The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-08-10
Police Close
TO SUSPECT IN
MURDER HUNT
Man Answering Description
of Philip Smith FIeeS
From Vacant House.
SCORES ARE CHILLED
Search Extended Out of
City as Kings Slayer
EVadeS Pursuit.

FOuCe, seeking Pnlllp h Smith,
30-year-old bootlegger, suspect in
the murder at Green Mill barbecue
of Terence King, Thursday, missed
by only few minutes today a man
who answered Smiths description,
according to several women who saw
him in a vacant house at 437 N.
Lynn st.
Mrs. Lola Canary, 1915 w. Mich
igan St., said she saw the man in
the house as she was walking in the
alley. She talked with him through
an open window and he told her,
I'm waiting for guy" she said.
When she complained that there
mad been too many men hanging
about that house he told her he was
there to board it up.
Mrs. Canary apd Mrs. Anna
Doene, 1910 Wilcox ST., said the
man was the one in the picture
police showed them. The picture
was found in a room on N. Capitol
Ave, where Smith had been stay
ing. 1t has been identified by sew
eral persons who know Smith as his.
Runs From House
The man with whom Mrs. Canary
had been talking ran from the N.
Lynn St. house a few minutes be-
fore Lieut.. Roy Pope and a police
emergency squad arrived, accord
ing to Mrs. Charlotte Able, Terre
Haute, who is visiting at 1926 Wilcox
st. The house evidently has been
used as bootlegger's cache since 1t
became empty six weeks ago, police
said. Liquor has been found there
several times when police searched
it on reports Of men hanging about.
Police have questioned dozens of
Smiths in the search for the man
| sought as the killer of King.
The search extended late Thurs
day as far as Seymour, where six de-
tectives were sent on a report that
the alleged fugitive slayer was there
But it was not the Smith sought.
A house at 1914 w. New York St.,
one of Smiths addresses, where it is
believed he was operating a beer
joint" also was searched several
! times.
haywood House Searched
A vacant house at haywood,
equipped with trap doors and other
evidences of use as a beer joint. was
searched without result, when a tip
was received Smith had operated
that place. The place was aban-
doned two weeks ago, detectives
learned.
A house on Butler Ave. also said
to have been used by Smith and his
gang was investigated, but detec-
tives learned police and Federal
agents found it empty when they
raided it several days ago.
Thursday night and early today
emergency squads and night rider
patrols investigated about twenty
calls giving tips as to Smiths
whereabouts. Many persons re-
ported suspicious Smiths whom they
believed might be the man sought.
Trace Smiths History
In the meantime other detectives
traced the history of Phillip Smith,
the man suspected as the killer of
King because King put his arm
about Miss Gladys De Voc, "blueS'
singer, during drinking party.
Smith came here, or at least was
here, during the street car strike
two years ago, according to Detec-
tive Chief Jerry Kinney. Detectives
have been unable to learn whether
he was a striker or strike breaker,
Kinney said.
Since then he has been interested
in poolroom at $50 Mclean Pl.,
and is known to a number of street
car employees.
Soldier Is Sought
A soldier known as Byron is be-
ing sought as a possible actual wit
ness of the Staying. So far, no one
has admitted seeing Smith fire the
shot which killed King.
Miss De Voc and Miss Margie
Ford, entertainers at the barbecue
dance hall, both declare they had
started to walk away from the ia
BILE at which all had been drink
ing, when Smith and King started
a drunken quarrel as King carelessly
caresSed Miss Devoe.
Mrs. Eva Siersdorfer, 20 E. st
Joseph ST., whom Miss Ford said she
thought had been at the table drink
ing with them, came to police head
quarters Thursday night and told
detectives she was upstairs when
the shooting happened.
Breaks Arm in Flight
She was acting as a waitress at
the barbecue and went there early
in the evening with Mrs. Bessie
Gipprich, owner Of the place, and
King, she said.
Mrs. Siersdorfer broke her arm
In getting from the place, she said
Funeral services for King, the
murdered man, are to be held at
10 a. m. Saturday at st. Budgets
Catholic Church.