Chicago Tribune from Chicago, Illinois • 76

Chicago Tribune epterpber 17, 1975 Hoosier pot posse Law hea off at the grass far this season," Sheriff Riley continued. "The penalty is 1 to 10 years in prison, but this judge here gives most of them 90 days on the farm if it's their first offense. 'Course, it's expensive for them. The bail is $400 per person, cash; and it's maybe another $30 to $33 for the car. By Eleanor Randolph VVINAMAC.

Ind. Sheriff George Klley mounted his big white horse, adjusted his cowboy hat, and rode off into the cornfield at a slow walk. "Gotta sneak up on 'em," one of his deputies explained as the posse pursued liimj.ni i nm; mm ''UlgmuMfmini. iiiniMFmn nmnwi wuimiii'lliiiiwiin mmim mi mi ij). i(i il inn i III ii "I -iii i- ii iii I tfmft ns J- v.

I i i vU vr j-, i nun' -i Tin hi mi 1 mtii tutuvnn iijUKafifc mwniiinrf -ami Indiana latest brand of bandits. "But because of our judge, we don't "Them marijuana pickers are so busy 'nrrPct Vm lf we dnn't see them actually chopping down the stuff that grows wild 'getting it. We see their cars from Cali- out here, they don't even hear the hors- fornja and Florida, and we know what es comin," he said. they're doing out here, but we don't stop SO SHERIFF Riley and his deputies make search, from Pulaski County substituted stal-' we do most of that at night, lions for -squad cars Sunday morning That's when the experienced ones do and nosed thru Art Gumz' cornfields their work. The ones we pick up in the looking for the annual crop of young daytime, they don't know much what people who were looking for the annual they're doing.

It's probably their first crop of wild Indiana "grass." time." "I don Know now got nere origuuu- CL0SE to and the ly," Riley said of the six-foot marijuana sun had finally taken the edge off the early morning chill when two of Riley's deputies parted the corn and stared down at 10 burlap bags of freshly cut cannibus sativa. plants that line tne aitcnes arouna Gumz' potato fields. "The story we always hear is that the Army planted it for hemp in W6rld War II. but nobody knows for sure about Near the bags were two startled Chi- that. Whatever, we can't get it to go awav ro wo snraved it: some neonle cagoans, waiier ranter, uau o.

Trlbune Photos by Roy Hell State Trooper Rick Ervin proves that you don't have to get out of the car to pick marijuana. The crop grows abundantly along the roadside. 5 LI tried to burn it, but it just comes back. Rhodes Av and Charles WiUiam Dar-Tfa a weed a real weed ien 31 6531 S- Lowe Av' Sherif RUey "Avl yeas 5o they sold maps in shortly after their arrest that the coUegessome of 'em for $50. The ones tf were charged with iUegal possession we got just showed the state with a a controled substance, but the charge dcil around this area here" The sher- PPf a ter depuUes made it waved Us muscular, tattooed arm in ear that the two men were merely Sc to Indicate Pulaski and a few surrounding counties in Northwest lodi- LfS ana' cious trespassing on Gumz' cornfields, "FIVE YEARS ago we had so many kept in jail one night and fined $49 each people out here picking, we had a full-' the Pulaski County justice of the time job just directing the he peace.

1 added. "I didn't see or hear a thing until all A former sergeant with the Los Ange-' a suddn I saw the horse's nose look-les Police Department who retired to ing down at me," Parker said after a Pulaski County, Riley rounded up 181 squad car carried him back to the pos-pickers the first year, and 180 in the se's unoffioial headquarters near Gumz' second. farmhouse. This year the are down. Part A deputy sheriff opened the trunk of of the reason, undoubtedly, is that' word the car to show the sacks to a has spread about Riley's posse.

But a friend who had been left behind to grill more commanding reason is that word the steaks for a modern posse's lunch has spread about Indiana PARKER STARED, at the bags of "THAT MARIJUANA was grown for marijuana, then turned to one of the hemp, and generally what's good fof deputies and asked, "What does the making -rope isn't good for getting sheriff do with all that smoke?" high," said Paul H. Kuhn Illinois The official answer is that turn state coordinator of the National it. But green marijuana doesn't burn? it zation to Reform Marijuana Laws just smokes. NORML. "This stuff is to marijuana "So we feed it to the hogs," answered what New York State is to wine.

We E. V. Swygart, a deputy, advise people strongly not to go after it. "Yeah," added Deputy Ralph Arm-It's not worth it." strong, "and Pulaski County's got the "Oh, we ve had maybe 80 arrests so silliest hogs in the whole Midwest." 4 hi J-ii i 1 1 -1 f-: 1 1 i hU A sheriff's policeman carries bags of marijuana just harvested from grown as tall as six feet. At right Is a closer view of what a plant a cornfield near Winamac, where the controlled substance had leaf looks like.

I If ijllji. LI Ml Ml ii, i Mt xrmtrrirVfVW' 9 1 1 1 1j--iit-- 1 3 Restaurant wrecked .17 tT by fire CI V4 4 7 i 5 si' ft An extra-alarm fire caused an estimated $50,000 damage Tuesday to the William Tell Restaurant, 5701 W. North Av. The blaze broke out in the kitchen and gutted the restaurant's interior. Four employes and four residents of an upstairs apartment fled the flames.

11 Trlbuin PhotQ by Jimn 0' Lurr i. 7- i A i i 1 '-t 7-. 4 i 1 v4l- 11 -ftili f- 1: .7 .7 4 4 1 7 ii 1 i n.i.wVJi. i flrtiiiiwiMi.VMiiirtWiiiiiiW A.