Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1922-02-20
PIERCY'S CONNECTION
WITH TYRONE AFFAIR
Is Told In Confession By Truck
Driver At Trial Of DistiIIery
Bandits

Lawrence Picrcy's connection
with the robbery Of the distillery
at Tyrone, Anderson county,
some time ago. seems 20 have
been established by confession
OF truck driver al "A hearing in
federal court at Lexington Sat-
urday.
Picrcy /, uow ju Jail here,
awaiting trial OH charges in con-
ncctio1 with the abduction and
attempted murder Of =. W. Wells
on the night of Dec 3D. Piercy's
trial here begins Feb 9th. The
Lexington Leader says OF the
whisky robbery confession:
What prohibition officials say
Is the biggest expose Of alleged
wIIisk bandit, made IN Kentucky
since the national prohibition
law went INTO effect was made
public here Saturday afternoon
at the preliminary trial OF Dave
Clark. charged with completely in
The theft Of seventeen barrels
and 100 case, of whisky from
the T. y. Ripy distillsry at Ty-
zone the night OF Dec. 8.
Sensational evidence was Civ
ca by Theodore Richardson, for
mcrIy "a civilian truck driver for
the United State, Army Re
mount headquarters here. who
now lives at l2i South Fourth
street. i.uui-yiIlc
lIc ,wprc on the witness stand
that hc mad" three trips 10 Ty-
iuuc ,yijh band of seventeen
men from LcNu.tnu and Ciuciu-
matt for the purpose ot robbing
the Ripy di,tilIcry but declared
that their plans went awry each
time and that thc,' were forced
.tp return empty handed
The confession wa, obtained
from Richardson by L. :. Com
missioner Charles y. Wizard.
At the trial of Clark the alleg
cd confession wa, read aud
Richardson was placed on the
stand and identified IL a> the
written instrument ne signed and
turned over To- the government
authuritic, a month ago aud re-
itcratcd all the statements made
i'm IL.
Clark was never arrested by
government authorities. altho
warrant wa, ISSUED for him IN
December and they had been
seeking him throughout the
country. He gave himself up to
Commissioner Wizard. Tie was
released under 5000 bond fol
lowing M, trial. Commissioner
Wiard stated after the trial that
he made the bond low because
he surrendered voluntarily.
Richardson Implicated Law
renee Picrcy. Cal Cornish, Omar
Kiukcad. Lee IIambrick, Andy
Settles. Dave Clark, Virgil Low
on. man named Pricy,' Fore
man Price. Monk Wilson, VIII
Drake. ". !. Wilson and Bill
Nunclly a. being connected
with either the attempted rob
bcric, or the successful robbery
ui Dec. s. The other men were
from Ohio and were unknown to
him. hc said.
Richardson declared that some
time IN August. about two weeks
after q successful robbery had
been staged by "a gang he "un-
dcr,tood' was from Cincinnati.
he was approached by Dave
Clark who asked him II he would
drive bunch Of the men to Ty-
rome" Clark told him that he
would not have to take part in
the hnldup. but that he would
share equally m the loot, Rich
ardsou'S statement said. He also
stated that Lawrence Piercy had
talked to him about the road and
that Clark furnished money to
buy oil aud gas for his truck.
Richardson said he was driving
a White truck which belonged to
the L. :. Army and was being
used at the time by tho remount
service here. II was the regular
observation staff car used in the
army aud IS capable of great
speed. Besides this machine the
gang used "A Buick touring car,
which Richardson said belonged
To Andy Settles. and two two
ION Republic trucks. which Rich
ardson said were owned and
driven by persons unknown to
him.
The speed of the army staff
car served the gang well at YER
Saillcs on their return from the
frs fruitleSS trip, according to
Rif.hardson'S statement police-