KinSource - Tale of the Week - Marshal Courtney Is Sleuth To Trail Stealer Of Mules

KinSource

Minnesota Tales

The New Richland Star, February 11, 1915, p. 1

MARSHAL COURTNEY IS SLEUTH TO TRAIL STEALER OF MULES.

Marshal Thos. Courtney and Arthur Grove went on a hunt Thursday of last week for a horse thief, or rather in this instance a mule thief. Mr. Courtney was notified by the sheriff of Steele county that a span of mules had been stolen from a farmer living in Havana township east of Owatonna and that when last seen he was near the Oakwood creamery, headed toward this place.

The New Richland men drove to Otisco, thence northeast until they discovered the tracks of the mules on the east road to Waseca. They traced the fellow to the outskirts of Waseca and found that he had avoided that city and continued west. Concluding that Sheriff Fischer had rounded the man up by that time Marshal Courtney drove into Waseca and in making inquiries the sheriff took the tip. The Marshal then continued on the mule track and found the team at the Mike Lambert place in St. Mary township. However, he had been beaten to it by the sheriff, who used the telephone and took a well-traveled road, which led him to the quarry a few minutes in advance of Mr. Courtney.

Mr. Courtney tells us that he will claim a portion of the reward of $200 offered for the man's capture, believing that he is justly entitled to it.

The Journal-Radical says:

The man, who is undoubtedly a hobo, had worked on the farm of Mr. Ahrens for some time but last week left his employ. He returned Wednesday night, hitching up the mules to a bobsled and also took four sacks of grain and started out. He used poor judgment in endeavoring to escape as the condition of the roads made traveling difficult and the fresh snow rendered detection easy.

The man has been taken to the county jail at Owatonna. The name he claimed the longest was Tom Green and he said he lived at Bemidji and was a painter.