A saddle and bridle and about sixty fleeces of wool were stolen Friday night, August 19th, out of the barn of Mr. George Clegg. Mr. Clegg discovered his loss early Saturday morning and at once proceeded to track them, which was easily done, as the rain the day before had made the ground quite soft.
He soon found where the team of horses had been fastened while the thieves were carrying the wool to the wagon, and from there he tracked them to Roscoe, Coshocton county.
Arriving there Mr. Clegg found that one of the thieves, Lewis Morgan, whose parents reside in Licking county, but who has been visiting in this neighborhood for some time, had taken the saddle and bridle to a store to sell, while the other who gave his name as Watkins, took the wool to the factory where he sold it, there being 347 pounds.
He was given a check on a Coshocton Bank in payment, and while he was selling the wool, Morgan was trying to sell the saddle and bridle, but not succeeding in doing so he left them with the merchant requesting him to sell them for him, promising him that he would return Monday morning and take them away if he could not sell them.
Soon after they left the party who held the saddle and bridle becoming suspicious that all was not right, followed them over to Coshocton and had the marshal arrest Morgan for having stolen property, and the party giving his name as Watkins fearing he also would be arrested, skipped, leaving the team of horses which Morgan says belongs to the mustang livery.
All this Mr. Clegg learned on his arrival in Roscoe, and going to the factory he described his wool so well that they appeared to be satisfied that it was his, but as the proprietor was away he was advised to wait until he returned, and in the meantime they might succeed in arresting Watkins.
Mr. Clegg says he does not think he will have any trouble in getting the wool, saddle and bridle, and also two or three more who he thinks are implicated in the theft, as there is no doubt but that there were more than the two engaged in removing the wool from the barn to the wagon.
We trust they will be speedily brought to justice and receive the full penalty of the law, as this is the third lot of wool that has been stolen in this neighborhood. We learn that Morgan had taken a load of wool to this same place and sold it the next day after Mr. Peter McCue’s wool had been stolen.
Mr. Clegg thinks it was their intention to steal an equine at the same time from him or some one on the road, but on account of it being a very dark night they were not able to acquire a horse.