Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1920-08-08
ENGINE
 NUMBERS CAUSE OF
 MANY AUTO THEFTS
Texan Who Was Successful
 for Many Years ssa Taken

Waco, Texas, Aug. 1.-The enigma of the disappearance of many new automobiles of popular make in Central Texas within the last sew eral months has been solved and the leader of the statewide thiev- itag combination has been placed un- der arrest.
 The scheme under which this gang has been operating is enc of the cleverest ever devised, officers de. clare, and one which it is next to impossible to detect.
 The disappearance of one after another of these new cars from Wa co and other Central Texas cities had become one of the most perplexinp and irritating problems officers here had ever faced. It was made more formenting by the fact that nCne of the cars stolen could be re- covered. In the case of other makes of cars, recovery was comparatively m easy matter.
 Sheriff Robert Buchanan of Me. Lennan county, Sheriff Hugh Smith of Bell county, with their deputies II. Burton and George Hunton, and County Attorney Frank Tirey have worked unceasingly for many days 2 and nights on the case.
 Farmer Makes Confession.
 The arrest of Gray Sims, farmer. and father of II children, living near Robinson, Tex, and his subse- quent confession, rewarded their eff. forts. He was later released on bond to await the action of the grand jury.
 S. 2. Jones of the firm of Jones Brothers, automobile dealers, of Dal- z las, also was arrested on a charge pf receiving and concealing stolen property. Warrants for the arrest of other members of the firm have been issued.
 The combination was organized md operated in manner tha. de- fled detection. One member of the 0antR worked in an assembling plant s in Dallas until last December. He knew the serial number on new en- eines being turned out of the fac tory.
 Selecting serial number several hundred ahead of the factory num- { bers 1t that time, one of the gang would % to county tax collector and register an automobile unde, tho fictitious number. The next move would be to obtain State li- eense and number, giving the. num- ber of the registered engine
 Engine Numbers Changed.
 Armed with . State number and seal, he would steal car and take it to garage which was part oi ] the combination. Here with a sharp * tool made especially for the pur- pose, the original serial number on the machine would be removed. The man who formerly worked in the manufacturer's plant before leaving the employ of that company, had ob- tained set of dies which are used m punching the serial numbers in the engines.
 With these dies, the fictitious number would be punched into the ehg3ne in the place of the original whieh had been effaced. This part Sof (the scheme, officers say, was han2iled by master mechanic, and sit 4as next to impossible to detect tho lchange, even if one knew it had beet made.
 he numbers changed. the car was theA taken to one of the gangs < ~di(t (tributing points, and placed on the market. The "distributing agen, eiet demanded current market pri- cent for the cars, but were able tc Ssaisnose of all they could obtain by cffSring immediate deliveries.
 OH Town Market Good.
 ullas, Houston and Desdemona, al little town in the heart of the Texas oil field. where there has been an| unprecedented demand for cars of III kinds, were the distributing poirts." Cars sold in this manner 1havs been located in Waco. Dallas Corlicana, Marlin, Waxahatchic. Aus tin, Cameron, Galveston and Belton
 " new car belonging to F. A. Cra- vent formerly city detective in ehafge of automobile theft cases but{now McLennan county probation officer was stolen last January. Sev- eral days later he saw the car on the street. and was so sure that ii waa his that he called the officers fo recover it for him. The officer asked Craven if the number of the engine corresponded to his number lndi upon investigation it was found that it did not, but the car bore other marks which he recognized Being unable to positively identify The car, Craven let the matter drop aaaA .aA.A n..- ls