The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1915-08-05
THOSE STOLEN HORSES
Seem To Have All Been Taken By
Only One Man.

1t will be remembered that several
OskaloOsa and nearby horses were
Istolen a few years ago, by what ap-
lpeared to be an organized gang OF
thieves who operated chiefly among
the main line of the Rock Island rail-
way in eastern Iowa. So smoothly
was the work done that men would
lose team of horses during the night
and they seemingly would be com
Ipletely swallowed up. No trace of
them could be learned and the officers
were baffled. OF course when a fell
low steals a horse it is the biggest
Ipart of his business to keep the ami
mai out of sight. The stealing Of the
horse is very simple matter but to
Iget away with ii and be at liberty to
steal another next week is problem
requiring an expert.
During those years of stealing the
officers believed there was gang OF
thieves which would help concealing
the animals. They never once dream
ed that the entire business was CON
Quoted by one man and that he had
Preached the three score and ten years
in his life.
That, however, seems to have been
the case. These animals were taken
lby one man, concealed by him, and
marketed by him. He probably worked
on the theory that If he had no ac-
completes he would have no one to
squeal and no one with whom to Dir
vide the spoils.
AT the sheriffs' state convention
year ago that body appointed a COM
mittee consisting of Sheriff Grimes
| of keokuk county and Sheriff r. H.
McCarty of Washington county to
learn all that could be learned about
the methods employed by the thief
1t will be remembered that an old
man giving the name of Tom DECKER
son had been arrested, convicted and
sent to the penitentiary. 1t was the
duty OF this committee to find out IL
there were any accomplices and all
they could as to the methods employ
ed and the identity of the old man.
These two sheriffs reported to the
sheriffs' convention last week at Clear
Lake. Their report shows that Tom
Dickerson worked alone That he hal
barns rented in towns along the Rock
Island road, that these barns were so
located that he could make the trim
from one to the other of night over
land and get back to the starting
point by rail. The advantage OF this
was that he coula get supper at ho-
tel, take a room for the night and be-
fore going to bed his horses would
be moved to the next station east and
he would be back for breakfast there
by throwing off any. suspicion as he
was duly registered at the hotel for
the night. 49,. .......
In these barns these sheriffs found
their evidence. They found harness
and numerous other things some of
which were identified by the owners
and returned to them.
The last station was a small town
in Illinois east of Rock Island and
from that point he shipped his horses
to a suburban town of Chicago and
from there taken to his privately
rented barn in Chicago This barn
was located by Grimes and McCarty.
The old man had nice room fitted
up in the second story of this barn
for living room and there the sher-
ifs found, considerable evidence to
help clear UP the record. ,.....
The folks from whom he rented this
barn were entirely innocent of the
old mans manner of getting his shors-
es. He took part OF his meals with
these folks and was a very nice old
fellow about the house In fact they
thought a great deal of Uncle Tom
as they called him. E..
From the barn the old man sold
his horses. OF course he always had
good ones. Men don't steal poor hors-
es. A couple of fellows there some
times brought in purchasers for which
it was learned that Uncle Tom gave
them ten dollars for each horse sold.
Some of these horses were shipped
to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, some
were sold to truckers about Chicago
and some special drivers and teams
were sold in Chicago
Sheriff Grimes and McCarty made
a couple of trips to Chicago and sew
eral to Fit Madison to see Uncle Tom
But Uncle Tom will talk about any
thing on earth except himself. He is
seventy two years old and says he ex-
poets he will never get out of the pen.
From Mr.. Gibbs, the man who
owned the barn he had rented in Chi
cage, these men learned that Tom
Dickerson is not his right name, that
the old fellow told Mr.. Gibbs that he
was a veteran of the Civil War, that
his captain lives in Des MoineS and
he would not for the world have his
captain know of his present plight
Dickerson told Gibbs that he had
money in a couple of banks in Iowa
| deposited in his true name, that he
gets a pension from the government
but where or to whom this is paid he
refuses to tell.
The sheriffs learned that he served
| time in the Wisconsin penitentiary
for horse stealing under the name of
Tom O'Brien. The old man is
smooth citizen and not disposed to
tell anything.