The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1908-04-13
POLICE HUSH UP
BASTILE DELIVERY
Moe Is Fellow Who Obtained Goods
Under False Pretences from Kauf-
mann and Wolf, and East Chicago
Authorities Are Wild Over Es-
capade Scandal.

George Moe, noted crook wanted for
innumerable crimes in Hammond and
In four states, arrested last week in
Muskegon after search extending over
year, by an East Chicago constable
and landed in the East Chicago jail
Friday morning has flown
The police of East Chicago are wild
for no one knows on whom suspicion
for the most regretable jail delivery
that has occurred in these parts for
many years, will fall.
That the crook had accomplices "in
court" there seems small doubt, and
every officer on the force is trembling
in his boots. lest suspicion point his
way
The flight from the city bastile was
accomplished sometime between the
hour of 10 p. M and midnight Friday.
1t was hushed up on Saturday the police
meanwhile using every means in their
power to. re-apprehend the escaped
criminal. hopeless as It appeared
The officer on duty at the time the
prisoner accomp1iahed his tight was
Mayer Rabynski. who was acting desk
sergeant for the night. He went to
the jail, which is low frame structure,
apart from the city hall. at 1890 o'clock
and found Moe apparently asleep. He
returned at midnight to find the cell
door flung wide and the bird flown.
Rabynski notified Chief Higgins at
once of the delivery and the chief in
turn called up Constable Lowden and
told him what had occurred.
Chief Higgins lost no time in starting
an investigation that might serve to
clear UP the mystery. Apparently the
cell paddock was unlocked from outside,
and it showed no evidence of having
been picked. The outer door to the
jail, it is said. is always open, so the
prisoner and his accomplices, If he had
any, had no difficulty in getting out
here.
Chief Higgins ascertained that the
last time the cell door was unlocked
was when Constable Lowden, accom-
panied by Officer Nick Sullivan visited
the cell with Noes dinner. 1t was
thought that the lock had not been
carefully locked, but Constable Lowden
testified that before leaving the Jail,
Sullivich returned to the cell door and
gave the lock couple of extra jerks
to make sure that 1T was fast.
Lowden himself related a circum
stance that might or might not be sig
nifcant He declares that during the
afternoon when he was in the Jail fol-
lowing the prisoners meal he found a
half dozen of the prisoners former com
Tades who had worked with him in the
mills, visiting with the man. He saws
he ordered them out and they all left
the place. 1t is pointed out, however.
that they may have returned and man
aged in some way to undo the lock.
Every police officer has a set of KEYS
to the jail door and the cells. Outside
of these, no one is supposed to have
q duplicate to the keys. It would be an
easy matter for one of the officers to
have visited the cell between watches
and released the prisoner.
On the other hand, both Chief Higgins
and Mayor DeBraie are loath to believe
there is a man on the force who would
SO grossly betray his trust as to par
ticipate in so unworthy an act Both
admit the case to be a mysterious one
and one which might throw suspicion
upon the officers. but the mayor has
a theory that after all the lock may not
have been securely fastened and that
Moe. after he had been visited by off,
Ger Rabynski at 1890 had reused nm |
and becoming restless had arisen and |
tried his hand at the lock- Finding
1t Insecure, he had calmly walked out.
Moe formerly lived in East Chicago /
where he was employed in the mills.
He was what is commonly termed a
good fellow and managed to borrow a
good deal of money from his compan-
Ions The crime for which he was ar
rested and which seems to have been
the most serious of all his misdeeds
while In these parts. was that of getting
1929 worth Of goods from the Lion store
In Hammond. by means of false repre-
sentations.
This was some fourteen months ago.
When Moe learned that they were after
MIN he skipped and his arrest in Mus
kegon, Mich, for stealing watch was
what finally led to his extradition frona
Michigan by Constable ]. e. IowdaD
who was notified that his man for
whom he had sought in that cftv
year before. was in the tolls.