Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-10-27
WHOLESALE Theft
OF COAL UNCOVERED
FIFTEEN employees OF iLLl-
NOIS CENTRAL INVOLVED
IN CONSPIRACY.
HAVE TAKEN MORE THAN
$4,000 WORTH OF FUEL
Two Hundred Fifty Tons Disappear
From Yards During Short Period
of Times-Arrest Brings Confess
sion-Punishment is Loss of Po-
sitions For Employees.

Waterloo, Oct 27.--A big coal steal
of at least $50 tons from the Illinois
Central railway yards in Waterloo
was reported yesterday. The gigantic
fuel theft, approximating value to
the sum of $3.50. is said to have re-
suited in the discharge of fifteen yard
men.
The exact amount of coal stolen is
unknown to railroad officials. Various
employees apprehended have. by their
confessions, accounted for at least $50
tons. 1t is not presumed by railroad
officials that the guilty parties exag
gerated the magnitude of the gangs
operations.
Neither>is the length of time dur
ing which the gang operated definite
ly known. Discovery Of the crime is
said to have been purely accidental
1t may almost be said to have been
a coincident.
Several weeks ago Roy c. Weleh
was arrested by Chief of Police H
trail box cars. Early one morning
Officers Lammert and Elliot discov-
cred WEIGH driving away in an auto
mobile with a load of auto tires that
had been stolen from a box car.
The next day he was arrested and
confessed to a series Of robberies that
represented an approximate value OF
$1,000. Several hundred dollars worth
Of goods were recovered that he had
secreted in Il garage.
Received Tip.
Following his arrest Chief Young
is said to have received an anony-
nous letter stating that if he desired
to clean house" he had better in
vestigate the following and the
names of number of Illinois Cen
trail employees were given. 1t was de-
clared they were in the mire as bad
as WEIGH was in the mud.
Chief Young is reported to have
turned the letter over to the Illinois
Central officials. The home of one or
the railroad men suspected was Wis
tied. He was working in the railroad
yards at the time. In walking around
the house, the officers could see that
the mans cellar was so full of coal
that all Of the cellar windows could
not be closed. AZ,
Eventually a confession was Sc
cured from the man. Incidentally he
claimed to have about ten tons OF
coal i'll his cellar. but the Officers
declared it looked as tho he had
nearer forty tons.
Three other yard men, were given
the third degree. A confession also
was wrung from them. AS soon as
the big robbery was discovered, the
division superintendent in Dubuque
was notified and he took charge of
the investigation.
Hired Wagons.
Simplicity itself marked the plot.
Engineers. firemen and switchmen
who constituted the gang ran, the
cars down to one end of the coal
yard in, as inconspicuous place as
possible. The coal was dumped on
the ground. Then transfer company
was employed to haul the fuel ITO
given addresses at so much per load
Altho it seems remarkable that def
lection did not result. the plot was
not discovered until the anonymous
letter caused an investigation.
One by one others were implicated
in the big theft. The names Of many
were secured by consulting the
books Of the transfer company that
had done the hauling.
Investigation of the transfer books
resulted in a discovery that for
time puzzled L. C. officials. They
found in number of instances that
one man had paid for having coal