Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1912-08-09
JACOB F. GUTHERIE, AGED 20
YEARS, OF CHICAGO, NOW
UNDER ARREST.
Chicago Police Unearth Art Treasures,
Gems and Bric-a-Brac-Shabb
Dressed Young Man Has $4,000 in
Banks-Lives With His Mother
Robs Homes of Rich While Away.


police obtained an inventory of the art
treasures, bric-a-brac, jewelry, silver
plate and other articles stolen by ia
cob F. Guthrie, alleged society burglar
and forger, now under arrest They
announced that the plumber recovered
is estimated to be worth $350,000. A
great amount of the plumber was found
in Guthrie's home on the South Side,
where he lived with his mother, sister
and brother, who is a Chicago police
man.
Poorly Dressed; Has $4,000.
Further investigation of the young
mans history revealed that after grad
uating in electrical engineering from
Chicago technical institute he obtained
employment with an electrical COM
pany. Later he was employed in the
municipal laboratory. Subsequently
he was appointed an instructor in cleo
trical engineering at a public high
school.
Guthrie is &c years old, feet in
height and weighs 200 pounds. He is
poorly dressed, although when arrest
ed he had more than $4,000 on de-
posit in Chicago banks.
Educated Fool" Says Doctor.
DR.. Leslie w. Schwab, who has been
physician for the Guthrie family for a
number of years, talked with the pris-
oner for an hour today and later con-
ferred with Captain Halpin of the de-
tective bureau. DR.. Schwab said:
Guthrie is an educated fool, in my
opinion. l have known him since
childhood. He always has been a
bookworm. He read detective and
problem novels necessarily. The eff
feet of this has been to create pc
culiar mental condition. He has all
the characteristics of a confirmed
kleptomaniac. l believe he has per-
iods when he is mentally irresponsi-
ble."
Valuable Collection of Gems.
Chief of Detectives Halpin said:
Beyond a doubt Guthrie has obtained
the most valuable collection of stolen
articles l ever saw. There are dia-
monds, rubies, sapphires. emeralds,
and pearls worth thousands of dollars.
All his burglaries were committed in
the homes of the city's wealthiest cit
liens. He read the society columns
in the newspapers and when he no
ticed that wealthy woman had left
home for a few days he would break
into the house and steal the most val
liable articles he could find. Appar-
emily he kept all the things he stole
which appealed to his artistic taste,
but he must have disposed of a large
quantity of the plumber"
Thousands of dollars worth of stolen
articles were identified by society
women.
Plumber Worth $350,o00.
When the police had completed un-
packing the trunks containing Guth'
ries plumber, Captain Halpin said that
the total value of the stolen articles
aggregated $35O,000.
Among the last articles unearthed
were a large number of costly import
ed fans inlaid with pearl. The han
dies were Of ivory ornamented witt
gold. These fans are estimated to be
worth many thousands of dollars.
Guthrie said he never sold one ar
ticle that he stole and that he obtained
all the money he needed by commit
ting forgeries. He said he never useC
intoxicating liquors nor tobacco anC
that women never had any attraction
for him.
In addition to the $4,000 he salt
he has on deposit in Chicago banks i
is said he has 450 shares of Unite'
States Steel common. Guthrie is SAT-
to have lost in speculation in mining