The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-10-09
necessary to proceed with great caution, lest by

any mishap they should awake the captain or crew.
The leader OF the thieves cautiously and slowly pro-
ceeded to the cabin door, and then descended to the
cabin; and finding that all slept soundly, he lighted
a match, and applied 1t to lamp which he found
on the table, and then commenced searching for
plumber. box of segars was placed on the hoor
preparatory to carrying away. A noise IN one OF
the berths like that of person awakng from sleep,
alarmed the thief the light instantly extin-
guished-and the daring river thief made his way
in haste to the deck; dog on the adjoining vessel
commenced barking-which alarmed the ship keeper;
the skiff had showed off short distance from the
brgso that the thieves could not get into it, and
hearing some person coming from the cabin, ne
hastily ran into the house ON the deck, crept into
berth, and pretended to be sound asleep. At this
moment, Mr.. William Wood the second mate, came
upon the deck, and having trod upon the box OF
segars on the cabin floor, his suspicious were ex-
cited and he went to the side of the brig, when he
discovered the confederate in the Skill who, after
asking some questions requested the mate to awake
his comrades, whom he pretended had fallen asleep
fed that all was right, and sent for policemen, two
of whom came Immediately on board of the vessel,
and dragged the thieves fom the berths where
they pretended to be sleeping On searching the
berth, they found the mate lamp, which the thief
in his haste had carried with him from the cabin,
and deposited in the berth where he lay. There,
too, was found the Identical pistol with which the
villain had shot the unfortunate Baxter. AT this
time, these policemen knew nothing Of the occur
renee that had taken place on board Of the brig
Thomas Watson. The confederate who had charge
OF the Sku unOluS Undt ul6 were cdptuTeuS
rowsd off a short distance, and when directed to
come back he paid no heed to the summons, and
thereupon the ship keeper on board OF United
States steamboat fired upon him, which caused him
to ply his oars with more vigor, and isoon was hid
! from their sight by the impenetrable darkness
The captured river pirates were conveyed to the
Seventh District station house, and the news Of
the arrest Of two such thieves as Nicholas How
land, alias "Hit me dead,'' and William Saul,
passed from one to the other, until it reached the
policemen in the Fourth District station house, and
some Of them fastened to the Seventh District sta
ton house, to see if they were right in their susp
cion concerning Rowland; and, as they expected,
they found him without his shoes. The two thieves
were then taken to the Fourth District station
house, where the men who had seen them as they
fed from the brig Thomas Watson, identified them
by clothes, and Of them positively identified Nj
cholas Rowland, alias SHIT me dead," as one of the
men who jumped from the deck Of the Thomas Wat.
Policeman Wogan then started in pursuit Of the
confederate who escaped in the boat and after the
most diligent inquiry he succeeded in tracing him
and there he learned from one Of the keepers that
William johnson, notorious river thief, had been
lettering around the island in q boat, and when
spoken to BY the keeper he told him that two Of his
then traced tho boat to ss Kip's Bay" where
johnson had made it fast, and then pro-
concluded that johnson would seek for safety
among his comrades, SO he fastened to No. IL Car
Isle street. where he boarded and ascertaned that
he not there and had not slept there during the
| previous night. He then determined to watch for
him, and it was not long before he was seen enter
ing the house, and soon that ndefatigabe officer had
him in safe custody, when his agitated frame, and his
reckless manner and language, told too truly that
he well knew why the officer Of the law had laid
! violent hands upon him. To resist, he knew, was
entirely useless, he submitted with logged in
difference, and was conveyed to the prison and con-
signed to a cell. During the same morning, John
Monahap, alias Suffering John, James Sullivan,
alias Yank," John Morrison, alias s'Frenchy,"
John Mclaughlin, alias Shinney," and John
McCauley all confederates in crime with the noto-
rious Rowland, Saul and johnson, were arrested by
the police, and committed to prison witnesses to-
gether with the woman that kept the house in
Washington street, where they resorted to counsel
together After patient investigation of the
case by the coroner, before whom was laid
vncing chain of circumstances against the prison.
ers, the jury returned verdict incupating each
of the prisoners in the commission of the larceny,
and the death of Charles Baxter. Thus was effect
ed the most bold and daring robbery that has &C.
! Cured upon our waters in many years, resulting
in the death of estimabe citizen; and thus were
the murderers ferreted out by the industry and in
teligence of the policemen, without the assistance
Of any Of their confederates, and without obtaining
the slightest hint, clue, information from their
rival thieves. 1t a fortunate circumstance that
those faithful policemen in the Fourth district had
so strictly complied with the requirements of the
rules and regulations Of the department, by taking
particular notice of every suspicious person seen
upon their BEATS SO that they were enabled at once
to point to the murderer Of Baxter with such
promptitude and certainty. Had there been river
police in operation, these thieves would not have
been likely to attempt hazardous undertaking,
surrounded. as they would have been, with SO many
additional difficulties; and if they had undertaken it,
they would not have been likely to escape from the
officers, to renew their operations at more distant
point.
The necessity of lighting the piers and slips is
made more manifest for had the piers been properly
lighted the persons who the thieves they fed
<ha hoya haAn 1la 30 So
them beyond doubt.
Many other instances of similar character might
be related, but it is not necessary, your Honors
experience in the Police Department., and MS the
the past two years, must be amply sufficient to i'm
press you with the justice Of the demands of the
camille community for greater protection to their
property.
To effect any permanent good this department.
must be placed in position to enable its members
to act extensively against such depredators They
must be sustained in the exercise of all rightful
authority in pursuing and feettng these thieves
and they must be provided with the means Of fol-
lowing them when engaged in carrying of their
booty or in attempting to elude or escape from the
officers OF the aw by means Of the superior facilities
they enjoy upon the water Experience has fully
demonstrated that the means at present adopted by
this department and by the merchants themselves,
in the employment Of private watchmen to prevent
this description of theft, or to bring the depreda-
tors to justice after they have effected their thets,
are entirely inadequate and if the city authorities
do not provide the requisite means Of protection,
this description of offenders will con- inue to prac-
tise their nefarious business with IMMUNITY, and
with even increased success and bodness, until the
evil shall become so wide spread over the COM
munity that even to check it will be q matter Of
serious moment, and may lead to the inaction Of
SUMMARY punishment on the part Of the Victims of
their atrocities.
Since the time of the writing ofthe former report
this subject, river thievng has been constantly
on the increase and may be fairly estimated to be
full twenty per cent greater than it ut the time
referred to Communications have been made TO
the head Of this bureau by the captains of the Sc
cond, Third, and Fourth districts, in which they
concur in stating that river thievng is daily increas
ing in extent and amount, even to the carrying
away of o cartlead Of property at one time; and
they earnestly ask for the adoption of to pre-
vent these depredations, and to the thieves