The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-07
A FENCE" FOR BURGLARS
LARGE QUANTITY OF STOLEN GOODS
AT A DRAPER-STREET HOUSE.
Elsie Wehrmeyer Under Arrest-VaI-
uabIe stuff stolen by John
Brown Recovered.

The police have located the headquarters
of John Brown, the colored man recently
given three years in the penitentiary as a
compromise for information furnished, and
have recovered several hundred dollars
worth of goods stolen from a dozen or more
different places. The police have also
learned that Brown was the leader of a
gang of burglars, and they claim to know
at least two members of the gang, who are
still at large.
Detective Thornton learned through
Brown that he had been making his home
with John and Elsie Wehrmeyer, 1906
Draper street Saturday night the detec-
tive went to the house and arrested Mrs.
Wehrmeyer, charging her with receiving
stolen goods. Detectives Asch and Dugan
were also working on the case and yester-
day they went to tho house and hauled to
the police station several wagonloads of
goods. Yesterday half dozen or more peo-
pie called at the police station and identified
goods
Among the stuff recovered was a $3.50
shotgun, which was stolen year ago from
the buggy of q man named McGinnis.
There was a lump of melted silver which
had been taken from a broken crucible. A
knife, with bits of silver clinging to it,
showed that the smelling had been done at
the house. 1t was evidently the remains of
stolen silverware. Several baskets of gro
ceries, including canned goods, tobacco, ci-
gars, ETC., were recovered and identified by
the owner of a grocery at the corner of
Woodlawn avenue and Dawson street.
Other groceries were thought to have been
stolen from the grocery at Orange and Lin
den streets. Among other things taken from
this store q nlo
advertisement. The proprietor of the store
was able to identify this by a mark.
The gang was evidently that which
worked Irvington so strongly. There were
perfumes and soap, identified as coming
from Schmidt's grocery at Irvington. This
store was robbed twice in a week the
burglars coming with a wagon and carrying
off all the horses could haul. There was
also recovered some jewelry, identified by
house was robbed, and there was a pair of
opera glasses and some other articles which
q man named TOmlinSon, of Irvington, rec
ogmzed as those stolen from his house.
There was also a lot of writing paper, sta
tionery and notions stolen from an Irving
ton drug store. Opera glasses and articles
or JeWelry were also identified by Lawrence
Jones, OF lrvington
OTHER VALUABLE GOODS
Among the goods recovered there were a
dozen womens dresses, all of valuable
kird, several wraps, two dozen pairs of
new cotton half-hose, some stockings, eight
umbrellas, ten packages of coffee, white
fur rug, several lap robes, horse blankets,
a gold pen with pearl holder, ladies' hats
and all manner of wearing apparel. There
were also some silver knives, forks and
spoons stolen from the residence of G. f.
Carpenter, 1929 Hoyt avenue, the case on
which Brown was convicted. 1t is believed
by the police that the lump of silver was
made from the silver hollow ware taken
from the Carpenter residence. The flat
ware was not melted, because it was less
easily identified and would bring a better
price 1T was
The police have known all along that
Brown alone could not have done all the
work credited to him, but it was not until
Saturday that the other members of the
gang were known. The action of the de-
tectives is the result of this information.
When Thornton reached the Wehrmeyer
home Saturday night he found no one there
but the woman, and he arrested her on
charge of receiving stolen goods She was
questioned about various articles which the
detectives recognized at once and gave such
accounts of them as to at once convict
herself of knowing they were stolen. Her
husband did not come home, and 1T is sup
posed he expected the visit of the officers
and left the city The one other man
charged by the police with being a member
of the gang has also disappeared.
1t is known positively that there were
others besides Brown implicated in the rob-
berries. In the first place, the work was
such as could not have been effected by
one man unaided. Then Brown admitted he
had accomplices and besides the grocery at
Woodlawn avenue and Dawson street was
robbed while Brown was in Jail, and some
of the goods were recovered at the Wehr-
meyer home
been pawned by Mrs Wehrmeyer and was
found at the pawnshop by the police.
Among the things paWned was the waist of
wedding dress belonging to Miss Jones,
of TrxyfO Cfn