South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-02-13
Two Youths. 18 and 20, Held
BY Police for HOId-up At
tempt-0ne Owns Up and
BIameS His ACCOmpIiCe.
HAD BEEN CONVERTED
AT CHURCH REVIVAL
Floyd Fifer, Who Confessed,
Has Borne Good Reputation
Joseph Smith, Alleged AS
SOCiate, Had Police Record.

Stirred by "a weeks attendance at a
revival service. during which he was
converted. Floyd Fifer. Is. 227 :.
Jackson St, confessed within a few
hours after he was picked up on sus-
picion that he was the one who shoe
and seriously wounded Druggist
Emanuel \ Fink. in a hold up at
tempt at the Fink store on Michigan
av. on the night Of Feb. 2.
Fifer names Joseph Smith, 90. 1911
Orange St. who has a police record.
as his accomplice, and as the one who
planned the attempted robbery. Smith.
also under arrest, refuses 10 talk.
Filters confession was made in the
presence of Deputy Prosecutors
Schwartz and Nye and several police
officials on "Wednesday night, but was
kept secret in the hope OF getting
confession out OF Smith. With tht
failure of this the matter was mad
public
In the meantime. Harry SNOW pa-
rolled convict, arrested immediatclE ai-
ter the shooting. and positively ideut.-
fled by Fink as the man who shot him.
will escape prosecution on thi~
charge, but being back IN the hands
of the police. will be sent Ia Jeher-
sonville for parole violation.
That the newspapers aided the cap
ture of the two men in printing ar
ticles about Shows arrest and thus
leaving the two boys 10 think that no
suspicion was directed at them, was
the assertion Of Detective Chief kues-
pert
They were reading the papers" he
says, and if they had thought that
Snow could clear himself they would
have left town. But while we held
Snow we followed up every other pos
sible clue, and finally landed what We
are sure are the real culprits.
Fink will probably recover.
The two boys were picked up a.
suspects, as Fifer. the one who did the
shooting answered the description OF
Fink's assailant. Both had been out
of work for some time and had been
running around together. As Smith
has a bad record. the police were
keeping an eve on him for some time
Was Attending Church
Fifer has never been In trouble be-
fore and had been attending services
at the Linden Av. Christian cnurch'
where he was baptised just last week
Both were arrested at their home anu
both began making stout statements
that they were innocent.
When asked about his Whereabouts
on the night Of the shooting Fifer said
at first that he was IN church. Nheh
this was dispTOved. he Nentured an
other alibi. then a third, then gave up
smith. after little faltering and
quibbling, refused To talk except 10
assert his innocence.
Smith was prosecuting witness IA a
case Of assault and battery charge
against Nike Jakey and Steve KloW-
etter, which resulted in refOrmatorF
sentence for the former. Smith was
stabbed during a night IN the west end
last summer and sustained severe IN
juries on the arm and cheek The
" whOle side OF his face was laid open.
the knife barely missing the iugular
vein. lie has been in "a number ot
west end fights.
I'VE met the Sunday morning bee
fore the robbery and Smith suggested
the hold-up plan" asserted Flfer, ln
his confession. "He told me Do Was
easy 20 hold up a man and We talked
II all over Inc next hlght We iil'17
the final arrangements and went lp O.
store on w Washington ST., near
Circle av.. and had two nickels crang-
ed for a dime.
The plan was for smith % stauI
outside the store and see that uo one
came while / entered. bought chewing
gum and then held up the store keep
er. Should the store keeper iau 10
20 20 the cash drawer it was planned
that 1 should demand my chang" ln
penies and that while the store keeper
had his back turned ] was GO com
mand him 20 hand over an hl~ money.
pointing the revolver az him ln tle
meantime
After making these plans tl- BOYS
walked down BirGselI 81. to Michigan
av and smith handed the revolver
over according tO the story oi fler-
Facing the Fink store. smith pointed
il out 70 his companion. saying, THAT
Is the place We want 10 strike hrst
Fifer says.
smith stationed himself at the side
OF the store behind some bill boards
and ordered Fifer 20 stand across thr
street i'm dark place until smith
gave certain signal that the cI4~ ~
was clear.
There were so many people passln-
az that time that we waited an hour
or more before J got the signal Fifer
said pink was the only man in the
store at the time and ] asked Cor thc
gum Fink got it and when he reach
"a for "A nickel from his pocket 7 ask
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