The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-01-04
Investigators Declare Cor
ruption Plot Among
Worst in History.
AID GIVEN RUM DEALERS
Angola Was Base of Opera
tionS for Liquor Rum
ming Gang.
BY BEN STERN
Times STAFF Correspondent

ANGOLA, Ind, Jan. 1.-Two
murders and connection with
an auto theft ring centered in
indianapolis which resulted re-
Gently in prison terms for thir-
teen persons may be linked
with an official corruption ring
IN Steuben county which inves-
tigators declare is one of the
most fragrant in Indiana s his
tory.
Miss Marion DWbin, found dead
with her head battered in in a Ft.
Wayne apartment, last August, had
ben seen in the company of a man
connected with the Steuben county
case, investigators assert. Tommy
Burke, one of four men who robbed
the First National bank here, was
the victim of the second Staying be-
ieved a part of the rings opera
tions.
Legal and police powers of Ind
lana are concentrated in the county
today in an effort to clear up the
situation.
Arrest of at least six persons
prominent in the public and po-
litical life of northeastern Indiana
on affidavitS made on information
provided by between forty and fifty
witnesses will be attempted within
the next twenty-four. hours.
George Nellie, assistant chief of
state police, declared affidavitS will
be sworn out following a confer
ence of Merl Wall, assistant attor-
ney general, who arrived here today;
McHie, State Police Lieutenant
Charles Bridges Forest Huntington,
investigator for the state criminal
investigation and Identification
bureau, and T. A. Redman of Ken
dallville, special prosecutor. Evil
dence collected by the investigators
will be presented to Wall.
The evidence is expected to show
the following:
l, The fact that Angola has been
the clearing house and refueling
station of a gigantic bootleg ring
which operated all through Indiana
shipping liquor by truck through
Ft. Wayne and Detroit, Mich, via
Angola, to Ft. Wayne, indianapolis,
Terre Haute, Evansville and points
in Kentucky.
2. That bootleggerS were accord
ed adequate protection and guard
by officials on the lap of their jour-
ney to Ft. Wayne.
Declare Officials Knew
3. That powerful law enforce
ment officials were cognizant of
this traffic but made no attempt to
stop it.
4. That members of this ring
with whs is believed to be
official aic Blamed and executed
daylight b. tup Of the bank early
in the me ng of May 8, 1928, in
which SIG, ] in cash and 100000 in
negotiable lndS were obtained.
5. That for some undivulged
reason, n I'LL official investigation
of the crh was made by officials of
Steuben nty.
8. clay and the later burning
of the b of Burke. alleged to be
one of bank bandits. The body
was four iAug. % in the shoulder
ing ruin "a barn on an abandoned
farm ne Fremont, a short distance
north .ngola
Z. Wb persons or person was
respons for the placing of an
automo driven by the slain BAN
dit fou in the garage of Charles
Zimme n, then sheriff, adjacent
to the unity Jail. The car was
discovt Aug. %.
nix Sheriff in Case
IS. H the pistol belonging
to { i'll Zimmerman. taken
from irawer in his desk in the
jail offi1e happened to b. in the car.
9. Who placed suitcase and
other belongings of Burke in loft
over the Jail garage.
10. Why no definite action in
the case was taken by Steuben
county grand jury.
II. Who called Sheriff thinner
man at a. M, May s, Just
before the robbery and what was the
call he answered that took him