The Detroit times., 1916-05-13

One OF the busiest nights In thu
history OF the police department
started At 1l:36 p. m. Friday. wher
John Pershon, ssloonkeeper At No
72l 81. Aubin-ave.. telephoned the
police saying that q gang OF youths
was creating . disturbance on hi:
corner and that one OF the mer
was nourishing q revolver. They
had attacked . girl on the corner
Pershon told the police.
Patrolmen Alexander and Louis
Hacker. q brother officer. were sent
from the Hunt-st. station. AID at st
Aubin-ave. and Illinois-st., found the
gang" congresated on the corner
Here comes the cops" someone
yelled. and the gang separated IL
all directions. Hacker. on his mo-
torcycle, chased those who ran west
and Alexander started IN pursuit
Of the ones running eastward.
After he had gone two blocks,
Hacker heard shots and FASTENED
back 10 help Alexander. As he
turned into an alley just OF HI
nois-st.. he almost stumbled over
the body OF his partner.
Alexander was alive but uncon-
scious. He was bleeding internally
and was unable 20 talk. His re
vo,ver. lying at his side with three
chambers exploded, mutely told that
he had given battle to his assail,
ants.
Burned powder marks on Alexan-
der's clothing showed plainly that
the shot which killed him had been
fred less than two feet away. The
police theory Is that he was about
TO arrest his man when he was
killed.
Immediately after the shooting
the neighborhood swarmed with de-
tectives under the direction OF Supt
Marquardt and Detective Inspector
George LArkins. From Saloonkeep-
er Pershon's description, they ar
rested several members OF a gang
OF youths who had been living in
a barn on Illinois-st. They gave
their names as Michale Plat, II
years old. No. 49s Alexanderave.
Walter Augustinik. 10. No. sll Rio
pelle-st: Joseph Kanikowsky. Il
No. 22s Leland-st-: Mike Rybarczyk
1s. No. 772 Dubois-st: Jose and
Louis Barber. ~ and II years old
respectively. both OF No. 792 Ri
vard-st.. and a man whose name Is
said to be Joseph Kerwin.
While the detectives were search.
ing the neishborhood OF the shoot.
ing. a report came from the candy
store OF Aaron Rosen, OF No. 3Si
Greenwood-ave.. that three men had
forced their way through a rear
door in the store and were burglar
izing the place.
Irene Herman. clerk in the
store living upstairs, heard them.
and opening an upstairs window.
yelled Justify. The men fed south
ward on Greenwood-ave-. she told
the police. and gave a detailed de-
scription of them
At 4:55 o'clock in the morning
Ernest J. Menke. the proprietor OF a
candy store at No. ss2 Third-ave.
who lives over the store, heard the
burglar alarm 90 OF. He dressed
and, obtaining his revolver, crept
downstairs to the street and was
about to enter his store by the
front door when three men, answer
ing the description of the burglars
frightened away from Rosen's store,
opened IRE on him with their re-
volvers.
He fastened back upstairs and
called the police. Patrolman Cor
nelius Ryan was sent from the
Bethune-ave. station, on his motor
cycle, and . patrol with several POI
licemen was sent from the Grand
River-ave. station.
At Garfield and Woodward-aves.,
while he was on his way to the
Menke store. Ryan saw three men
standing on the corner. He paid no
attention to them. but proceeded
to answer the call. when the Ker.
man girl and Menke gave him the
description Of the robbers, he at
once recalled the trio he had seen
ct Canneid and woodward-aves.. and
went after them.
At wIllisave. and John R-st.. he
picked up their trail. He followed
them until he saw them hiding be.
hind . brick pile It Brush and LIE
land-sts., when he dismounted from
his motorcycle and walked toward
the brick pile. One of the men
fred . shot 1t him and the three
sped up the alley.
Ryan returned the IRE a. he gave
chase. At the next street intersec
ton one Of the men ran east and
the other two west. He chased the
one man who ran eastward.
He fred his last bullet AZ he
reached the corner OF Illinois and
Beaubien-sts., and Patrick Murphy
night watchmsn In the factory of the
American Cigar Co.. ran out to his
assistance.
Call headquarters-I'm shot.
Ryan said In hoarse tones as he
sank to the pavement with q bulle,
a.. his vf~bt ahoul<3~V