The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-01-11
PAIR HELD AS
INDIANA BANK
BANDIT CHIEFS
fletcher Gang Is Believed
Broken With Arrests in
Kansas City.
NAY NOT RETURN HERE
fourteen RobberieS Laid to
Band; Leader Is in
U. S. Prison.

Arrest or two men, described as
the real brains" of the Fletcher
gang of bank ard store robbers who
in 1927 robbed at least fourteen
banks and more than score of
business places in Indiana within
100-mile radius Of Indianapolis, was
announced today by Chauncey Man
ming, head of the State bureau of
criminal Identification.
The two men, Sam E. Pearman,
81, and Fred Foreman, AZ, were
arrested in Kansas City ten days
ago on a hold-up charge. Circulars
and descriptions broadcast to all
parts of the country by the Indiana
bureau led to their identification
and disclosure of their crime rec
ords, according to Manning.
Their burglary activities probably
netted the bandits over 100000 in
this State, Manning said.
Caught in Nashville
The gang was named the
FLETCHER gang" following the ar
rest several months ago of Ray
Fletcher, former indianapolis po-
hceman, as one of it's members.
Caught speeding at Nashville, Ind,
q Brown County deputy sheriff
searched his car and found a rifle,
burglar tools, narcotics and some of
the loot from the robbery of the
Poneto State Bank, Wells County.
Fletcher confessed to nine bank
robberies and "squealed" on the
other gang members. William Ed
ding, one of the men arrested on
Fletcher's information, was SEN
fenced to fifteen years in Indiana
State Prison, in Wells County for
participation in the Poneto robbery.
Served United States Sentences
Fletcher, pleading that he had
been the goat" and was forced to
participate in the robberies by
threats of death, was sentenced to
eight years in the Federal prison at
Leavenworth, Kan, on narcotic
charges.
He pleaded with Federal authori-
ties here to send him to prison SO
he would be safe from the vengeance
of the other members.
Pearman, Manning said, Is known
to police as one of the most expert
users of acetylene torches on bank
vaults. Known also under the aliases
Frank Harris, Edward Ray, John
Howard and Bert Lewis. Pearman
served two terms at Leavenworth
for stealing Government property.
The last sentence was imposed in
Federal Court here in 1924.
He also was member of the Ger
aid Chapman gang, Manning said.
Trial in Kansas City.
Foreman, the other gang leader,
served a local Federal Court SEN
tence for receiving stolen United
States property at Leavenworth, at
the same time Pearman served his
last sentence, according to Manning,
and Fletcher was in that prison
part Of the time on a charge OF
breaking into a drug store here to
steal narcotics while he was on the
police force.
1t was there that plans for the
Indiana hold-ups probably were
made, Manning said.
Because Kansas City detectives
say they can send Pearman and
Foreman to prison for long terms
for recent robberies there, the two
probably will not be brought back
to Indiana, Manning said.
A representative Of the State bu-
reau, however, probably will go to
Missouri, to make sure they do not
escape with easy sentences, he said.
RObberies Laid to Gang
The gang probably was re-
sponSible for a number of Indiana
robberies with which it has not
been connected, Manning said. The
fourteen bank robberies in which it
is definitely known they were in
volved are:
Fowlerton Bank, June "a; Carlos
City Bank, Aug. 81; Farmers Ma
tional Bank, Wilkerson, July 12;
First National Bank Williamsburg,
July 20; Arlington State Bank, July
27; Farmers State Bank, Poneto,
Sept. 8; North State Salem Bank,
July l; Mechanisburg Bank, Aug.
81, and banks at Browns Valley,
Earl Park, Hillisburg, Sheridan
and Marshall.