Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 April 1917 — BURRIS IS NOW IN STATE PRISON [ARTICLE]

BURRIS IS NOW IN STATE PRISON

Four of His Accomplices Sent to Jeffersonville. ALL FIVE-PLEADED GUILTY And Were Sentenced to From Two to Fourteen Years at Jeffersonville and Michigan City. J. W. Culp of Culp & Son and G. A. Jacks of Jacks Bros’., whose stores at Lee were robbed on Wednesday night of last week, were in Rensselaer again Thursday morning identiying some more ofthe loot found by the officers on their second visit to the home of Clyde Burris of Barkley township, mention of whose arrest in connection with this robbery was made in Wednesday’s Democrat. Mr. Culp identified five new pocket knives taken from his store and they were burned over to him. One knife was found on Burris Monday night when he was arrested, and he handed it to Mr. Culp with the remark that it was one of the knives they had taken from his store. The total property taken from the Culp & Son store and found in Burris’ home was six pocket knives, a five-gallon can of automobile oil, two boxes of shells and some steel bits. They have gotten back about all of their property now except another fivegallon can of motor oil, some spark plugs, electric light bulbs and a battery tester. The property found at Burris’ that was taken from the Jacks Bros, store was one fifty-pound pail of lard, three pairs of shoes, some plug tobacco and some, smoking tobacco. The major part of the goods taken from their store was found at the homes of the men arrested down in Hamilton and Tipton counties, and they will get back practically all of the goods stolen. It seems that McMunn had confessed everything to his father just before he was taken by the officers from Noblesville to Monticello, and the latter immediately informed the sheriff there who, in turn, telephoned here to Sheriff McColly about a Jasper county man being connected with the robbery, and Mr. McColly telephoned to Mr. Culp to go to Monticello and see what could be gotten out of McMunn there. He immediately did so and McMunn was, taken away from the other prisoners and made a clean breast of everything to the White county sheriff and Mr. Culp. It was this that brought Burris into the affair and, accompanied by a deputy sheriff from Monticello and one of the Jacks boys Mr. Culp came here Monday evening and with Deputy Sheriff John Robinson all went out to the Burris home. There they found loot of various kinds in different rooms and also in a shed or smokehouse near by. But little of this property had been taken from the Lee stores, however. Three pairs of shoes were identified as belonging to Jacks Bros., but another new pair of -ladies’ shoes Burris gave no satisfactory account of. They were not taken from the Jacks. Bros/ 'store, and after considerable questioning he said that he had bought them in Rensselaer. Robinson told him that this was not true, as no store in Rensselaer handled such shoes. ’ There was also found a large tin can in which was a miscellaneous collection of knives, forks, spoons, razors, razor hones, strops, etc.,, etc., all of which were probably stolen from small stores. Among other articles found at the Burris home by local officers on

their trip there Tuesday afternoon were several wrenches,' chisels, etc., that were identified by Clifford Parkison as bjonging to him. A new set of blacksmith taps and dies—not yet identified, but thought to have been stolen from Kouts, Porter county, ' Four razor hones, seven razors, one safety razor—not identified .at this writing. One dismantled motorcycle, with engine, presto-lite tank, speedometer, etc.—identified as the property of Grover Stembel of Wheatfield,' which was stolen from Stembel about a year ago. One pair of'rubber boots —identified as the property of Clifford Parkison. ; A good Winchester, shotgun was found at the house but Mrs. Burris said that her husband had owned the gun for three years or more, and while the officers thought that it, too, had been stolen, they did not bring it away. Quite a little dynamite fuse was found by the officers w’hen there Monday night and Burris said that he had been using it in blowing out stumps. Burris wa? taken to Michigan City Tuesday and the officers took no chances on his making his escape; but had him handcuffed. - In McMunn’s confession he said that this was his first offense, that they—Smith, Barrett and himself —had driven from their home near the Tipton-Hamilton county line up to Burris’ home and Burris then went with them to Lee where they robbed the stores mentioned. They then took Burris back home, gave him his share of the - loot and returned to their own homes.

It is said that Burris in his confession to the officers Monday night said that he and Smith had’ been in this business for something like three years. He also said, when asked his age, that he was 30 years old last October. He denied thathe Was that old at Monticello Tuesday, when all four of the meh arrested plead guilty and were sentenced to imprisonment to from tw ' to fourteen years. The’ other three were under 30 years and were takn to Jeffersonville, but Burris, whom it was. believed had given his correct age Monday night was sent to Michigan City as the law provides where 30 years of age or over. - It is said that Smith and Barrett denied absolutely before being brought to White county that they knew Burris or anyone in Jasper county, but it is evident that they were lying and that in the roundup of this bunch a good haul was made by the officers for it Is probable that this gang, with a possible exception of young McMunn, had been doing quite an extensive business in this section of the country. It is said that Burris first became acquainted with Smith, who seems to have been the a few years ago when the latter was working on a dredge up in this section of the state and they have since been doing lots of petty thieving. He has a wife and four children, -who were in bed when the officers went there Monday night and remained in bed while the search of the premises was going on. . Mrs. Burris’ maiden name was Price, and it is reported that her relatives who reside in Barkley township have tried on different occasions to get her to leave Burris because of his worthlessness, but she refused to 'do so. Thdy had offered to take care of her and her children, it is said, and it is probable that they will now look after them. In less than five days after the robbery of the Lee stores the entire gang had been rounded up and werd in prison. Good work, isurely-