nor
had he been there.
They came to Wichita and notified the
police, giving them O'Brien's descrip-
ton. The whereabouts of the man had
not been discovered and they were about !
to give UP the search and return home. |
when he was seen by Foster entering q |
place on East Douglas avenue opposite |
the Rock Island depot An officer stand |
ing near was notified and the arrest |
soon followed.
He was taken at once to the city jail, |
and it was afterwards learned that he |
had already been to a barn in this city |
and made the same arrangements as |
he had at all the other places
The prisoner refused 10 give any other |
name than OBrien and he said that he |
had been working his present scheme |
successfully since last Thanks giving He |
also intimated that he was wanted in |
Muskogee, l. T, but he would not state /
on what charge. Chief of Police Bun |
ran and c. Foster left the city with |
heir man last night at Gas over the |
Rock Island. When asked concerning
he matter, Mr.. BEnyan said: There is
10 telling how many places the man
has worked and he refuses to state. bur
I is my opinion that a great number
II the smaller places along the Rock
sland have been visited by him His
appearance is that of a typical mule buy
r or Construction foreman and his story
eemed to be perfectly straight and eli
light 1t was just by mere accident that
We happened TO telephone to Enid. other
wise he would perhaps not have been
,aptured so easily"