Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-01-27
INDICTMENTS At SIOUX CITY re.
VEAL OPERATIONS ON
LARGE SCALE.
MANY SCHEMES WORKED
TO CASH IN ON pEAps.
Of Leader Of Bandits Says
Insurance Was Collected on Stolen
Maehines-Autos Stolen +, for Sole
Purpose Of Collecting Reward for
Rseovsry--oexsn Arrests Mads.
Special to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Sioux City, Jan. 27.--The automobile
gang which appears TO have made
Sioux City Its headquarters and which
extended its operations to Des Moines s,
Omaha. Minneapolis and all over
northwestern Iowa. southwestern Min
nesota, South Dakota and northern
Nebraska, appears in sair way to be
broken up according to report Of the
grand jury Saturday when more than
dozen indictments were returned.
State agents and local police have been
at work on the case for some weeks
and already have half a dozen men un-
der arrest each charged with some pa
in the scheme Of stealing CARS, recov-
ering insurance money or rewards for
their recovery" or holding them.
Hundreds Of cars were stolen and re :
wards claimed, or sold. The exposu. &C
came thru the confession some weeks
ago OF c. j. Woodbridge, former mana
ger of the Sioux fire insurance agency.
According to lis confession police were
in collision with him and the thieves.
This confession Is said to have named
police officers 10 whom were paid re-
wards fer the recovery" of cars ''stol-
en- and placed where the police could
easily recover them. That Woodbridge
worked fast Is shown by his confess
| sion. He would pay insurance on stol-
EN- cars, later recover the car secu re
return of the incurance money and re-
| tain it and at the same time accept Il
reward from the owner of the stolen
car. Another angle OF the scheme was
to have one Ct his agents take the car
to some different place and sell 1t af-
ter the insurance money had been paid
and no further search was being con-
Quoted. State Agents Rock and Ris-
den have devted their whole time on
tn case in the last few weeks and are
understood to have brought to light
numerous stolen cars in Nebraska,
South Dakota and southwestern Min
ncsota.
Many Involved.
The confession of Woodbridge promi-
nent in insurance circles and socially
for fifteen years, recently engaged in
insurance of automobiles against theft.
accident and destruction by fire or
otherwise brought in the name of Chief
of Detectives Danielson, William Co.
hen, taxicab king" and numerous
| other lesser lights in Sioux City and
| scores of men in small towns in north
western Iowa. southwestern Wiston-
sin, South Dakota and northern Ne
braska agents of the local gang who
| received and disposed OF the stolen
cars. some of them prominent in their
\ in oroe Communities
Woodbridge appears to have been the
| originator and brains of the gang. he
insured automobiles against theft. The
cars were stolen. In due time WOOL
bridge would make adjustment of the
loss with the owner. Later members
of Wooldridge's gang would find" the
car where it haG been conveniently
hidden and it would be restored to the
owner, after he had returned to Wool
bridge the insurance money and had
paid him a reasonable reward. This
insurance money never found its wa!
back to the insurance company. was
retained by Woodbridge and was d.