The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-09-17
TED GEISKING
CAPTURED ON
CITY MANS TIP
Dry Agents Head Here May
Get Part of Reward
of $4,000.
WITNESSES EN- ROUTE
HiiaCker- Gunman to Fight
EXtradition If Named as
LingIe'S Killer.

An indianapolis man will claim a
share of the $4,000 reward for con-
viction of the slayer Of Alfred j.
Lingle, Chicago newspaper man, if
Theodore Geisking, hijacker gang
Sters, held in Louisville, is proved
the murderer.
He is B. F. Hargrove Jr., in charge
Of the local district special dry
agents office, prohibition bureau,
from whom came the first tip that
put Chicago authorities on Geisk-
lng's trail last July.
When a representative of the
Chicago district attorneys Office
asked Hargrove if he knew a blond
man connected with the Joe Traum
gang of Terre l1aute, Hargrove
thought of Geisking and produced
a Bertillon photograph of him,
which witnesses in Chicago have
identified as that of the slayer.
Hijacked Their Liquor
Geisking, although never a MEM
Der Of the Traum gang. hijacked
liquor run into Indiana by that or
sanization, and teamed up with an
gangster, who later was
slain in Terre Haute gang warfare.
In Louisville today four Chica-
goanS who are said to be material
witnesses in the Lingle Staying, were
TO view Geisking and try to identify
him as the murderer.
The witnesses we're taken tn
Louisville by Pat Roche. chief in
vestigator for the Chicago district
attorney.
If they succeed in pointing him
out as the gunman who assassinated
Llngle, GeiSking will fight efforts
for extradition to Illinois, he said to-
day.
Maintains His Innocence
He maintains he is innocent and
declares he fears the crime will be
pinned on him by false evidence.
If the witnesses fail to identify
him as Lingle's slayer, Geisking
probably will be returned to Indiana
by Carl Losey, state policeman, who
identified him Tuesday in Louisville.
where he was held on vagrancy
charges under the alias of Emrald
Geisking has admitted completely
in the recent Rising Sun jail break,
Losey declared, and is wanted in In
diana on several other charges as
well.
First witnesses of the murder that
began a new drive against the Chi
cago underworld were to. see Gels
king this morning. They identified
a Bertillon photograph of Gesking
several weeks ago, naming him as
Lingle's slayer.
Firm in DeniaIs
Questioned continually Tuesday,
Geisking was adamant in derials of
completely in any Chicago gang
warfare, although he admitted he
ran liquor and hijacked loads of
booze in Indiana and Kentucky for
the past two years.
II didn't know Lingle, but I sup
pose if any one points me out as
the man who shot Lingle, I'll have
to stand it" Geisking said.
81 never saw Lingle, and I didn't
known Jack Zuta," he declared.
Chicago detectives, who have
sought Geisking several weeks, say
their underworld spies tipped them
that Geisking was a mercenary
killer in the employ of Zuta.
They believe he shot Lingle in the
Chicago loop June 9, and later en-
gineered a machine gun party that
killed Zuta in a southern Wisconsin
summer resort dance hall.
Relatives Plan Alibi
If Illinois tries to extradite
Geisking, his relatives will fight for
him with an alibi, they Indicated
today.
Relatives and friends of the gang
ster in Indianapolis declared that
on the day Lingle was killed Geisk-
ing visited his sister, Mrs. May CasS
of Terre Haute, in a hospital.
Where the hospital is located they
did not know. Mrs. Cass was re-
ported to have been in indianapolis
seeking persons who would
that alibi.
Neither Of two hospitals in Terre
Haute had records Of Mrs. Cass
having been patient on June 9,
or on three days preceding or fol-
lowing that date.
Wife Defends Him
With Geisking when arrested in
Louisville were his bride, formerly
Miss Ruth Harter, Muncie; Mrs.
John Gauley, bride of one of three
men captured after a hijacking
ARRAY near London, KY, last week
end, and Stanley Freels, South Bend
hoodlum.
Today Mrs. Geisking, who arrived
in Indianapolis Tuesday after hav-
ing been freed from the Louisville
Jail under bond on vagrancy
charges, told newspaper men the
charges against her husband we're
untrue.
Tied is the sweetest kid I ever
met. Why, he never killed any one.
I know, because he told me So she
declared.
when we were driving the other
day, he almost wrecked the car, just
to keep from hitting a dog. That's
how kind-hearted he is.
Il asked him to go straight. He
said he would only he couldn't
because the coppers we're trying TO
hang a lot Of murders on him." she
said.