The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1916-10-12
AUTO BANDITS IN
ORGANIZED GANG
WORKED STATES
Arrest of Morris In Minneapolis
and Apprehended Letter Give
Police Valuable Aid For
Making Arrests.
ATTEMPT JAIL DELIVERY
Assman and Goddard Arrested
Here Are Taken to Omaha
to Face Trial-Habeas
Corpus Fails.
ATTEMPT JAIL DELIVERY
Sioux CITY. Ia. OFT. 10.

today by the Sioux CRY detective and
police departments in their campaign
to break up the gang of automobile
thieves which have operated IN seven
states, and who have stolen hundreds
Of automobiles, value at more than
100000. In the arrest of Ben Lyons"
and his confession to the Minneapolis
police last Saturday that he was Roger
Morris, 20 years old, son of T. B. Norris,
superintendent of Woodbury. county
schools, the Sioux City police and the
departments at Omaha, Minneapolis,
Kansas City, Des oMines, and other
cities. are sal to have secured infor-
nation which will lead to many arrests
in connection with the wholesale thefts
of machines and the apprehension of
men who are claimed by the depart
ments to be the "higher-ups."
C. w. Pipkins and John A. Unger, de-
t%ectives from the Omaha department,
arrived in Sioux City last night to aid
the local detectives i'll their efforts TO
break up the Sioux City end of the
gang and to take into custody A. 1. ASS
man and Harry Goddard. The two mel
Detective Tnger asserted today, are
wanted in Omah in connection with
the theft recently of two automobiles.
The men, with two others We're arrested
Friday when Chief Of Detectives Rich
ard and detectives raided a rooming
house operated by Joe Shelley in east
Fourth street. Wilbur Owens, attorney,
Saturday in the district court secured
a writ of habeas corpus to secure the
release of the two men. The hearing
was held at 9 o'clock this morning.
Assman and Goddard were ordered
released ON the habeas corpus writ and
Immediately rearrested on a warrant
from the Omaha courts charging them
With the theft OF an automobile in that
city. The men left at noon today in
custody of Omaha detectives. having
waived all extradition papers.
Tried to "Saw" Out.
Chief of Police Harve H. Hawman
asserted that if the men were success
full in securing their release hat he
would Immediately rearrest them.
Assman and Goddard, according to
Hawman, Saturday night attempted to
escape from one of the matrons' wards
III the city Jail by saving through the
steel bars. The attempted escape WIS
foiled by Detective Fred Spencer. The
men We're permitted to saw on the bars
for over an hour before the police en-
tered the cell and confiscated three
knives which had been made into saws.
The men were later transferred to the
county Jail.
Detective Unger asserted that both
Goddard and Assman are badly wanted
by the Omaha authorities. The de-
tective said they We're two members of
the Omaha ang which is affiliated with
the gangs in Sioux City, Minneapolis
and other cities. Assman, the detective
asserted, is the proprietor of a drug
store at 1106 North Sixteenth street,
in Omaha.
Many Cars Taken.
Sixteen automobiles have been re-
covered by the Omaha authorities
since the arrest last week of Morris.
Morris with Walter A. Tyler, a Sioux
City man, according to the Minneap-
Il A ~ - y~,,- ~>s-
stolen automobile when the machine
was wrecked near ST. James, MINI.
Tyler was almost instantly killed.
Lyons, Alias Morris, was taken into
custody.
Detective Pipkin, at the police sta
ton, asserted that the gang is as well
organized as some extensive business
concern. Motor cars which were stolen
in Sioux City were taken either to Min
neapolis, Omaha, Kansas City or some
other city and urned over to a fence"
or an agent" h easily disposed Of
them. Cars stolen in Omaha, Mime
apolis, OR Kansas City. were brought
to Sioux City and sold.
Recover Five Cars.
The Sioux City department yesterday
recovered five machines which are said
to have been stolen in various cities.
The cars are being held until the own
ership is established. Two of the ma
! ~ lSCOSCIeu S5tcIGdy were taken
from Jack Gaillet, a Sioux City taxi
cab driver. The machines, the police
assert, had been stolen. Sioux City tax
lea license plates were on both cars.
Deputy Sheriff A. A. Buck, Of Min
neapolis, automobile expert for the
sheriff's department in that city, who
has been in Sioux City since Saturday
night, left this morning in a seven
passenger automobile for Minneapolis
The machine was stolen by members
of the gang several weeks ago. The
machine was, yesterday, received bv
a taxicab driver.
Wrote to Shelley.
When Morris was arrested in Min
neapolis he Informed the police there
he would not talk" until after he had
communicated with Joe Shelley, Of
Sioux City. He was questioned and
hen taken back to his cell. Saturday
morning, according to Deputy Sheriff
Buck, Morris attempted to smuggle
from the Jail a letter. The letter was
intercepted by the authorities.
Who was the letter you took from
Morris addressed to-" Buck was asked
at the police station today.
ut was addressed to Joe Shelley at
Sioux City, Ia" the deputy asserted.
Tells Of Tyler Death.
The letter follows:
Wednesday D. m.
Dear Friend Joe: Well at last l have
com to a very big bump in my path.
am, enclosing what the paper said about
It, but 1t Is not a word true. It's all bull.
saturday saw Walt, and he said he
was very hard up for money. and he had
Known for a long time what Lou and I
were doing. Now Lou had quite and he
wanted to try and get some money. / said
come on. We arrived in Minneapolis Sat
urday afternoon. Walter had a cneck,
but didn't have tims to get 1t cashed. 50
/ had to pay all expenses. We left here
Monday morning at 10 o'clock. and ar.
rived at Madeiia, 1875 miles away about
p. m. A short way from Madelia I got
something in my eye. and as Walter said
he could drive I told HIM he would bavi
to for q while. He took the wheel and
went to the first corner !ahout sn yards,
and upset. Walter got kilbel anL l gol
An awful bumr, On the head Ahd my rcH1 es
: we're torn some. Walter had TIT NJ: II