The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-12-10

four other horses They were brought to Birmingham, but were tried in Helena. inasmuoh as the theft of the mules oc- cured in Shelby county.
 So skillfully had the case been worked out that in the testimony introduced In the trial of the two men yesterday they were accounted for in their movements right from the time they were at the lot where the mules were stolen until the hour they arNved in Meridian.
 While the chase was continuous for about six weeks and while tae two men succeeded in eluding the agents, neverthe- less the sleuths were always close be- hind them.
 Thinks Them Professionals.
 In the opinion of MT. Wiggins, San ders and Grimes are professional horse thieves and he does not believe that the full extent of their operations has yet been made known. MT. Wiggins marvels at the manner in which the two men managed to cover their tracks and at the sklfull manipulation of every deal they made. Every man they made any trade with is loser and 1t was shown in the testimony yesterday that they even beat the ferryman who drew them across the river near Montgomery.
 MT. Wiggins relates the circumstances of his chase after the men in the follow ing words:
 Details of the Chase.
 MT. Wingate of the Tennessee com pany came to my office on October 22 and told me that the company had had stolen from their camp below Bessemer, place called Tico, a pair of mules on October Il. We entered into an agreement by which l took up the case immediately and sent men out in the field to see if they could get any trace of the mules or parties that had taken them away
 We finally got trace of the mules in possession of two white men near Rock ford, Coosa county. We traced them from Rockford to Montgomery and there located one of the mules at the stable of Abraham Bros. The animal was, upon proper Identification, turned over to one of my men.
 "On further investigation it was found that this mule was traded to Abraham Bros. for a mare and $75 to boot by men filling the same description as those we had trace of at Rockford. We learned of their leaving Montgomery with two horses, crossing the river at the ferry and going in the direction of Biliingsley, Au- tauga county. The agent was thrown off the trail at this point but later 1t was learned that the two thieves were in the vicinity of Billingsley, at the home of the father of one, where they disposed of one of the horses.
 ''The men were then traced back into the Birmingham district and 1t was then that we ascertained the right names of the men, whom we were after, to be J. P. Sanders and Walter w. Grimes and discovered their place of residence, one living near Pelham and the other at Piper.
 Tn the meantime, however, we were looking for the other mule, and I re- ceived a long distance telephone message from one of my men, who had been sent to New Orleans, that he had located a mule in Jefferson parish, Louisiana, across the river and below New Orleans, which filled the description of the one for which we were looking. The animal was found at the camp of a man named Will Cody, who claimed that he was working for Slough of Montgomery Ala.
 "A further Investigation showed that MT Slough had traded for this mule giv- ing a mare and $50 to boot to the same parties and on the same day that the mule that we had already recovered from Abraham Bros, was sold. I immediate 1y sent representative of the Tennes- see Coal. Iron and Railroad company to identify the mule. which my man had lo- cated in Louisiana. As soon as he arr rived at Cody's camp he informed me that the mule was one of the animals stolen from the Tennessee company on October Il.
 Tn the meantime received telephone message from one of my agents from Blocton stating that he had information that Sanders and Grimes were both in the vicinity of Helena. immediately ordered him in and after getting a state from him cfx that he had the right men sent him to Helena on the morning of November 20, advising him to procure warrants and get Deputy Sheriff eF'allon of Shelby county and go and arrest the men. He went to Helena and procured the war rants and after securing them he in- formed me that he had the papers and that he and MT. Fallon were going after the men.
 About an hour afterward, however, he informed me that the men had stolen two horses on the preceding night. one from Dr. Denson near Pelham, and the other from Dr. Hayes of Helena, and that they were gone again. This necessitated a new chase and from former experience with these men I felt that they had gone just as far away from the place of their theft as they possibly could get in a night. immediately renewed my energy to try to pick up trail of them.
 we next heard of Sanders and Grimes in the vicinity of Eutaw. They were making for Mississippi Taking advan- tage of this information I placed one of my agents on the trail and dispatched another one to Meridian, Miss. I also advised the authorities of Meridian by telephone, giving them a description of both men and horses. About g o'clock on the evening of November 29 I re- ceived telephone message from my agent that Sanders and Griems had ar rived In Meridian, driving Dr. Denson's horse to- buggy, upon which he had them arrested immediately and placed in jail on charges of grand larceny.
 q immediately took the matter up with the Meridian authorities over long dis tance telephone and they agreed to turn the, two horse thieves over to my men.
 'In the meantime my agent whom dispatched to trail the men was close onto their heels and arrived in Meridian shortly after their arrest, which was on Sunday night Monday morning at 6 o' clock my men had the thieves in Bir- mingham.
 pr. Hayes horse, which the two men had traded for a buggy in which they drove into Meridian, was found at Hick- ory. Miss, about 30 miles below Meridian
 Both mules and both horses were re- stored to the respective owners and San ders and Grimes were turned over to the Shelby county authorities"
 The cases of Sanders and Grimes are the source of much interest in Shelby county and this county. It has been most carefully worked out and will cost the Tennessee company $500 before 1t has been finished.
 WANTED-Two sales ladies