Los Angeles herald., 1907-12-03
MITCHELL is
NOT LAUMAN,
SAYS ROBE
ALIBl TO BE DEFENSE OF
SUSPECT
Undesirable ELEMENT MUST
GO, is CRY
Reward Of $500 May Be Offered for
sIayer's Capture - Special
Force Of One Hundred
Suggested

George Lauman, who was arrested sun
cay afternoon on suspicion Of being one
OF the men implicated In the killing OF
Patrolman P. H. Lyons. is still in the
city Jail.
An effort Is being made to prove an alb
for Lauman, and although he has been
identified as the man who held up otneT
business places over a week ago, there
has arisen doubt that he was the man
who accompanied Rolla Robe Saturday
might and took part in three holdups, one
CT which resulted in Lyons death.
Roy Lauman, a brother of the man in
Jail, yesterday told the police his brother
could not have been concerned with Robe
In the holdups of Saturday. He saio
George had been at the home of his sis
ter, Clara Lauman, 1872 East Fourteenth
street, until midnight Saturday, while the
xobberies took place prior to that hour.
The police believe, however, that In
George Lauman they have the man whC
robbed the Freeman & Liscomb drug
store at Sixteenth and Main streets, a
market at 1907 Wesley avenue and the
Belle Vernon dairy at Eighth and Maple
streets a week ago Saturday.
a number OF other suspects have been
arrested and are being held for examina-
ton, but it is now the belief of the police
that as yet the man who accompanied
Robe on the night of the killing of Lyons
has not been captured. Detectives and
ratrolmen are still securing every nook
and corner of the city in an effort to cap
ture this man and to clear Los Angeles
OF every undesirable character.
Twenty-Five Arrested
As a result of this campaign twenty
1--WE men were taken to the police station
from the river bed district and from the
various railroad yards and booked on
charges of vagrancy.
Mrs. Robe, with her 16-months-old
daughter, was at police headquarters
twice yesterday to see her husband. She
was unsuccessful on her first visit, but
met her husband late in the afternoon in
Capt Auble's office. A half hour was
spent in conversation, and when the
woman left the station she appeared to be
greatly affected.
Later she declared she still believed her
husband was innocent Of the shooting of
Lyons. He also told her George Lauman,
the man under arrest, and Harry Mitchell,
who, he says, was with him the night of
the murder, are totally different persons.
Stronger efforts will be put forth today
to capture the man who accompanied
Robe Saturday night. Councilman Henry
Lyon is considering the advocacy OF ap-
pointing 100 special officers to serve thirty
days each, these men to ransack the city
and outlying districts in an effort to
Danish undesirable persons.
Mr. Lyon will also ask the city council
today to offer a reward Of $500 for the
capture of the assailant of Patrolman
Lyons Saturday night. 1t is believed Gov
ernor Gillett will also be asked to add a
reward of $1,000 to this amount.
Stockade Probability
Whether the city will build a stockade
OF workhouse in which men arrested on
charges of vagrancy or drunkenness shall
be confined will, it is expected. be decided
by the city council today. The city JAIL
because of the large number of arrests
lately and the holidays, has been crowded
far beyond its capacity, and the erection
of a stockade would do much to remedy
this.
The police learned last night that Harry
Mitchell, the man accused by Robe of the
shooting of Patrolman Lyons, came to
Los Angeles about six weeks ago. When
he reached the city he had one of his
fingers tied up, and they believe he was
suffering from pistol wound. A week or
ten days after his arrival Mitchell went
to a local surgeon and had the finger am
putated They have witnesses who saw
the man before and after the amputation
and who saw the finger after 1t had
healed
The police are anxious that the surgeon
who performed the operation on Mitchelrs
finger communicate with them, as he may
be OF material aid in their Investigations