The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-09-05
Isaac Lucas, Long Accused
Of Being ''Go-Between" for
Horsethieves, Arrested on
Forgery Charge in Kentucky
PENITENTIARY RECORD IN
INDIANA AND KENTUCKY.
Man Assumed Aliases and His
Operations Were So Pecu-
liar as to Create Suspicioc
Of Local Police Department

Isaac c. Lucas, 405 North D street,
who for some time has been suspected
by the police as being the leader and
"go-between" of a gang of horse
thieves operating in eastern Indiana
and western Ohio, making Richmond
its headquarters, is under arrest at St.
Matthews, KY, suburb of Louisville,
charged with passing a forged check,
calling for $S47, on a st. Matthews
bank.
Lucas has bad record. He has
served two terms in the Jeffersonville
penitentiary, one for horse stealing
and the other for petit larceny, and
was at one time given a life sentence
in the Kentucky penitentiary on a lar
ceny charge. In Kentucky a man
who has been three times convicted OF
larceny is put away for life, but Lu-
cas- was successful in his efforts to OBJ
tain a pardon.
Chief Bailey was notified this morn
ing by the Kentucky authorities of Lu-
cas's arrest. Accompanying the com,
munication was photograph of Lu-
cas-. This was shown to Mrs. Lucas
end she stated it was not a good like
ness, but was undoubtedly her hus-
band. She stated that he left Rich
mond last Tuesday, telling her he was
going out to look after some real es-
tate deals.
Lucas is well known to the police
throughout this section of the coun-
try. He has conducted his various
criminal operations under the aliases
of Charles Johnson, Fred Collins and
George Davis. Lucas has been a resi-
dent Of this city, according to Chief
Bailey, about four years. For some
time he conducted barber shop on
North D street between Fourth street
and Fifth street.
Details Are Slight.
Chief Bailey has no information as
to the details in connection with the
arrest of Lucas on the forgery charge.
Should he be convicted on this charge
he would in all probability be allowed
to serve the remainder of his life be-
hind prison bars. The local police
will follow the trial of Lucas with the
keenest interest, as they expect he will
shed some light on the horse stealing
operations in this part of the 1luntry.
Chief Bailey will send to this Ken
lucky officials the following informa-
ton concerning Lucas:
about twenty-one years ago, he was
convicted, place unknown, of horse
theft, and was sentenced to a term in
the Jeffersonville reformatory. Two
years after being released from that
institution he was sent back to serve
out sentence on a petit larceny
charge. After being released a sec
ond time from Jeffersonville, Lucas
went to Kentucky, and it was not long
before he got into trouble again and
was given a life sentence to the Ken.
lucky prison. Since being released
on pardon from that institution he
has succeeded in evading the clutches
of the police, but l am convinced the
man continued his criminal operations
Chief Has Convictions.
81 am convinced that Lucas was the
leader an 'go-between' of a gang oi
horse thieves, who have been exten.
sively operating in this part of the
country. l cannot disclose the source
of this information, but when I OBJ.
tanned it l placed Lucas under the
closest surveillance, and it was not
long before l became convinced the
information l had been supplied with
was authentic. He has for some time
made frequent trips to Louisville anG
he always took at least four horses
with him. He never returned with
any. l had no way to prove that Lu
cas- had not secured these animals in {
legitimate manner, so l could not place
him under arrest. I think that il
the Kentucky officials had not taker
him into custody on a forgery charge
it would only have been a short time
before / would have had enough evi
dence against him to warrant his ar
rest in connection with the horse
stealing depredationS"