Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-01-05
SCENT POISON
PLOT IN SUDDEN
ILLNESS OF GIRL
Chief Witness Against Two
Men Held on Charges of
Robbery.
SHE MEETS STRANGER

Police are investigating a reported pol
son plot which prevented Yirtus Shackles,
1G, of 20O7 sheldon street. from appear
ing at the preliminary hearing today in
city court of Frank Croley and Morris
Connolly, charged with having held heF
up on the night of Dee. s.
Following The discovery that the girl
had partaken Of poisoned candy whlIe
en- route to appear at the hearing, Judge
Walter Pritchard continued the hearing
until Jan. IL, and City Prosecutor ).
Burdette Little announced that thor
ough investigation would be made to de-
termine whether the witness had been
tampered with.
According to Miss Shackles a woman
about % met her yesterday morning a.
she was preparing to enter downtown
store where she is employed and induced
her to remain away from work during
the day. The two went to show ana
parted company in the evening.
This morning the woman again met
her as she boarded street car at Mar
tindale avenue and Nineteenth street and
accompanied her downtown. The two
went to the Traction Terminal Station
at the suggestion OF the stranger and
there the latter gave Miss Shackles two
pieces Of candy.
HER COMPANION
DISAPPEARS.
After eating the sweets Miss Shackles
sought a drink OF water and on her re-
turn found her companion gone. She
became i'll almost Immediately and was
sent home by the matron OF the station.
Miss Shackles said her companion gave
the name Of Helen Roberts and told her
once that she lived on Alabama street
and later said she lived on East Vermont
street The girl described her as being
ave feet seven or eight inches tall and
Weighing about 145 pounds. She said
she wore a blue hat. brown coat and
shoes. navy blue serge skirt and a
dark waist.
The girls mother, Hfrs. Clara A. Dalton,
was at the police station awaiting her
daughters appearance when she learned
Of her illness.
Or. j. NJ. whitehead. 1914 Roosevelt
avenue, examined the girl and said that
while her condition was serious, she
would recover. Prompt attention saved
her life, it Is said. The contents Of the
girls stomach win be analyzed to de
termine the nature Of the poison, the po-
lice said.
The reported attempt to poison the
girl followed numerous threats received
from anonymous sources. Detectives
John S. White and William Reilley, who
caused the arrest Of Croley and Con
nelly, also have received several threats,
they said. The officers declared they
have been repeatedly warned not TO at
tempt TO convict Croley.
ONE OF THE MEN
MAKES CONFESSION.
Miss Shackles was held up by two
men whom She later identified as Croley
and Connolly on sheldon street, north
OF Nineteenth street at $3.50 o'clock on
the night OF Dec. <, and her pay en-
velope, containing s., was taken.
When the two men were arrested they
confessed. on Dec TO- to the hold-up, and
also admitted having held up William
Lancaster in his grocery at Nineteenth
and sheldon street on Dec. G.
CrOley, in a signed confession, admitted
having shot Lancaster and said he did it
in order to obtain money to support his
widowed mother and his crippled sister
Continued on Page TMOO