Cute Capture-Patsey Kennedy 1891

KENNEDY, RUKEYSER, BAILEY, JONES, SCHMITZ, WHITNEY

Posted By: Cheryl Locher Moonen (email)
Date: 1/23/2017 at 18:02:56

The Clinton Daily Age, January 6, 1891

Cute Capture
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Patsey Kennedy, salesmen at M. S. Rukeyser’s, under the Age office, made a clever capture of two thieves last night about six o’clock. Two men, one well and the other shabbily dressed, came into the store and wanted to see some pants. He did not suit them but as his back was toward them in walking around the end of the counter, they had taken two pairs of pants. This he did not see, but fifteen minutes after, young Dean, son of the Bugle, came in the back of Kennedy’s store and said two fellows were across the street, one pawning a pair of pants at Bailey’s while the other was on guard, and they watched me so I could not come into the front door, but I scooted up the Age stairs and came down the back way.

Kennedy ran over to Earl Schmitz counter, got a revolver, and walked up to the fellow on watch on the sidewalk, under whose nose he poked the gun and said , “You - - -, where are those pants you stole?” “Wh –h- ht pants?” said the astonished fellow. “Those two pair you took from the store across the street!”

Just then the man who had pawned the pants at Bailey’s for $1.75 came out of the store, when Patsey left the first thief in charge of Fred Whitney and covered the second one with a gun, Fred Whitney running his hands into his empty coat pocket after a gun he knew wasn’t there, and bluff also. Jones also had a hand in holding the two bums and they were locked up by the police in a few minutes.

For bold thieves, Clinton has a reputation, and for nervy men and quick acting officers she is known far and wide.