Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-01
DROPSM MUSTACHE:
FINDS FUGITIVE
IOWA SHERIFF LANDS PREY AT
LONG BEACH
Done at Sacrifice Of His Hlrsute
Adornnent-NoW Alleged Foreer
Wears Shiny Bracelets and
Must Face Music

Rather than have the man for whom
he had searched for many months
escape him, Sheriff Henry Olson cut
off his beautiful mustache and came to
Los Angeles to assist in the capture of
Charles Deltour, an alleged notorious
forger of Fort Dodge Ia.
Luck was with the sheriff and by the
aid of his disguise he managed to To-
cate his man at Long Beach and yes
terday afternoon Deltour and the
plucky little sheriff started back for
the east.
The story of the loss of the mus
| tache is a sad one. Back in the east
the Sheriffs are different from their
brothers of the west. The easterners
are generally much smaller, but the
badge of office is always a heavy mus
tache, long and silky. Any man who
attempts to be a candidate for the
sheriff's office starts to cultivate
mustache If he has not already bunch
of hair on his upper lip.
Several months ago Deltour, a young
man of Fort Dodge, was charged with
having forged a number of checks
bearing the signatures of prominent
farmers of the Fort Dodge neighbor-
hood. In some way he disappeared and
the next heard of him was when he
sent a message back to friend from
Los Angeles.
Mistrusted Westerners
That settled it. The people of the
little city wanted Deltour and they
wanted him badly. They instructed
the sheriff not to trust any of the west
ern officers with the capture and Olson
decided that he must make the trip
alone. He had known Deltour for
years and he knew that the man he
wanted would recognize him three
blocks away.
The question was put to the city coun-
Gil and at last 1t was decided that the
mustache would have to CO. That mus
tache had been the pride of the city
and with due ceremony Olson went to a
barber shop and while great bands of
crepe were hung on the building, the
barber slowly and solemnly drew the
razor through the silky tresses and
away went the mustache.
Then Olson came west and learned
here that Deltour was in Long Beach,
He went to the coast city Wednes-
day night and learned that the man for
whom he had a warrant was working
at a grading camp. All day long the
sheriff hid in hay stack in the barn
where Deltour slept with the rest of
the graders.
Sees His Prey
That night the watcher saw Deltour
enter the place. The young man was
swearing softly because his hands, un-
used to the hard labor had become
blistered.
With a grin of pleasure on his jolly
countenance the mustacheless sheriff
waited for the time when all would be
quiet.
Finally he crawled from the hay
stack and took position outside of the
barn.
He did not have to wait long, for the
door opened and out walked Deltour.
He was holding his hands before him
and the sheriff thought he was walk
ing i'm his sleep.
"Twenty-thre twenty-three," NUT
tered the man in a dazed sort of way.
"Where have l heard that word. be-
fore 2"
The sheriff took that as his cue and
made his appearance.
Hello, Charlie!" he said, and he
shook hands with Deltour.
"I guess you will go back to Iowa
with me-" continued the sheriff and
then Deltour woke up only to find a
neat handcuff on one wrist while Olson
held the other.
ut was worth being caught to have
you cut that mustache off" remarked
the youthful prisoner as he started for
Los Angeles county jail to spend his
leisure time before starting east. ~