Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-10-08
SAFEGUARDS
SELF, OTHERS,
BY HIS MOVE
Demands Prisoner, but
Warns Louisville
Not to Bring Him.
EVANS IN PROBE
Grand Jury on Case
With Important Wit
ness Absent.

That Inspector of Detectives Her
bret Fletcher by seizing on the move
Of ]. Herbert Hartman, Republican
nominee for city judge, to bring
about the arrest of Frank Francis,
the Louisville talking burglar" has
effectually prevented for the time be.
ing a complete grand jury investiga.
ton of the charges made by Francis
in a confession which not alone in.
wolves Hartman, but officials of the
police department. became evident
today.
1t is authoritatively stated that
Fletcher, who is mentioned in
Francis statement, refused to send
Investigating officers to Louisville to
interrogate Francis, and insisted
Francis be brought here himself.
The move of Hartman, who instituted
mandamus action to force the local au-
thorities to arrest Francis If he was
brought here to appear before the grand
jury. was communicated to the Louisville
police by Fletcher and caused them to
refuse to bring him here. because his ar
rest in Indianapolis might preclude his
appearance for trial in Kentucky, where
he is charged with burglary and grand
larceny
Francis is scheduled to go on trial in
Louisville on Oct 13. and the authorities
there are confident Of his conviction, be.
cause he already has confessed more than
twenty burglaries
COULD BE BROUGHT
HERE AFTER TRIAL.
In the event he is convicted, local au.
thOrities point out that he can be brought
here to testify before the grand jury
and then returned to Kentucky to servs
his sentence.
Prosecutor William P Evans has in.
sisted all along that he would proceed
with the investigation into the startling
revelations of Francis regardless of poll
tics but it is now apparent that the
probe will be conducted without Francis
statements until he can be brought here
in person.
Failing to obtain police cooperation.
Mr. Evans has gone to Louisville to look
into Francis confession himself. Tho
Intentions, but it was learned he had gone
there to clear up several mystffying
angles of the case.
That the investigation actually is un-
der way was demonstrated yesterday
when Jennie Corbett, a nurse who was
present when Francis baby was born
in indianapolis, entered the grand jury
room.
Hartman has stated that Miss Corbett
could identify goods taken from his home
to the police station as having first been
used in the fat occupied by Francis and
sent to Hartman's house for storage by
Francis. However. Miss Corbett refused
to appear at the police station to look
over the loot, most of which, the police
say, was stolen in Louisville by Francis
She said she acted upon the advice OF
her attorneys
No explanation has been given by the
police or prosecutor as to why Chief
De Forester of the Louisville detective
department was not called before the
grand jury yesterday. De Forester was
present when Francis made his confes-
sion and has a copy of the signed state
ment the burglar made.
FLETCHER KEPT
CHIEF IN TOW.
1t was generally expected that when
he arrived here yesterday that he would
go before the grand jury, but instead he
was taken in tow by Inspector Fletcher
and evidently the two never parted COM
pany during the chiefs visit here.
De Forester was present at long
drawn-Out conference i'll police headquar
ters attended by Chief of Police Jerry
Kinney, Inspector Pitcher, A. L. Tag
gart, president of the board of public
safety; Felix McWhirter, a member of
the board of public safety, and Prose
eutor Evans. None of the men would
make a statement. following the meeting.
with the exception of De Forester, who