Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-07-07

BANK BANDIT Is
SOUGHT AGAIN
Escapes From Federal Prison,
Where He Was Serving
% Years.

Detectives and Federal officers in all
uarts of the country are searching for
Rov Sheriff., the last Of the gang OF
bank bandits who held up and robbed
the South Side State Bank, in this city
Aug s. 1918 Sheriff., according to
circular sent out by the Federal author
itiss. recently escaped from the Federal
Penitentiary at Fit. Levenworth, Kan.
In the local bank robbery the bandits
obtained S1S.5S0. Much of this money
was later recovered through the efforts
OF the Pinkerton detective agency
Sheriff. was sent to Levenworth about
two years ago. being sentenced TO serve
twenty five years for his part in train
robbery. Seven men held-up and robbed
train in Kansas and later the safe taken
from the mail car was found in a woods
In Missouri where the bandits had blown
il open This was said to have been done
by the Frank Lewis gang of which Sher-
rill was q member.
n There has always been question as
40 whether three or four members OF
IL Is. gang took part in the South Side
-nk robbery in this city Three men
81 big touring car stolen IN Los An
j. geles drove up in front Of the bank on
i South Meridian street at noon. walked
into the bank, covered the employees with
q the bank when he failed to hold up
hands quickly enough. carried sacks
" currency and gold from the open
safe, drove north a half block. turned
east and disappeared, while the police
searched for miles in all directions try
ing TO find them.
GANG ESCAPES
IN AUTOMOBILE
The three men were Frank Lewis. Roy
Sheriff. and Denver Dale Jones. The
fourth man. If there really was one. was
Kansas City Blackie. who is said 70 have
sat across the street from the bank on
a motorcycle with a side car aztachment
in which a shotgun and rife were hid
den. waiting for some person who might
make a move to stop the bandit gang
A day later the police found the auto
mobile in a private garage near Fountain
Square. and learned the three bandits had
left in a small automobile Of popular
make. The first real clew in the case
came from Terre Haute. Sheriff. is the
son of q minister in that city. Lewis
formerly lived in ST Louis and is alleged
10 have murdered two policemen there,
and two of his brothers are serving life
terms in a Missouri prison.
Sheriff. went 10 Terre Haute, got into
q taxi and was driven a few miles east
of the city. He attempted to hold up the
taxi driver. who resisted Sheriff. shot
and seriously wounded the man. bur in
his hurry to escape left travelling bag
D ~ the taxi The police found $500 in
paper money in the travelling bag. with
South Side state Bank wrappers around
the bills Some linen collars gave &
clew that they were purchased in a small
western Illinois town and PinEerton men
learned that Sheriff. and Lewis reached
the Illinois city on the day following
the Indianapolis bank robbery.
y The way in which the Terri HaUte 20
lice learned that il was Roy SherriH that
i shot the taxi driver was the fact that
= they had a picture Of his brother. A
man who brought Roy back 10 Terre
Haute the night Of the shooting saw
picture lying on the police captains desk
and be at once declared II 70 be the pic
ture Of the man he had brought to TerIe
! Haute the night before.
5 MEMBERS OF
GANG USE Guns.
The police knew il was not the picture
OF Roy Sheriff. because the picture was
that Of Roys brother who had been taken
to Missouri a week before By Federal
Officers 20 be tried for rcbbing post
office. They knew that the two brothers
looked alike and were positive that Roy
was one of the bandits who robbed the
bank in Indianapolis
A series Of crimes in Kansas City re-
suited in it getting too hot" for the
gang and they started west tip tele-
graphed 20 Colorado Springs caused the
police 10 attempt to halt them there.
In the gun battle that resulted the chief
Of detectives and one other officer was
killed. The Colorado Springs police or
dered the gang to hold up their hands
and they did, but guns concealed in the
top Of the automobile were in easy reach
OF the gun men.
The pursuit was the beginning OF the
Afnd and Sheriff.. driver Of the automobile
8 yas shot through both legs and cap
rrzed. Lewis died Of injuries in Color
ado Jail, and Kansas City Blackie was
shot by police In Denver. Some months
! later Denver Dale Jones and a woman he
claimed twas his wife were killed in q
revolver duel with police at Los Angeles
Sheriff.. for whom the police are search
ing, is the last surviving member of the
desperate gang with the exception of one
woman now serving sentence in a west
ern prison.