The Forrest City times., 1911-03-31
HORSE THIEF CAPTURED
'ohn Stancel, Alias Joha Tatum. Gan. tured in Bloomfield, Missouri.
 by MT. George Koenig.

TOT several weeks previous to our last issue there had been running in The Times advertisements for strayed stock, signed by Naylor and John. son company, A. Bird, Martin Blount ana others, all residents of this coun. " and living in the Lakeside and kiverview neighborhood, on the St Francis river, about ten or twelve miles below Madison. Something over twenty head of horses and mules were included in the notices, and for several weeks no trace of them could be found
 Finally, a little over two weeks ago. Mir 6eo, koenig, who operates a saw mlll Tn the same neighborhood. missed me saddle horse and saddle. Abopt the same time he was approached by an old colored woman, and asked eff MT Stancel had spent the night with him! and upon being answered in the negative, she told him that she had put him across the river the night be- fore, and he had told her that he in. tended spending the night at MT. koenig's.
 This aroused that gentleman's sus- picions, for he had just sent a check for wages he owed Stancel to his wife In Bloomfield, Missouri, and he at once left for that place. Upon inquiry there he learned that the check had been cashed, and at the bank there learned that Stancel had been hand ling considerable money in checks and exchange from Germantown and Col lierville, Tennessee. Upon learning this, he doubled back to the Tennes- see cities, and found where several head of the stolen stock had been dis posed of, and the parties who had pur- chased them gave descriptions of the supposed horse trader who had sold them, that tallied so closely with the description of Stancel that if left no doubt in his mind as to him being the guilty man.
 Arrangements were at once made to apprehend Stancel, and he was arrest ed in the Missouri city. Last Satur- day night, Deputy Sheriff J. T. John- son went over to Tennessee, where he began operations to secure the return of the stolen stock, some of which had been disposed of in the suburbs of Memphis, some in Colieryille, some in Germantown, and some in Mississippi, close to the latter city-nineteen head being recovered in all.
 About the same time MT. Koenig made second trip to Bloomfield, where he took charge of Stancel and brought him to this city, arriving here Tuesday morning with his prisoner. Stancel, who does not deny running off and disposing of the stock, was lodged in jail here, and upon investigation by the grand jury, was indicted for horse stealing. 1t is believed, inasmuch as he admits his guilt, that he will plead guilty when tri ed.
 The stock recovered belongs to Nay Tor X Johnson Company, Geo. Koenig, L. J. Pugh, A. Bird, Martin Blount, and an old colored woman named Cot ton. The parties in Tennessee and Mississippi who had purchased the stock were very much surprised and somewhat indignant when told that Stancel had stolen them. Many of them informed MT. Johnson that they had known Stancel for years, and that he had been selling and trading horses in their neighborhood during the time they had known him..
 Stancel had made crop on the Robertson place last year, and later had worked at MT. Koenig's mill, and left that genlleman's employ with wages owing him, and this fact and him writing to have the check sent to his wife, led in large measure to his capture.
 Much ere dit is due to Naylor X Johnson Company, A. Bird, Geo. koe- nig and Martin Blount for their un- tiring efforts in ferreting out and run ming down the horse thief and it is largely due to their efforts that he was finally captured and the stock recov- cred Mir. Bird returned this morning from Tennessee with four head Of the