Two Escaped Convicts Are Taken Here

SPOONER, FAUGHT, LARSON, ROOP, ENT, KRABBENHOFT, MUEHLER, BELL, MCCLASKEY, BRODINSKY

Posted By: Marilyn Holmes
Date: 11/2/2016 at 12:13:18

The Grinnell (IA) Herald-Register
Jan. 17, 1944

TWO ESCAPED
CONVICTS ARE
TAKEN HERE

Are Picked Up By Police
While Trying to
Steal Car

Harvey H. Spooner, 21, of Storm Lake and Norman Faught, 21, of Toledo, Iowa, the last of four trustees who escaped from one of the prison farms of the Anamosa men's reformatory, last Wednesday night remaining at liberty were captured about midnight Thursday night by Officers Ralph Larson, Fred Roop and Bill Ent of the Grinnell police force. The men made no resistance. When they saw that the officers were after them they started to run down the alley south from the filling station and then cut over into the yard of the former Longshore house, now occupied by E.M. Krabbenhoft. The officers, who were in a car, followed them and penned them against the house. They surrendered immediately.

They were placed in the city jail. Friday they were returned to Anamosa by prison officials sent by Warden Foss Davis.

TRAIL OF STOLEN CARS

The capture followed a lot of wandering by the two escaped convicts. After leaving the prison farm they stole a car in Anamosa and drove it to Tama, where they abandoned it, stole another car and abandoned that one in Marshalltown. The lay hid in Marshalltown all Thursday afternoon and Thursday evening walked to Laurel, where they stole a 1940 Pontiac coach from Simon Muehler. This car they abandoned near the John Deere store on Main street and when spotted by the officers, who had been looking for them after receiving word of the Laurel theft, they were snooping around among the cars parked near the Three Elms, presumably with the idea of making anther theft.

Neither man was armed.

Police Chief glen Bell said that both men were lightly dressed. He said they complained of being cold and were glad to get into a warm cell and thaw out.

The other two men who escaped, Bill Leo McClaskey of Kansas City, Mo., and Tony Brodinsky of Chicago were back in separate cells at Anamosa before the arrest here Thursday night.