Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-09-29
SHERIFF CREMER
ARRESTS SMITH
is CHARGED WITH THE ROBBERY
OF TOM DAVIS, AN ELDERLY
FARM HAND At BATAVIA
Arrest Made Fifteen Hours After Theft
occurred-AIl of $1,1s5 Stolen is
Recovered in Home of Relatives in
Fairfield.
From Fridays Daily.

iff j. H. Cremer returned this morning
from fifteen hour successful man
hunt, which at the beginning seemed
an almost hopeless one. Asa Smith,
who is alleged to have robbed Tom
Davis, an elderly farm hand, employed
near Batavia, was arrested last night
at Fairfield and $1.1S5. the entire
amount stolen, recovered.
Starting with almost no clue what
ever, save few tracks made by man,
which seemed to lead to the point
where the robbery occurred, the sher-
/ iff aided by his faithful hounds was
able to fasten his suspicion upon one
man, and having found, as he believed,
the identity of the culprit, 1t was but
an easy task to locate him
Robbery Sensational.
The robbery. which is one of the
oldest and most sensational which has
occurred in Wapello county for years,
happened yesterday morning about 9
o'clock
| Davis was working in a corn field on
the farm of Roy Goff, about one mile
and half west of Batavia, just
short distance over the Wapello coun-
ty line.
/ 1t has been Davis's custom for years
to carry his savings with him. In the
roll of bills which the sheriff recov-
/ cred there are some that Davis mas
carried on his person through the day
and slept with them under his pillow
at night for the last seventeen years.
Stolen from Clothes.
Becoming heated from his exertions,
Davis took off his coat, and the vest,
in which he carried the money, and
i hung them on a hedge at the side
of the field in which he was working.
the clothing was hung, he noticed that
the vest had been disturbed.
He at once went to examine the
clothes and found that he had been
robbed. Sheriff Cremer was notified
and after a strenuous preparation,
. having but twenty minutes within
which to make the train to Batavia,
with his dogs, left for the Jefferson
county town.
Almost No Clue.
Arriving there, he was at once taken
Ito the scene of the crime Here he was
shown the spot where the vest had
hung and also a few foot tracks of a
man. which seemed to lead to the Vi
cinity. That was all. Owing to the
long grass around the spot where the
vest had hung there were no visible
tracks at that point.
The blood hounds were then brought
into use. The first trail which they
struck led toward Batavia. and this
they weer able to follow for about a
mile where in crossing the road, 1t
was found that they were on the back
track" that is, they had been following
J the trail the culprit had used on his
} way to the spot where the robbery oc-
Cured.
Hounds Are Used.
The. search for the track of the thief
by which he left the scene of his crime
, then began. The hounds would pick
up the scent and carry it little way
only to lose it again through the dry
, ness of the ground Finally, by ques-
tioning people along the way and
through other evidence that he was
able to gather, Sheriff Cremer became
convinced that the fragmentary trails
the hounds had been able to find, were
leading him in the right direction, ana
that not only had the thief come from
Batavia. but that he had returned tc
I the same place.
AS he picked up more evidence OF
one kind and another, the officer be-
! gan to fix his suspicious upon Smith
Batavia residents. among whom Smith
2 seems to have borne very good repu-
$ tation, demurred. stating that it could
not have been him, as they were GER
tain he was not the sort of a man tt
t commit such a crime.
Z On Trail Of Smith.
f Returning to Batavia, Sheriff Crem.
f er found that Smith had gone to Fair.
s field and he then notified the officer:
). there to arrest him Smith left fol
: Fairfield on the same train tina
:. brought the sheriff to Batavia, and HI
g told the sheriff last evening that HI
n saw him and his dogs getting off the
n train as he got on.
q Arriving in Fairfield. Smith went tt
D the home of a cousin, Mrs Alice Ire
: land and left the money there. Mrs
\ Ireland states that she had no ide;
\ what the package contained, the bill
I being done up in little bundle.
: Smith Arrested.
: Phil Pickett, night marshal Of Fair
t field, arrested Smith on the streets
II after Charles Carter, a deputy sheriff
t had made two unsuccessful visits t.
e Mrs. Ireland's house in an attempt tt
o find him.
a At first Smith is said to have denie,
!. the taking of the money when accuse.
a of the crime by B. F. Black, marshal o
I Fairfield, and Carter.
Sheriff Cremer arrived In ta1rfelt
on Burlington No. and the sweating
of Smith was continued. However
nothing could be secured from him il
# the way of an admission that he hat
committed the crime.
Securing the warrant for the arres
y of Mrs. Ireland, Sheriff Cremer wen
n to her home, and intinated to her tina
g Smith had confessed and implicate,
t her to certain extent Then, thougl
8 denying all knowledge of the crime
I, she told of his leaving the bundle witt
: her and produced the package.
= Smiths Confession.