Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 272, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 November 1914 — ANDREW GRANGER MAKES STATEMENT [ARTICLE]

ANDREW GRANGER MAKES STATEMENT

In Interview With Republican He Declares He Had No Thought of Autos Being Stolen. Andrew Granger, the .DeMotte Citizen who has received so much notoriety during the past tew days in respect to the alleged automobile “fence” which detectives said he was conducting, was a Rensselaer visitor Monday and the reporter for The Republican, met him at the depotin the afternoon as he was returning home.- Mr. Granger talked freely about the Charge made by the detectives and his story will dbubitless go .far toward relieving him of the charge of knowingly, receiving stolen property. ~ Mr. Granger stays that published reports that he had, received twenty automobiles is entirely "false. He said that all the auomobiles he received was five. He said that he had secured no two from the same person and not until he had purchased the fllfth daf did his suspicions become aroused. He says that he never owned the car which H. W. Marble bought and had nothing to do with the sale of it. A man whom he did not know, he says, came to DeMotte and wanted to sell the Overland but he said he could not pay the price asked 'and informed the man that he could not sell a Car of that quality there. The man later sold the car to Mr. Marble. He says that the same thing occurred .in rrespect to the Reo Car Which Konov&ky purchased. ’ . The .other cars he had were three Fords and a Cadillac, one of which was Sold to D. W. Waymire, of Rensselaer, one to a real estate dealer in Lafayette and the third to Peter Stanley, of Lowell. The Cadillac, he stays, was bought by him some time prior to the time ’Ogden T. MtdClurg claim's it Was stolen. He says that he bought the car for his own use and thought it was all right. The car which went to Lafayette Was returned to him and he gave Bian, to whom it had been traded, the same things back that he had received in the trade. He says that he still has the car awaiting,its owner. The Stanley car has been claimed but

Mr. Wiayinire is still in possession of the car which Granger sold him. Cheever, the DeMotte blacksmith, also bought a car from the man .Who brought it.dowp/. The numbers were still on this car and it was identified by the owner. \ Anotiher car in the possession of Andy Wilson was a stolen car but Granger slays he did -not handle it and warned Mr. WUsonr that he believed the car Was “not right” and advised .him to tell the man who brought it that the only way he would take it would be to have him leave it there two or three weeks to see whether it Was claimed and if it Was he would have the right to return it. If it proved to be all right- the man could come back and get his money. The rrian accepted the terms and left, but never earne back. The owner, however, claimed the car. The cars Which A. B. Randle, Warren -Zellers and “Peck” O’Connell had were never in Andrew Granger’s possession, he says, and he knew nothing about them until he came to Rensselaer Monday. Andy claiiris that he has been made the victim of the thieves unwittingly and that he will be glad to do all he Can to locate the thieves.