The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-03-07
raid ON PANEL HOUSES.
Down in the Dens Of the Four.
teenth Ward.
HOW TIE GAME IS WORKED.
MURDER MADE EASY.

the dlstrlct, Win view 10 breaking up the SYSTEM
aud their success has been more Or less varied. For
time the most notorious houses would
disappear and then, when the excitemens
Of chasing the thieves had somewhat
Gained, they would start again with renewed
| vitality ana energy. Captain Mount was recently
transferred from the Seventeenth precinct to the
Fourteenth Tor the purpose oil breaking up the q 4
DIFFERE'T DBNs OF INFAMy .,.a 49,
that abounded in the latter district ana he had par
! TALLY succeeded In putting an END to the most no
| tOrious of them when he was removed to make war
for Captain Clinchy, of the Broadway squad. Cap
tain Mount at first directed his attention the sneak
thieves and burglars who lounged about the ward,
leaving the panel houses 10 follow in the
regular order. He was transferred, however,.
before the WORK was begun On taking command
OF the precinct the present incumbent applied him.
self TO the LABOR so well taken IN hand ny his pre-
decessor, ana commenced the task OF cleaning the
ward, Just where Captain Mount left of, with the
panel houses. That this Is no easy duty may ben
readily seen by the number OF arrests OF rogues OF
oil descriptions that have lately taken place thia
and nelghDorng districts. On tuesday nighE
Captain Cllnchy accompanied by Deiec-,
| tive Brennan, started out TO make AZ
| tour OF the ward and find the exact
| locations of the panel houses When they goE
into Elm street the Captain ana the detective f0nndJ
three houses In full blast In the first one visited o.
woman and two men were discovered on the prem
ises who were arrested. Three rooms in the h0us0
were
sPLENDIDLY FURNISHED
anu fitted up with all tue necessary appliances for
successfully carrying that species OF robbery
known the panel game. In the room
on the ground floor OF this house the
panel the noUr and was u sort
oil trap door covered with carpet the same as
the rest OF the apartment, a1d opening up into the
room. This trap loor was az the head or the bed,
ana could only ne seen by person standing at the
entrance INTO the room me thiei VINO worked"
through this trap came up from the cellar UNDER
meath by means OF ladder, and when he had rt1ed
tine pockets OF the victim he Disappeared by the
same way ana then lett the house with the booty, II
| there was any, by the 'front.' basement Tne house
next TINS was also examined by The police and found
| to DC OF the same character as the one they had
| Just left. Inc thieves, however, mad escaped III
| time to avoid BENG arrested. Ihev mad seen the
and, Of course, that was sufficient; tney fully UNDER
| stood The game was up. In the second Establish
ment Captain tlinchy found
A SLIDING PANEL IN THE FOLDING DOORS
that worked upon wheels. ana was large enough to
admit about half Il mans body. Besides TINS Sid
Ing panel there were also two smaller ones Jnat re-
verted each upon u button, and winch were used as
points oil observation by the thieves IN the back
room. In the second room on the TOD noor
the means OF getting possession OF whatever
may be IN the POCKETS OF the individual VINO was
inveigled into IL, was whaE Is known as the bolt
trick. This Is q very ingenious description or Dot
and staple, t AT seem 10 be made on purpose for
the WORK teJ are used to assist III. Inc staple has
all the appearance OF being fastened on Inc frame
work oil the uoor. when the closed but IN
reality 1t Is attached 70 the door Itself, and when
the oolt Is pushed INTO ~ there IS, TO ali lnIents aud
purposes, an AR OF perfect securHy but IN reality
there IS no security wnatever Captain Cncny and
Detective brennan found large number OF
these bolts and other devices OF u similar
nature upon the premises, and they took charge OF
them and mad them removed 10 the station mousse.
The Captain sent for assistance and then broke
down The panels and all the contrivances Tor ROB-
berry in the place, so that the usual business could
not he resunled Belng 50 successful IN That one
street Captain Cnnchy turned his Afternoon to
| CROSBY street, thinking he would NO doubt meet
with number OF houses IN
THE FULL TIDE OF TRAFFIC..
But the thieves mad warned ali the houses
the police were compelled 10 give up the
chase. Yesterday AFTERNOON, however, the
captain ana Inc detective again sailed forth IN
quest Of panel people, CAPTAIN Uiincay sent ms
coadJutor IN pian clothes before him TO watch the
houses and see II anything was gong OH. Tney
had not been more than hall an hour waiting
something to turn up" when the detective gave
endeavorng TO invelge gentleman into As Crosby
there just III time TO prevent the gentleman from
GOING INTO TIE DEN.
They arrested the woman. took ner to the station
mouse, wnere sne gave her name as Eliza walters,
and then locked the mouse up. Captain Cltncny
went to Police HEADQUARTERS 10 inform superintend
ent kelso OF what he mad DONE ana the Superin-
tendent desired him to go back to the place and
break up the panels, a. had been done the other
houses. The police Captain was accompanied by
reporter OF the HERALD on MS second visit to the
place, and detective Brennan VINO was left be-
hind to look after the house, opened the door
TO them Like almost all the other houses In the
street. NO. 4s is brick construction. witn high
stoop and IN a very dllapdated condition on the
outside Within, however, there Is general Or OF
comfort and some pretensions TO luxury. The front
room on the nrst hoor was furnished with bed,
dressing table and wasnstand, two lounges,
q chest OF drawers and a small centre table.
a large fire burned brightly, was a hand
some Clock two immense glarng glass
window was chest OF drawers, upon winch were
carefully disposed number OF statuettes. Tnis
room was divided from the one IN the rear Dy fold
ing DOORS and the mead OF the bed, wnlch was I'M
usually elevated, was turned In this direction The
corner room was tile very reverse OF the front one.
Dirt and disorder were It's most prominent features,
and 1t looked ike, and undou1ted was. the work.
shop OF the gang" rusty, filthy Stove stood In
tEe.cenre, all around, strewed In every direc-
ton, were cooking utensils.
A RAGGED PIECE OF CARPET
covered the floor near the door, and upon 1t were
TWO pairs OF ragged slippers that Captain Clincny
eyed suspiciousy ana pointed out as part OF the
tnleves' stock IN trade. The front apartment mad
been SO carefully papered and showed 80 little or
ing the panel was Tor some TINE dinicalt task.
The police went all around the place, sounding the
as hopeless when Captain Ciiachy discovered
place that sounded as u It were hOl
tore open one side OF the folding doors and at once
revealed the mucn sought Tor panel. 1hls was
creased, aud which was cut In a partition That ran
across the space lett by the frame WORK OF the iol-
i S On n srgS cosa
be opened by the thieves In the rear without the
slightest 1olse When victim was enticcd INTO TINS
the robbers began their WORK. The FIRST move was
to put on the slippers as soon as the woman gave
the signal. then open the haf OF the folding doors
the police wcro obliged TO break them openly
pulling o wre attached TO bolt ON the other
side, and which, passing through the framework,
just appeared outside the wall sufficiently 70 take
hold OF. AZ soon this door was swung BACK
THE PANEL WAS OPENED,
the thief stole into tue room, rlned the pockets or
the unsuspectlng visitor and then escaped tne way
he came. III, however, lne victim should oy any
chance see what was going on the thieves were
fully prepared. In case ne made NOISE aad was
likely TO bring in the police ne would DC Instantly
pofYe1 dragged into the back room lung through
4 trap into the sub. cellar and Il MS neck was nos
70 allow the thieves time TO nuisn him at leisure Uf
course nohiag or TINS kind may have ever &C.
curred vet the means for doing something or the
sort are there ready for use at any moment.
There s beside, an easy mode OF escape IN the rear
for the fences low and the people living IN the
adjoining houses are not exactly OF the class that
would be oesirous OF stopping the night OF thie.