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THE CHASE WAS A LONG ONE AND A HARD ONE. Rain, Mud, Distance and Time Prove Obstacles of Little Moment and the Thief and Stolen Bicycle Were Brought Back Yes terday. Aug. 13.—For the last three days a topic of absorbing interest to Cortland wheelmen and to all friends of Mr. C. H. V. Elliott has been whether his bi cycle which was stolen last Wednesday morning would ever be found and the thief be brought to justice. Just before The STANDARD went to press yesterday after noon the wheel and its purloiner arrived in town under the escort . Mr. T. N. Hollister, who had been doting the two preceding days and. 3. to the matter and we had time onl., to make the barest announcement of the fact. The story of the capture, and the diffi culties Mr. Hollister had to overcome is, however, so interesting that we have se cured the details from that gentleman and give them herewith. The wheel which was a Century Col umbia pneumatic, No. 6,281, was last Wednesday morning left unlocked in front of the drug store of Fitz Boynton Co., of which firm Mr. Elliott is the junior partner. Mr. Elliott missed it at about 9:30. It had not then been gone over a half hour, Mr. Elliott at first thought a joke was being played upon him and didn’t say much about it, ex pecting that there would be a good laugh upon him if he made a big stir about it, and should find the wheel aver on. He quietly hinted about though. But when noon came and no trace of the machine could be found he came to the conclusion that the wheel was stolen, and both he and the Cort land Wheel club sent notices to all neighboring towns and cities, police captains and sheriffs and to all bicycle papers describing the last wheel and giving its number. Meanwhile Mr. Fred I. Graham had heard of the loss and was pondering in his mind whether it could have any connection with the fact of his having missed a small Columbia air-pump two days before. He knew that a young man by the name of Charles Spear had been hanging around his store a number of times talking about wheels and the pump was missed shortly after one of Spear’s visits He confided this thought to Mr. Elliott. Mr. T. N. Hollister, independently of the others, was also turning over in his mind another circumstance that had come to his notice. The night before Spear had come into the store of Warren, Tanner Co, and had bought a pair of bicycle stockings of Mr. Hollister. For two months this gentleman had con nected him in his own mind with a peculiar fact. One day he missed his wheel from the side of the store where he had left it. At the same time he saw a wheel passing on the opposite side of Mainst. that he was willing to affirm very positively was his. Spear was riding it. Mr. Hollister called to him and asked if that was not his wheel. Spear replied that it was not, that Mr. Hollister’s brother had his wheel, Mr. Hollister went straight up to his brother’s and found that it was not so. Three hours later the machine was found behind another block on the street. Mr. Hollister always believed that Spear had had it, though he had no absolute proof of it. On this night when Spear bought the stockings Mr. Hurlister asked him if he had a new wheel. He said that he had. In reply to questions he said that is was a Columbia pneumatic, that he had bought it of his cousin and had paid $75 for it, that it was nearly new. He also volunteered the information that it had no mud guards upon it. When the loss of Mr. Elliott’s wheel became known Mr. Hollister at once in his own mind connected Spear with it. He resolved to earn that $100, if possi ble, offered by the Pope Mfg. Co. for the restoration of any stolen Columbia bi cycle. Mr. Elliott had already fixed on Spear, as a result of the conference with Mr. Graham, and during the afternoon someone was sent down to some friends of Spear’s ostensibly to learn if he had a wheel to sell. The reply was that he was away from town, but that they didn’t believe that he had, as they thought he had sold his wheel. When Mr. Hollister appeared to Mr. Elliot with his evidence their joint though independent suspicions were strengthened. Mr. Hollister at once started on the warpath. He learned from the express office that Spear had received no wheel by express. From relatives he learned that Spear had gone that afternoon on a wheel to visit friends at a place that was spelled out to him as ‘Onenday.’’ He thought if he was right in his suspicions he could get another clue a Homer. Dr. Santee at 9:30 P. M. took Messrs. Elliott and Hol lister up there in his carriage, and the latter was told by friends of Spear that he had that day gone to visit friends near Syracuse. He had gone on a wheel that he had thought of his cousin. The cousin referred to was called upon and said that he had only one wheel, a ‘“‘Crescent,’’ hard tire, that he had not even loaned it to Spear, and had not seen him in several weeks. The three then returned to Cortland. Mr. Hollis ter sent messages to officers in all places where Spear had been known to have relatives to be on the lookout for him. They got another horse and at 12 o’clock they started for Tully. At 34. M. they drove up to the house of Dr. Leonard in that place and aroused him. He had not heard anything of the wheel. They wanted oil for a carriage wheel which was nearly ready to set and they had concluded to leave their team and go on to Syracuse by rail on the early train, and so drove over to Hotel Slayton. After much trouble they succeeded in arousing the proprietor, but he would neither take them or their team in or furnish them any oil. Then they drove to a friend of Mr. Mollister's who thought he could give them a clue. He believed he had met a young man on 4% wheel about 6 o’clock that night who inquired of him the way to the station. The description he gave was like the man they were looking for. They piled up their buggy and then drove over to the other hotel, where they were hospitably received. They were so sleepy they dared not sit down in the hotel for fear they would miss the train, but, after leaving the horse, passed the two hours remaining to train time re clining on the soft side of a board on the station platform. From the ticket agent and baggage man at Tully they learned that a wheel had been taken on a train at Tully the night before. As they stopped at each station above, they in quired if a wheel had been taken off the train on the previous day. At Jamesville they found a wheel had been taken off the night before, so Mr. Elliott and Dr. Santee left the train. Mr. Hollister went on to Syracuse, where he notified all bicycle agents and the police of the loss, and requested them to keep their eyes open for the wheel. Mr. Hollister then re turned to Cortland on the 10 o’clock train thinking to get more of a clue here to work upon. Mr. Elliott and the doc tor could get nothing out of their James ville clue and so walked over the ties to Syracuse. They looked about the city for a time, and then returned on the afternoon accomodation train. When Mr. Hollister reached Cortland he made another call upon the friends of Spear who had told him about ‘Onen day,’ and found that it was really Ona tivia to which Spear was said to have gone. Mr. Hollister then retired from active life for a rest of a few hours.At 6 o’clock he called on other friends of Spear and proceeded to work up several other points on the clue. Yesterday morning at about 4:30 he started on his wheel in a pouring rain for Homer. There he learned that Spear expected before he returned to visit his cousin Lyman Hayes, in Manli us. Mr. Hollister took the early train from Homer and went to Onatavia, and thence proceeded on his wheel to Lafay ette. At this place Mr. Hollister made inquiries for one Addison Miller, whose name had been mentioned to him In connection with Spear. He found that he lived about four miles north over the hill, hither he proceeded through the rain and mud, making frequent inquiries and getting no news of his man until when within a mile of Miller’s he found an ol lady who had seen going by the house the day before about 1 o'clock 28 man whose description answered. She also knew of a lady from whom the man on the wheel had mile inquiries. If this man was the right one as he afterwards proved to be, the clue obtained in Tully and from the bicycle on the train was a false one. It seemed best to follow this up and he found a young man here at the house whose services he enlisted in his cause. The young man found out from the second lady above referred to that the wheelman was asking the road to Cazenovia. From the Millers he found that the young man had been there the day before, that his name was Spear and that he had gone to visit relatives in Manlius. While the young man was making these inquiries Mr. Hollister with not a dry thread up on him was roosting upon a stone wall under an apple tree in a pouring rain, endeavoring not to be seen by the Millers. The young man was then en gaged to carry Mr. Hollister back to Lafayette. The wheel was loaded into the buggy in front of the two men and they were soon back at the village. There Mr. Hollister called up the cen tral telephone office at Manlius and in quired if Lyman Hayes lived there. An affirmative answer was given, and the operator was requested to find out if possible without letting Mr. Hayes know of the inquiry if a young man was at his house named Spear, who had in his pos session a Columbia pneumatic wheel No. 6,231. The operator was requested to call Mr. Hollister as soon as he learned the facts. Forty minutes passed and no reply came. Then Mr. Hollister called and found that the operator had lost his address. He had found out that Spear was there and had the wheel, that he was just on the point of starting for Cazenovia. . Mr. Hollister told him that a warrant was out for Spear and asked him to get a constable and have him de tained and he would get over there with all speed. Mr. Hollister already had en gaged the best horse he could find in Lafayette and a man to drive and with in two minutes they had started for Manlius. The distance was fifteen miles and it was covered in one hour and a half. Men, horse and carriage were plastered with mud. Arrived at Manlius they found that Spear had confessed his theft and ex pressed his willingness to return to Cort land. The constable there evidently took our active detective for a constable for he took his address and told him that he had some business for him to do for him very soon. There was scarcely a stop of five minutes at Manlius, for Mr. Hollister wanted to get back to James ville in time to get the afternoon ac commodation train for Cortland, so he could attend the Wallace party last evening. They had thirty minutes in which to make the seven miles through the mud. Spear got into the carriage with the driver and Mr. Hol lister rode the wheel. After going a mile or two Spear expressed his willingness to ride the wheel and they changed places. Train, carriage and wheel drew up to the sta tion at exactly the same time. Mr. Hol lister had an opportunity of whispering a message to a friend on the train and at the first stop a telegram came over the wires to Cortland to Mr. Elliott telling of the capture. At Cortland Spear stepped off the train into the arms of Deputy Sheriff Richard Miller and was at once taken to jail. He was aston ished, not knowing that a warrant was out for him, but he had believed that he would have an opportunity of settling for the offense. This morning at 10 o’clock the police court was well filled with wheelmen interested in the case of Spear which was set down for that time. Spear was not accompanied by counsel, but pleaded not guilty to the charge and waived an examination. He was held in $1,000 bail to appear before the grand jury and for want of that amount was com mitted to the county jail. Had it been any other machine than a Columbia that was stolen it is likely that both machine and thief would still be at large, as no other company than the Pope Mfg. Co. is known to have a stand ing offer for the restoration of stolen wheels, and it is hardly probable that anyone from a solely disinterested point of view would take such a chase as did Mr. Hollister.
Newspaper Details
Cortland Standard and Weekly Journal
Cortland, New York, US
Tue, Aug 16, 1892
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Megan H.
USA 02 Nov 2025
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