The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1908-07-09
District Attorney Discovers Past
Life of Man Who Pleaded
Guilty to Burglary
HAD SERVED TIME AT JOLIET
Was Arrested Under Name of George
Van Avery and Sentenced to
Illinois Prison for Indefinite
Term in 1904

Just common burglar This is the
solution Of the mystery surrounding the
identity of the man who pleaded
F." Guilty. to the crime Of burglary in
the Circuit Court on Monday afternoon
under the name of Frank Taylor. His
real identity was established Tuesday
by District Attorney Baker and when
he appeared in court before Judge Bel
den for sentence this afternoon it was
not as Frank Taylor, but as George Van
Avery, formerly convict 5000 in the
Illinois state prison at Joliet Van
story Of his life with one little excep-
ton and that was in regard to the
fact that he had at one time been SEN
fenced to an indefinite term in the state
prison at Joliet.
There was just little touch Of
pathos in the story Of Van Avery and
it is certain that the old man has a
great love for son who is residing in
Chicago and who is the only surviving
member Of his family. The boy who
is now sixteen years of age knows moth
ing of the arrest of his father in Ke-
nosha and the old man viii make an
effort to get off to prison without the
son being advised of his arrest.
District Attorney Baker had little
trouble getting line on the past his
tory Of Van Avery. Armed with pict-
ures of the old man he went directly to
the Office Of Captain Evans at the Har-
rison street police station. Captain
Evans knows the past history Of nearly
every criminal who has worked in this
section of the country and when Baker
gave him description Of the old man,
Evans said: eyes, know the fellow
all right and he has record. He is
known as the lone burglar. " Then
Baker produced the picture and Captain
Evans at once called Van Avery by
name and referring to his flies pro-
duced a companion picture and the ber-
tillion measurements and the little his
tory on the back of the card told the
story which resulted in Van Avery be-
ing known as criminal with a record
in other places. The accused man
was arrested for burglary in Chicago
early in 1904. He had been working as
a ship mechanic in Chicago and had
slipped out of the city at week end
anu had gone to Aurora, ILL.,, where he
had robbed house in a manner SINH
lar to the robbing Of the Ames house.
He was tracked to Chicago and ar
rested and taken back to Aurora and
when tried and convicted was sentenc-
ed to an indeterminate term in the
state prison.
The son of the convicted man then
but twelve years of age took up the
fight to secure the liberty of his father
and he personally appeared before the
Board of Pardons of the State of Hi
nois and pleaded for the release Of his
father and the board ON the plea of the
son granted the old man a parole. He
was paroled from Joliet prison on July
13, 1906. Since that time he had been
living with the son in Chicago until
he came to Kenosha a week ago and
committed the burglary at the Ames
home. 1t is said that there has been
an unusual bond between the man and
his only son and the son has been
searching far and near to find some
trace of the missing father. The boy
has not been told Of the crime of his
lather and it is possible that the old
man will be in the Wisconsin state
prison before the son discovers the facts
in the case. There is no evidence that
Van Avery ever worked with any band
of burglars as the Aurora case was the
same sort of crime as the one com
mitted at Kenosha. It is claimed that
Van Avery was good man at his trade,
that of ship mechanic and had always
earned big wages and it was unneces-
sary for him to take to robbery in
order to get a livelihood