The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-11-30
OIL STATION
AFFAIRS TO
Be PROBED
Grand Jury Calls in Woman
Property Owner ard Ex-
Council Head.
QUIZ LAWRENCE LYONS
Witnesses Are Threatened,
Prosecutor Reveals.


Prosecutor Reveals.
Two phases of the Marion County
grand jurys investigation into al
legged corruption and graft in Indiana
politics were covered in this morn
ing's session and a third phase was
to come before the body this aft
ernoon.
The session opend With Lawrence
Lyons of Brook, former Republican
State chairman, as a witness, Lyons
has admitted to the Times that he
talked to Harry Reid, president of
the Interstate Public Service Com
pany. an insult corporation about
contributions to the 1924 campaign
fund. 1t has been charged that
$40 900 in Governor Jackson's guber-
material campaign fund came from
utilities, with the understanding
that Jackson was to name public
service commissioners favorable to
the contributors.
Following Lyons came several
witnesses who are said to know
something about activities around
the city hall when Lew Shank was
mayor.
This afternoon the probe group
will look into various real estate
deals" some of them concerning
filing station sites. made during the
Shank administration.
Ex-COuncil Head Called
Ben II. Thompson, president Of the
city council during the Shank ad-
ministration, has been called. Mrs.
Mary Spaan, who owns property at
the sou n approach to the Delaware
St. bridge at Fall Creek, where an
effort is being made to erect a filing
station, also has been subpoenaed
Meanwhile. Prosecutor William II.
Remy and his aids were covering up
the moves Of grand jury witnesses
after learning that threats had been
made against the life of Mrs. Martha
Dickinson of Seymour, and her hus-
band. Mrs. Dickinson formerly was
d. c. Stephensons confidante and
has been quizzed in the jury probe.
The threats were received in en-
velopes postmarked Seymour, Ind"
They consisted of three segments
of advertising pages Of a local pa
per, with words formed by using
printed letters from the paper. Clews
to the sender are being followed.
Mrs. Dickinson Guarded
1t is said that Mrs. Dickinson has
been stopped on the streets. She is
guarded in her movements, contin-
ually, by county attaches.
She is said to be frightened and
believes that some Of the threats
will be carried out.
Witnesses other than Lyons this
morning were: George j. Steinmetz,
manager of the Ford Motor Com
pany plant on E. Washington St;
Ed Rochat. city asphalt plant super
intedent; Ellen Heidergott, board of
works employe during the Shank
regime, and Mrs. Pearl Riddell, in
spector of weights and measures un-
der Shank.
With Steinmetz before the body,
1t was believed that grand jury was
looking into the wrangle that came
up in 1925 over the opening Of Orien-
tai ST., near Washington st. The
Ford company would have had to
make numerous alterations in its
buildings if this had been done.
1t has been reported that politi-
clans told Steinmetz IL he went to
the fright" attorneys that no further
efforts would be made to open the
thoroughfare.
Mrs. Heidergott was considered
William Armitage's personal repre-
sentative at the city hall, during
Shank's administration. She was
before the grand jury about a half
hour.
Mrs. Heidergott was active in
Ralph Lemcke's primary campaign
for nomination for mayor. but when
he was defeated in the primaries she
supported Mayor Duvall. 1t was re-
ported then that she was to get a
place on the present administration.
She was not selected, however, and
is now employed by local attorney.
In Short Time
Mrs. Riddell was in the grand jury
room for only a few minutes.
Rochat was placed temporarily in
the streets department under Shank.
Toward the end of Shank's admins
ltration. the street commissioner and
the street cleaning department were
consolidated and Rochat was put at
the head of the new division.
Duvall did not reappoint him to
this post, but made him superintend-
ent of the asphalt plant.
Monday afternoon the prosecu-
tor considered the Stephenson
ism" angle Of the inquiry, the basis
of the probe, when he conferred with
Mrs. Dickinson.
Mrs. Dickinson did not go before
the grand jury, but talked in confer
ence with Remy and Special Prosecu-
tors Fred Cause and Ralph Kane.
Later she left with Jesse McMurtry.
special investigator, who escorted
her to downtown hotel and then
to other places. AS far as is known,
they met no one and Mrs. Dickinson
talked with no one.
1t is the general belief that the
grand jury will terminate its probe
this week. No authoritative response
to queries about this can be OBJ