The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1922-11-16
AUTO Thief 7 |
CASEATTRACTa
At 7 EN- T|Ol
ACtion0f Insurance CompaI
MuddIes Up Case for
Officials

John T. Gilfallen. Simplex clerN
accused Of stealing the automobi
OF Andrew Stevenson. former Sin
plex wood pattern department hea
so that the latter might collect So
500 insurance on the car. probab
would resent the insinuation tn
he's fall guy and catspaw for
crowd that doesn't care what b
comes Of him.
He sat in another mans game ar
the cards were dealt against hin
He's In a Quandry now and doesr
know where to turn. And the pin
is that he doesn't know how de4
he is in the tolls of the law. doesr
know that he ! s being played againI
the field. doesn't know what's ha
pening to him.
This morning in the corridor ouI
side city court he told a group tn |
comprised police officers. agents ar
lawyers for the insurance compart
in which Stevenson had his "stole1
car insured that he didn't care
he went to jail. He said that ws|
as good a place as any. He's repei
tant and doesn't know how to e1
press it.
And insurance company represe1
tatives that included a snappil
dressed lawyer, painted dreadfi
pictures of the Michigan City bal
tile. leading up to a proposition thd|
made the young man And that wd
that by paying them $500 thd
would drop prosecution against hir|
So police said anyway.
Detective Sergeants Carlson ar|
Warner want TO prosecute not on1
Gilfallen, but Stevenson. And the|
won't prosecute Gilfallen unless til
real inspiration for the youths dowj
fall suffers the ignominy OF arre}
as well. They refuse TO become pad
ties to the persecution of Gilfaue|
while Stevenson is allowed to I'd
main free. Carlson and Warner sperj
many hours in unraveling the crimI
Now they would like to see justic|
done.
The insurance agents and lawyed
are williny to prosecute Gilfallej
But they don't seem to want d
touch Stevenson. There's talk abo,2
relationship with the agent whl
wrote the policy on Stevenson's ca
In the meantime It develops th4
Stevenson's Paige sport roadster ha
been connscated by the insurand
company He IS alleged to have pu,
chased IT from the insurance moneI
obtained in the crooked deal thd
placed Gilfallen. fall guy" behinI
the bars. Gilfallen was to get sd
for stealing the car. He placed |
in garage in Carroll street, aftd
stealing II in Chicago. when SteverI
son had II planted. The key to tt|
car. he said. remained in StevensonI
posse ssion. The car now is held n
police. Stevenson. according TO I'd
insurance company lawyer. has los
his Job with the American Ste@
Foundries
Gilfallen will be arraigned in til
city court Saturday. maybe.
Detectives advised him not to paI
the insurance company $1,000 Il
drop the charges against him.
Chief Bunde this morning intin5
ted he may make a personal inved
tigation of the affair with the poJ
sibility that new warrants VIII "A
sworn out both for Cilfallen AM
Stevenson on information obtaineI
by the chief. That would take til
case out of the hands Of the III
surance company Anyway. If justid
were the end of the local authoritieI
they could interest the United Statd
government in the case. which prd
sents an open and fragrant violated
OF the federal statute covering I'd
inter- state transportation Of stoleI
motor vehicles.