People

Sheriff Spaulding

Sheriff Spaulding served as Sheriff of Kane County in the early 1900s. He is noted in the historical record primarily for his role in transporting convicted horse thieves from Kane County to the state penitentiary at Alton Penitentiary, Illinois, following a period of concerted local effort to suppress horse theft throughout the county.

Known Activities

According to the History of Kane County, Ill. (Joslyn, 1908), Sheriff Spaulding personally transported multiple individuals convicted of horse theft to the Alton penitentiary to serve their sentences. (Source: History of Kane County, Ill., Vol. 1 (Joslyn, 1908))

His transport duties appear to have followed directly from a broader law enforcement effort in Kane County. The county commissioners had passed an order offering a reward not exceeding $50 for the apprehension and conviction of each person found guilty of stealing a horse, mare, or mule within the county. This bounty system reportedly encouraged more vigorous pursuit and prosecution of suspected thieves, resulting in the convictions that Spaulding was charged with seeing through to imprisonment. (Source: History of Kane County, Ill., Vol. 1 (Joslyn, 1908))

No further biographical details — including his first name, years in office, or place of residence — are recorded in the available source material. Whether he was elected or appointed, and how long he served, remains unknown from current records.

Timeline

Date	Event
Early 1900s	Serving as Sheriff of Kane County
Early 1900s	Transported convicted horse thieves to Alton Penitentiary	Alton penitentiary following county crackdown on horse theft

## Sources

History of Kane County, Ill., Joslyn, Vol. 1 (1908). Chicago: Munsell Publishing Company. Available at: https://archive.org/details/historyofkanecou01josl#offset-328190