The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-01-06
|GARAGE SHOOTING | UNEARTHs CLUES
Fit Of Sudden Temper Forges Links Leading To Arrests For Burglary

A fit of temper often leads to the undoing of a criminal and in the so- lution of the safe cracking at the Southern Coupon company's offices December 20 burst of temper gave the ever watchful eyes of the law their first shred of evidence which eventually led up to the recovery of alleged bandits in the persons of Martin Schmuck and Joe Dees. .-
 Four nights after the safe was blown Schmuck and Dees. in com pany with other persons, are alleged to have driven up to a filling sta- tion on the south side. of the city. According to the statement of the operator at the station 4one of them got out of the car and entered the office. He was told to get out and at the time burst into abusive language and threatened to get" the operator. The following, night a party drove up to the station in a ear,|and when the operator went out to serve his supposed customers he was fired on from the car, miracu- lously escaing injury at the hands lously escaping injury at the hands
 Detectives Riley and Hubbard were assigned to the case andNon the following day located a car with shattered windshield in one of the rental agencies. They immediately started & check on the movement Of the two men known to have been in the car on the night of the shoot ing. Sufficient evidence was secured to warrant their detention and they were brought to the city jail, where they were found to be carrying scars alleged to have been caused by bull lets from the gun. of the operator when he returned their fire as they were leaving the station.
 old Coins Prove Clue.
 Following their arrest a search or their living quarters was made and during the search a few old odd coins were found. These coins were identified as coming from the safe of the Southern Coupon company. Detectives Jones and McCombs had been working on that Assignment with poor success. Several clues had been found only to frazzle out in their hands.
 With the old coins as an opener in a new line of investigation the case took on new life. With definite suspicion pointing to- the two men hAid in the shooting affair detec- tives turned their efforts in 8 new direction.
 Among the articles taken from the safe was small string of earls worth about $250. The officers bent tkeir energies toward locating the missing pearls. Following a lead offered they traced them and ascer- tained that they were in the possess sion of a third person, who was the innocent custodian, of the loot. Offf- seers went to, him and secuSed the pearls and as soon as he learned that they were stolen they were produced and surrendered.
 Liberty Bonds Located.
 Two $50 Liberty bonds were also located in the same manner In the office of a bond buyer who had bought them in good faith and paid for them at regular quotations. With the recovery of the bonds SEQ watch. also part of the loot. was io- cated in another part of the city.
 According to the statment Of the detectives working on the case the recovery of the bonds definitely fixes responsibility for the robbery as they claim to have a direct chain or evidence connecting Schmuck with the bonds. Practically all the loot has been recovered and warrantA were issued charging the two men with the safe blowing job.
 The two men are now held In the county jail in default of $3,000 bond in each case to answer to the robbery charge in addition to the assault charge for which they were already in custody. Two material witnesses for the state were placed under bond Saturday in order to assure their. presence in court when the case is cited for trial.
 Officers say that if the men hao notsbaid the filling station their see- ond visit they would not have been arrested. The search flor evidence to hold them for the shooting at the filling station on Christmas night This gave the detectives working on led to the finding of the old coins. the robbery case 2 tangible clue which led up to the recovery Of the pearls and later the location Of the liberty bonds,' which they claim IS the final link in the chain Of evil dence that was necessary to assure the conviction of the men for the robbery.
 GROCERs'-BUTCHE MEETING
 Birmingham Retail Grocers and Butchers association will meet Tues day evening, January s, at o'clock