Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 123, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 November 1909 — AUTO MYSTERY DEEPENS—FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS [ARTICLE]

AUTO MYSTERY DEEPENS—FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS

A Sheriff and Deputies Find Balance of Destroyed Machine. was thereVoul play? Sheriff Shirer and Attorney Leopold Visit Scene of Mystery arid Are Trying to Solve the Conundrum. Discoveries made Sunday by Sheriff Grant, of Lake county* and four deputies at the farm residence of Mrs. Christina Justedt, 2% miles south of DeMotte, deepen the automobile mystery that was begun a week ago with the discovery of two automobile wheels in the Kankakee river at Water Valley. Sheriff Grant was unwilling to accept the theory that the machine which had been destroyed was broken up by vandals and thrown into the river, so he brought his deputies over from Crown Point Sunday and after questioning Mrs. Justedt and getting no satisfactory information from her, he decided to prod the soft spots in the farm and see what he could learn, thinking that perhaps there might be another Guenness mystery in the case. He went to DeMotte, had the blacksmith there make him some iron hooks and upon his return he and his deputies began prodding about the ground in soft places. They soon found a place in a shed adjoining the barn where the earth had recently been disturbed and which had been covered over with straw and rubbish, and when the hooks were inserted at that-place they struck parts of the destroyed automobile. After a little digging they had uncovered the coil box, crank case and parts of the frame. The latter had evidently been sawed in two with a hack saw and it was plain that the object of the machine’s destruction had been to leave no traces of it. ■■',.' ; -

Sheriff Grant and his deputies acted as though their search might be based upon some more positive information of foul play, for they were very mysterious and refused to give out any Information as to the cause of their visit to the premises where the machine had been left. They treated Mrs. Justedt as though they were very suspicious of her part in the mystery and, it is said, found her both evasive and untruthful in the replies she made to their questioning. During the time that the search of the premises was going on one of the deputies walked about the barn yard with his revolver in his hand, ready for prompt action in case any effort should be made by Mrs. Justedt or any of the other parties who might be at her home should decide to prevent the search of the premises. Bert Hopkins and W. C. Babcock and Mike Kuboske, who had been up near Roselawn in an automobile, stopped at the river on their way home and after talking to some of the people who had been exercised over the discovery of the auto wheels and the belief that there was some tragedy connected with it, they decided to visit the Justedt farm and they arrived there while the search was in progress. They learned that Mrs. Justedt had told some very conflicting stories and that she seemed to be a “woman of mystery” to the neighbors thereabouts and also to the people of DeMotte.

She told the officers that her husband worked at Hammond, but later said that he was employed in the car shops at Pullman. To others she is said to have stated that her husband was employed in Chicago. The Justedt farm consists of 40 Acres of sandy and quite unproductive soil and Mrs. Justedt is said to have paid very little attention to the farming. Chicago parties have frequently visited her and they are said to have been quite high livers and many of the guests at the farm are said to have had a dissipated look, while among the women there was a display of Twentysecond street powder that aroused a lot of suspicion. , The Justedt house is on the DeMotte stone road, and occupies a sand hill in an environment of scrub oaks. The hill from the road to the house, which sets b£dk about 100 yards from ths road is steep and the sand very heavy and it is a difficult matter for a machine to climb the hill, and a machine that was not in first-class condition could not do it. The original

story, therefore, that came from the Justedt home to the effect that the machine was disabled and that the men had taken the engine to Chicago to have it repaired, is not credited, for the machine is said to have made the ran up the hill without difficulty. Mrs. Justedt says that the machine was brought to her house four weeks

ago Sunday, and that the occupants of the car were her son and daughter from Chicago, also her daughter’s sweetheart and the owner of the machine whose name she claims not to have knowp. M,rs. Justedt is a German woman but speaks distinct English. She gave the address of her son, and said that he would be able to tell the officers who the owner of the machine was. The officers seem to have traced the machine through parts of Lake county to DeMotte, and ta have verified the number of passengers in the car to three men and one woman. They have been unable, however, to determine that all four of the parties returned from the trip, and the theory upon which the officers are working is that one or more of them may have met foul play. Sheriff Shirer and Attorney Moses Leopold, the latter acting for Prosecuting Attorney Longwell, of Brook, were taken to the scene ofthe mystery this morning by Mike Kuboske and Art Lingenfelter of the Rensselaer Garage, and it was the intention to starch the house and make as complete an investigation as is possible. • Mrs. Justedt is said to have denied that she knew anything about the machine having been destroyed and that she claimed it had been taken away, but that, nevertheless, she had been using the frame parts of the bed for kindling. None of the parts of the machine by which it could possibly be identified were found. The license number of the machine, the machine number and the sale number had all been removed, but it was quite positively decided that the machine was a Pope-Waverly and not a Pope-To-ledo, as at first reported. .This is the belief of Art Lingenfelter, who examined the machine very thoroughly. The Pope-Waverly machines are manufactured in Indianapolis. None of the parts of the machine were much worn and it was either a 1908 or a 1909 model and a good, strong machine and had apparently been equipped with a thirty-horse power engine. The engine was not found and it is probable that the men had taken that part of the machine away with them and sold it, but? this is conjectural. Mysterious persons are alleged to have come to DeMotte at various times and had business at the Justedt farm and people at DeMotte have regarded the home of the German woman with some doubt for a long time. A few weeks ago a man appeared in DeMotte who offered two gold watches and two diamonds for sale. He was reported to have spent the night before «at the Justedt farm. While nothing has been discovered yet to incriminate Mrs. Justedt, and while nothing has been discovered to positively indicate that a crime greater than the destruction of the machine has taken place, there is a general suspicion and the most thorough investigation is being made.