South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-01-27
POLICE SEARCH
FOR MEMBERS Of
CROOKS TRUST
Believe Alleged Leaders of
HOld-up Men Are Held
in City Jail.

Information unearthed Monday
concerning the band of hold-up
men who have been operating in
South Bend for the past few weeks.
leads the police to believe that the
leaders and brains of the alleged
crooks trust" are under arrest but
that two or possibly three members
of the combination are still at
large. Efforts TO locate the remain
ing members OF the gang are being
rut forth and police officials were
hopeful Of making an important
capture before nightfar.
Further operations of the gang
alleged 20 have been led by Thomas
Elence. a taxi driver. were revealed
Monday morning when the three
suspects now under arrest were
brought before victims in the Ber-
tilion room OF the police station
and were identified. Thomas O'Niell.
a restaurant keeper at 1928 ".
Washington av., identified Elence as
the driver Of the taxi, IN which he
was riding on Jan. when he was
held up by two highwaymen at
lonely spot in the road near Ham
mond. Ind Although one OF the
robbers wss masked, O'Niell Mon
day morning positively identified
steve Reno. who was arrested late
last week as one Of the highway
meE but Reno's companion L. stin at
large. says his victim. O'N.cG re-
ports losing sG25. which hc was
carrying on his person, at the time
of the holdup.
Use Crude Method
TIL method used by the hol5-uD
mon was crude IL every rGrticular
End showed amateurish iTecarGticr.
According TO the story O'Niej toll
nowsra9e~ men Nondav rN5rnicG
EleEce and his companions tool;
their meals q. the O'Niell restaurant
continualiy and managed 70 be-
come quite f~;en5iy. on Jan. the
taxi drive" askcd C'Niell TO accom-
parry him q. q business trip u
Hammond. which was accepted The
trip was mace without mishap uu-
til when o few miles from the des.
tination. at dismal spot in the sand
dune road two men, one masked
and Doth brandishing revolvers
jumped cut and ordered the driver
20 stoD. The robbers covered the
occupants Of the car with their re-
volvers and searched both thc driver
and the passenger. taking "a watch
and the entire roll from O'Niell
while Elence lost nothing, says the
victim.
O'Niell claims that he suspicioned
nothing at the time Of the robbery
but upon retrospection It dawned
uron him that the VIII ie affair ap-
peared fixed" and reported his
aroused suspicious to the police. Ac-
cording TO his theory. the two rob
bers were confederates Of the taxi
driver and reached Hammond on
an interurban car before the arrival
Of the taxi The victim says that the
1925 represented his entire wealth
and that this sum was being saved
for the payment of q mortgage,
which is due soon.
Identify Men.
Mr.. and Mrs. Louis Lapidcs iden-
tilted both Elence and Reno AS the
two men who roomed at their resi-
dence. sos Il W. Division ST. Mrs.
Lapides told the police that while
making up the beds one morning
she found several black cloth face
masks. a quantity OF ammunition
and several revolvers in the room.
Dan Marion. a fellow rOOmer at the
Lapides home. identified the two
men as conspirators and told the
police that he was approached and
asked to join the band of hold-up
men. Frank Baros, restaurant
owner at SIG s. lafayette blvd,
said that Reno was the man who en-
tered his rlace on the night OF Jan.
y and robbed him Of S153.
The other member OF the trio
now I'm the custody OF the police.
Zein Said, was identified by Baros as
Reno's companion the night the
crime was committed in his estab-
lishment but Mr.. and Mrs Lapides
claimed that Said did not live at
their home.
The mystery Of the furnished
house on W. washington av., where
the men were captured. has not yet
been cleared but operatives are eX
pected 10 make important disclo-
sures shortly.