Solider with stolen coat is in lockup

This story was published by The Daily Ypsilanti Press on Wednesday, December 8, 1920.

Lynn Schaffer lost his $90 overcoat at the Masonic Temple, Tuesday night, and Chief Connors recovered it for him. However the chief wasn’t looking for that particular overcoat but for one young Dick Hurdley lost at the high school last Friday.

The story is an interesting one. When Hurdley missed his overcoat the police department was notified. Investigation showed that a man in the uniform of a soldier was in the building an hour or two before the coat was missed, but so much time had elapsed that there wasn’t much hope of finding the thief or the overcoat.

But Tuesday night the janitor told Supt. (of schools) Erickson that the same solider was around the building again, and Chief Connors was told. He immediately started to find the man and finally located him on Hamilton Street, with a soldier’s bag, in which was an overcoat, and a knit blanket that might have been taken from a baby carriage.

Young Hurdley’s father identified the overcoat as belonging to his son, but when it was tried on, it was too large, though having the same general appearance.

The solider told conflicting stories as to how he got the overcoat and about “waiting for his brother.” Connors went ot he Masonic Temple, where there was a function, and left word that if anybody missed anything to let him know. About 11 o’clock Schaffer called up and going to the city hall, found it was his coat the soldier had.

In the prisoner’s pocket was found a receipt for an article of apparel which had been left at a cleaning establishment in Detroit, and tody Connors went to Detroit to see what the ticket represented, thinking that perhaps it might be Hurdley’s overcoat.

The prisoner gives the name of Wilber C. Holcomb. He claims to be from Camp Custer. He is now in the city hall jail.