The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-27
AN EPIDEMIC OF CRIME
BOLD BURGLARY OF A WEST OHIO
STREET GROCERY YESTERDAY.
Several of the Gardeners Recently
Held Up Identify TiIlman Jacobs
as the HfEhwaymaD.

The highway robberies and burglaries
have not ceased in the city, and the demon
allied police force is powerless. The cpl
demic continues. Yesterday morning at $3.50
o'clock Merchant Policeman Thrush dis
covered that the grocery store at (olD 1885
West Ohio street, belonging to A. B. Rob-
inson, had been broken into. The front
door was forced open with Jimmy 1t
was daring piece of work, for the door
is directly under the light of an electric
light. 1t was evidently done but a short
time before, for the Merchant policeman
says he passed the place about half hour
previous to his discovery that the place had
been robbed At that time in the morning
the patrolmen on the district are making
their last round, and there was a chance of
their being within sight of this store at the
time.
Mr.. Robinson was notified, and an inves-
tigation disclosed the fact that nothing but
money had been touched. He is in the habit
Of taking all the money out of the money
drawers at night, and leaving from $25 to
$50 in sack under a counter. This is for
the use of the clerks when they open the
store in the morning. He has small safe
in the store, but he keeps no money in it,
and does not lock it. Large sums of money
counter in out-of-the-way places. The bur-
glars knew where to look for the sack Of
change, but failed to find a wallet contain
ing several hundred dollars. MIR. Robinson
thinks the burglars were familiar with his
affairs to some extent, and suspicion pointed
to man whose name he gave to the po-
lice. The sack taken contained about $685.
In the arrest of Tillman Jacobs and James
Jenkins by Patrolmen Asch and Jones' Sat-
urday night, the police think they have Sc
cured the men who are responsible for the
dozen or more highway robberies which
have occurred recently in the outskirts.
| They are thought to be the men who held
up and robbed George Amer, Madison
turning from market two weeks ago. The
Rooster robbery, on the Madison road, the
robbery Of John Werner. near Brightwood,
and the hold-up of Mrs. Hohlt are attrib-
uted to these men. Yesterday morning the
police went out toward haywood to find
Mrs. Hohlt and ran across four young men,
who told story of being held up Saturday
night. They are Walter Winnings, Joseph
Clossoy, Thomas Glossy and Alfred Miller.
wood. shortly after dark. Near the place
where Morris street crosses Eagle creek
two men stopped them. One of the men
had a pistol. The boys did not obey the
order to stop, but whipped up and escaped
the robbers. The man with the pistol fired
two shots at them, one at such close range
that the powder blackened the faces Of the
two boys in the front seat.
The boys drove down the road little
way and stopped and claim they could
hear the robbers holding up another vehi-
Gle. This vehicle was probably that of Mrs.
Hohlt and her son. Some time afterWard
Patrolmen Jones and Asch found Tfllman
Jacobs and James Jenkins asleep in field
with a horse and buggy hitched near by.
Jacobs had a pistol. two chambers Of which
were empty, and showed signs of having
been recently discharged.
IDENTIFICATION OF JACOBS.
Yesterday several victims of the recent
robberies called at the Jail to look at the
men arrested George Amer was positive
about Jacobs being the man who robbed
him. The other man, he said guarded his
daughter, and he did not get a good view
of him. John Werner, the dairyman near
Brightwood who was robbed Saturday
morning identified Jacobs as one of the
men. He was not positive about Jenkins.
Mrs, Rooster was positive in her identifica-
ton of Jenkins.
Matthew Sheridan the man who at
tempted to hold up Joseph Emminger, Fri
day night, is also considered a good man."
A short time before he assaulted Mr.. EN-
minger and was captured by Patrolmen
Griffin and LarSh, house on Southeast
ern avenue was burglarlzed. The burglar
was frightened away before he stole any
thing, however, but people living in the
house saw him and noted that all the fin
gers of his left hand were missing. With
this description Patrolmen Moore and Huls-
man searched the railroad yards from No
BILE to State street, for the man was de-
Scribed as rough-looklng FELLOW, possibly
a tramp When Sheridan was arrested the
patromen heard of it and are satisfied that
he is the burglar as well as the .footpad.
The fingers of his left hand are off.
At roll call last night Captain Dawson
sent over to the Jail and had Jacobs and
Jenkins brought into the room in order that
all the patrolmen might take a look at them.
He complimented Patrolmen Asch and Jones
on making "a good CATCH" as he called it.
The police are confident they have a sure
case against the men. 1t has been learned
that there indictments against them at
Franklin for crimes similar to those charged
against them here. 1t is believed that the
horse and buggy used by them was stolen at
Franklin. Jacobs is an ex-convict. and
there is term at the Marion county work
house standing over him. He escaped from
there about a year ago. Little is known of