Jasper County Democrat, Volume 23, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 July 1920 — ALLEGED AUTO THIEVES JAILED [ARTICLE]

ALLEGED AUTO THIEVES JAILED

Car Stolen at Morocco July 5 Recovered Northwest of Knox. Murle Casper and Lester Manis, both of near Culver, were brought over from Kentland Wednesday evening by the Newton county sheriff, in default of S3OO bonds each, to await trial at the next term of the Newton circuit court on the charge of having stolen at Morocco July 5 a Ford car belonging to Arthur Cooper of near Brook. The boys—one is past 2-1 and the other is under age, it is alleged—were caught at an early hour Wednesday morning by the sheriff of Starke county and an officer from Culver, with another young man by the name of Henry Hineman, said to be of Chicago, and were in the Cooper car at the time. They were first arrested for stealing a car near Culver and were arraigned at Plymouth, where they were turned loose and Hindman took leg bail at once, it is said, and made his getaway. The other two were re-arrested on the charge of stealing the Cooper car and taken to Knox and later taken to Kentland, where they were arraigned before Squire Mock Wednesuay and bound over to the clr cult court. They were defended in the preliminary hearing by Attorney W. J. Reed of Knox and H. L. Sammons of Kentland, and such a sdff 'fight was put up that they came near getting off there also. However, it developed that they had made an effort to dig out of the Kentland hoos-gow Tuesday after noon and were apparently not the innocent country jays their attorneys tried to make the court believe they were, and the latter bound them rover in bonds of S3OO each, and the sheriff of Newton county brought them to Rensselaer, securely handcuffed, and placed them in the Jasper county jail for safe-keeping. It seems the Kentland bastlle Ins a linoleum-covered floor, and the prisoners had rolled up this linoleum, cut a hole in the floor and dug away the dirt underneath almost enough to reach liberty. The jailor visited the bastile and the boys hearing him coming had hurriedly replaced the linoleum, but were sweating like beavers when the jailor opened the outer door. They attempted to explain this away by complaining or the heat in the jail. However, the latter noticed that the linoleum had been disturbed, and on examination found what they had done tow-ird digging out. The number plates that were on the Cooper car when stolen were found Tuesday near Ade„ and other plates were on the car when it was found. It is said that the boys claimed to have bought the Cooper car from someone, but could give no satisfactory explanation, and the court thought the evidence against them was sufficient to warrant holding them. The prosecution believes that the ■ boys were engaged, with the Chicago party who got away, in stealing cars that are being run to Chicago and sold, and hopes to have plenty of evidence when their case comes to trial to send them up for a few years’ time. The following account of the arrest of the boys as published in the

Starke County Democrat is of inter-* est: > On Tuesday of last week Sheriff Rodgers was visited by the marshal from Culver and Jesse Menser in search of the latter’s Ford touring car, which had been stolen from Plymouth on Saturday night before, They had been informed that the car had been brought on Monday to the home of Mrs. Simon Beauchamp, southwest of Brems, by some Ora boys, one of whom was a nephew of Mrs. Beauchamp, and left there in a shed. Armed with a search warrant from Squire Rogers’s court, they went to the farm and there found the stolen car. They came back to Knox and had warrants issued for Lester Manis, age 17; Murle Casper, age 22, and Henry Hineman, age 19, the boys who had brought the car and left it there; The officers then returned to the farm to await the arrival of the boys, whom they believed would return in a short time for the car. The officers only had to wait an hour before the lads arrived in another car, which is also thought to be a stolen one. (This was the Cooper car.) The officers were in the house awaiting their arrival and planning for their capture. As soon as the ,boys arrived they went to the shed and investigated the stolen car. Of course, they missed the suit cases which Sheriff Rodgers had removed to the house, planning in this manner to draw the boys to ths house and possibly separate them from each other. After a consultation among themselves young Manis came to the door and founded around until Mrs. Beauchamp let him in. Immediately he was . covered, searched and led into another room. A wicked gun and knife were taken from him, also SSO in money. The other men waited for him to return and were laughing and talking continually, not knowing

what had happened and not suspecting they were being watched. After some little time they, too, started for the house but for some reason did not enter but rather turned and started back. Sheriff Rodgers fearing that they might suspect that he and the others were at hand opened the door and called to them to come in, he wanted to talk to them. They refused to come and he at once covered them with his gun and ordered “Hands up.” Hineman ymnediately obeyed, but Casper waited for the second and more determined order, which he quickly obeyed. They, too, were searched by the Culver marshal and. Sheriff Rodgers and were relieved of their guns, knives and money, Casper having SBO while Hineman had only $1.25. They were brought to Knox and on Wednesday taken to Plymouth. In the stolen car was found nine new tubes and other automobile accessories which led the officials to think that the thieves had done more or less stealing before this. It is thought that Hineman was not with the other boys when this car was stolen, but that he came to take it to Chicago and there dispose of it as he may have done before. The officials believe this may account for the difference in the amount of money each had. One can readily see the trend of thought they had in disposing of their stolen cars, if they are all or part of a band of car thieves. And had it not been for some one accidentally overhearing a conservation wherein this Stolen car and the storing of this car as Brems were mentioned their guilt perhaps would not have been known for some time to come. Sheriff Rodgers deserves much credit for the work he did in this matter and the risk he took that the. culprits might be brought to justice. On Friday the boys were given a preliminary hearing at Plymouth. Attorney W. J. Reed appeared for them and was successful in getting them released. However, in a very short time, they were again arrested by the Culver marshal and on Sunday were taken to Kentland by the sheriff of Newton county.