Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-04-20
Arrested In Missouri With Gar
win Farmers Team In
His Possession
LOVE; LETTERS GAVE HIM AWAY
G. II. Lase Traced His Stolen Prop.
srty to McFaIl, Mo-, in Hands of His
Former Farm Hand and There Had
Thief Arrested and Property Recov-
cred.
Special to Times-Republican.


Toledo, April 20.-Sheriff West ar
rived today from Missouri with Theo-
dore Koenig, farm hand, arrested for
stealing G. H. Lagos team of mules.
Lage had traced Koenig to McF'alls,
Mo-, where he effected the capture of
the thief and stolen property at a
farm house three miles from, town.
Sheriff West was called by telegraph
and came to Albany, Mo-, where Sher-
If Jennings Of Gentry county deliv-
cred the prisoner.
The story Of KoenIgs theft and cap
ture is one of the basest ingratitude
on Koenig's part and very clever de-
tective work by Lage, the farmer from
whom the team was taken. koenlg
had worked for Lage as farm hand
several times during the past five or
six years. He was a smooth fellow,
of good manners and had quite won
the hearts of the farmers family. Dur
ing one of his stays at the Lage farm
DR.. /. T.. Bethke, of MarshalltoWn,
came for visit to the Lagos for the
purpose Of treating Mrs. Lage for
cancer. She was accompanied by Miss
Emma L. Bethke, her niece, employed
as a. nurse at Soldiers Home koenig
met the younger Miss Bethke there
and it was by means of letters written
to her while driving south with the
stolen mules that he was captured.
The mules, valuable pair worth
$3.50, along with a good top buggy,
robes, ETC., disappeared from the Lage
farm three miles from Garwin suns
day night, April 8. Koenig had left
the farm Saturday night, telling the
Lagos that he would go to Belle
Plaine or Cedar Rapids to look for
work. Koenig once before had come
to grief in Chicago and had written
Lage for money to help him out of
Jail. Lage had received word from the
chief OF police that Koenig had been
arrested for larceny. Still these hon
est Germans liked the young man and
believed his plausible explanation of
that episode. When the mules disap-
peared. however, they being the most
valuable team on the Lage farm, Lage
Immediately suspected KOenig.
Knowing that Koenig had gone to
Green Mountain the Saturday before
and suspecting that he would go to
Marshalltown to see Miss Bethke, Lage
went imme diately to DR.. Bethke, where
he learned that Koenig had spent most
OF the day Sunday there, leaving at
$40 o. m. ostensibly for Ogden, Ark.
This corroborated Lagos suspicious
ana It was arranged that DIR. Bethke
should notify Lage Of Koenig's where
abouts should he write any letters, al
tho DIR. Bethke was then certain that
Koenig was being suspected unjustly.
by the middle of the week Koenig
had written to Miss Bethke from Rea-
soilor, Jasper county, Iowa, and then
from Charlton, in Lucas county. This
fact was given to the Tama county
sheriff but the latter was slow in NOV
in,y SO. when on the following Sunday,
which was last Sunday, when Lage
learned from DIR. Bethke that Koenig
had written again from McFall, Mo-.
ana would stay there day or two.
Lage determined to go after his man
himself.
He came to Marshalltown in the
night by team, talked with the Mar
shall county sheriff and went to Con-
to Albany, the county seat, and en-
listed the services OIL oHeEAlL JeHHlliSS
and together they went to McFall in
the same county. At the postoffice
they learned that Koenig was stop
ping at a farm house three miles out,
and, in company with the town mar
shall, they caught Koenig there with
the mules in his possession. The team
was shipped home via the Great
Western.
Koenig had been treated like their
own child by Mr.. and Mrs. Lage. He
had been companion for their son
Eof, about the same age, and the Sat-
urday before he left Mrs. Lage had
la.undered his clothes for him., altho
sh,s was only guest at the place. Had
the Chicago episode never occurred
gLagc would never have suspected