Arizona republican., 1911-08-03
QUICK DISCOVERY OF
A SHOE ROBBERY
Mexican Steals While Friend Covers.
Light Fingered Party Walks
Barefoot to Police Station.

At about 7:45 yesterday morning a
Mexican was seated under a tree at
Fourth street and jefferson. He was
neatly dressed and on his feec he had
a fine pair of Walk-over brogans
They were just his size but they were
not his shoes. Knowing this, Officer
Egley. who happened along at the time
took the man INTO custody. In order
To save the shoes from further injury,
he made the Mexican take them off
and walk to the police station in his
bare feet
The shoes belonged to the Diehl shoe
store. and the Mexican had succeeded
i'm taking them from the store bv a
ruse which might have gone undiscov-
cred had it not been for the fact that
the clerk. Mr.. \ W. Sandige knows
how to use his optics to good advant-
age.
At about o'clock i'm the morning
Mr.. Sandige. who had just opened the
store for business. was called to min
lister To the shoe needs of two Mexicans
who came i'm to make purchases. One
il tranSpred. came to make the pur-
chase. The other came to make the
theft Stating that he wanted a pair
of working shoes. one Mexican occu-
pied the clerks attention in the rear
part of the store. while his compatriOt
drifted around i'm the front of the room
stopping to touch a shoe box. and lift
the lid to see what might be contained
therein.
la 90
Mr. Sandige. who found time to tend
! to the Mexican in the rear and watch
the one in the front without losing
sight of the one, or sighting the needs
of his prospective customer. His sus-
picions were justified when he saw Mr.
Mexican in the front surreptitiously
slip Il pair of shoes from a box. He
saw nothing more of him, for his Gus
tdmer. Jose Hernandez by name.
moved I'm front of him, thus damaging
the view
After monopolzing several minutes
of the clerks time. Hernandez decid-
ed that none Of the shoes he had seen
would be suitable. and saying as much.
he left the store His accomplice had
already made his getaway. and It was
impossible for Mr.. Sandige to follow
them, as he was alone in the store at
the time. Mr.. Diehl arrived a few mo-
ments later. and Mr.. Sandige hurried
down to police headquarters to put the
officers on the trail of the litter.
Accompanied by the clerk, Officer
Egley made the rounds of the saloons,
but found no MeXicans. Continuing the
search down through the Mexican dis
trict. he found his men seated under a
tree. and he took them in with small
ceremony Chief Moore turned the
Mexican over to Justice JohnstOnes'
court, where they plead guilty to petit
larceny, and each was promptly SEN
| fenced to thirty days.
Hernandez was nattily dressed at the
| time Of his arrest, and the inquiries of
the police as to where he had purchased
his clothing. were evasively answered.
Acting on the theory that if he could
help his friend to steal he would not
be above it himself, the police remov-
ed his clothing. and will endeavOr TO
find out if any of the city stores have
lost articles Of clothing lately. a hum
orous feature Of the affair is that Her
nandez was compelled to buy the shoes
his friend had stolen. 50 that the Diehl
shoe store lost not a dollar by the
transaction. The MeXicans were not
only out the price of the footgear. but
they had thirty days thrown in for good
measure.
The rapidly with which the theft
was detected, the miscreant found, and
the sentence given. makes the affair
somewhat unusual. as the entire pro-
cceding took only ninety minutes.