Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1912-08-09
TEACHERS LOOT
QUARTER MILLION.
MUCH OF STOLEN PROPERTY 10
IDENTIFIED BY CHICAGO
SOCIETY FOLK.
KEPT THINGS HE LIKED.
Educated Thief Psychological Puzzle
to Doctor and PolIce-lost
Large Sumo specuIat.
Ing.

CulCdSO, Aug. O.-JdCOU rs 0utuIlo
. graduate Of Armour institute and 4
former teacher in the Englewood high
school, was locked up as the perpe
traitor of the most extraordinary
series of burglaries and forgeries ever
committed in Chicago.
Compared with Guthrie's exploits
the celebrated $4,000 sub-treasury
robbery almost pales into Significance
The plumber already recovered by the
police is estimated by them to be
worth about $360,OO0. When thit
plumber was dug out Of nine big
trunks and spread out in the base
ment of Central station, 1t made that
dingy apartment look like the interior
of Ali Baba's cave.
Besides this Guthrie got $11,S00 in
q period Of twenty-four days. 1t is
known also that he has stocks and
bands worth about $4,000. He has,
in addition, admitted he speculated
extensively through the brokerage
firm of Babock, Rushton & Co., and
1t is said he lost money in these opera,
tons.
A considerable amount Of the plum.
der was found in Guthrie's residence
on the South side, where he lived with
his mother, sister and brother.
According to a statement by him.
self after his arrest he had been spec.
ulating in the stock market and was
In need Of money when the idea Of
burglary occurred to him. He had
been q reader of Conan Doyle and
Poe, he said, and it occurred to him
that an educated man with GOODNESS
and skill had only to help himself
from the stores of valuables in the
houses of wealthy persons who we're
away from the city.
Guthrie is rs years old, six feet in
height and weighs 200 pounds. When
arrested he had more than $4,000 de-
posted to his credit in Chicago banks.
DR.. Leslie w. Schwab. who has been
physician for the Guthrie family for a
number of years, talked with the
prisoner for an hour and later con-
ferred with Capt. Halpin Of the de
tective bureau.
DIR. Schwab said:
"Guthrie is an educated fool in my
opinion. ! have known him since
childhood. He has always been a
bookworm. He read detective and
problem novels necessarily. The ef
feet of this has been to create pc.
culiar mental conditions. He has all
the characteristics of confirmed
kleptomaniac. believe he has periods
when he is mentally irresponsible. II
is my intention to have an alienist
examine him in a few days."
Capt. Halpin said:
"He was a regular society burglar.
He has confessed to entering score
Of wealthy persons houses. I have no
idea what percentage of the stolen
goods we have recovered.
"He apparently kept all the things
he stole which appealed to his artistic
taste. But he must have disposed Of
a large quantity of the plumber"
The prisoner slept soundly on .
wooden bench in his cell and was
awake early. He ate hearty break
fast and talked freely with visitors Of
his adventures. When informed Of
the task which confronted the police
in making an inventory of the stol.
en- articles he offered to assist them.
Thousands of dollars worth of the
stolen articles were identified during
the day by their owners.