The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1912-11-21
]. Hout, Of But
Ter, S. D. Admits
His Guilt.
A MYSTERY
Inspectors Solve Disappear
ance of $3.50 Package of
Registered Mail,

Aberdeen. S. D.-His effort to
keep an automobile in repair and
properly fed with gasoline led to the
downfall OF John j. Hout. formerly
q rural mail carrier out of Butler,
5. d.. according to his confession in
federal court. Hout was arrested for
the theft of a registered mail pack
age containing $3.50, and after being
subjected to a rigid cross-eXamina-
ton by a postoffice inspector, plead
ed guilty and stated that his auto
s t1p y " itpm pJ the p paf y Of honesty U e H'''
In March, 1911, Roy Sherwood, a
mail carrier out OF Butler, carried a
pouch OF mail into the p%ostotfice at
Butler and turned it over to Post
master Potter. In the pouch was a
registered package containing $3.50.
Potter dumped the contents OF the
pouch on the sorting table, not no
ticing the registered package. Then
his attention was called to another
matter for a minute and then he
returned to sort the matter, tha
package was missing. SO far as Potter
then knew. Houts did not come into
the p%Cstoffice with the mail from
his route until some time after the
package was missed. Houts, there
fore was not suspected, and both
Potter and Shumway We're under
suspicion for some time, but the au-
thorities finally became convinced of
their innocence.
The theft OF the package promised
to become an unsolyed mystery until
a month or two ago, when HoutS
broke into the store of Nels Il. Bjorke
who also owns the State Bank of
Butler 10 which the registered pack
age was addressed. Houts stole var
ious articles from Biorke's establish
ment. He was suspected, and confess
ed.
The incident first aroused the sus-
picions OF The postal inspector that
Houts may have had something to do
with the other theft and he was put
through q curse OF probing which
finally led to his confession. 1t APP
pears Houts entered the %postoffice
while Potter was temporarily engag-
ed in some other duty. saw the reg
istered package and distracted it.
After his confession. he repaid the
stolen money, with interest to date.
He stated he had been hard up be-
cause OF the heavy expense his auto
mobile had been to him, and that
practically the entire $3.50 had been
expended in repairs for the upleep
of the machine. Some time after the
thefts, Houts married, and recently
became the father Of an infant. This
fact, and the fact that he made resti-
tuition of the stolen amount, inclined
the court TO mercy in imposing sent
ence.
James Wilson and Charles Wilt
ANS We're tried for robbing the post
office at Milbank. The testimony for
the government showed that one of
the men entered the rear Of the post
office and engaged the postmaster in
conversation in an effort to sell him
some Wire Goa hangers. He manag
to get near the open safe. Then his
accomplice entered the front door of
the p%ostoffice building and proceed
ed TO buy some stamps. He engaged
the postmaster in conversation, and
The other proceeded to rifle the con-
tents Of the safe. The postmaster
turned about and caught him in the
act, but the two men fled and were
captured only after a long chase. The
defendants placed no witnesses on
the stand, but contented themselves
with a general denial of their guilt.
A dozen witnesses testified for the
government.
The sentences imposed by Judge
Elliott in federal court late yesterday
were as follows:
Brown Takes the Gun. for the
THEFT cf a steer, thre years and six
months in federal prison at Leayen-
worth. Kans.
John b. Sprank, sending obscene
matter through the mails, a year and
a day at the Leayenworth prison.
In the various cases of introducing
llquor on Indian reservations, the
following sentences We're imposed. the
Jail sentence being given where the
defendants pleaded guilty, and The
prison sentences where the defend-
ant was convicted by the jury after
trial; Oliver Campbell, one year and
SIX months at Leavenworth and 500
me. Asa Johnson, the same: Isreal
Johnson. Il year and a day in federal
prison and 500 fine; Morris Morses.
four months in Jail and $500 me,
Samuel Pate. the same; James Dog
Eagle, the same; Joe Fast Horse. six
" days in jail and 500 fine.
Convicted and Sentenced.
Aberdeen, S. D.-Late last night.
a jury in the federal court found Jam,
es Wilson and Charles Williams gull
y OF robbing the p~ostofice at Mil
bank and Judge Elliott sentenced the
men 10 two years each in the federal
prison at Ieavenworth.
lohh j. Hout, who pleaded guilty
TO robbing postoffice at Butler of req
lstered package containing $3.50. was
sentenced to three months in the Day
county Jail and fined $500.
%
\ GREAT BUILDING FALLS
when it's foundation is undermined
and if the foundation of bo,1.L