The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1909-12-30
THINK ARREST IMPORTANT ONE
Telephone Boxes at Lacrosse Were
Robbed Week Ago and it is
Thought That Arrest May Unearth
Conspiracy to Rob Company.


apolis as his home was arrested in
Kenosha late Tuesday afternoon on a
charge of robbing the pay station of
the Kenosha Home Telephone Company
at Hotel Kenosha. Gunderson secur-
ed but a dollar and half from the
drawer of the telephone booth, but
the police believe that the arrest will
prove very important one as it is
thought possible that Gunderson is a
member Of a gang which has been loot
ing these boxes in all parts of the
country. Gunderson had key which
fits the lock to the cash drawer and he
was decidedly bold about the rob-
berry.
The man had come into the hotel
short time before he robbed the
cash box and had been in the barroom
for probably half an hour. Several
men and Mrs. Royce, the wife Of the
proprietor of the hotel, were in the
office when Gunderson came into the
Office and without looking right or left
walked up to the telephone booth and
opened the cash drawer and deposited
the money in his pockets. Some of
the people who saw the robbery felt
that all was not right and notified the
telephone Office and a few minutes
later Gunderson was taken into custody
by Assistant Chief Newhouse At the
time of his arrest he declined to make
any statement but letters found in his
pocket showed that he lived at Min
neapolis
AS much of the money taken in at
these pay stations belongs to the Wis
consin Telephone Company Manager
G. L. Miller at once notified the office
of that company in Milwaukee of the
robbery and he was informed that the
pay stations of the company at La
Crosse had been touched up on Thurs
day and Friday Of last week and that
there quite rich haul had been made.
The key which Gunderson carried had
beer made by locksmith and it is
certain that it had been made to fit the
locks of the boxes in the pay stations.
It is thought possible that other re-
ports of similar robberies will be re-
ceived in Kenosha.
Manager Miller in speaking of the
matter declared that there had been
organized gangs who worked this
scheme of robbing these boxes but it
has been some time since any of the
men worked in Kenosha. Some time
ago the pay stations at the North
western station and at the Chicago and
Milwaukee Electric station were robbed
but at this time the thieves secured
but little booty. The station at the
Hotel Kenosha had been emptied on
the 23rd of last month and for this
reason there was little money in it..
Tt is thought that Gunderson had
planned to make the rounds of all the
pay stations in the city. With a
skeleton key it would be possible for
a man to pick up from ten to twenty
dollars and the fact that the stations
had been robbed under ordinary cir
cumstances would not be discovered
until the time came for checking them
up at the end of the week.
In the municipal court Wednesday
Gunderson admitted that he had taken
money in Kenosha, Lacrosse and Mil
waukee and he insisted on pleading
guilty to the charges against him.
Judge Randall gave him a sentence of
sixty days in Jail together with a fine
of $25 and the costs of the action with
an added penalty of ninety days in jail
in case the fine is not paid. lGunder-
son claims that he has no friends in
this part of the country and he will
probably spend long time in jail.