100 Years Ago This Week: Dec. 11-18

From The Indianapolis News, Monday, December 13, 1915: The crime wave sweeping over Indianapolis since the beginning of the Christmas season reached a high mark during the weekend. Pickpockets operating on the interurban relieved a businessman of his wallet containing $1,200 (2014: $27,672.80), and highwaymen assaulted citizens and collected $44.45 (2014: $1,025.05). Burglars broke into north side homes and made off with $450.00 (2014: $10,377.30) in jewelry and other valuables, while chicken thieves successfully made off with seventy-three fowls, the majority of which were taken from the Christian farm on Brookville Road. One highwayman was arrested, and there are leads to the burglars and chicken thieves. However, it is the belief of the police that the pickpockets left the city immediately after the robbery. This belief will help the police explain if they failed to catch the pickpockets.