Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1919-07-31
PRISONER BOUND
OVER TO GRAND JURY
PARTY CHARGED WITH ROB
BING MILL WAS GIVEN HIS
PRELIMINARY MONDAY

After doing lot of detective work
Sheriff b. f. Wilson last Friday
placed under arrest Jay Conklin on
charge of robbing the mill on Sun
day, June goth. The arrest was
made the day Conklin returned from
few days visit in Des Moines.
Jay Conklin was sent to the Ana
mosa penitentiary from Muscatine
in 1917 to serve a five year sentence.
He was an ideal prisoner and made
a good record. In fact his be-
havior was such that the Board of
Parole consented to his release on
May 22nd this year. He was pa
rolled to Andrew Jensen, a farmer
living four miles east of Extra who
says that Conklin was a good work.
err. Conklin was required to make
weekly report to the Board of Pa
role and a good report was sent in
each week with the exception of the
week of July 4th when he conducted
himself unbecoming to the good OF
his parole.
Since then he has behaved himself
until Sunday, July goth when he
claims to have gotten into crap"
game staged at the west end of the
Rock Island depot. During the game
he claims to have cut his left hand.
However, the sheriff has found lot
of evidence that Conklin was not in
a crap game, but entered the mill
during the afternoon and robbed the
cash drawer of $40. The wounds
DIR. Halloran dressed for Conklin
were those made in breaking the
glass in the door to gain entrance
although Conklin told Halloran that
he cut his hand on a broken wind
shield. The conflicting stories told
by Conklin all lead to the theory
that the sheriff has the right party.
The state has evidence of blood be-
ing on the clothing Conklin wore on
Sunday, July goth. His finger
prints are also in evidence as the
small card he took from the safe was
found and sent to the prison officials
at Anamosa to compare with his
prints at that institution.
Conklin was given an opportunity
of finding the persons with whom he
claims to have shot craps" but he
is unable TO identify a single person.
He was given a preliminary hear
ing before Justice d. L. Thomas on
Monday His brother, Charles
Conklin of Red Oak came to be pres
ent at the hearing and employed II.
]. Mantz to defend his brother. After
the evidence had been introduced
the justice bound Conklin over to
the grand jury and placed his bonds
at $1,000 His brother offered a
$500 cash bond but Justice Thomas
would not accept the amount. Conk-
lin was taken back to the county jail
where he will remain until he can
secure the $1,000 bond.
After the trial was ended Conklin
reported to the state board at Des
Moines and they are awaiting fur
Their developments It is quite like
ly that he will be returned to Ana
mosa to serve out his sentence but
whether this will be done before his
case comes to trial or afterward is
not known.
There is much evidence to show
that Conklin comes from good re-
spectacle family. During the
past few wears he has gotten into
considerable trouble and his last es-
capade landed him behind the prison
bars. The evidence at hand is
purely circumstantial Unless Conk.
lin can establish his whereabouts on
the afternoon of July goth he is go
ing to have hard shedding. It is to
be hoped that he can prove his limo
cence for no one in Audubon county
would want to see an innocent per-
son sent to prison The matter IL
entirely up to Jay Conklin. II he
has violated the provisions of his
parole he has no one to blame but
himself II he is taken back to Ana
mosa.