The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-09-05
SHEIK BANDITS
LOOT, WRECK
CARS; ESCAPE
Motorists Held Up, Autos
Taken; Machine Crashes
at 60-MiIe Clip.
VICTIMS FACE GUNS
Five Squads of Police and
Deputy SheriffS Hot on
Trail of Trio.

Police squads pushed all lnten-
sive search west of the city today
for three "Sheik' bandits, who, in
two hours and half of wild west
rampaging Tuesday night and early
today staged three hold-upS, steal
ing money and two automobiles.
With five squads Of police and
deputy sheriffs a few jumps behind
them, the youths wrecked both of
their stolen cars.
They apparently steamed up"
with bootleg liquor in the course OF
their wild jaunt.
After wrecking their second Car
in a collision they disappeared Ill
weeds bordering the Pennsylvania
Railroad elevation over the National
Rd., a quarter mile east of Bridge
port.
Police had thrown Gordon about
the railroad tracks and still were
searching the section this morning
All victims of the bandits deS.
cribed them as well dressed, il
sheik collegiate style. The leader
of the gang was about "a and the
others about 81.
The rampage began at 10:30 p. m.
when the trio held up Cecil School
craft, 608 N. Oakland Ave, and Paul
Porter, Sphinx Hotel. who we're in
Schoolcraft's parked automobile at
Dearborn and Tenth SITS.
Threatening Schoolcraft with a
gun. two of the bandits got in the
front seat and the third in the rum
ble seat of the Pontiac roadster.
Forced to Drive Away
They forced Schoolcraft to drive
to near Beech Grove, where they
took Sc and a $50 watch from hirn
and 25 cents from Porter, put the
two out, and drove off.
The bandits next appeared at a
filling station at Madison Ave. and
the Belt Railroad at lis a. m.
where they obtained two quarts OF
oil from Attendant John Arthur,
1880 Ray ST., and then held up
Arthur, taking SIS and 38-caliber
Colt revolver.
Lieut.. Roy Pope and his emerg-
ency squad were sent to the scene
and started ON the bandits trail.
A short time later the Sheik gang
was forced to abandon Schoolcraft'S
Pontiac at Stop IL on the Interstate
Public Service Company's line to
Louisville south of the city, the mo-
tor being burned out.
Hold Up Greenwood Man
They next were heard of two
miles north of Greenwood where
they held up Leland Sharp of
Greenwood and took his Oldsmobile
coach, So and a $3.50 cornet in the
machine.
BY this time a number of police
squads were on their trail.
The attendant at a filling station
at TibbS Ave. and Washington ST..
called headquarters that the three
in a machine identified as Sharp's
by its license had left the car near
the filling station, seemingly be-
cause of motor trouble.
Before a police squad could reach
the scene, however, they returned to
the car and drove away.
Lieut.. Otto Petit and a night
rider squad found traces of "the
sheiks" west of the city at the Great
Western Oil Company filing station
at Eagle Greek and W. Washington
st. They filled their tank with gaso-
line there, replied ito hell with the
oil" to Attendant Joe Behring'S query,
and drove west.
Crash Into Ford
The climax of the rampage came
at a. m.
The "sheik", bandits were driving
west on the National Rd. at a Co.
mile clip on the wrong side OF the
road when they crashed into the
Ford touring car Of Fred Shipman of
Anderson.
The front wheel of Shipman's car
was torn of and the bandits ma
chine swerved on 800 feet, crashed
through a wire fence. and stopped
fifty feet away, In clover field.
Shipman and tN0 men riding
Yith him, whose names police did
not learn, ran up to the "sheiks"
as they climbed from their nearly
demolished car.
Threatened With Gun
The leader drew a revolver and
waved them away, declaring:
I'm from Greenwood. My faith
er's rich and will take care of every
thing. Now you--, beat it.
Shipman and his friends followed
the youths at distance and saw
them disappear in the weeds along