The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-12-04

TWELVE MEN IN POLICE COURT
CHARGED WITH LOITERING.
Efforts Are Being Put Forth to Rid
the City of minals-DispOsitiOn
of the Cases.

As a result of the attempt to catch some
of the highway robbers and thieves that
have been prospecting in and around Indian
apolis for some time, twelve white men Of
all ages and sizes were arraigned in Police
Court yesterday morning, charged with
lettering The detectives left the police
station Thursday with instructions to arrest
any one that was found lettering and could
not give a good account of himself, and
Friday morning saw more suspicious char
acters in Police Court than have been tried
there at one time for several years. OF the
twelve arrested for plain lettering one only
was dismissed, and that was John Twigg,
who was charged with stealing gun and
several other articles from Company d, Of
the Indiana National Guard. While the
evidence which was produced pointed di-
rectly to Twigg as the guilty person, 1t
was not sufficient to convict him.
The cases of Mont McCannon and Will
liam Dugan, who are charged with COM
polling a Vandalia brakeman to stop a
train few miles from the city some time
ago and let them off. after they had been
detected in a car filled with registered mail,
and also charged with holding up William
AXE, switchman stationed near Eagle
creek, the same night after leaving the
train, were again considered in Police Court,
and, as they could not prove an alib, they
were bound over to the grand jury.
MEMBERS OF A GANG.
James Reagan, Ben Moses, Fred Barber
and Tom Miller, members of the gang Of
young colored thieves unearthed by PATROL
man Ben Lee some time ago, were also
bound over to the grand jury. These are
the negroes that terrorized the northern
part or the city by their bold work and
since their arrest they have confessed a
large number of thefts that had puzzled the
police. Al Nash, negro thief was also
cent to the grand jury.
James Quaid and j. M. Douglass. the self
| confessed safe blowers, were ordered held
under 81, 900 bonds until Dec II. in order to
| give the police time TO investigate their
| plans.
The following suspects were ordered to be
held by the Judge under $500 bonds until
| next Saturday: Duke Derringer, William
Walters. William Stewart. John Morton.
McCutcheon and William Bankhead
Three other habitual loafers with bad rec
ords Were s given nifty and sixty day SEN sen,
| and James MCGOWAN.
The number of loafers that have been
arrested shows why Mr.. Taber, a printer of
Louisville. was detained by the police. He
wrote very long and soothing letter to this
city after he had been allowed to return
| home. He says that when arrested he had
| several dollars in his pockets and some
union cards. and that he was refused per-
mission to communicate with any one until
one day jail prisoner, who was going to
appear as a witness in Police Court, took a
| note from him and gave it to a man by
| the name of Mccoy, who took Ii to Mr.
| Mckee, secretary of the local Typographical
| Union. Mr.. Mckee took the matter up and
| through Charles A. Bookwalter, after five
| days of detention, Taber was released.
| Detective Asch, who arrested Taber, said
| he had noticed him loafng around saloons
for several days, and as he could not give
| an account of himself when questioned, he
| was placed behind the bars on suspicion
| The chief of police In Louisville was asked
| about Taber. and continuance of the case
| had been requested until he could be heard
| from. AT the Jail the charge of not allow
| ing Taber to communicate with any one is
| said 10 be ridiculous and without any foun-
| dalton.
OTHERS IN THE NET
Harry Burgess, who was arrested durine
| the cleaning of saloons and barrel houses
| by the detectives. and who is thought t.
| have been one of the men that robbed ths
/ general store of Huffman Brothers at Nor
| ristown will be turned over to the authori
| ties there to be dealt with.
While a temporary check was thought &c
| have been placed on the wholesale rob
| berries that have been going on, they are
| still being reported to the police and yes
terday morning James Donohue, who 1.