Mexico weekly ledger., 1917-12-13
HOLDUP SUSPECTS TAXI
EN- HERE FRIDAY NIGHT.
One Attempts Escape and After Being
Shot in Neck, is Later Found
Hiding in Barn
A IN MOTOR CAR
Mrs. W. W. Fry, Jr., Drives Sheriff j.
G. Ford on Trail of Fleeing Man
Along Slippery Streets


in the head and robbing H. P. Middle
ton, of Vandalia, about 8 o'clock Fri
day evening, were arrested by Sheriff
j. G. Ford and his deputy, Chal Blum,
when they alighted from the Alton
plug in this city Friday evening at 9
o'clock, One Of the men, Chas. w.
Ledford, attempted to escape while
the others were being searched in the
City Hall, and after being shot in the
neck by Night Officer Sanford, and
followed several blocks by Sheriff
Ford, who had Communicated Mrs.
W. ". Fry, Jr.'s Cadillac, he was To-
Gated in a barn in west Mexico. The
men held are Roy McCune, 10 years
old, of 1927 Madison street, I~ndianapo-
lis, Ind; c. w. Ledford, Indianapolis,
and Eddie Coleman, of Indianapolis,
who is thought to be known also as
S. Yates.
Sheriff Ford and Mr.. Blum met the
Alton plug following a telephone mes
sage from Vandalia, notifying them
Of Middleton being robbed of between
$40 and 500 and stating it was
thought the thieves were coming to
Mexico. Night Officer Sullivan joined
them at the train and assisted in ar
resting the trio.
The men were taken to the City
Hall to be searched. Night Officer
Sanford joined the others there, and
$71.65 was taken from the men as well
as a Hopkins & Adams 38-callibre re-
volver and a Colts automatic 32.
They had a large number of extra
shells and several new knives on
them. They claimed the money and
revolvers had been won in a crap
game at Louisiana the night before.
While searching the men, Ledford
watched his opportunity and ran from
the ROOM. Officer Sanford was near
the door and followed. He fired two
shots, the second striking Ledford in
the neck and knocking him to the side
walk in front of the 0rpheum Theatre.
He sprang to his feet and continued
his flight. The others were locked up
and Sheriff Ford and other officers
started on the run after Ledford.
As the sheriff passed the 0rpheum,
he saw Mrs. w. W. Fry, Jr., Miss
! Frank johnson and Mrs. Mitchell
White entering the Fry Cadillac. He
rushed to the car and Communicated
it. Mrs. Fry is one of the best auto
bile drivers in the city and while the
car was without chains she drove
the machine rapidly over the slippe-
ry streets while Mr.. Ford stood on
the running-board and directed her,
following the escaping mans foot
prints in the now
Others had Joined in the chase by
this time and neal the Elliott Pot
terry, Ledford was fund laying in the
straw of a barn behind a cow His
wound was only slight. The men said
they were innocent of the charge but
were held for investigation. Mid.lle-
ton has been a candidate for sheriff
of this county several times.
When the men were first taken into
custody they stated they had boarded
the train NJ Louisiana, according to
) Sheriff Ford. Later, when he and
Sheriff Blum quized them singly they
: came out and acknowledged they had
! come directly from Vandalia. Sheriff
Ford said only three tickets had been
e sold from Vandalia, to Mexico, on the
: plug and these men had given them to
the conductor.
t Sheriff Ford says it would have
been practically impossible to track
: Ledford in the snow if he had usec
! the sidewalks in attempting to es.
: cane, but by running in the fresh
snow on the streets, where there hac
: been little traffic, it was not hard tt
G follow his path.
An odd coincidence concerning The
capture of Ledford was the fact thai
the barn in which he was found /!
lust a little over a block from thu
: home of Mr.. and Mrs. A. H. Heber
Mrs. Heber is a daughter of Mr.. Mid
S dleton, the man who was robbed. He
husband is a barber in Sims Barbel
h Shop.
Fred Detienne, of Vandalia, was IL
this city Saturday, and stated MI
Middleton's condition was in no wa,
serious. He conducts a butcher shol
in Vandalia, and was able to be gu
Saturday morning. Aside from
black eye and several contusions abou
his head, he was otherwise unhurt
Is A description of the men arrested wa
!. telephoned C. B. Ellis, of Vandalii
by Sheriff Ford, and Mr.. Ellis state
II they answered the description of tn
men wanted in the hold-up.