South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-09-28
Rob, Beat D9-iUe7-,
Steal Auto, Flee
With Sixty Suits
Willis Vanderbeck, Employe
of Swank Company, Vic
tim of Robbers.

light robbery and hold-up recorded
in the history OF South Bend, two
unarmed men raced away with the
Ford touring car belonging 10 Leo
Swank & CO., dr. cleaners contain
ing 60 suits of clothes. besides rob
bling Willis VanDerbeck. driver Of
| the Ford machine, of between 50
and So in cash. and giving him Il
severe beating. The hold-up ACQUIRED
/ yesterday afternoon about $3.50
O'Clock on Portage av., near Angela
| st.
The robbers made good their es-
cape despite the tact that Wander
beck's plight was apparently taken
I cognizanCe of by several passing
automobile tourists, and several per-
sons living in the vicinity of the
hOldup. VanDerbeck was able 10
regain his feet just in time 20 see
the robbers drive the car east on
Portage av., toward the city. He de-
clared he attempted TO flag down
several passing cars that he might
| follow the robbers. but met with no
| success.
ScOur Country.
! He told the police officers that he
| then ran 10 the dry cleaning estab-
| l:shment. which is located on King
| St, nearby, and informed Mr.. Swank
/ of what had taken place. The police
were Immediately notified and squads
Of motorcycle men were detailed 70
/ comb the streets Of the city and the
1g Il 70 1u-H,r ~
villages. The police Cadillac touring
! car with Asst. Chief Ca ssidy, Detec-
tives Hamilton and Delinsli also
! toured the country and roads leading
! TO Niles, but to no avail.
According to the story related TO
! the police by VanDerbeck he was on
the way to the dry cleaning plant
and had the rear end Of the machine
/ loaded with suits. He said he MOTTO
ed two men standing on the corner
! of Angelina and Portage av., but
never dreamed Of being attacked.
AS he slowed down his machine to
/ turn the corner at Angelina St, he
said one Of the men jumped on one
running board. while the second
| jumped on the other. The one on
| the left reached over and shut Of
his motor, bringing the car TO a stop.
The other then grabbed him around
! the neck and lifted" him from his
seat to the ground.
The other by this time was behind
the steering wheel. backing the ma
chine. He claims. after being knock
ed TO the ground his assailant then
]
then rife his pockets. This tack
being completed, the police say, the
stick-up man then warned him to
lay still until they got started or he
| would be killed. He then ran ami
jumped on the machine which was
by that time nearly a half block down
the street, he said.
Gives Description.
VanDerbeck, It is said, still carries
marks to prove the treatment accord
ed him By the daylight robbers and
hold-up men. He was in such a
nervous condition following his ex-
perience that he was unable 10 give
the police an accurate description OF
the two men.
He did. however. tell them that
one man was unusually big and
! powerful and that ne was IN his
! shirt sleeves while the other was
much smaller and wore an old suit
! of clothes and a dark cap.
Mr.. Swank in an interview with
the News-Times last night stated
that the police were on the job in
/ less than 20 minutes after the hold
] -
! down any clues 10 the Identity OF
| the robbers. Mr.. Swank's theory
IS that the men who committed the
deed never left the city, but remain
ed within a radius Of 10 blocks Som
the scene of the crime.
He says he bases his opinion on
the fact that the one man was in his
/ shirt sleeves. He says that he be
lieves that both of the men live IN
! this nelghbOrhood, and were out 10
] get" anybody. He believes that
they are part Of a gang" who have
graduated from the amateur stage
during the past few months, and
that they probably drove the ma
chine TO one Of their rendezvous.
That the robbery and holdup was
not premeditated was pointed out
( BY Mr. Swank. He says that Van
! Derbeck had left tae downtown es-
tsblishment with a load Of goods TO
be delivered 10 the plant, and that
he had at least FIVE or six stops 20
make before he reached the dry
cleaning factory.
Loss Not Estimated.
These stops. ne says. carried him
over a circuitOUs route TO the plant
and that this route had probably
never been traversed by VanDerbeck
in his previous trips 10 the plant.
He says il the route had been inc
one ordinarily taken by the drivers
in making the trips 20 the factory
he would be led 10 believe that the
robbery and holdup were actually
planned.
The machine in which Van Der
beck was making the deliveries yss-
terday was a Ford touring car. The
Ford delivery truck Of the company
was being repaired. This fact also
aided the robbers in escaping.
Mr.. Swank is unable 10 ascertain
the amount OF his loss until the vari-
Gus individuals who owned the suits
file their complaints with him. The
entire loss TO the clothing Is covered
by insurance. as is the Ford ma
chine