Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1908-04-11
THE ENTERPR|S|NG
Mr.. RITTER IN
HOOK AGAIN
VERSATILE THIEF is
WANTED IN SANTA FE
Curious Career of Saloon Own
ef Who Made It a Business to
Steal the Floor After Empty
ing the House,

Ira b. Ritter eX-convict from the
New Mexico penitentiary, Tor some
time proprietor OF the High-Life sa-
loon in Old Albuquerque, fence, dive
keeper and with an established repu-
tation In this city as the most per-
sistent and industrious thief who eyer
visited 1t, Is in the tolls once more.
Ritter came to town Thursday
night He was arrested Friday morn
ing by Chief of Police McMillm on
a request from Santa Fe and will go
to Santa Fe this morning with Sher-
If Charles Closson of Santa Fe coun-
~, who arrived last night TO get him,
In Santa Fe the enterprising Ira Is
ardently wanted to answer for vari-
GUS and sundry misdeeds. He APP
parently has returned to his old habit
of quietly slipping everything in reach
and left united, 1t never did do any
good to nail things down, for Ira
took the nails.
Ritter seems to have added new
accomplishment to his list, the in
MIGRATING atmosphere of Santa Fee
probably having stimulated his brain.
II is charged that he purchased BIZ
cycle and a set of plumbers tools
from H. Gebauer. of Santa Fe, agree
ing to pay for them on the installment
plan AS soon as he got possession
Ritter mortgaged the goods. He then
turned around and sold them outright
10 a third party without having TAX
en- the trouble to obtain the consent
of either the owner or the holder OF
the mortgage. The Santa Re county
officials seem to have considered the
proceeding a trihe irregular. There
are several other minor charges to be
preferred Ritter has been out of the
penitentiary just three months, hay.
ing been freed last Christmas on ac-
count of good behavior,
Ritter's career here made him fam
Gus in police court circles. He first
rose to fame because of his connec-
ton with an extraordinary varied as
sortment of troubles in the High-Lite
saloon in old Town of which he was
one of the owners. The High-Life
achieved a reputation for badness
that few joints nave ever obtained in
these parts.
After the High-Life had been clos
ed to satisfy creditors, Ritter went
into the general contracting business.
1t was while engaged in this business
that he showed his real genius. The
man is said to have established the |
high water mark Tor the securing OF
building material without paying for I
same Indeed but for the interfer- I
eEce of the police it is considered !
probable that Ritter would have had /
all of the business, since he would /
probably have had corner on all /
the material in town. Rtter's spec
ialty was to secure the contract for
building a house. He would secure
the assistance of the owner Of the
premises in securing the building ma
terial and would then proceed in
most orderly and busness-like way
TO steal said material from the stone
for the foundation to the brick in the
Ritter used to make regular jour
neys with a wagon after darkness had
settled, to get the stuff If he was
with he merely stated that
he was the contractor and was do
ing 4 little work overtime. The plan
worked admirably until Ritter began \
to annex himself to building mater
ial belonging to other contractors
Then the bottom dropped out. When
finally stopped, Ritter was found to
have in his possession a varied assert
ment of barbed wire, building stone
lath, shingles, doors flooring, plumb
ars' goods, nails, hardware of all
kinds, and pretty much everything
else except prayer books and dia-
monds. II is a current story in po-
lice circles that Ritter once occupied
a prominent place in the business i
of Chicago