Among the property taken were 10 rifles and several buckskin suits worth about $200. Local talent is suspected.

Saturday night Baker started, after supper, to walk into town. On the road he was stopped by two men, who looked at him over the glistening barrels of a couple of Winchesters, while they invited him to elevate his hands. Baker kindly complied at once, and the men went through his pockets, securing a little over $6 in money. They then turned him around and started him toward home, with the remark that since he now had no money there was no use of his going to town. He went back but crossed a field and came into Valpo by another road.

Those of our red brothers in the far West who have, on the advice of the DAILY VIDETTE, been going around with their scalps tied on with a shoe string, and looking for the arrival of the amateur desperadoes who had taken Broncho John's "Injun exterminators" may now rest easy and go out of their wigwams after dark with no further fear so far as Valpo is concerned. And the young men who have hesitated over taking their fair Dulcineas out driving in the dreamy gray of the eventide may calm their anxious fears, dig up their soda water money and lay their revolvers back in their accustomed places in the washstand.

The Valpo highway robbers are in limbo.

Instead of sailing around out on the broad, wide prairie, holding up express trains and rendering poor Lo a bald-headed but picturesque ruin, they are languishing in the dreary corridors of the county jail like a common housebreaker.

Sheriff Stoddard, assisted by Broncho John, this forenoon arrested Dick Thomas and Mert Capers, two young fellows of this city, and they have confessed to practically all of the hold-ups of the past week or so--excepting of course that one on West Main Street for which a dozen or so youths are now still under bonds.

Thomas and Capers were this morning caught out near the Ruge farm. The sheriff has been keeping an eye open for a day or so, and had clues which pointed directly toward the pair. Broncho John also believed they had stolen his guns, buckskin suits and other implements of desperadodom.

They were brought back to jail, and shortly afterward Capers confessed to the sheriff that they had held up Mart Baker, Crawford Miller and Lew Pahl, and were the fellows who had robbed the Grand Trunk freight house.

When captured both boys had revolvers and belts, and Thomas had his mask in his pocket. They said the rifles taken from the freight house had been disposed of at a Chicago pawn shop. The other goods are also in that city in keeping of a friend. There are though [sic] to be still other members of the crowd who were not caught.

For some time they have been laying about the country sleeping in barns and all that sort of thing. Thomas has lived here for a number of years with relatives. Capers is the son of a respected veteran who lives in the northeast part of town.

This first hearing had been postponed until today on account of the detention of Prosecutor Heard at Crown Point in an important legal case. The preisoners were brought over by Deputy Sheriff Green and Broncho John. Both plead not guilty. Thomas was represented by Crumpacker Bros., while Agnew & Kelly appeared for Capers. The right name of the latter youth appears to be Cookey, and he has lived here with his grandparents.

After hearing suficient [sic] evidence to show to the judicial mind a "reasonable probability of guilt," as the statute has it, Mayor Suman bound both prisoners over to the next session of the circuit court. The amount of bonds was fixed at $1,000 each, and in default of these the pair were taken back to the jail.

"Our good ship Port Albert left Kobe last night. The weather is grand and the scenery most beautiful. Tomorrow we will be in Korea strait and will go through Formosa strait along the coast of China. Just think I am on the other side of the world from you. We lost four head out of 516 horses and mules. I expect to be in Manila in about ten days. Wallace Wright is the happiest man on earth. He made a great study of the Japs and he seems to like the people but not their ways. He says they don't wear enough clothes, but then the climate don't require it."

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Created 21 April, 2008.