... Three Wheat Theives

"My wife was sick, and I couldn't get work. I simply had to starve, and my sick wife had to starve, or I had to steal."

That was the story told by a Ypsilanti colored man name Bird to Marshal Gerstner at the jail Saturday. The fellow's brother and a man named Burch were also arrested and "while the one who confessed implicates all three in the crime of larceny, each of the other two maintains that he was not in the deal at all, but each does not hesitate to squeal on the other.

The crime for which they are in jail is stealing a load of wheat from the farm of John Hickman in Superior and, for quick work on the part of the officers in bringing guilty men to an accounting, the present case is a good example of the efficiency of the sheriff and marshal.

A week or so ago a load of wheat was stolen from another farm in Superor. Sheriff Gillen immediately notified all the mills to aqnaint him with the facts in case any suspicious looking characters presented themselves at the mills in order to dispose of any grain. Saturday morning at 7 o'clock, when those in charge of the City Mills came to open up the concern for the day's business, there were waiting the two Birds and Burch with a load of wheat to sell. It was measured up and a check was made out to them for $19 . As soon as the proprietor of the mill could get an opportunity to go to the telephone, he notified the sheriff, and the three men were gathered in. They gave fictitious names. The officers supposed of course that they had the men who did the job of a week ago.

Marshal Gerstner took a look at the men and recognized one of them as ' Bird. The fact that he gave a fictitious name made the officer suspicions and he took him into the sweat room.

At first Bird denied that he had done anything wrong.

"Oh, that's too thin, " replied Marshal Gerstner. " We know where the wheat was stolen from and have evidence of all your movements since. "

 Then Bird confessed, and much to the surprise of the officer, he told him about the job of Friday. This theft had not been reported to the officers ...yet.

Then the other two were each brought in and were told that Bird had confessed all. They separately acknowledged that they were along, but each said he had nothing actually to do with the larceny.