The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1908-07-27
YOUNG WOMAN
WAS HIS VICTIM
John Toma, of Hegewisch, Confesses
to His Misdeeds and May Be the
Bicycle Thief That the Hammond
Police Department Have Sought for
Some Time.

Whiting, Ind, July PA chase for
a purse snatcher which covered over
two and a half miles and was engaged
in by a number of citizens and police
from both the Whiting and Hammond
police departments, resulted in the
capture by Officer August Holman of
John Toma, alias John Helberda, of
Hegewisch.
Saturday, Miss Turnquist, who lives
on Kenwater avenue in Chicago, arriv-
ed in Whiting at 9:11 on the Lake Shore
railroad to visit her brother, Charles
Turnquist, who resides at 33 Roberts
avenue
When she was in front of the Bucz-
kowski building on One Hundred and
Nineteenth street, man snatched her
pocktbook. containing her purse and
$50, a silver watch and gold chain.
1t happened that there were num-
Der OF people in the vicinity and when
Miss Turnquist screamed they at once
started after the fast disappearing
thief
Officer Sees the Chase.
It happened that Officer Vacha, one
of the Whiting policemen. happened to
be in the neighborhood and when he
saw the crowd in full chase after the
thief he too. started after the shadowy
form which was setting such a rapid
pace ahead of them.
The thief took a westerly direction
and soon crossed the corporate line be-
tween Whiting and Hammond. 1t also
happened that officer Homan was in the
neighborhood and when he saw the
Whiting officer in full pursuit he took
up the second relay. and although he
weighs 200 pounds, he gave the thief
a hot chase.
The thief ran down One Hundred
, and Nineteenth street and Officer Hob
man was Just close enough 20 see him
turn down Sheffield avenue and run in
a southerly direction.
FIngs II Street Car.
Just at this time officer Homan saw
a street car coming along and he flag
ged it and got on the front end. This
gave him chance to rest and it gave
him the advantage over the fugitive
1t was not long before the electric
headlight searched out the form of tht
thief. who was still running as fast a:
he could The car caught up with the
man and then stopped.
When the fugitive saw that ther,
was officer on the front end of tn,
car Returned off from the road. anC
although there was a deep ditch OF
either side. he waded through the wa
ter and made for HaehneTs grove
which was not FAR away.
officer Holman was not to be stump
ed. and he went into the water afte
his man. He was a great deal freshe
and it was not long before the fellow
had been run down and was placed un
der arrest
Had Thrown Purse Away,
When the prisoner was searched j
was found that the purse and tn
watch were missing. a search reveal
ed the fact that the thief had throw
the watch away shortly after he sav
the officer would capture him, and
was found later on by officer Homar
The gold chain and the purse wer
not recovered. however. and a scare
will be made Of the vicinity of the cap
ture today. Boman took his prisone
to Whiting where he turned him owe
to the police
After sweating him for some tim
he gave his name as Alfred Gable
Later he confessed that Gabler was tn
name OF the man with whom he board
ed and that his real name was job
Holbreda. After further questioning h
finally admitted that his name wa
John Toma and that he lived in Hege
wisch.
-Toma is only about II or IS year
6rd. and later in the evening he a6
mitted that he had stolen two bicycle
One was a Racycle which was til
property Of J. NJ Patterson of los We:
State stceet ard was stolen from
front of August Myers place in thu
village.
VIII Be Tried Today.
The other was Banner bicyc
which was stolen in East Chicago abol
a month ago. A Whiting boy caIle
at the police station and identife
Toma as the young man he had see
three or four days ago with a nick