Newspaper Page Text
eljc Atlanta Ga* i - Ukcklj)
VOL. XXIII. NO. 47.
DAYLIGHT BANDITS
TIKE $1,370 MOLL
■ MAKE ESCAPE
Police Have No Clue of Two
• Men Who Hold Up Office
in Flatiron Building on
Saturday
A diligent search by city detec
tives and police for the pair of dar
ing daylight bandits who held up
L. E. Kent, manager of the Southern
Heating and Plumbing company, in
the Flatiron building at 11 o’clock
Saturday morning and robbed him of
a pay roll of $1,370, had been un
availing up to a late hour Saturday
night.
Although the hold-up was staged
in the very heart of the business dis
trict, with hundreds of people in the
Flatiron building and thousands in
the streets below, it was executed
■with such percision and coolness
that the bandits escaped without
leaving behind any clues for the of
ficers to work on.
Chief of Detectives Lamar Poole
declared his men were still hard at
•work on the case, with hopes of ap
prehending the robbers within 48
hours.
The bandits, according to Mr.
Kent, reached his office, room 302,
While he was in the act of counting
3the pay roll money he had drawn
from the bank ten minutes before.
One of them stopped at the door and
the other entered the office, inquir
ing for Mr. Charles Hurr, who is
president of the company. Mr. Kent
said.
"I replied that Mr. Hurr was not
in, and he then drew a nistol and
told me to hand over the money
and keep quiet. I told him
I would not give up the money, and
When he reached for it. I seized his
hand. He fired at me and the bul
let whizzed past my head. I felt
the heat of the powder.”
Mr. Kent said he and the bandit
then, clashed for several seconds, and
that the bandit fired again, burning
Kent'in the back. The bandit then
rushed from the office with the mon
ey before Kent could recover him
self.
The corridors of the Flation build
ing were lined with people as the two
bandits escaped.
“The bandits did not wait for an
elevator, witnesses said, but dashed
down the three flights of staiA to
the ground floor and were lost in
the Peachtree street throng. On their
rush down the stairs, the bandits
pushed several persons rudely aside.
Mr. Kent was on his job through
out Saturday, and personally dis
bursed the company’s weekly payroll
after drawing more money from the
bank. He said the bandits left a
small amount of money in his of
fice. ‘‘There was $1,606.95 in the
payroll, and they only took $1,370,”
he said.
Descriptions of the bandits were
given city detectives Saturday after
noon by A. V. Mitchell, of Dunwoody;
R. V. Sweat, of Smyrna, and O. W.
Sparks, of 332 Barnett street, At
lanta, all eye-witneses to their es
cape from the Flatiron building.
They described the bandit who
stood in the doorway while his part
ner ‘‘stuck up” Mr. Kent as being
about 22 years old, 5 feet 11 inches
tall, and weighing about 175 pounds.
The other bandit, they said, was
hardljf more than 19 years of age, 5
feet 8 inches tall, and weighed ap
proximately 165 pounds. Both men
■wore heavy overcoats, they said.
Detectives Low'e and Rolley said
late Saturday night that other is
formation given them by these wit
nesses led them to believe that more
than two persons were implicated in
the robbery.
CRAZED BY WORRY,
CAROLINIAN KILLS
FAMILY AND SELF
CHARLESTON, S. C„ Jan. 17.
Temporary Insanity from brooding
over financial difficulties and bitter
ness due to family troubles in which
an estate worth probably $75,000
was at stake, are believed by the au
thorities to have prompted L. S. Big
ham Saturday afternoon to shoot his
mother, his sister, the latter’s two
adopted children, and then kill him
self, according to information re
ceived here today from Florence.
The dead are: Mrs. M. M. Bigham.
Mrs. Marjorie A. Black. Leo McCracx
en. John McCracken and L. S. Big
ham.
All evidently were killed Instantly
except Mrs. Bigham, the man’s moth
er, who lived a few moments, and
the oldest child, who died at 5 o’clocx
Sunday morning. The tragedy took
place at the old Bigham home, five
miles from Pamlico. Florence county,
and twenty-five miles from Florence.
After slaying all within the house
at the time. Bigham went into the
woods surrounding the place and
fired a bullet into his brain. When
his body was found at noon Sunday
his right hand still grasped the pis
tol. It was stated by the physician
who examined the body that he had
been dead more than twelve hours.
The persons killed all were shot in
the head, the bullets entering just
beneath their temples. None was shot
more tah nonce, although two bullets
were found near the back door that
had missed their mark. The large
pistol used by Bigham still contained
an unexploded cartridge.
The coroner’s jury investigating
the tragedy had not reported its
findings at noon. At that hour it
was announced the jury’s verdict
probably would be delayed several
days pending further developments.
Officers at work on the case declare
al lindications point to Bigham as
the firer of the shots which blotted
out the lives of four members of his
family before he fell, apparently a
suicide.
Edmond Bigham, brother of the
dead man, who had left the house
with his family for a trip to Pamlico,
returned just in time to find his aged
mother staggering toward the road
with blood streaming from her face.
She died a few minutes iater in his
arms. As he approached the house,
young Bigham told officers he saw
his brother run towards a near-by
wooded spot, holding his hands
against his breast. According to the
testimony of Edmond Bigham and his
wife and others given to the coro
ner’s jury, L. S. Bigham had acted
strangely for several weeks’. Finan
cial worries and family trouble over
an estate worth approximately $75,
000 was given by witnesses as rea
sons for believing Bigham demented.
He had been charged by relatives
with altering the county courthouse
records in an effort to obtain posses
sion of the Bigham estate. The at
torney general of South Carolina has
been Investigating this charge for
some time.
■ FIGHT AHEAD.
WITH MUCH DEBATE.
ON TARJFFMEASURE
Ten Added Amendments
Broaden Fordney Act to
Include Virtually All Prod
ucts of the Farm
WASHINGTON, Jan. 17.—Carrying
amendments which many proponents
believed spelt its doom in the sen
ate, the Fordney emergency tariff
bill was reported out today by
the senate finance committee It
was supported by agricultural In
terests during the week of hear
ings on the bill as affording vi
tal protection to farm products. The
measure on the other hand was
strongly attacked by others as an
instrument for maintaining abnor
mal price levels.
Ten amendments, broadening the
measure to include practically all
farm products instead of the limit
ed number approved by the house,
had been added to the bill by the
committee anil opponents had serv
ed notice chat an attempt would be
made to load on more when the
measure reached the senate floor.
Several senators who opposed the
bill in committee were understood to
be prepar . ;o repeat their attempt,
unsuccessful in committee, to add
such extraneous legislation as ths
bill to re-codify the federal laws and
tie soldiers’ us bill. The deter
mined and in- ntly growing oppo
sition to -ie treasure in the senate
promised g strugg’e with many
‘ ours of debate before final action.
Senator Penrose gave notice that
“at an early date” he would move to
make the bill the unfinished business
of the senate and would “make every
effort to push it to an early passage.”
SOLDIERSHELD •
IN ALABAMA FOR
DEATH OF MINER
JASPER, Ala., Jan. IT.—A special
term of Walker county circuit court
will be convened next Monday, at.
which time eleven members of Corn- 1
pany M, Alabama national guard, ar
rested yesterday, will be placed on
trial in connection with the lynching
of William Beard, a miner, here last
Thursday, according to announce
ment today by Judge Horace C. Wil
kinson, special assistant attorney
genneral.
Judge Wilkinson, who arrived here
today, to assist Solicitor Pennington
and Coroner Legg, announced that
the confession of Leslie West, taxi
cab driver, who said he provided the
cars for the lynching party, covered
sixteen pages of typewritten matter
and has been placed before the cor
oner’s jury which resumed investiga
tion of the case. The prosecutors
announced that the evidence was
practically ready to be handed to the
grand jury.
West, in his confession, according
to Judge Wilkinson, said that the
lynching party drove directly from
the jail after Beard had been seized,
to the cemetery on the Manchester
road, where Private Morris, Beard’s
alleged victim, was buried. The par
ty later passed beyond the cemetery
to a lonely wood, where Beard was
shot ten times, the members of the
lynching squad taking turns in fir
ing.
Company M is a Tuscaloosa com
mand. detachments of which have
been on duty in Walker county since
the coal strike was called September
7.
Judge T. J. Sewell, of Walker coun
ty circuit court, today empannelled a
special grand jury and witnesses
went directly from the hearing be
fore Coroner Legg to appear before
the inquisitorial body.
Clothing said to have been worn
by members of the lynching party
was exhibited before the coroner’s
jury today.
Baird was in jail at Jasper await
ing trial for the killing of Private
James Morris, of Company M, after
Morris had shot and killed John
Northcutt. Baird’s father-in-law,
Northcutt had been arrested by Mor
ris on a charge of disorderly con
duct while the company was station
ed in Jasper in connection with the
miners’ strike.
According to Judge Wilkinson,
West declared the soldiers wore
civilian clothes, including overalls,
and these were burned after they
returned to Townley, where they
were encamped. The' trip was made
in two automobiles. The party went
to the jail shortly after midnight,
overcame the jailer’s resistance and
bundled Baird into one of the ma
chines after putting a towel around
his neck. About two miles outside
of Jasper, the confession continued,
Baird was shoved from the automo
bile and shot to death. The soldiers
then sped back to camp, arriving in
time to be checked up.
First reports were that one of the
soldiers had confessed, but this
proved to be erroneous.
Guardsmen under arrest are: Ser
geants R. O; Cox, Glenn L. Stephens,
and Robert J. Lancaster; Corporals
Joseph W. Key and Manly R. Sex
ton; Privates William E. Hamby,
James Franklin, Ernest W. Speed,
Clyde Springer, Roy Patton, and
Bugler Richardson.
Five of the gurdsmen under ar
rest are just eighteen years of age,
two are nineteen years old and four
give their ages as twenty-two, ac
cording to the coroner’s records.
Stephens served in the 167th infan
try overseas and Lancaster was a
member of the 117th field artillery,
the evidence disclosed.
King of Sweden Gets
American Fruitcake
SEATTLE.—The king of Sweden
is to eat Seattle fruitcake for Christ
mas. A large cake, made especially
for that purpose, and bearing the
Swedish coat of arms, has been dis
patched to Stockholm by 100 business
men of Seattle who are natives of
Sweden or descendants yf Swedes.
Court Denies Rehearing
Os Coca-Cola Injunction
WASHINGTON, Jan. 17.—The su
preme court today refused to grant
a rehearing on its recent decision
granting the Coca-Cola • company an
injunction against the sale by
companies of substitutes under the
name of “Koke” and “Dope.”
Some of the Men Alleged by Solicitor Boykin to Have Operated
A Swindling Syndicate Here, a Majority of Whom Are Sought
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GEOM U/LLtAMF MOONEY WILLIAM FUTCH ER tyJOHN A, ALEXANDER cTnJ. uj/LSON WALTER CHAMBERS
Fake Landlord Rents
House Another Owned
“Tenants” Tell Police
It’s bad enough when the harried
home-hunter can’t find a suitable
apartment under twice the amount
he Is able to afford, but the last
straw is reached when he pays his
rent in advance, only to discover he
has been buncoed into leasing a
place from a man who isn’t the
owner and hasn’t any claim to it at
all.
That is exactly .what happened to
Joe Brantley, of 170 Holderness
street and J. H. Whitaker, of 269
Lucile avenue, according to their
complaint to the police.;,
Each saw an advertisement in the
newspapers, five-room house for
rent. S3O a month. Each wrote to
J. H. Lewis, general delivery, for
more information. Each, according
to their story, unknown to the other,
“rented” the house from Mr. Lewis
“sight unseen.” Mr. Brantley paid a
full month in advance: Mr. Whit
taker paid for half a month in ad
vance.
“If you want to see the ’’lace,”
said Mr. Lewis, after he had col
lected the rent, “it’s at 177 Welling
ton street.”
Mr. Brantley decided Sunday aft
ernoon to go out and look over his
new home. Mr. Whittaker likewise
decided Sunday afternoon to go out
and look over his new home. They
arrived at the front door at the same
time, and were both informed by
Mrs. J. C. Winecoff that she had
been living at 177 Wellington street
for some time, that she didn’t intend
to move and that she never heard of
any Mr. Lewis.
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ATLANTA, GA., TUESDAY, JANUARY 18; 1921.
WIFE OF OFFICER
KILLED BY JAP
TAKES OWN LIFE
MANILA, Jan. 17.—The Russian
wife of Naval Lieutenant Warren H.
Langdon, the American killed by a
Japanese sentry at Vladivostok re
cently, ended her life upon learning
of her husband’s death, according to
a Reuter dispatch from Vladivostok.
Pueblo Girl Wants
Honolula Husband
HONOLULU T. U. —Mayor James
Wilson of Honolulu, has turned Cu
pid. He’s looking for the handsomest
man in the islands. Recently the
mayor received a letter signed
“Edna D., Pueblo, Colo.,” in which
she declares that only an islander
would please her taste. The letter
declared that she was wealthy.
Lenine Is Suffering
From Breakdown
PARIS, Jan. 15.—Nikolai Lenine,
Russian premier, has suffered a
complete nervous breakdown, ac
cording to reports in anti-Bolshevik
circles here.
Leninewas said to have suffered a
colfapse following several attempts
at assassination.
Alleged Gambling Ring
Suspect Fails to Get
Freedom From Court
John A. Alexander, one of three
men brought to Atlanta from Mem
phis, on the charge of being impli
cated in the gambling ring investi
gated by Solicitor Boykin, failed Sat
urday in his attempt to get hity lib
erty by habeas corpus.
Alexander’s attorneys, Fred E.
Harrison and J. Walter LeCraw,
swore out habeas corpus proceed
ings on the ground that their client
never was indicted and was not
served with a warrant. Judge
Humphries dismissed the proceed
ings Saturday morning, after a hear
ing, and Alexander is held at the
tower.
Corn Liquor Explodes,
Firing Omaha Garage;
600 Gallons Are Taken
OMAHA, Neb., Jan. 15.—Spontane
ous combustion of newly-made corn
whisky is said by firemen to have
caused the fire in a two-story garage
in the residence section of Omaha
which destroyed a large quantity of
whisky and moonshining equipment
early today.
The partially destroyed still was
confiscated by police, who said it was
the largest ever taken in this sec
tion. Over 2,000 quart bottles of dis
tilled liquor were confiscated and
100 five-gallon jugs were partially
destroyed by the fire and the rest
confiscated.
Kir
■ » •
W. CLYZJf SMITH
Tennessee Woman
Running for Senate
KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 15.
Mrs. Anna Keys Worley, of Bluff
City, Sullivan county, widow of the
late Senator J. Parks Worley, today
filed her candidacy for the senate In
the second senatorial district, which
includes Sullivan and Hawkins coun
ties. Mrs. Worley will be opposed
by S. M. McNeil, Republican, of Kins
port. The special election will be
held on January 25.
■
$250,000 LOOT
RECOVERED FROM
TEXASJBANDITS
DALLAS, Tex., Jan. 16.—Report
of the recovery of nearly $250,000 in
Liberty bonds and currency, and the
accidental death of one of the band
its, marked the police inves
tigation of last night’s sensational
robbery of a subpostofflee station
here. The amount of loot taken by
the six robbers had not been deter
mined, and four of the band remain
at liberty.
W. S. Scrlvner, one of the band
who was injured when the "bandit
car” overturned on a road near Fort
Worth three hours after the rob
bery was committed, led Dallas offi
cers to a cache eight miles north of
Fort Worth late today. Here $200,-
000 in Liberty bonds and $46,000 in
currency was found in two registered
mail sacks, according to local police.
Scrivner, who was pinned under
neath the wrecked automobile, was
brought here early today. Subse
quently he made a complete confes
arrested by Fort Worth police and
sion, police said. Implicating a "mas
ter mind” behind the robbery, whose
arrest, detectives said, will cause a
sensation.
Pat Murphy, alias Rufus Clemons,
alias W. W. Matthews, another mem
ber of the outlaw band, was killed
when the “bandit car” turned turtle
near Fort Worth. According to the
alleged confession of Scrivner, he
and Murphy were returning to Fort
Worth after having cached the loot
following a wild night ride from
Dallas. The four other members of
the band had taken refuge in a house
at Fort Worth.
Five Dallas detectives returned to
Fort Worth with Scrivner, today on
the latter’s promise to lead them to
his comrades’ hiding place. The
house was found unoccupied, but in
dications were that it had been hur
riedly vacated. The detectives then
were directed by Scrivner to the
cache where the bonds and money
were recqvered.
Search for the missing four, whose
identity, police say, is known, was
continued in Dallas and Fort Worth
tonight. Local authorities predicted
sensational developments.
In addition to thq approximately
$246,000 recovered near Fort Worth,
more than $4,000 of the stolen cur
rency was found in a house in South
Dallas today. Police searched the
house on the strength of Scrivner’s
alleged confession.
Senator Phelan Blocks
slso,oooArmyMeasure
WASHINGTON, Jan. 15.—Further
progress of the resolution which the
senate passed yesterday ordering the
war department to cease recruiting
until the regular army had been cut
down to 110,000 men, was blocked to
day by Senator Phelan, Democrat,
California.
The senator gave formal notice of
his intention to offer a motion for
reconsideration of the measure, and
Vice President Marshall, after ascer
taining that the resolution had not
been transmitted to the house, order
ed it held in the senate until the mo
tion was voted on. Members of the
military affairs committee said there
was Httle prospect of a change in the
senatb amendment.
5 CENTS A COPY.
$1.50 A YEAR.
AUTHORITIESOFFER
52,500 REWfiRB FDR
AILEGEDGJNIBLERS
Floyd Woodward, W. Clyde
Smith, Ed. 0. Ellis and
George Irwin Wanted
Governor and Solicitor
Rewards totaling $2,500 have been y ■
offered for the apprehension of
Floyd Woodward, W, Clyde Smith,
Ed O. Ellis and George Irwin, who
are believed by the authorities to
have been the leaders in the so-called
wire-tapping and gambling syndicate
operated in Atlanta for several years.
Saturday Governor Dorsey offered
a reward of SSOO for Floyd Wood
ward, who has been indicted by the
Fulton county grand jury on the
charge of having murdered Ed Mills
In a local hotel on April 2. 1919. h.e- (
wards of $250 each have been offered
by the governor for Smith, Ellis and
Irwin, who are under indictment for
larceny after trust. Similar rewards
have been offered in each instance by
Solicitor General John A. Boykin
making the aggregate as follows:
For Woodward sl,v0 r
For Smith r OO
For Ellis 500
For Irwin 500
Total $2,500 .
A total of nearly $1,500,000 is» al
leged to have been, extracted from
victims from all parts of the coun
try by a gang of gamblers, wire-tap
pers and swindlers, which operated
in Atlanta during the past four
years, according to a report of the
November grand jury, and the fact
that Atlanta was made one of the
principal headquarters of the gam
bling and swindling syndicate appears
to be undisputed.
Evidence which has been presented
to the grand jury shows that many
victims, mostly out-of-town visitors,
have been fleeced out of their entire
savings, amounting to sums rang
ing from a few hundred dollars to •
$75,000. As a result of the sweeping
investigation by the grand jury and
Solicitor General John A. Boykin
many indictments have been return
ed and a country-wide search has
been instituted for the ringleaders of
the alleged syndicate.
Many Disclosures
Recent raids, conducted by the so- *
llcltor general and his assistants,
have revealed a number of gambling
dens and "pay-off” places and,
many arrests have been made,
though the majority of these are
considered as small fish in the big
net. A recent expose of the ring by
two well-to-do farmers front Aiken,
S. C., caused the ringleaders of the
syndicate to make a hurried exit
from the city. The Investigation has
caused considerable interest and ha.
resulted in a request by the grand
jury for the removal of the heads
of the city detective department.
The recent raids, conducted by the >
solicitor general, have revealed full
equipped gambling dens and faKfe
horse race pool rooms and fake
stock exchanges. In these places it
is claimed by victims of the gamblers
they were tricked out of their money
by the various arts known to die
confidence men.
So-Called “Brains”
It is disclosed by Solicitor Boykin
that the syndicate was governed by
Floyd Woodward, a local man now
sought by the authorities. Wood
ward was ably assisted, it is said, by
W. Clyde Smith, a property owner in
one of the best residential sections
of the city, and Ed. O. Ellis. This
trio, aided by “Jacknife O’Brien and
other nationally known confidence
men, It is said, had an apparent free
reign in the city and-, their swin
dling schemes are said to date back
to 1916.
More than a score of alleged vic
tims from the north, east, south and
west have reported their losses to the
solicitor general and the methods in
which they were fleeced. Some were
victims of the fake horse-racing
game. Others dropped their savings
on' fake stock market plunges and
still others claimed to have been
robbed outright. In each Instance
the testimony proved, according to
Mr. Boykin, that Woodward and his
gang were responsible for the swin
dling.
The system employed to ensnare
the victiihs was well planned and sel
dom did it fail to work. In one in
stance, Mr. Boykin says, a man be
came suspicious and refused to give ‘
up his money until he saw the actual
profits offered him In his own hands
In this instance, it is claimed, he
was set upon oy three confidence men
and his money was taken from him
by force.
interesting Stories
Many Interesting stories have been
told of the methods employed by the
gamblers to lure their victims. One
young man from Texas, who lost
$8,700, says he was approached by
a well-dressed stranger while in At
lanta, and, after a short acquaint
ance, was introduced to another man
equally well dressed? The latter was
supposed to be a prominent stock
broker. The Texan was invited to
K vlslt the stock exchange In Atlanta,
which he did, and was invited to
take a plunge on the market. He
refused, but was willing to look on.
No persuasive methods were em
ployed to get him to play, neither
was he asked to loan any money.
The alleged stockbroker took a
plun/e, however, and “won” a large
sum of money. He had put up a
blank check for the original amount
and in order to get his earnings ho
was requested to show the amount
of his check. Being apparently fi
nancially embarrassed at the time,
he was unable to do so, and the 7
Texan was appealed to.
The latter agreed to produce SB,-
700, which he did. While waiting
for his promised share of the win
nings and the return of his collat
eral he was again requested to try
his luck. He refused and the al
leged stockbroker told his partner to
take their winnings, and buy more
stock. In a few minutes the plung
er returned with the information that
he had put the whole amount, in
cluding the Texan’s money, on a sura
thing and had- lost. A fake fls?e
fight was thenJstaged between the
two men and the Texan was informed
he would be reimbursed by his friend,
but he failed to ever get any of his
money back.
.. Banker Victim
Further information furnished to
the grand jury is claimed to show
that a well-known south Georgia
banker, who disappeared from this
city under mysterious circumstances
a year ago, was a victim of the syn
dicate and that another man, an al
leged'member of the gang, was shot
and killed in a local hotel a dis-
continued. on Page 6, Column 4)