The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-04-10
Attorney Asks New Judge
Be Named to Hear
Examination.
DISCARD LABOR THEORY
New CIeWS Reported Found
by Detectives Probing
Marion Deaths.
BY CHARLES e. CARLL
Times staff Correspondent

MARION, Ind, April 10.-FirSt
wedge in attempts to liberate five
men and a woman, held as suspects
in a series of bombings that killed
five men here in the last six months,
was driven today by John r.
Browne, attorney for Mrs. Erma
LegoS, widow Of one Of the slain
men, charged with murder and con-
spiracy to murder
Browne asked Mayor Jack Ed
wards, also city judge, to appoint
another judge to hear preliminary
examination Of the sextet.
Under arrest, besides Mrs. LegoS
are: Harry Danford, alleged Chi
cago gang leader and so-called
bomb expert; Peter Kmieciak and
Joe Beckett, Chicago, and Vernon
and Duke Humphrey, Elwood
brothers.
Edwards said that this afternoon
he would disqualify himself and
named Hays, criminal attorney, or
grant Brownies petition for new
judge, and name as candidates
Hayes, E. H. Graves and j. F.
Charles.
Thrust Aside Theory
However, examination of the sex
tet was not expected before Satur-
day when Harley Hardin, Grant
county prosecutor, now absent from
Marion, will return.
Claiming new evidence had been
obtained, investigators today thrust
aside the theory that union labor
troubles were responsible for the
bcnbings. Several additional arrests
may be made in the near future,
proberS said.
Major part of the morning was
spent in Interrogation of Vernon
Humphrey. All suspects have been
firm in their denials of guilt.
The suspects were led singly into
a little storage room in the city's
ramshackled police headquarters
for questioning. The cubby hole,
Uttered with tin cans, housed the
prisoners, police and a newspaper
reporter who took statements on a
portable typewriter.
Sits Under Punching Bag
Above the suspects chair hung a
punching bag that policemen use
for exercise off duty.
Mrs. Legos and the Humphreys
are accused Of murder of John Ash
craft in February. A bomb exploded
in his automobile. Mrs. LegoS and
the Chicago trio are charged with
murder Of her husband. All are
suspects in the death of three men
in a blast at the Marion labor
temple.
Mrs. Danford arrived in Marion
today to fight for her husbands re-
lease. With her was Mrs. Lillian
Greenberg, wife of Sam Greenberg,
one of seven Chicago gangsterS who
held up the I. Wolf Auto Company,
Indianapolis, about one year ago.
Continuing interrogation of the
prisoners today, detectives delved
into circumstances of the blasting
of the State theater in Hammond a
year ago. This and other bombings
are to be subject of questions to the
Sextet.
Connected With Job
The Chicago gang was connected
with the Hammond pineapple Job"
by the stool pigeon that arranged
exchange of marked money with
Danford. He told authorities that
while driving past the theater re-
Gently Danford remarked that he
was sin on that job" Two men
now are serving f1ye-year prison
terms for that bombing.
Circuit Judge o. D. Clawson tenn
porarily blocked efforts of in
veStigators to present the case be-
fore Grant county grand jury by
refusing special session today. The
present court term expires Satur-
day, and the next term begins
April %. Probers said they would
make further demands for a special
racciO,,