The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-03-13
NIPPED A PLOT.
Sheriff Lucas Unearths Plan to
ExtOrt Money.
George Woolray Had Selected
L. Z. Taylor for Victim.
STOLE BELTS HORSE.
When Arrested Threatening
Letter Was Found.
Term in Penitentiary
for Murder.
STOLE BETTS HORSE.

A plan to extOFt money from L r.
Taylor, the wealthy nurseryman living
on Calhoun Bluffs. by threats of vio-
lence. was probably frustrated on Mon
day afternoon by the arrest of George
Woolray. charged with grand larceny
for stealing a horse and buggy, belong
ing to G. W. Belts on last Friday night
Woolray is the old fisherman, almost
66 years of age, who lives in a little
dugout on the river just below the Tay-
lor residence.
When arrested on Monday afternoon,
Sheriff Lucas extracted the following
letter from Woolray's pocket, written on
q leaf of yellow paper torn from an or
binary cash book:
Topeka
February
Mr. L r Taylor:
We have been looking around to
find some one that we thought had II
plenty to spare few dollars. We must
have it so If yu Wanto save yourself
from losing larger amount you viii
do as we bid you. and this is to leave
one hundred and fifty dollars in Ger
tain plase for US to get. your wife
has some property here in town, SO if
yOO fail to leave 1t at the plase we tell
yoo, yoo may expect to be Out much
more than what we ask Of yoo. we
are sworn to stay tOgafher so If any
OF US is caught it viii be all the worse
for you. now as to the place to leave
it yoo have some pine trees down south
of your house where you live you may
leave it at the root of the last tree at
the gait as you cross the railroad at 8
O'clock.
If yoo see fit you mite put it in an
old tin can we warren yoo not to fail.
When confronted with the letter and
asked what he was doing with a thing
OF that kind, Woolray at first fatty de-
MED knowing that it was in his pocket,
or having ever seen it before. But
little of the third degree in the sweat
ing process caused him to get a little
closer to the truth and he said:
I found this old book in a trash
heap left by the gang which built the
new Union Pacific line up there around
q letter just like this one. I grew lone
some one night sne copied 1t Just 10
pass the time away. never intended
to do anything with it. I didn't make
1t up. For Gods sake don't say any
thing about that in the newspapers. 1t
would just be awful for me
did you steal the horse and buggy
belonging to G. W. Belts on Satur-
day night ?" was asked of him.
''I don't know whether I stole it or
not" he answered II was drunk, If
I did. I didn't intend to take it. if 1
did"
Sheriff Lucas locked him up on the
charge of grand larceny. No charge
can be placed against him with ref
erence to the letter
81 arrested WoOlray," said Lucas,
ION Monday afternoon and put him in
jail. We heard that on Friday night
he was drunk in a North Topeka
placed and said, I be - if I walk
home I'm goin' to swipe some horse
and buggy and ride out It is too far
to Calhoun bluffs So we went out
yesterday afternoon to his place and
arrested him. He finally owned up to
stealing the horse and buggy. but said
he did it when full of whisky. I think
he wrote the letter all right, for have
some of his handwriting here which
he admits to-
Lucas compared the two and they
were alike as two peas. s'I am sure .
said Lucas, that he wrote the letter
and had intended to send it to Taylor.
I have tried to get in communication
with Taylor today, but the telephone
wires are down I am going to see
him as soon as can find out If he has
been annoyed by anything like this
before"
Woolray was seen in his cell at the
Jail and asked about the letter Il lust
copied that" he said. I found a book
in a trash heap left by the men Who
built the new Union Pacific line. on
the front page was this letter. I copied
it one night when I was lonesome and
stuck the book in my pocket For
heavens sake don't put that in the
newspapers nave trouble enough
now I have a married daughter living
IN Usage county. one in Dakota and a
son in New Orleans. Ny first wife is
dead. and my second one is living in
Syracuse. N. Y. live alone in a dug
out just below the Taylor farm and fish
for a living. I have known Mr.. Taylor
for a long while. and think an awful
lot of him. I never meant any wrong.
I took the horse and buggy belonging
to Paddy Belts. but was drunk at
the time, and never meant to steal it.
I am glad he got his property back.
Say, please don't put this in the news
papers"
Woolray spent nine years in the pen
itentiary at Lansing for the murder of
a man at Hutchinson He was paroled
by Governor Leedy- His sentence was
twenty years.
This man and I went in his place to
play game Of ten-pins," said Woolray
Somebody cut his throat. but It wasn't
me. didn't do it. He and I had quar-
relied though and the blame was laid
on me and I was sent up for twenty
years. but got let out by Leedy for good
behavior