The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1921-06-30
THURSDAY, JUNE 80, 1921.
OFFICERS Nab
AUTO THIEVES
WHOLESALE ROUNDUP OF Or
GANIZED GANG WORKING IN
SOUTHEAST.


Columbia, June pa wedge has
been inserted intosan organized band
of automobile thieves, said to num-
Der at least fifty, operating in the
southeastern states by the arrest of
four alleged principals in the traffic
by the authorities of Richland coun-
ty, the recovery of nine stolen auto
mobiles and the location of six others
which will be in the hands of the Of
fcers shortly. Likewise the arrest of
members of the particular branch of
the major gang revealed that at least
twenty other cars are scattered from
Richmond to Tampa and there are as
surances that many of these will be
recovered and returned to their own
ers. Warrants for five other of the
CLIQUE have been sworn out and they
will be arrested in few days, in ad-
dition to arrests to be made by North
Carolina authorities of lesser members
Of the band.
Those arrested and incarcerated in
the Richland county Jail William
Burns, alias Charles Mitchell, alias
Thomas Harris whose home is six
miles from Ashboro, N. c.; Emory
Rickard, a farmer of Lexington coun-
ty, this state; ]. E. Williams, of near
Asheville, and Will Calhoun of Green's
boro, n. c., 1t is known by the auth
critics that the last two men have CIV
en- aliases.
Cars Located.
Of the cars located and recovered
are nine Ford roadsters and touring
cars stolen from Columbia, two au-
tomobiles from Spartanburg. one from
High Point, N. c., one from Randle-
man, N. c., and one from Batesburg.
When apprehended the gang had in
its possession complete set of auto
mobile tools for changing factory
numbers, paints, parts of cars,
switches and other implements for
concealing the identity of automobiles.
Complete credit for the apprehension
end arrest of the alleged automobile
thieves is due to T. Alex Heise. sher-
iff of Richland county, and his asso-
ciates, W. H. Thompson, deputy, un-
der Sheriff Heise, Chief of Rural Po-
lice Dunway, Richland county, and one
of Chief Dunway's officers, j. A.
Stack. These men have been work.
ing on the case since May 19 when
Sheriff Heise got his first informa-
ton and the first arrest that of Will
Burns, was made at Summit, LeXing-
ton county, at the home of Emory
Rickard on June a.
According to the confession of j. E.
Williams made to Sheriff Heise in Jail
today the gang would steal cars left
by their owners parked in streets and
if they were pressed for money i'm
mediately take them to North Caro-
lima and sell them "for what they
could get" however, if they were in
funds they would make over cars to
conceal their identities at secluded
places in the country. Richards place
in Lexington county, is alleged to be
one of these stations.
Part of Big Game.
If the statements of some of those
under arrest are to be believed the
clique, of which they are members,
is but part of great gang of
automobile thieves operating in every
part of the southeast divided into
various divisions but operating sepa-
rately and for their own profit.
They assert that hundreds OF cars
are stolen yearly and are disposed of
through fences" it is charged that
Riekard alone had seven stolen cars
IN his barn at one time according
to Sheriff Heise.
According to Williams's confession
his particular band started its opera
tions about a year ago at Spartan
burg when he and another companion
stole a Ford truck from in front OF
the Gresham Hotel at that place