Two men, one from Reno, Nevada and believed to have a criminal record, and one from Des Moines were in the county jail facing some sort of larceny charge as a result of a raid on Osceola business houses in which they secured a considerable amount of loot. Had they left town instead of getting drunk and trying to sell part of their ill-gotten gains, they might have escaped detection.
The pair hung around town. They were at the Sanders oil station for a while and when they left they had a couple of tires and a wrench. They said they threw the tires out the rest room window while the attendant was out of the station waiting on a customer.
At the Penney store one engaged a clerk in an argument over a hat and a pair of trousers while the other got away with seven shirts and a couple pair of sox.
At Windrath Drug Store they got away with a manicure set worth three or four dollars.
Toward midnight they were found loafing in the railroad station waiting room and two railroad detectives ordered them to leave. A short time later the detectives were informed that the men had been selling or attempting to sell some new sox and the detectives started out to look for them again. In company with the merchants patrolman they discovered the pair near the Armour plant. Officers reported them pretty well under the influence of liquor.
Their possessions, including the loot, were carried in a burlap sack. All the property was identified except a valuable electric drill and it is doubted it was stolen here. The men refused to say where it was taken. It was understood they admitted taking the other merchandise. -1936-