The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-01-04
POLICE HUNT
PETTIs LOOT,
SEVEN Held
Move Ton of Coal Looking
for Money; Find Only
$18.
'TW0-TIMING' Barred
Chicago GangSterS Beat
Local Men to Job;
Left in Lurch.
'TWO-TIMING' Barred

Police Chief Claude M. Worley
and two detectives today moved a
ton and half of coal in the inves-
tigation of a clew which it was
thought might lead to the recovery
of some of the $4,000 loot taken in
the Pettis Dry Goods Company
store safe robbery the night of
Dec. 27.
With two more men under arrest
in Chicago and one more held here,
police today had a total of seven
of the alleged Pettis robbers behind
bars, four here and three in Chi
cago.
ResistS Arrest
The additional Chicago arrests
were made by Detectives Claude
Stone and George Stone who fought
rough and tumble battle in the
apartment of one of the Chicago
gangsters before they were able to
Subdue him.
The coal-moving loot hunt here
followed interception of a note
which one of the local men at
tempted to slip out of county Jail.
The note directed the receiver to
get brief case from shed in the
rear of the suspects home and make
a getaway with it.
Worley. at once took Detectives
John White and Emmett Engle-
bright to the shed and directed
thorough search.
A tin can containing eighteen 81
bills was all that was found, how
ever.
The suspect then was summoned
to police headquarters to explain
the mystery of the brief case.
Tell of Double Crossing
With the arrest of the additional
suspects police gave hints that a
thrilling story of double crossing"
is involved in the story of the Pet
tis robbery.
The local gang involved in the
robbery received none of the loot
and only one of the local men, "the
inside man." an employe Of the
store, actually took part in the
crime" it is reported.
The other local yeggs stole the
torches and dynamite caps used to
blow the safe and cached them at
an appointed place. They were to
join the Chicago gang later and
stage the robbery. Instead, the Chi
cago gang picked up the burglar
tools ahead of time and went ahead
with the robbery, leaving the In
dianapolis bad men in The lurch.
The two men arrested in Chicago
Thursday night, according to long
distance report to Police Chief
Worley today, are Benjamin Solkem
and James Martin, alias Wilson,
both with a nationwide reputation.
Their arrest followed the arrest
of a James Burke by Detectives
Stone and Johnson at Chicago.
Wednesday night.
Makes Desperate Fight
Solkem fought desperately be-.
fore he surrendered, the officers
said. In his apartment were
found guns and some of the jewelry
taken from the Pettis store.
Martin, under the name of Will
son, according to the detectives, was
sentenced to Folsom penitentiary,
California, for life in 1916, and
escaped. He also previously had
served terms in San Quentin prison,
California; Sing Sing prison, New
York, and federal prison at Leaven-
worth, Kan.
Solkem, according to the records,
served sentence in Sacramento,
Cal, in 1918 for burglary, was SEN
fenced to Sing Sing for six years
for robbery in 1914 and in 1920 was
sent to the Folsom penitentiary for
a postoffice robbery.
Detectives now are seeking three
more local men said to be involved
with the Indianapolis robbery gang.
Burk Valves Extradition
Burke, according to word received
by Worley, has waived extradition
and likely will be brought here to-
day. If the other two Chicago men
attempt to fight extradition he will
ask federal aid in bringing them
here. Postoffice receipts were in the
robbing loot.
Both Wilson and Burke, according
to the Chicago reports, have adj
mitted their part in the robbery and
said Solkem was the safe expert who
blew the Pettis strong box.
Solkem has refused to confess
anything.