South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-05-03
POLICE CONTINUE
PROBE OF SLAIN
BURGLARS THEFTS
Investigate Series of Robber-
les Here-Baumgarten Bur
led Tuesday at Elkhart.

While funeral services were being
held In EIkhart Tuesday afternoon
over the body OF william Baumgar-
ten. gentleman bandit. shot throu "a
the head by South Bend police on
GERS when surprised ln the robbery
OF the Edgar A. Stou home. 422 ~
Main ST.. Sunday night. local and
neighboring city police were stll
actively engaged I'm running down
clues thai are expected 20 show
Baumgarten's hand In number of
other house burglaries
Identification by Charles A. Hager-
". 210 y. Taylor st.. OF two watches
found IN the dead mans ciOthoA
gave positive assurance 10 the au-
thOrities that Baumgarten. aided By
an accomplish had forced an entry
into the Hagerty home. robbed earoT
Sunday evening. A sold inlay. valued
at $25. and a cavalier with a dia-
mond setting. IS still missing. un-
doubleday in possession OF the 40
complete But the cache" OF jewel
~ found in Baumgarten's Elkhart
home said TO be worth hundreds ana
perhaps more than a thousand dol
lars. the dead mans bank accounk
of near $4,000. and his police record
have given sufficient cause 20 suspect
Baumgarten as being a professional
second-story worker.
Burnt Match" Worker.
Funeral services were held az 3
o'clock from the Edwin Valley un-
dertaking establishment. the Rev. n.
II. Spathelf. OF 81. Johns Evan
gelical Lutheran church, Elkhart.
officiating Interment was in Grace
lawn cemetery. HIS lone surviving
relatives. two sisters. Mrs. Louise
Runyan. Elkhart. and Mrs. Maria
Coyle. 81 Columbia St. this city.
attended tne funeral
With the passing OF Baumgarten.
police are convinced that a DIT
Jenkyl-AIr Hyde character IN real
life is responsible for certain local
burglaries, past and present. AT
periodical times they have been out
witted In taking into custody
burglar whose principal popularity
has been leaving behind burnt safety
matches. In these house burElaries.
especially those extending over the
past two years. the same methods
were adopted fin each case Windows
were found "jimmled. visits in the
early evening. and burnt matcles
strewn about the floors OF the rooms
ransacked. Police became TO know
him as the burnt match" worker.
Search Robbers Home.
Among the more recent burglaries
where these facts were revealed up
on investigation were the Nike Abby
home IN March. two homes IN The
I 500 block on Columbia ST.. near the
home Of Mrs Coyle with whom
Baumgarten paid an occasional visit.
tae Otstott and Paduker homes on
S. Eighteenth ST. River Park.
Usually two homes were robbed
within a close distance of each other
on the same night
When notified by the South Bend
police that Baumgaften. valued
workman OF the Buescher Band
Instrument Co. well respected by
his numerous Elkhart friends. had
been shot while I'm an attempt 90
escape the officers who had SUR
prised him az burglary. members Of
the Elkhart police department made
a search Of the dead robbers home.
Sergt. Lee HummelL with Plain
clothesmen Spillman and Wentz were
assisted IN the search OF the Run
yon home by the dead mans sister
who believed that the attempt 20 rob
the Stoll home was his first ofense-
A thorough search OF the house was
made and II was-not until the ON
GERS had reached the basement that
the stolen articles were found. IN
the furnace room between the foun-
datlon and the floor. what was be-
lieved 20 be discarded linen bags
were found by means or powerful
search lights.