The Messenger: March 27, 1907

Passed Bogus Check

S.R. Crego Arrested by Manager Duncombe House This Afternoon – The Monday not Found.

Man giving his name as S.R. Crego and residence as Cresco was arrested this afternoon by the polnce (sic)on complaint of the manager of the Duncombe House where he was stopping on the charge that he had obtained $50 ($1.155 today) under false pretenses. Crego is not an entire stranger to the manager and when he presented a sight draft on the Cresco bank and asked him to endorse it, it was done. Shortly after he learned that he had attempted to get a check cashed at the Fessler clothing store for $15 ($346) in payment for a hat and this raised a suspicion in the mind of the landlord who at once took steps to learn the validity of the draft cashed only to find that he had been duped.

He lost no time in looking up his man and at once had him taken into custody. He had acquired something of a load of “wealthy water” in the meantime and when arrested at the city hall had in his possession besides several bottles of dope and poison, a partially filled bottle of common booze. Although officer Grant made a careful search he failed to find the fifty. He did find, however, pinned to his vest, a private detective star, although the prisoner was unable to give any reasonable explanation as to how he came in possession or by what authority he was wearing it. He was placed in the city bastile (sic) until his brain cleared sufficiently to enable him to give some explanation of his actions.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: March 20, 1907

Calhoun County Boot-leggers

One of Them is Convicted in Court and Fined Five Hundred

Stern Warning to Violators

Had Been Running Joint at Town of Jolley – Better Class of Citizens Caused Prosecution to be Made Against Him.

Rockwell City, March 20 – (Special to The Messenger) – When County attorney F.F. Hunter secured the conviction of Martin Johnson in the district court today, and Judge Powers imposed a fine of $500 ($11,547 today) and costs, they sounded a note of warning to the violators of the liquor laws, and won the admiration of all law abiding people of Calhoun County.

It was alleged that Johnson had been running a joint in the town of Jolley for some time and had been selling intoxicants freely and without fear or favor until he had become a menace to society in that locality. Fights and street brawls were a common occurrence, and it was charged that Johnson was responsible for the lawlessness that prevailed. The city marshal was unable to cope with the element that caused the disturbances, consequently things around Johnson’s place of “business” ran with a high hand. The better class of Jolley’s citizens became disgusted and the matter was brought to the attention of the grand jury which was in session here last week. An indictment was returned against Johnson, which he ignored. It is alleged that he continued in his nefarious business until court convened yesterday, when he was arraigned to answer to the charges that had been preferred against against (sic) him. He was found guilty of running a “joint” contrary to law, and when the jury returned a verdict Judge Powers immediately imposed a fine of $500 and costs, or an equivalent jail sentence. It was suggested to the Judge that he reduce the fine to $300 and Johnson would pay it rather than spend the summer in jail, but his Honor refused to entertain such a proposition and said: “No sir. I will not reduce it one cent. If I do anything I will increase it. These “bootleggers” are a menace to a community and their business must stop.”

With these burning words the accused was permitted to retire from the court room to decide what course he would pursue. With a long jail sentence staring him in the face he decided to pay his fine, which he did. It is said that he stated before leaving for his home that he is done selling liquor contrary to law and hereafter expect (sic) to live a respectable life.

It is understood that there are still a few more places in the county on which the “search-light” will be turned when the grand jury meets again and the county attorney has given assurances that any and all violators of the law will be prosecuted with all the vigor and energy that he commands.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: March 19, 1904

Is Arrested For Bootlegging

Thomas Hughes of Forest City Gets Into Trouble.

Government Officers Arrest Him on That Charge – Must Go Before Federal Grand Jury.

Thomas Hughes was arrested by Deputy United States Marshal G.F. Gustafson at Forest City Friday, and brought to Fort Dodge the same night. He was taken to Clarion today where he was given a hearing before Commissioner Rogers on the charge of selling intoxicating liquors in violation of the revenue law. He was bound over to the federal grand jury under $200 bonds ($4,790 today). As he was unable to furnish bonds Hughes will be taken to Sioux City tomorrow.

The prisoner is charged with selling liquor in Forest City, where he makes his home. He is an unmarried man, his parents being respectable farmers living near Forest City.

While there was no feature of interest in Hughes’ arrest, the federal officers not infrequently meet with unusual situations. Some time ago Deputy Marshal Gustafson arrested a man on the charge of selling intoxicating liquors. His prisoner emphatically denied the charge.

“I will tell you just how it was,” he said. “We often played cards and usually had whiskey in the house. This day I was going down town to meet some friends to play, and put a bottle of whisky (sic) in my pocket. I didn’t sell the whisky, although I met a friend and when I got down to the depot the whisky was gone and I found a dollar in my pocket.”

He was held to the grand jury.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: March 11, 1904

Burglars Enter Hardware Store

Entrance Forced to Sanders Hardware on Upper Central Avenue

Little of Value is Taken

Burglar Apparently Familiar With Store and Was Evidently a Boy

The burglar again gave evidence of his presence in the community when Thursday night he made a successful entry into the Sanders’ hardware store on Upper Central avenue, although so far as is known, he succeeded in getting away with little of value. The burglary was the third attempt of a similar nature made within the pst few weeks. Besides the hardware store, the saloon of George Benn at Sixth street and First avenue south has been molested twice, once successfully.

The discovery of the Sander’s (sic) robbery was made this morning when the store was opened for the day. Little disturbance was left to indicate the presence of an intruder, but his means of entrance was clearly apparent. He entered the building by cutting out one of the small windows in the back and then raising the sash. Between the front and rear of the store is a door which is kept locked at night. To pass thru the burglar cut a heart shaped hole int he panel thru which he evidently inserted his hand and opened the lock on the other side. From the size of the hole it is believed that the burglar was either a boy or a man with an unusually small hand.

So far as know this morning, nothing had been taken, the only evidence that the place had been disturbed, being the roller top desk, which is usually left open, but which this morning was found to be closed. A knife and a cigar holder, which the burglar had left behind him, were found and are the only clues to his identity.

The police as yet have been unable to apprehend the persons who robbed the cash drawer at the Benn saloon two weeks ago. A second attempt was made to enter the saloon a few nights ago. Two men were discovered by a policeman while they were working in the rear of the building. They took to their heels and were pursued by the officer, who shot twice and hit one of the men. Both, however, succeeded in making their escape.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Feb. 5, 1903

Short Change Man on Central

Gentleman With Deft and Oily Fingers Works Smooth Graft

A Nebraska Man His Victim.

Son of the Soil, Out to See the Sights, Exchanges $50 for Meagre (sic) Roll of $15.

Waterloo, Io., February 5. – Marshal Simmering this morning received a letter from Cyrus Alton of Elmwood, Nebraska, stating that he had been victimized to the extent of $35 on the Illinois Central passenger train between Waterloo and Manchester Saturday night. He gave a description of the grafter and told how the game was worked.

Shortly after the train pulled out of Waterloo a well dressed stranger sat down in the seat beside Alton and began conversing with him. Alton readily fell into the snare. Judging by his letter he is a farmer. He had become weary of the long ride and was glad of the opportunity to break the monotony. Soon after the stranger worked himself into the good graces of Alton he told him how badly he wanted to exchange some small bills for a large one to give to a relative who would leave the train at Dubuque. Alton liked to be obliging and inquired how large a bill was wanted. The stranger thought a $50 would do and Alton pulled out his roll and selected a fifty. The stranger had a number of small bills and counted them out. They appeared to be $5 bills. There was just $50 the first time he counted them out, but in order to escape a mistake he counted them again. Sure enough there was just $50. Alton took them and placed them in his pocket, not suspecting the fraud. However, when he arrived in Chicago he took an inventory and found that the roll contained just $15 a number of $1 bills having been substituted for the $5 ones.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Jan. 29, 1907

Big Junk Steal is Unearthed

Robinson Bros. Fort Dodge Junk Dealers Bought Articles That Were “Queer.”

Police Officers Seized Goods

About Five Hundred Dollars Worth of Valuable Brass, Copper and Other Metal Shipped in Car of Rags. – Car Stopped at Freeport.

Through the watchfulness of Chief Tullar and some smooth detective work on the part of special agents of the Illinois Central valuable property starting from Fort Dodge was unearthed yesterday at Freeport, Ill., when detective T.J. Healey of the Freeport division of the Illinois Central caught and held for investigators a car of junk shipped out by Robinson Bros. of this city.

Hid in Rags.

Examination of the car showed that valuable brass fittings, copper wire, linotype metal, etc. was concealed in a consignment of rags with which the car was supposed to be filled.

Most of the stuff was railroad property, part of it belonging to the Illinois Central and part to the Rock Island and Northwestern. It was brought to Fort Dodge at once for identification.

Four Detectives Here.

Four railroad detectives were in the city today in connection with the matter. The were M. Morweiser, special agent on the Rock Island located at Cedar Rapids, A.P. Houston, special agent on the Rock Island located at Estherville, J.T. Dineen, special agent of the Illinois Central, located at Waterloo and T.J. Healey, special agent of the Illinois Central, located at Freeport.

About three hundred dollars (about $6,928 today) worth of the junk was identified by these men.

The Catchers Talk.

“You see” said Mr. Dineen, of the Illinois Central to a Messenger representative, “this stuff is never sold by the railroads. It is very valuable and if it becomes broken it is recast. Part of the goods recovered are boiler and engine fittings that are perfectly new. Those of the latter kind are very valuable. Some small pieces come as high as six dollars apiece ($138). All junk dealers know that the railroads never sell such stuff and they know they are buying stolen goods when they make a purchase of this kind. A great deal of what we have recovered has been stolen right here from the Fort Dodge shops.”

“It is the biggest steal of the kind that has been unearthed in this part of the state for a long time” said Mr. Morweiser, of the Rock Island.

“I’ve been working on the deal for two weeks,” said Chief Tullar. “I did all I could from this end and when the railroad detectives got to work they made the wires hot and rounded up the goods.”

Men from the Central shops identified a large part of the goods.

Robinson Bros. were arrested by two of the police this forenoon and at two o’clock this afternoon were brought before justice of the peace Magowan for trial on the charge of receiving stolen property.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Jan. 23, 1903

Daring Safe Crackers Appear in Vincent

Two of Three Doors of Safe in Vincent Bank Were Blown Off With Dynamite Early This Morning

Bank robbers very nearly succeeded in cracking the safe of the Vincent bank, T.M. Anderson president, early this morning. One of the three doors of the safe was blown off with dynamite, with such violence that it was blown up to the ceiling, knocking off a big piece of plaster. The second door had almost yielded to the assaults made upon it.

Had it not been for the opportune arrival of three Vincent boys, who were returning home after an evening spent in the country the robbers would have been successful in their attempt. The safe contained a considerable sum of money.

The robbers secured entrance to the bank by prying open a window on the west side of the building. When they left, they went out thru the front door, which was left open. They were keeping a guard outside the bank. It is supposed that others were inside. The robbers are supposed to have driven away in a wagon, to which was hitched a team, one horse of which was gray, the other a bay.

Wilfred Harding, Oliver Lear, and Charlie Wells were returning from a farewell party at the Shriver home, in the country, one mile south of Vincent, at about three o’clock this morning. They walked in from the Shriver place, and as they entered the town, were surprised to seen (sic) a team and wagon hitched by the Catholic church of Vincent. going a little farther, they saw two men standing by the corner of the Vincent bank. As soon as the men saw the boys, there was a hurried movement, and almost immediately two shots rang out u pon the still night air, and brought slumbering Vincent out of bed with a jump. It is supposed that the shots were fired, both to warn the robbers inside the bank and to frighten the boys. The latter motive succeeded admirably. The boys ran to the Vincent hotel and aroused Landlord Sillabee, who grabbed his trusty rifle and fired an alarm of three more shots.

By this time Vincent was thoroughly awake to the fact that something was wrong. Mr. Woolsey, a leading Vincent merchant, was one of the first to hurry into his clothes and rush down town. By the time he appeared on the scene, however the birds had flown, leaving the bank door swinging wide behind them. A glance at the bank’s interior showed that the safe crackers had been interrupted just in the nick of time. A few more moments and the contents of the safe would have been in the hands of the robbers.

The work was apparently done by men who were not very familiar with their work, as was shown by the force of the charge, which blew one of the massive safe doors almost thru the roof of the bank building. The explosion of the dynamite was heard by several Vincent people, but none at first associated the reports with an attempt on the bank. The appearance of the bank, showed how hurried had been the departure of the robbers, when once their presence was discovered. Their candles and all their tools were left scattered over the floor, making it evident that they had stood not upon the order of their going. Two crow bars had been taken by the safe crackers form the Vincent Power house, and Proffenburger’s blacksmith shop had also been entered and his tools pressed into service. All these had been abandoned by the robbers in their hasty flight.

Sheriff Olson was notified of the robbery this morning but has not much to work on. The three boys who first discovered the robbery were so badly scared that they are able to give no description of the two men whom they saw standing by the bank. All the sheriff knows is that the robbers are supposed to be connected with a team, of which one horse is a bay and the other a gray. Telephone messages have been sent all over the country, and every effort will be made to apprehend the robbers. The attempt was one of the most daring, nad also one of hte most nearly successful ever made in Webster county.

T.M. Anderson, president of the Vincent bank, stated over the telephone this morning that the bank safe contained $2,400 ($57,479 today) at the time when the safe crackers were tinkering about the outside. The robbers, he said, did not get quite thru the second door, but the outer or fire door was entirely demolished.

In the bank, beside the tools were found a can of dynamite, a bottle of nitroglycerine, and the soap and cotten (sic) used by the robbers in preparing their charges.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Jan. 19, 1907

The Child Will Live

Marvellous (sic) Recovery of Infant Found in Vault Yesterday

The infant child found yesterday in a privy vault back of a residents on north 1st astreet (sic), where it had been cast by its mother a short time after birth, according to her own admissions, will recover says Dr. McCreight, the physician in charge. The case is an almost miraculous one. The child was apparently chilled almost to death when found. Ice was frozen on parts of its body. Good care accomplished wonders and today the little one is red and rosy with good changes for complete recovery. The child and its mother, who says her name is Sarah Shaw, are still at the city hospital. The mother makes no statement or explanation. She does not deny the atempt (sic) to make away with her child. Little is known regarding her. She had been at the Clark home where the child was given birth only a few weeks.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Jan. 15, 1903

Evidence of Attempted Crime

Kit of Burglar’s Tools Found in Clare Stock Yards

Additional Proof of Plot.

Seems Likely That an Attempt to Rob Clare Bank Was Planned.

The fact has already been recorded in The Messenger that on Tuesday morning several sticks of dynamite were found on the steps outside the Bank of Clare, and the supposition seemed plausible that an attempt to rob the bank had been planned and perhaps would have been successfully executed but for some unknown happening that frightened the would-be burglars and caused them to abandon their conspiracy in a panic of fear.

This morning Mr. Con Griffin found a package in the Clare stockyards w hich on being opened disclosed a kit of tools such as safe blowers would probably carry. There was also a bottle of liquid substance supposed to be nitroglycerine and a piece of soap.

The stockholders of the bank have reason to feel glad over the outcome and no doubt would not object to giving a substantial sum to the person who caused the band of safe blowers to flee so hastily, even though the fact that such an attempt was being planned was not dreamed of. There is absolutely no clue other than the circumstantial evidence easily conjectured from the few facts as stated.