The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-10-26
Connecting Link Between Loss and
Finding of Ford in the Corn
Field Has Reen
Established.
FORD OWNER IS FOUND
Car Was Stolen From St. Louis on
September Aide ntified
by the Engine
Number.

IL mas OftlmeS been said that q
criminal cannot hide all Of his traces.
There is bound to be some little point
that will give a clue. There is now
possibility that the Sage automobile
stolen last week from the garage will
be recovered, all because of the engine
number on the abandoned Ford found
Friday in a corn field near the Des
Moines river bridge.
Through this number John Kenney.
chief of police, was able to find out
the license number Of the Ford and
the evidence is such that there Is
rarely doubt that when the lost
license tag ia found it VIII be on the
SAGE automobile Missouri police. as
pecially in St. Louis, have now been
notified to look out for the number.
which has not yet been made public.
Before this, the police had nothing
to go on but now they Rave the big
clue that is expected to bring results
if the auto thieves have not vet had
a chance to take another car and
change the numbers again.
The owner Of the Ford has been
found. He Is Fred A. Blake of 443S
Page avenue, st. Louis, and the car
was stolen from his garage on Sep.
TENDER T. There is $50 reward for
finding the car. Following is the wav
the mystery OF the abandoned Ford
and the stolen Sage car was unraveled
so that the connection tetween the
two was discovered by Chief Kenney
who has been bending his utmost eff.
forts to thwart this band of thieves
who apparently have been workins
thu arto stealing business on the in.
stallment plan.
The Little Ford.
When the Forl was reported fornd
it was brought to Keokuk. hut thor
ough search failed to reveal the
license tag The engine number was
on the car. however. Chic Kenne.
wired to the secretary of state o. Mis-
souri,. asking for the number Of the
car that possessed such an engine
! number. Before reply could be re
ceived from this Source the informa
ton was received from the firm that
assembled the car in st. Louis.
t Chief Kennev received a cad an
nouncing the theft In ST. Louis anil
the engine number was the same as
on the automobile here. and the II
SQUIRT police have been acquainted with
the number now and all that can be
done now is to wait for results.
Although these facts have just been
learned. Chief Kenney connected the
two incidents in his mind from the
very start, but had nothing to work
on except the circumstances of the
case.
I, Nryro
| sue cessfully was forecast in The Gate
City last evening. Here is a review
OF the situation leading up to the
SAGE robbery:
! A party Of four Keok~k men were
/ fishing in slough Just off the road
! leading to the Des Moines bridge
7 ate in the afternoon a Ford automo
| bile stopped near them and one Of the
| four occupants of the car asked Fl
there was any frog shooting around
| One Of the Keokuk men answered
no but the automobile party stopped
and the members got out and started
| to prerare supper. The Keokuk PEG
| pie talked with them and the automo
bile men said they had come down
from st. Paul. This looked suspicious
to one Of the Keokul men and he
O'feLlN TOOK glance at the duCO1nO
bile number ana saw that it was a
Missouri license.
The Big Cadillac.
| Now. the Sage automobile passed
during the afternoon and the evidence
points to the fact that the fou- in the
Ford followed the big TOURING "a tt
Keokuk. for the place were the Fort
was later found was q considerable
distance Off in another direction from
the first stopping place just off the
| Alexa ndria road. mute evidence tha'
It had been run ont Of IT'S cTlrse, an
there could be no other reason fol
this change Of direction. Il the party
were on their wav to Clinton. Mo. as
sad than for the purpose OF follow
| ing the Sage automobile. Four mer
could very easily push the Cadillac on
OF the Sage garage without makins
any noise When the two automobile!
passed the Des Moines river bridge
4 q ft,r Tho tboff fhpy StODDed and th.