The Daily Dispatch: May 18, 1864., [Electronic resource]

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Flour thieves.

--About two o'clock Monday, M. Arnold, a well known baker, doing business on the corner of 19th and Broad streets, bought a barrel of flour and deposited it temporarily in his front yard while he went to dinner. After dinner he sought the flour, to carry it into his bakery, and found, to his surprise, that it had disappeared.--Some of the neighbors informed him that a man had rolled it off in the direction of Main street. He and officer Adams immediately started in pursuit, and succeeded in tracking the flour to the house of John Conners, corner of 21st and Main streets, where it had been rolled into a corner, and an empty barrel placed on top of it. Officer Adams arrested Conners, and took possession of the flour, Conners declaring that he had bought the flour from one John Classee, a paroled Yankee deserter. Classe could not at the time be found, but yesterday morning officer Crone succeeded in arresting him at Conners's house, when he confessed that he stole the flour.

The case was before the Mayor yesterday morning, when, in addition to the above facts, it was proved by a witness introduced by Conners, that the latter had paid for the flour one hundred and seventy dollars in new issue and sixty-odd dollars in five dollar notes. Classee made a clean breast of it, and confessed to the Mayor that he had committed the theft but said that Conners and his wife were as guilty as he was, as they knew the flour was stolen.

Conners and Classee were sent to jail for trial before the Hustings Court.